Why you need employee onboarding and offboarding software?

A company’s success isn’t just shaped by how it hires; it’s also defined by how it lets go. The onboarding experience often determines how quickly new hires contribute, while the offboarding experience shapes how gracefully employees exit. Yet, many organizations still handle these crucial transitions manually.

Disorganized handovers, forgotten tasks, and delayed exits create real risks. 

According to a report by Oak, 58% of organizations still rely on manual onboarding processes, leading to higher turnover and slower ramp-up time. Similarly, companies lose critical data and face security risks when exits are not appropriately managed.

This is where employee onboarding and offboarding software becomes essential. 

It streamlines and automates entry and exit experiences, making your workforce lifecycle smoother, safer, and more efficient. This guide’ll cover what these tools do, why they matter, and how to choose the right solution for your business.

What Is Employee Onboarding and Offboarding Software?

Employee onboarding and offboarding software is an all-in-one platform that automates the journey from first login to final goodbye. It allows HR teams to create checklists, automate communications, assign tasks, manage access, and securely archive documents at both ends of the employee lifecycle.

It supports Onboarding and Offboarding.

• Onboarding: From welcome emails and device assignments to orientation scheduling and benefits enrollment.
   
• Offboarding: From revoking access and gathering assets to conducting exit interviews and documenting final feedback.

By managing these processes digitally, employee onboarding and offboarding software improves accuracy, consistency, and transparency. It reduces human error, shortens processing time, and eliminates department confusion.

Tools like Freshteam, BambooHR, and Zoho People offer onboarding and offboarding flows, making them efficient solutions for businesses that want to maintain continuity from start to finish.

Why Onboarding Matters More Than You Think

Your onboarding process isn’t just a checklist—it’s the foundation of your employee’s experience. According to Glassdoor, organizations with an intense onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.

Yet many teams treat onboarding as an afterthought. Emails are missed. Equipment isn’t ready. There’s no orientation schedule or clarity on job roles. This lack of structure leads to disconnection and demotivation.

Here’s why great onboarding is vital.

• It accelerates time-to-productivity by setting expectations early.
• It fosters a sense of inclusion and engagement from day one.
• It reduces early attrition. Up to 20% of employees leave within the first 45 days due to poor onboarding. (Source: BambooHR)

Employee onboarding and offboarding software enables HR teams to design consistent, welcoming workflows. Tasks like software provisioning, ID generation, payroll setup, and document signing happen automatically. The experience feels seamless, even if your team is remote.

A strong start sets the tone for long-term loyalty, and using modern tools ensures every new hire gets that experience.

The Hidden Costs of Poor Offboarding

While companies often focus on onboarding, offboarding is just as critical—if not more so. 

Poorly executed exits leave your systems exposed, your brand reputation vulnerable, and your institutional knowledge scattered.

The risks of ineffective offboarding include the following.

• Security threats: A study found that more than half of ex-employees admitted to taking confidential company information upon leaving. (Source: CRN)
• Loss of documentation: Key insights, passwords, or project histories walk out the door without transfer.
• Legal liabilities: Missing exit interviews or compliance paperwork can create audit issues.
• Negative brand impact: Poor offboarding increases the chance of negative online reviews or word-of-mouth criticism.

Employee onboarding and offboarding software handles these transitions securely and professionally. It automatically revokes access from all systems, collects digital signatures for exit forms, and promptly schedules exit interviews. Audit logs are preserved for legal compliance.

Exits don’t need to be messy. They become clean, respectful, and secure with the right system.

How Employee Onboarding and Offboarding Software Fixes These Problems

Automation isn’t just about saving time—it’s about ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. When an employee joins or exits, dozens of steps must be completed across departments. Manually tracking these steps leads to oversights, delays, and inconsistent experiences.

Employee onboarding and offboarding software eliminates this chaos by centralizing everything in one place.

Here’s how it helps.

• Triggers task flows upon joining, resignation, or termination.
• Prebuilt checklists ensure no step is forgotten.
• Account management integrations turn off logins or create access instantly.
• Document collection and storage are handled digitally and securely.
• Notifications keep HR, IT, and team leads informed in real time.

Most platforms also integrate with tools like G Suite, Slack, Trello, Zoom, and payroll systems. That way, updates cascade across your tech stack automatically.

With smart reminders and automated task completion, teams stay focused while the software handles the workflows. That’s why most HR leaders say they’ve already adopted or plan to adopt automation tools by 2025.

Key Benefits of Using Onboarding & Offboarding Software

When companies implement employee onboarding and offboarding software, they go beyond just optimizing HR. These tools improve the organization's efficiency, security, and employee experience.

Each benefit below reflects the transformational impact of automation when applied across the entire employee lifecycle—from hire to farewell.

1. Time Savings

Time is a limited resource for growing HR teams. Employee onboarding and offboarding software automates repetitive admin work so teams can focus on what truly matters—people.

Companies significantly reduce processing delays during hiring and exits by automating form handling, task assignments, and access provisioning.

• Automates new hire setup and exit workflows
• Reduces manual data entry and duplicate work
• Frees HR to focus on culture and engagement

2. Security Assurance

Security breaches often happen when accounts aren’t closed properly. Employee onboarding and offboarding software protects organizations by automating access management across systems.

From email and payroll to internal tools, exits are handled cleanly, reducing risk, increasing compliance, and avoiding human oversight.

• Automatically revokes access on exit
• Protects data with secure audit trails
• Tracks every action taken during offboarding

3. Improved Retention

A structured start leads to longer retention. When employees feel welcomed and informed, they’re more likely to stay. That’s what employee onboarding and offboarding software ensures—consistency and care.

Employees are guided through orientation, tool setup, and team integration, which boosts satisfaction from day one.

• Streamlines preboarding and orientation processes
• Enhances communication from offer to exit
• Builds loyalty through consistent onboarding touchpoints

4. Better Compliance

Legal compliance is non-negotiable. With employee onboarding and offboarding software, every form, timestamp, and digital signature is tracked, stored, and ready for audits.

This keeps you legally protected and reduces the burden on HR regarding documentation retrieval.

• Ensures labor law compliance and recordkeeping
• Captures signed documents digitally and securely
• Logs every workflow action in real-time

5. Consistency

Consistency builds trust across departments. Whether a person joins remotely or exits suddenly, employee onboarding and offboarding software keeps the process uniform.

From IT to payroll, each department follows the same checklist, ensuring no step or stakeholder is skipped.

• Provides repeatable workflows for all roles
• Reduces human error and team miscommunication
• Delivers equal experience for remote and in-office hires

6. Data Insights

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Employee onboarding and offboarding software provides metrics on onboarding duration, exit reasons, and task delays—turning HR from reactive to data-driven.

This visibility enables leaders to optimize processes, reduce turnover, and track compliance trends.

• Tracks onboarding completion and delays
• Measures performance across departments and roles
• Analyzes exit data to improve retention strategies

7. Scalability

As teams grow, manual onboarding breaks down. Employee onboarding and offboarding software supports scale with zero drop in quality or accuracy, even across global teams.

Whether hiring one person or offboarding a department, automated flows keep everything efficient, compliant, and professional.

• Scales easily with hiring surges or layoffs
• Handles global and hybrid workforce requirements
• Enables centralized HR management across locations

Ultimately, employee onboarding and offboarding software helps HR move from reactive to proactive. You’re not just managing people—you’re managing systems, expectations, and experiences.

Case Study: Easyship's Transition to 100% Paperless Onboarding with Freshteam

Problem

Easyship, a global shipping software company, struggled with outdated, paper-based onboarding processes. 

Managing a growing, distributed workforce made it difficult to maintain consistency, track task completion, and deliver a streamlined, engaging onboarding experience.

Solution

Easyship adopted Freshteam to fully digitize its employee onboarding. The platform automated document distribution, collected onboarding forms, and enabled customized checklists for different roles and departments. 

This created a clear, consistent, and paperless onboarding journey for all new hires.

Results

Easyship significantly improved operational efficiency, reducing manual follow-ups and paperwork. New hire satisfaction increased through a more organized, digital experience. 

The company also advanced its sustainability goals by minimizing paper usage across onboarding workflows.

What to Look For in a Good Onboarding and Offboarding Tool

Not all employee onboarding and offboarding software is created equal. The right tool should simplify your processes and adapt to your workflows, scale with your team, and integrate smoothly with the systems you already use.

When evaluating solutions, look for platforms that offer real automation, real-time visibility, and real value. A good tool should feel like a team member, not another app to manage.

Key criterias to look at before making a decision

• Automated Task Flows: The tool should trigger onboarding or offboarding checklists based on employee status changes, saving HR from micromanaging every step.
  
   
• System Integrations: Seamless syncing with your payroll system, email service (like Google Workspace or Outlook), and communication tools like Slack is essential.
  
   
• E-signature Support: Ensure your tool allows legally binding digital document signing to streamline contracts, NDAs, and exit paperwork.
  
   
• Role-Based Workflows: Look for the ability to customize workflows based on job title, department, or location.
  
   
• Mobile Accessibility: The software should support mobile-friendly onboarding/offboarding so HR and employees can complete steps from anywhere.
  
   
• Customizable Templates: Pre-built templates are great, but editable ones are even better. You should be able to tailor checklists and messages to your company culture.

The best employee onboarding and offboarding software isn’t just robust—it’s intuitive, flexible, and ready to grow with you. Make sure it fits your needs today while preparing you for tomorrow.

Why Investing in Employee Onboarding and Offboarding Software Pays Off

If your business still handles onboarding and offboarding through email threads and shared drives, it’s time to evolve. Growth, remote work, and compliance demands have changed the HR landscape.

Employee onboarding and offboarding software is no longer optional. It’s a strategic tool that ensures smooth transitions, retains excellent talent, and protects your systems from costly errors.

Want to build a tailored solution that matches your unique process?

AppsRhino helps startups, enterprises, and healthcare providers build custom no-code HR platforms. You’ll streamline onboarding, automate offboarding, and centralize HR data—all with zero development time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is employee onboarding and offboarding software?

It’s a digital solution that automates hiring and exit tasks such as provisioning accounts, assigning tasks, gathering documents, and tracking compliance—all within a secure, centralized workflow.

Why is onboarding important for employee retention?

Structured onboarding improves engagement and clarity from day one. Employees who undergo strong onboarding are 69% more likely to stay for three years or more, improving long-term retention.

How does software improve the offboarding process?

Software ensures systems access is revoked, exit interviews are completed, and knowledge is transferred. It reduces the risk of data breaches and leaves a lasting positive impression on exiting employees.

Can employee onboarding and offboarding software help remote teams?

Absolutely. HR and IT can coordinate onboarding/offboarding without in-person interaction, ensuring consistent experiences regardless of location.

What’s the difference between onboarding and offboarding?

Onboarding refers to the steps to welcome a new hire. Offboarding is the formal process of closing out an employee’s tenure. Software handles both ends of this lifecycle through structured workflows.

Is employee onboarding and offboarding software affordable for small businesses?

Yes. Tools like Freshteam and Zoho People offer free or affordable tiers. Many platforms are designed with small to mid-sized teams in mind, offering core features without high costs.