Preboarding
This feature is currently in Alpha. Be one of the first customers to try it! Please share any feedback with the ChartHop team.
How to setup a Alpha Feature
- Read below for setup instructions and context on how the feature will work.
Overview
Preboarding lets you invite new hires to ChartHop before their start date. They get a limited-access view of the platform where they can complete tasks, fill out forms, sign documents, and see what they need to know before day one.
This page covers how the preboarding system works, how to invite new hires, and what to check before your first cohort goes out.
How ChartHop models a person's identity
Every person in ChartHop has two separate records:
- Org member record - their job, title, department, and manager. This is what appears in the org chart and data sheet.
- User record - their login credentials and access role. This controls whether they can log in to ChartHop.
A person can be an org member without being a user. When you add a new hire to ChartHop, they appear as an org member immediately. They don't become a user until you invite them to preboarding.
User statuses during preboarding
When you invite a new hire, ChartHop creates a user record and assigns them the status PREBOARDING. On their start date, their status automatically transitions to ACTIVE. For this transition to succeed, the new hire's work email must be populated on their profile before their start date. If it's missing, they'll stay in PREBOARDING.
Status | What it means | Login method |
|---|---|---|
PREBOARDING | New hire has been invited but hasn't started yet. They have limited access to ChartHop. | Magic link only |
ACTIVATION | Transitional state. Occurs if a start date is changed after an invite is sent, or in certain edge cases. The new hire can still use magic links until they log in with their work email for the first time. | Magic link or work email |
ACTIVE | New hire has reached their start date. Full access per their assigned role. | SSO or work email |
Note: Preboarding users can only enter ChartHop via magic link. They can't use SSO or password login until their status moves to ACTIVE.
Magic links
Magic links are single-use, time-limited login links sent to a new hire's home (personal) email address. They're how preboarding users access ChartHop before they have a work email.
- Magic links expire based on your org's token duration setting, found in Access > Settings.
- If a link expires, the new hire can request a new one from the ChartHop login page. No admin action is needed.
- Every email sent to a preboarding user (including task notifications and form assignments) contains a magic link.
What new hires see
When a preboarding user clicks their magic link, they land on the Onboarding profile tab. This tab is their home page during preboarding. It's where you surface the information, tasks, and forms they need before day one.
What they can access depends on their preboarding role. By default, preboarding users have limited access: they can see their own profile, complete assigned tasks, and interact with the onboarding home page. They can't see the org chart, headcount data, or anything outside their preboarding scope.
Note: The Onboarding profile tab must stay named "Onboarding" for the preboarding home page to work correctly. Renaming it breaks the connection.
Inviting new hires
To invite new hires, go to People Ops Tools > Onboarding > Preboarding tab. This view shows all announced new hires whose start date matches your preboarding filter. From here, click Invite new hires to open the 4-step invite flow.
Before you invite: Each new hire must have a home email on their profile. This is the address the magic link is sent to. If home email is missing, the invite can't be delivered. Audit your upcoming hire roster before sending.
Step 1: Select people
Filter or manually select which new hires to invite. The table shows home email, start date, and manager for each person. Start date is visible for reference but doesn't gate the invite - you can invite someone any time before their start date.
Step 2: Review roles
This screen shows the preboarding role each person will be assigned (limited access while in PREBOARDING status) and the active role they'll switch to automatically on their start date. You can adjust roles and apply department-limited or filter-limited access here before sending. Preboarding users still use the ChartHop portal, but their access is limited to only information about themselves, their onboarding screen and tasks they can do about themseleves.
Step 3: Customize the invitation
Write the welcome message the new hire will receive. A few things to know:
- Choose delivery by email or Slack.
- CQL variables work in the message body. Common examples: {{org.name}}, {{formatDate(startDate, "MMMM d, yyyy")}}.
- CQL does not work in the subject line. Use static text there.
- The invite is sent to the new hire's home email. The magic link is embedded in the button in the email body.
Step 4: Review and send
Review your selections and confirm. Clicking send fires the user invite event, which can trigger any automated actions you've configured to run on that event.
What happens after you send
What happens next depends on whether Send welcome email is enabled in your org settings.
Setting | What happens |
|---|---|
Send welcome email: enabled | The new hire receives a welcome email at their home email address. The email contains a magic link. Clicking it logs them in and sets their status to PREBOARDING. They can access tasks, forms, and the onboarding home page immediately. |
Send welcome email: disabled | No email is sent automatically. The new hire's status is set to PREBOARDING, so they can receive and use magic links from task and form emails. Use this option when you want to control the welcome experience through a custom action or separate email. |
FAQs
If it is before a new hire's announce date, can they go through preboarding?
Preboarding consists of several steps and some are currently supported and some are not.
Preboarding Step | Supported for Unannounced New Hires |
|---|---|
Invite new hire | ✅ The new hire should show up in the list of people that can be invited |
Actions triggered by inviting new hire | ✅ These should still trigger when invited |
Actions triggered by X days before a start date | ❌ These actions will not trigger before the person's announce date. |