University of Wisconsin–Madison

Onboarding Setup and Managing Onboarding Status

Overview

This job aid overviews the Onboarding setup and progress tracking available in Workday. This document will review the 3 sections of the Onboarding Dashboard that can be personalized for a new employee: the Message from My Manager, People to Meet, and Helpful Contacts for a new hire. Additionally, this document will review the process to run the Onboarding Status Summary Report (OSR). 

Onboarding Setup

After a new employee is hired into Workday, the business process automatically starts the Onboarding Setup process by sending a task to the initiator of the new hire.

Important: If the Onboarding Setup process has not been completed 3 days prior to the date of hire, Workday will submit the Setup with default settings to ensure that Onboarding launches to the new hire.

Onboarding Setup Steps
Step 1 From the Workday Home Page, click on My Tasks (inbox icon) in the upper right corner 
Step 2 Select the Onboarding Setup for Hire: New Employee’s Name task 
Step 3 Review the generated default Message and edit or add any personal details. See the Suggested Templates below.
Step 4

Confirm/Add/Delete

  • People to Meet (defaults to Team Members)

  • Helpful Contacts (defaults to HR Partner and Unit Time Keeper)

Step 5

Optional: Click the Notify checkbox if you want selected contacts to receive a message that they have been identified.

Review Notification Subject and Message, and make any edits needed.

Step 6

Click Submit. The new hire will have access to the onboarding dashboard and will receive their onboarding tasks to complete.

Note: Click Save for Later if you would like to save your current progress before exiting the task.

Suggested Templates (optional)

Workday allows you to customize a message for a new hire. These templates can provide a starting place for you as you draft your personalized message. 

New to UW-Madison

Congratulations [NEW EMPLOYEE FIRST NAME] on your new job and welcome to UW-Madison and [DIVISION/DEPARTMENT]! We’re excited to have you on the team. Take some time to review your Onboarding Dashboard and complete any required items under Getting Started. Please reach out to me or HR with any questions.

Re-hired to UW-Madison

Welcome back, [NEW EMPLOYEE FIRST NAME], and congratulations on your new role at UW-Madison and [DIVISION/DEPARTMENT]! We're excited to have you rejoin the team. Please take some time to review your Onboarding Dashboard and complete any required items under Getting Started. Feel free to reach out to me or HR with any questions

Transfer Employee within same S/C/D

Congratulations on your new role within [ENTER S/C/D NAME]! We’re excited to continue to work with and support you. Take some time to review your Onboarding Dashboard and complete any required items under Getting Started. While not all onboarding items are the same for transferring employees, below are a few items that will need updated: 

  • Remote Work Agreement
  • Outside Activity Report

Please reach out to me or HR with any questions.

Student Hire

There are a few different ways you can draft your onboarding message for Student Hires. 

Congratulations on the new job and welcome to [DIVISION/DEPARTMENT]! We are thrilled to have you join our team and help advance our mission. Starting a new job can be challenging, so please know that I am here to support you. Getting started with onboarding will be one of your first steps towards understanding expectations, and setting you up for success. If you have any questions, reach out to me or our HR team.

It’s your time to shine, [NAME]! Welcome to our team. We thrive on enthusiasm, teamwork, and transparency. Your role is critical to the success of our department. Everyone on the team is ready to help you understand the work we do and how you fit into it. You and I will meet soon to get started. Until then, On Wisconsin!

Congratulations on becoming part of our team, [NAME]. Your enthusiasm and dedication to excellence were apparent in your interview and will make you a valuable member of our department. There are a few onboarding tasks you will need to complete in your first few days. If any questions arise, do not hesitate to reach out to me or our HR team.  

Faculty

There are a few different ways you can draft your onboarding message for Faculty. 

Welcome to UW-Madison! You are now part of a legacy that spans over 175 years of education, outreach, and research. I am thrilled to have you join our department and join our team of exceptional educators. My staff and I are ready and eager to provide you with guidance and support as you begin your journey at UW-Madison. We will meet soon, but do not hesitate to reach out to me or HR with any questions. On Wisconsin!

It’s your time to shine, [NAME]! Welcome to our team. We thrive on enthusiasm, teamwork, and transparency. Your role is critical to the success of our department. Everyone on the team is ready to help you understand the work we do and how you fit into it. You and I will meet soon to get started. Until then, On Wisconsin!

Welcome to [DEPARTMENT NAME]! We were eagerly anticipating your arrival, and now the time has come! As you acclimate to life at UW-Madison, there will be no shortage of questions. Know that your Department colleagues and I are available to help you get oriented. You are always welcome to reach out to our HR team, as well. There will be much to cover during your first few months here, but for now, know that you are part of a proud tradition of service, education, research, and leadership. Forward!

Onboarding Status Summary Report (OSR)

The Onboarding Status Summary Report (OSR) allows you to view a worker’s progress in Onboarding tasks. 

How to: Run Onboarding Status Summary Report
Step 1 Search for and select Onboarding Status Summary report using the search bar in Workday
Step 2 Select Supervisory Organization
Step 3 Optional: Select checkbox for Include Subordinate Organizations
Step 4 Click OK 
Step 5

Report will show for each worker in Onboarding:

  1. Onboarding Progress - percent of total tasks completed

  2. Not Started - tasks not started

  3. In Progress - list of tasks

  4. In Progress For >1 Day

  5. Completed tasks

Questions?

Contact: LTD@ohr.wisc.edu

Updated: Apr. 25, 2025
Source URL: https://hr.wisc.edu/hr-guides/for-hr-professionals/onboarding-setup-and-managing-onboarding-status/

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