Hire to Retire — Full Employee Lifecycle

The Hire-to-Retire flow describes the complete journey of an employee within your organization — from the moment you post a job opening through their last day and beyond. XBuddy’s People Pack modules work together to create a seamless, automated experience at every stage.

Lifecycle Overview

Job Posting (HR)
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Screening & Interview (HR)
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Offer & Acceptance (HR + Documents + E-Signatures)
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Onboarding (HR + Self-Service + LMS)
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Goal Setting (OKR + Performance)
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Continuous Development (LMS + Coaching)
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Performance Reviews (Performance + OKR)
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Compensation Review (Payroll + Performance)
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Separation / Offboarding (HR + Payroll)

Stage 1: Recruitment

Modules: HR

What happens

HR creates a Job Opening record with role title, department, required skills, and headcount budget. The opening is published internally (employee referrals) and/or externally.

Key steps

1. Create Job Opening — HR → Recruitment → New Opening. Fill in title, department, hiring manager, target headcount, and salary band.
2. Define Screening Questions — Attach a questionnaire template that applicants must complete.
3. Manage Pipeline — Drag applicant cards through pipeline stages: Applied → Screening → Interview → Reference Check → Offer.
4. Score & Compare — Rate candidates on a rubric. Collaborators (hiring manager, team lead) can leave comments on each candidate card.
5. Schedule Interviews — Assign interview slots; Calendar module sends invites to both interviewer and candidate automatically.

AI Agent

• Recruitment Screener (on-demand): Reads applicant profiles and scores them against the job criteria. Surfaces top 5 candidates with reasoning.

Stage 2: Offer & Onboarding Prep

Modules: HR, Documents, E-Signatures

What happens

Once a candidate is selected, HR generates an offer letter from a template, routes it for internal approval (if required), then sends it for candidate e-signature.

Key steps

1. Generate Offer Letter — From the candidate card → Generate Offer. XBuddy fills the template with candidate name, role, start date, salary, and benefits.
2. Internal Approval (optional) — Route to Finance or Legal for approval via the Approvals module.
3. Send for E-Signature — Click Send for Signing → candidate receives a secure link. Status tracked in real time.
4. Create Employee Record — Once signed, HR converts the candidate to a full Employee record. Payroll, Self-Service, and LMS profiles are automatically provisioned.
5. Assign Onboarding Checklist — HR assigns a pre-built onboarding task list to the new hire and their manager. Tasks include: IT setup, policy review, buddy introduction, first-week meetings.

Stage 3: Onboarding

Modules: Self-Service Portal, LMS, HR

What happens

The employee uses the Self-Service Portal as their home base during onboarding. Mandatory training is assigned automatically. HR tracks completion rates.

Key steps

1. Employee Accesses Self-Service Portal — First login triggers the onboarding wizard. Employee confirms personal details, bank info, and emergency contacts.
2. Complete Mandatory Training — LMS auto-enrolls the employee in required courses (compliance, security, product intro). Each course has a deadline.
3. Sign Policies — HR policy documents (code of conduct, data privacy, leave policy) are presented for acknowledgment in the portal. Digital acknowledgment is logged.
4. Manager Check-ins — Onboarding checklist visible to both employee and manager. Incomplete items generate reminders.
5. Onboarding Completion — At 30/60/90-day marks, HR captures structured feedback from the new hire and their manager.

Stage 4: Goal Setting

Modules: OKR, Performance

What happens

Within the first 30 days, the employee and their manager set objectives for the current cycle. OKRs cascade from company → department → individual.

Key steps

1. View Company OKRs — Employee sees the company and department OKRs in their OKR dashboard.
2. Draft Individual OKRs — Employee drafts 3–5 personal Objectives with 2–4 Key Results each.
3. Manager Review — Manager reviews, comments, and approves individual OKRs.
4. Link to Performance Cycle — OKRs are automatically surfaced in the next Performance review cycle.
5. Weekly Check-ins — Employee logs progress updates on each Key Result. Trends are visible to manager.

Stage 5: Continuous Development

Modules: LMS, Coaching, Performance

What happens

Throughout the year, employees grow their skills via structured courses (LMS) and 1-on-1 coaching sessions. Development plans are linked to performance gaps identified in reviews.

Key steps

1. Personal Development Plan (PDP) — Created in Performance → Development Plans. Manager and employee agree on skill gaps and learning goals.
2. Course Enrollment — LMS suggests courses based on PDP gaps. Employee enrolls; progress tracked with completion certificates.
3. Coaching Engagements — Coaching module schedules recurring 1-on-1 sessions between employee and an internal/external coach. Session notes and action items logged.
4. AI-Suggested Learning — AI Agent scans performance ratings and OKR progress to suggest specific LMS courses or coaching focus areas.
5. Skill Badges — Upon completing courses and milestones, employees earn badges visible on their profile.

Stage 6: Performance Review

Modules: Performance, OKR, HR

What happens

On a cadence set by HR (quarterly, semi-annual, or annual), a structured review cycle opens. Multiple feedback sources are aggregated.

Key steps

1. Review Cycle Opens — HR launches a review cycle with a defined rating scale, feedback form, and due dates.
2. Self-Assessment — Employee rates their own performance against their OKRs and competencies.
3. Manager Assessment — Manager rates the employee; scores and comments remain private until calibration.
4. 360 Feedback (optional) — Peers and cross-functional stakeholders provide ratings.
5. Calibration — Managers and HR meet to normalize ratings across the team. Outliers are flagged for discussion.
6. Results Shared — Final ratings and written feedback delivered to employees in the portal. Employees acknowledge receipt.
7. Development Actions — Review outcomes auto-populate the next Development Plan cycle.

AI Agent

• Performance Trend Analyzer (before each cycle): Compares OKR scores, attendance, and training completion. Flags employees with strong improvement trajectories or at-risk signals.

Stage 7: Compensation Review

Modules: Payroll, Performance, HR

What happens

Post-review, HR and management run a compensation cycle to adjust salaries, issue bonuses, and update benefits.

Key steps

1. Compensation Grid — HR sets a merit matrix: performance rating × current salary position in band → recommended raise %.
2. Manager Recommendations — Each manager submits salary adjustment recommendations for their reports within a budget envelope.
3. HR & Finance Approval — Recommendations flow through an approval chain before being finalized.
4. Payroll Update — Approved changes are pushed to Payroll automatically. Effective date and back-pay calculations handled automatically.
5. Employee Notification — Employee receives a compensation statement in the Self-Service Portal.

Stage 8: Separation & Offboarding

Modules: HR, Payroll, IT (via Workflows), Self-Service

What happens

Whether voluntary resignation, retirement, or involuntary separation, XBuddy ensures a structured, compliant offboarding process.

Key steps

1. Separation Notice — HR logs the separation in the Employee record: type (resignation/retirement/termination), notice date, last working day.
2. Offboarding Checklist — Auto-generated checklist assigned to employee, manager, and IT: equipment return, access revocation, knowledge transfer, exit interview.
3. Final Payroll — Payroll calculates final pay: remaining salary, accrued leave payout, deductions. One-off payroll run triggered.
4. Exit Interview — Structured exit interview form in the Self-Service Portal. Responses are anonymized and aggregated for HR analytics.
5. Documents Archival — All employment documents (offer letter, contracts, reviews) archived in Documents with a 7-year retention flag per default labor law requirements.
6. Access Revocation — Workflow automation triggers on last working day: deactivates XBuddy account, notifies IT for system access removal.

Integration Map

Key Metrics to Track