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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Set Up Onboarding Planner

Set Up Onboarding Planner

Configure the
Set Up: Onboarding
 domain in the Onboarding functional area.
You can use the Onboarding Planner to configure and maintain onboarding plans for your new hires.
  1. Access the
    Onboarding Planner
     report.
  2. Complete the task:
    Option
    Description
    Overview
    You can use the
    Maintain Hubs
     task to personalize the Onboarding Planner landing page with:
    • Custom Reports
    • Announcements
    • External Links
    Plans
    You can use the
    Create Plan
     task to create an Effective-Dated
    Onboarding Plan
     with a unique name and specify the number of days you want the plan to remain active.
    • You can
      Add
       up to 10
      Onboarding Stage
       instances per plan and configure a
      Stage Trigger
       to determine when the plan is delivered to the new hire relative to the
      Hire Date
      .
    • You can add
      Notifications
      that trigger for a specific
      Audience
       at a specified stage.
    You can use the
    Maintain Sections
     task to display or hide on onboarding plans for new hires:
    • Required Learning for You
      You can enable this section to display preconfigured required learning content directly on the onboarding plan.
      Requires the Learning SKU.
    • Connect with a Coworker
      You can enable this section to leverage machine learning to suggest colleagues for the new hire to connect with.
      Requires the Talent Optimization SKU.
    • Journeys for You
      You can enable this section to display Journeys content on the onboarding plan.
      Requires the Journeys SKU.
    You can use the
    Examine for Issues
     button to run the
    Examine for Onboarding Issues
     task to identify and correct misconfigured onboarding plans before they are assigned, helping reduce errors and ensure a smoother onboarding process. Example: Misconfigured security settings.
    The
    Examine for Onboarding Issues
     task will not generate error exceptions for Onboarding Plans that you have retired.
    Audiences
    Access the
    Maintain Onboarding Plan Audiences
     task to assign plans to audiences and set the plan hierarchy.
    You can create
    Audiences
    using condition rules to send personalized Onboarding Plans and individualized content to groups of new starters based on set criteria. Example: Region or Job Area.
    Maintain Audiences: You can create
    Audiences
    that you can use at both plan and content level for more granularity. You can create and select the rules from the
    Condition Rules
     prompt:
    • You can create
      Job Application Condition Rules
       to target new joiner access content as pre-hires through the
      External Preboarding
       site (Recruiting customer only)
    • You can create
      Worker Condition Rules
       for new joiners accessing content as Workers or Contingent Workers internally once they receive a Workday account.
    Audience Selection: You can assign
    Audiences
    to an
    Onboarding Plan
    .
    If you're using both the External Preboarding and the internal experience, configure audience rules for both job application and worker to ensure new hires retain access to content when they become workers. Once a worker exists, only Worker audience condition rules are used and Job Application rules are ignored. (Recruiting customers only)
    Content Library
    You can use the
    Create Content
     task to create these types of content for
    Onboarding Plan
    :
    • Onboarding Announcement
    • Onboarding Bulletin
    • Onboarding Card
    • Onboarding Message
    • Onboarding Video
    Onboarding Card: You can create a
    Day 1 Overview Card
     and add it to a plan providing the new joiner with the key information they need in advance of their first day. You can include these details on the Day 1 Overview Card:
    • Work Location
    • First Day Start Time
    • Orientation Location
    • Orientation Start Time
    • Instruction Overview
    • Orientation Facilitator
    You can use Audience and Condition Rules to localize the content on the Day 1 Overview Card.
    You can also manually enter values for each field or use a dynamic External Field. You can also configure a custom object for Job Application or Worker to manage these values.
    You can also create Calculated Fields to get specific information from business objects. Example: Job Application.
    Onboarding Message: You can create a
    Message
    that will default to a
    Highlight
    when configuring an Onboarding Plan. This can be a welcome message, a message providing context on the organization or their new role.
    Onboarding Video: You can create a
    Video
    that you can add to the
    You Might be Interested In
     slider on the
    Onboarding Plan
     or as a
    Highlight
    .
    • Onboarding Announcement: You can create an
      Announcement
      to include in an Onboarding Plan.
      Custom Reports and Tasks will not display in External Preboarding even when configured. Worker photos will display to external users with access to the Person Data: Personal Photo domain. (Recruiting customers only).
    You can use the task
    Copy Onboarding Dashboard Announcements to Onboarding Plan Announcements
     to select and copy existing
    Announcements
    that you have configured in the
    Onboarding Dashboard
    .
    Onboarding Bulletins: You can use the
    Create Onboarding Bulletin
     task to create a Bulletin as a new content type that you can use to ensure new hires access the content you want to make prominent in their onboarding plans.
    Notifications
    You can use the
    Create Notification
     task to set up notifications for each stage to let new hires know when new content is available.
    Access the
    Edit Tenant Setup-Notifications
     task to configure routing rules for the notifications.
    Enter
    Onboarding Plan Notifications
     under HCM for Email or SMS. (Workday Messaging customers only)
    Create and publish a Notification Template for Email notifications from Drive using the Onboarding Plan Notifications category.
    • You can use Notification Templates in Notification Designer to customize Email notification with your organization's branding.
    • You can link the new hire to their Onboarding Plan using any of these report fields:
      • Onboarding Plan URL
      • Onboarding Plan Day 1 Overview URL
      You can also create Calculated Fields to get specific information from business objects. Example: Job Application.
    • You can use report fields to personalize notifications for both Email and SMS, reducing the need to create multiple notifications.
    • You can use the using the
      Notification Events for Onboarding Plan Assignment
       report field to report on notifications.
    Branding
    You can use the
    Create External Branding
     task to upload your organization logo and banner for consistent branding for your
    Onboarding Plan
     in external preboarding. Once the new hire has tenant access, they will see tenant branding, which may differ from External Branding.
    Reports
    • The
      Onboarding Business Process Status Summary
       report enables you track recently hired workers' task completion status .
    • The
      Onboarding Plan Assignments
       report provides an overview of onboarding plan assignments for a worker or pre-hire.
    • The
      Onboarding Advisories
       report enables you address potential issues during the onboarding process. Example: A new worker or pre-hire missing an onboarding plan assignment.
    Additional Configurations
    Provides insights into business process definitions for:
    • Onboarding
    • All business processes that can be used to assign the Onboarding Plan to a new hire
An onboarding administrator will be able to create and manage customized onboarding plans for new hires. The administrator can add relevant content, assign tasks, and configure when content is made available to new hires to ensure a structured experience.