Paperless onboarding and performance management built in Airtable for higher education
A large public research university and its student union replaced paper-based onboarding checklists and inconsistent appraisal processes with a single Airtable system covering new hire records, automated reminders, training tracking, and digitized one-to-one documentation. HR and line managers now operate from one shared hub with no manual re-keying.
The problem
Onboarding new employees at the union relied on paper checklists that were difficult to track and easy to lose. HR had no automated way to remind new starters to submit demographic data or beneficiary nominations, and line managers tracked completion manually across multiple documents with no single view of who had done what.
Performance appraisals and one-to-one meetings were equally fragmented. Appraisal paperwork existed in disconnected forms with no consistent format, and the absence of a consolidated record system meant that HR could not reliably report on completion rates or flag overdue reviews. The process placed avoidable administrative burden on managers who had to chase paperwork by hand.
What they built
The team deployed an Airtable-based onboarding and performance system with six linked workflows: new hire record creation, automated task assignment, demographic data and beneficiary nomination tracking, training completion reminders, performance appraisal digitization, and one-to-one meeting documentation. A portal extension provides login-controlled access so employees can view and update their own records without full Airtable access.
HR and line managers share a single interface that surfaces onboarding status and appraisal progress in real time. Automations send timed reminders for each required onboarding task, eliminating the need for manual follow-up. The appraisal module captures structured notes from one-to-one meetings and links them directly to each employee record, giving managers a complete longitudinal view of each team member's development.
The outcome
The deployed system eliminated manual re-keying of new hire data entirely and replaced a fragmented, paper-based process with a single digital hub. HR can now run onboarding for multiple new starters simultaneously without losing track of who has completed which task, and automated reminders have removed the need for managers to chase individual submissions.
Performance appraisals and one-to-one records are now captured in a consistent, searchable format that persists across the employee lifecycle. The institution covers approximately 80 seats across HR, line managers, and the Digital and Data function, all operating from the same system with no additional platform costs.
Inside the solution
Employee onboarding and performance management system
Human Resources and Talent
People and Talent Operations
- New hire record creation and task assignment
- Demographic data collection and beneficiary nomination tracking
- Training completion reminders via automations
- Performance appraisal digitization
- One-to-one meeting documentation
- Login-controlled employee record access via portal extension
- Manual onboarding paperwork with no automated task tracking
- Inconsistent performance review processes across line managers
- No automated reminders for HR tasks or training deadlines
- No consolidated employee record system for HR and managers
- Automated onboarding task assignment and timed reminders
- Digitized performance appraisals linked to employee records
- Single hub for HR, line managers, and employee self-service
- Improved employee data accuracy with zero re-keying
- HR
- Line Managers
- Digital and Data
- Airtable Automations
- Portal extension for login-controlled access
Employee onboarding and performance management
Run paperless onboarding and digital performance reviews for every new starter from one shared hub: checklists with owners and due dates, portal submission tracking, mandatory training completion, and appraisal plus one-to-one records linked to each employee. Automations generate the checklist the moment a hire record is created, chase overdue tasks and submissions, and roll completed appraisals forward, while native AI fields draft onboarding status briefs, appraisal summaries, reminder copy and follow-up actions from meeting notes.
How the onboarding and performance management system works
Step 1. Create new hire records with automated task assignment
Step 2. Track demographic data, nominations, and training completion
Step 3. Configure login-controlled access for employee self-service
Step 4. Digitize appraisals and one-to-one meeting records
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
No. This is an internal HR workflow covering staff onboarding and performance management. No student records, student demographics, or personal data from the student population are collected or processed in this system.
The deployed system supports approximately 80 seats across HR, line managers, and the Digital and Data function. Airtable's licensing model scales with seat count, so the system can grow as the team expands.
When a new hire record is created, Airtable automations generate a structured checklist of onboarding tasks with assigned owners and due dates. Each task status is visible in a shared interface, so HR and line managers can see completion in real time without chasing individual staff.
Yes. A portal extension provides login-controlled access so employees can view and update permitted fields in their own records. This allows self-service data submission without the cost or complexity of provisioning a full seat for every new starter.
Performance appraisals and one-to-one meeting notes are captured as structured records in Airtable and linked to each employee's profile. Line managers complete appraisal forms directly in the interface, building a consistent and searchable record of every review cycle without separate documents or email threads.