HR and staff

The HR tools help you manage your paid staff: their records, how they join and leave, the roles you hire for, and everyday needs like time off. This article covers the staff directory, positions, onboarding, time off, and the other HR features.

The staff directory

The staff directory holds a profile for each employee, with their employment details, contact information, and where they sit in the reporting structure. You can see who reports to whom and each person's employment status in one place.

Positions

Positions define the roles in your organization, separate from the people who fill them.

1. Open HR > Positions.
2. Click New Position.
3. Enter the details:
   • Title
   • Department
   • Description
   • Qualifications
4. Mark it open for recruitment if you're hiring.
5. Click Create Position.

When a position is open, candidates move through a recruitment pipeline with stages for applied, screening, interview, offer, hired, and rejected.

Onboarding

Onboarding turns a new hire's first days into a clear checklist so nothing slips.

1. Open HR > Onboarding.
2. Click Start Onboarding.
3. Select the new hire.
4. Choose an onboarding template.
5. Customize the checklist if needed.
6. Assign due dates.
7. Click Start.

A typical checklist covers completing paperwork, submitting direct deposit details, reviewing the handbook, I-9 verification, setting up email, attending orientation, and meeting with a manager. You can track progress from the onboarding dashboard. When someone leaves, offboarding manages the exit checklist, asset return, and access removal.

Time off

Staff can request time off and managers can approve it in the same place.

To request time off:

1. Open HR > Time Off.
2. Click Request Time Off.
3. Select the type, such as vacation, sick, or personal.
4. Enter the start and end dates.
5. Add notes if needed.
6. Click Submit Request.

The manager is notified, and you can follow the status under My Requests. To approve, a manager opens the pending request, reviews the dates and coverage, and clicks Approve or Deny. Forge tracks balances by type and offers a calendar view of the team's time off.

Other HR features

A few more tools round out the module:

• Performance reviews manage review cycles with self-assessments, manager assessments, and goal tracking.
• HR documents provide a library for policies and the handbook, with acknowledgment tracking and access by role.

These keep the records and approvals that staff management relies on in one consistent place.

Tips

• Keep positions defined separately from people so you can reuse them when you hire.
• Start onboarding from a template so every new hire gets the same solid first week.
• Encourage staff to use the time-off calendar view so coverage gaps are easy to spot.

Common questions

Who approves time off? The employee's manager. They review the request and approve or deny it, and the employee is notified.

Can I track new-hire progress? Yes. Onboarding uses a checklist with due dates, and you can follow it from the onboarding dashboard.

Where are the employee handbook and policies? In HR documents, with acknowledgment tracking and access controlled by role.

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