Set Up Onboarding and Offboarding

The article outlines the onboarding and offboarding features available in BambooHR. It provides guidance on setting up templates, adding tasks, and organizing lists to enhance the onboarding experience for new employees. Users can register for Learning Labs to master these features and utilize HR consulting services for tailored support. The article includes instructions for adding tasks, assigning responsibilities, and managing document requirements. It emphasizes the importance of streamlining processes to improve efficiency and compliance. Additionally, it highlights options for editing templates and updating existing employee task lists to ensure a smooth onboarding process. Overall, the content aims to assist HR professionals in creating an organized and effective onboarding system.

  • Apr 24, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
Set Up Onboarding and Offboarding
Article Text
This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

Register here for one of our one-hour Learning Labs to master the Onboarding feature and learn how to give your new employees the best possible introduction to your company.

Streamline your onboarding and set new hires up for success with our tailored HR Consulting Services! We'll help you design efficient processes, optimize your BambooHR system, and create an engaging experience that promotes your company culture and drives retention.

Click here to book a consultation and transform your onboarding process.

How do I get started with onboarding and offboarding?

Purpose: To learn how to set up a template for onboarding and offboarding by adding lists and tasks.

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Table of Contents

Would you like to watch a video about this topic?

Do you prefer hands-on learning? Our interactive guides will guide you through different aspects of your BambooHR experience. We have an interactive guide specifically designed to show you how to create an onboarding task. You can use the link below to access this guide. All you need to do is modify the "REPLACEME" with your BambooHR subdomain, and you can get started!

https://REPLACEME.bamboohr.com/home?pendo=hOV4YOS3Mi3ZZmsbKL99z8Jys9k&step=vszw3zZRi3ieFBcc7yAsL9jzFpo

Add a list

To get started, navigate to Settings and click Onboarding. Select New Task List.

This will pull up a page where you can enter a title for your task list, choose an icon, and begin entering tasks if you are ready. This page will autosave as you go, so you can click Save Task List or Back to save and navigate back to your main Onboarding page to continue adding the lists that you need for organizing your onboarding template. Tasks cannot be assigned to a list. There is a Miscellaneous list generated by BambooHR that you can assign them to if needed.  

Add a task

Within your task list or on the Onboarding Tasks page in Settings,  click + New Task.

  1. Task Name: Title the task.
  2. Assign to: Choose which employee will be responsible for completing the task (only one can be selected). If you assign the task to an employee,* you will see an option to allow the employee to upload files, and to make this step required. Any files the employee uploads will automatically appear in the Employee Uploads folder on their Documents tab.
  3. Task List: Select the appropriate list name.
  4. Due Date: Assign a due date (based on either the hire date or termination date).
  5. Send Assignment Notifications: Select when you would like your assignees to receive an email notification about the new task.
    1. Soon After Task is Imported: We will wait 15 minutes before sending out a notification to assignees.
    2. On Due Date: This will send an email notification to the assignee on the task due date at 5 AM  (company time zone).
    3. A Date Before the Due Date: This will allow you to select how many days before the due date you want this email notification to be sent. The email notification will be sent on the selected day at 5 AM (company time zone).
  6. Description: Add a description.
  7. Attach File(s):** Attach files for viewing or signing, depending on the configuration in your account. Documents for signing will default to optional, but you may also require the document to be signed before marking the task as complete.
  8. Import this task when onboarding...: If this task isn't for everyone, click below to see the filtering options.
  9. Click Save Task.

*Please note that employees must have access to the system to have a task assigned to them. 

**Files are attached directly from company files, meaning you can attach electronic signature template files too.

When the onboarding process is activated, the current onboarding template will appear in a new hire's Onboarding tab. You can edit the task list for a specific employee as needed or use the checkbox you'll find when editing a task named "Update existing employee tasklist items." Any changes or updates may push out to all employees with active task lists.

Tip: Want this task to appear in the New Hire Packet? Make sure it's assigned to the employee and due on or before the hire date.

Task filters
  1. Click Edit next to "All Employees."
  2. Select the applicable standard filters.
  3. Click Save to save the filter criteria.
  4. If you are editing the task and need to apply the update to existing tasklists, mark the checkbox you'll see titled "Update existing employee tasklist items" and click Save.

If you add a filter to a task, any employee you assign it to must have the qualifying information entered on their profile.

To delete a task from a task list on an individual level, click on the trash can icon, which is accessible from the employee's Onboarding or Offboarding tab.

Add optional or required documents

When an onboarding or offboarding task has a document attached to it, the administrator can choose to make the document optional or required. If the document is optional, the employee can complete the task without signing the document. If the document requires a signature, then the task will not be complete until the employee signs it.

When you click Attach Files, a pop-up box will appear that allows you to choose a signature document. Hint: Use the pulldown at the top to view your signature template files. Choose the file you wish to attach to the specific onboarding or offboarding task by clicking in the checkbox.

All documents will automatically default to optional. Click on the star icon to change the selected document from optional to required. Click Add Selected to add the signature document to the task.

Additionally, if you are editing a task, be sure to check the box, Update existing employee tasklist items, to ensure that anyone previously assigned this task will now be required to sign the document to complete the task. You can change the setting from optional to required or vice versa on the task before clicking Save.

How do I edit my onboarding and offboarding templates?

There may be times when you need to make edits or updates to your onboarding or offboarding templates (you can adjust those at any time). Choose a template within Settings and make the necessary changes. You can:

  1. Add new tasks.
  2. Add a new list to help organize tasks.
  3. Reorder the existing lists and expand/collapse all lists.
  4. Click on a task list to view the associated tasks.
  5. Click Edit to open the Edit Task List page (see below).
  6. Delete the entire task list.
  7. Hover over a task to see the option to edit or delete.
  8. Click and drag to reorder tasks within a list.

If you click on a task list name, you will open a page with that list's details. Here, you can do the following:

  1. Rename the task list.
  2. Change the task list's icon.
  3. Add a new task to this list.
  4. Click on any items to drag and drop them in the preferred order.
  5. Hover over a task to see the option to edit or delete the task.

 

Update existing employees' onboarding and offboarding templates

Edits made to onboarding or offboarding templates will not automatically update the respective Onboarding and Offboarding tabs for employees who already have an existing task list assigned to them. You can make individual, one-off changes at any time directly from an employee's Onboarding or Offboarding tab. To make an update for all employees, add a checkmark next to "Update existing employee tasklist items."

You can access this checkbox by going to the associated onboarding or offboarding task list in Settings, and clicking on the name of the task list to expand it. Hover over the task you would like to edit and click the pencil icon.

Examples:

  • Individual: I may wish to add a specific task to an employee that does not apply to anyone else. I would do this through that individual employee's Onboarding or Offboarding tab.
  • All Employees: I may wish to adjust the due date for a specific task to apply to all employees. I would do this through the task editing task screen and mark the checkbox named "Update existing employee tasklist items" to push the change out to all employees' Onboarding or Offboarding tabs.

Example of an onboarding template

Once activating your onboarding or offboarding template on the employee profile, you can relax knowing that BambooHR is right by your side in automating this process for you.

"Our current onboarding process is a disorganized mess of paper forms and manual data entry, leading to a poor new-hire experience and frequent errors. It's time-consuming for HR, and I'm worried we're missing crucial compliance steps. We need a streamlined, automated onboarding solution within BambooHR that ensures a smooth and consistent welcome for new employees, reduces HR workload, and guarantees all necessary paperwork is completed accurately and on time."

Our Solution: Our BambooHR Services team can help create a complete onboarding transformation, including strategic consulting and BambooHR optimization to eliminate manual processes, ensure compliance, and deliver a welcoming, error-free new hire experience, saving HR time while setting employees up for success.

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