Onboard and manage the employee lifecycle

Applies to: Dynamics 365 Customer Voice, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Guides, Dynamics 365 Human Resources, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

This article explains how to use the end-to-end onboard and manage the employee lifecycle business process to create a positive and productive employee experience that boosts workforce engagement.

In today's competitive business landscape, retaining and developing top talent is crucial for organizational success. Onboarding and managing employee lifecycles are strategic ways to ensure a smooth and effective integration of new hires into the organization. They also help you comply with labor laws and regulations, minimize legal risks, and build a reputation as an employer of choice. Dynamics 365 provides a comprehensive suite of tools to streamline and enhance various aspects of onboarding and employee lifecycle management. You can use Dynamics 365 to create customized onboarding checklists, manage employee records, administer compensation and benefits, track performance and growth, manage leave plans and attendance, and reconcile travel expenses.

One of the key advantages of using Dynamics 365 for onboarding and employee lifecycle management is its adaptability. You can customize your employee management approach to suit your unique needs and timelines. You can also integrate these processes into the system at any stage of its implementation or gradually add them as your organization grows. This adaptability ensures that you can swiftly adapt to evolving business requirements, industry trends, and employee expectations without disrupting your operations. As a result, Dynamics 365 proves to be an invaluable tool for long-term employee management and engagement.

Stakeholders

Many people across the organization should contribute to the decision-making process and design of the onboard and manage employee lifecycle area. The following list provides examples of such stakeholders:

• Human resources assistants handle the administrative tasks involved in onboarding. They ensure a smooth onboarding experience for new hires.

• Line managers guide and supervise new employees. They provide mentorship, facilitate regular performance reviews, and identify training and development opportunities.

• HR analysts bring insights that help optimize the onboarding process. They identify areas for improvement in onboarding materials, training programs, and mentorship opportunities.

• Onboarding coordinators design and implement comprehensive onboarding programs. They develop and manage onboarding materials such as handbooks, orientation materials, and training modules.

• Performance management specialists align performance management systems with company goals and employee career aspirations. They develop and implement performance management processes that foster transparency, accountability, and professional development opportunities.

• Compensation and benefits specialists oversee the organization's compensation and benefits programs. They ensure fairness, competitiveness, and regulatory compliance. They provide guidance on benefits enrollment, payroll, and related administration.

• Training and development specialists design, develop, and deliver training and development programs. They align these programs with employee needs and organizational objectives.

Each of these stakeholders contributes specialized expertise to the successful onboarding and management of the employee lifecycle. Their contributions foster a smooth and engaging onboarding experience, promote employee development, and enable you to achieve your talent management objectives.

Onboard and manage employee lifecycle business process map

The following diagram illustrates the onboard and manage the employee lifecycle business process area. Each solid gray rectangle on the diagram represents an end-to-end business process. The solid blue rectangle represents the business process area. The diagram shows the subprocesses for the business process area. The arrows on the diagram show the flow of the business process in an organization. If a subprocess can lead to more than one other subprocess, the parallel subprocesses are shown as branches.

1. Start

2. Hire to retire

3. Plan and recruit your workforce

4. Onboard and manage the employee lifecycle

   1. Enter worker details

      1. Maintain worker details

   2. Create an onboard checklist

      1. Assign onboarding checklist to worker

   3. Assign position

      1. Manage worker position assignment

   4. Manage compensation and benefits

      1. Maintain compensation and benefits

   5. Manage employee performance and growth

      1. Maintain employee performance and growth

   6. Enroll leave plans

      1. Manage leave enrollment and balances

      Note

      Not shown are connections to End from Assign onboarding checklist to worker, Manage worker position assignments, and Manage leave enrollment and balances.

5. Manage employee time and attendance

6. Manage travel and expenses

7. End

Onboard and manage employee lifecycle benefits

There are many key benefits that you can use to monitor and measure the success of using technology to support the onboard and manage employee lifecycle area. The following sections outline the key benefits that you might monitor and measure for this area.

Optimize the onboarding process and improve employee engagement

Dynamics 365 provides a centralized platform for managing the onboarding process, ensuring that new hires receive a smooth and consistent experience. You can use customizable onboarding templates and checklists to efficiently guide new employees through the process, from paperwork and benefits enrollment to training and orientation Interactive onboarding portals can be created with Power Apps or Power Pages. You can also use automated workflows with Power Automate to trigger tasks and notifications, ensuring that onboarding activities are completed promptly.

Empower managers with onboarding tools

Dynamics 365 empowers managers to actively participate in the onboarding process, providing them with a centralized platform to manage tasks, track progress, and provide feedback. Managers can identify potential issues and provide timely support, ensuring a smooth and successful transition for new employees.

Continuously improve onboarding practices

By analyzing onboarding data, you can identify trends and patterns that inform continuous improvement efforts. This data-driven approach enables you to adapt your onboarding strategies to the needs of your workforce, ensuring that new hires receive the support and resources they need to thrive in their new roles.

Next steps

1. Plan and recruit your workforce
2. Onboard and manage the employee lifecycle (the article you're currently reading)
   1. Onboard new hires
   2. Update employee records
3. Manage occupational health and safety
4. Manage employee performance and growth
5. Manage employee time and attendance
6. Manage travel and expenses
7. Manage employee benefits, compensation, and payroll

See also

• Task management
• Set up tasks in Task management
• Positions
• Enter worker information
• Enroll an employee in a fixed compensation plan
• Enroll an employee in a variable compensation plan
• Benefits management overview
• Performance management
• Leave and absence overview

Contributors

This article is maintained by Microsoft. It was originally written by the following contributors.

Principal author:

• Ana Inés Urrutia de Souza| Microsoft MVP for Business Applications

Other contributors:

• Rachel Profitt | Principal Program Manager

• Priyanka Sinha | Senior Solution Architect