Whether you're hiring your first employee or your fiftieth, the onboarding process can quickly become overwhelming without a clear structure and autoamted workflows.
In this ultimate guide, I'll show you how to automate every major phase of the employee lifecycle. From recruiting to offboarding, using modern tools like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), HR Information Systems (HRIS), and IT automation platforms.
Why Automation Matters?
Manual processes slow down your team, introduce errors, and make it hard to scale. But when you automate core workflows, everything runs more smoothly:
- Eliminate repetitive admin tasks
- Reduce costly errors and delays
- Create consistent employee experiences
- Ensure security and compliance from day one to offboarding
Employee lifecycle diagram
The 5 Phases of Employee Lifecycle Automation
Below are the five key stages of the employee lifecycle and how you can automate each one:
Phase 1: Automating Your Recruiting Process
Use ATS tools like Greenhouse, Lever, or Airtable to manage job postings, candidate tracking, interview scheduling, and offer letters.
You can even set up automations to notify hiring managers or trigger interview invites.
Phase 2: HR Onboarding Workflows
Once a candidate accepts an offer, automate welcome emails, document collection, HRIS updates, training module assignments, and benefits setup.
Tools like Gusto, BambooHR, Trainual, and Make.com are great here.
Phase 3: IT Onboarding & Provisioning
Notify IT automatically when a new hire is ready, then trigger user account creation, device setup, and app provisioning.
Use tools like JumpCloud, SetupDock, and Microsoft Intune for a seamless IT handoff.
Phase 4: Ongoing IT Support
Once the employee is onboarded, make support scalable with a helpdesk system and workflow automation.
Use platforms like Zendesk, Jira, and Slack workflows to handle access requests, password resets, and approvals.
Phase 5: Secure & Automated Offboarding
When someone leaves, automation ensures no steps are missed.
Revoke access, wipe and recover devices, archive data, and trigger return shipments using tools like BetterCloud, JumpCloud, and SetupDock.
Jump Into Each Phase:
- Phase 1: Automating Your Recruiting Process →
- Phase 2: HR Onboarding Workflows →
- Phase 3: Automating IT Onboarding & Provisioning →
- Phase 4: Ongoing IT Support & Service Desk Automations →
- Phase 5: Secure & Automated Offboarding →
Common Questions
Q: What tools do I absolutely need to get started with onboarding automation?
A: Start with an HRIS like Gusto or BambooHR, a workflow tool like Zapier or Make, and a platform like SetupDock for device and access management. These three give you full coverage from hiring to offboarding.
Q: What if I don't have an IT team?
A: You don't need one. SetupDock handles provisioning, device logistics, and ongoing support so you can scale without building an internal IT department.
Q: How long does it take to get this up and running?
A: Most teams are fully automated in 1 to 2 weeks. After that, every new hire runs through your system with minimal effort.
Q: What should I automate first?
A: Start with the repeatable stuff: sending welcome emails, creating accounts, assigning devices, and notifying IT. These free up the most time right away.
Q: How do I make sure nothing breaks?
A: Always test automations in a staging environment first. Most tools let you preview and log every step so you can catch mistakes before they happen.
Q: Can this integrate with our existing stack?
A: Yes. LocodeSystems builds flexible workflows that work with your existing tools, whether that's Google Workspace, Okta, Airtable, or something custom.
Final Thoughts
A structured automation plan improves productivity, reduces risk, and creates a better experience for everyone: HR, IT, and new hires alike.
At LocodeSystems, we help growing teams build custom tools and automations that scale. From internal portals to onboarding workflows, we bring structure to chaos using no-code, low-code, and traditional dev tools.
Need help automating your lifecycle? Visit LocodeSystems.com for a free consultation.