Disclaimer: "All views expressed in this post are my own and reflect my understanding of the ServiceNow HR Onboarding application."
With Zurich Release ServiceNow HR onboarding uses two distinct roles to manage the onboarding experience: the pre-hire (sn_jny.pre_hire) and the new-hire (sn_hr_sp.hrsp_new_hire). This blog post presents my understanding of both roles and how introducing pre-hire role helps organizations to balance their compliance requirements with a seamless employee experience
Pre-Hire and New-Hire Phases in Onboarding
In this section, I briefly outline the terminology used throughout this post and share my understanding of the different phases of HR Onboarding
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Future Joinee: Refers to an individual who has accepted an employment offer but whose official start date is still upcoming. This person has not yet started work or reached Day 1 at the hiring organization.
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Pre-Hire Phase: Denotes the interval between the commencement of pre-onboarding activities and the official first day (Day 1) of employment.
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New Hire Phase: Represents the period beginning on Day 1 and continuing until all onboarding tasks are completed. The specific length of this phase may vary according to the organization's onboarding procedures.
Before Zürich: Challenges of using only New-Hire Role in HR Onboarding
IIf you have experience with ServiceNow HR onboarding prior to the Zurich release, particularly using Lifecycle Events and Journey Designer, you are likely aware of the difficulties encountered when relying on the new-hire role (sn_hr_sp.hrsp_new_hire) during the pre-hire phase—specifically, the period before Day 1. These challenges become especially evident when the Explicit Role plugin is enabled, or when Customer Service Management (CSM) or Vendor Risk Management are active in conjunction with HR Lifecycle Events. In such scenarios, managing access and ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for individuals who have accepted an offer but have not yet started can be complex.
When the Explicit Role (com.glide.explicit_roles) plugin is enabled—which happens automatically with CSM or Vendor Risk Management plugins—ServiceNow assigns the snc_internal role to all users unless they are specifically identified as External Users (snc_external). Since most components of the HRSD/Lifecycle Events application are designed out-of-the-box for users with the snc_internal role, and since the sn_hr_sp.hrsp_new_hire role is preconfigured for the new hire phase (which applies to internal employees), using lifecycle events for the pre-hire phase requires custom solutions. These can include creating custom roles, custom portals, redirect scripts, and other methods to limit access to sensitive company information.
Pre-Hire Role Introduced with the Zurich Release
With the Zurich release, ServiceNow introduced the pre-hire role (sn_jny.pre_hire) to address the challenges associated with managing individuals who have accepted employment offers but have not yet started their official roles. This new role treats future joinees as external users (snc_external) until their first working day, ensuring that their access to onboarding tasks and company information remains restricted prior to their official start date. The pre-hire role is purpose-built for this transitional phase, maintaining essential compliance and security standards throughout the pre-onboarding process.
Transition to the New-Hire Role
Once the employee's first day arrives, ServiceNow transitions the individual from the pre-hire role to the new-hire role. This shift grants broader access necessary for completing all onboarding activities, reflecting the employee's new status within the organization. The clear delineation between pre-hire and new-hire roles allows organizations to streamline their onboarding workflows, ensuring that both compliance requirements and a positive employee experience are maintained throughout the process.
Benefits of Role Differentiation in the Onboarding Process
By distinguishing between the pre-hire and new-hire roles, ServiceNow enables organizations to customize the onboarding journey for each stage of an employee's transition. Individuals receive the appropriate level of access and support at every point, ensuring a compliant, secure, and engaging onboarding experience for all new employees.
Configuring Pre-Onboarding with the Pre-Hire Role in Journey Designer
With the introduction of the pre-hire role, ServiceNow has enhanced the Journey Designer application, making it easier to develop a tailored pre-onboarding experience for future employees. This integration allows organizations to efficiently set up pre-onboarding journeys, ensuring a smooth transition for all new hires.
Out-of-the-Box Components for Pre-Onboarding
ServiceNow provides several out-of-the-box (OOTB) components that can be configured to deliver a seamless pre-onboarding and onboarding process for new employees. These components enable organizations to craft an engaging and compliant onboarding journey that meets both administrative and employee needs.
Lifecycle Event – Onboarding (Demo)
The OOTB Lifecycle Event titled “Onboarding (Demo)” includes an activity set named “pre-hire.” This activity set is specifically designed to manage the workflow for assigning the pre-hire role to future employees. By utilizing or leveraging this event, organizations can ensure that the appropriate access and compliance measures are in place during the pre-onboarding phase.
Activity - Account Setup and Notification
Within the “pre-hire” activity set, the flow type activity called “Account Setup and Notification” contains a subflow dedicated to assigning the pre-hire role to individuals who are preparing to join the organization. This automated process streamlines account provisioning and ensures that future employees have the correct access prior to their official start date.
Activity & Flow - Transition pre-hire to Employee
On the employee’s first official working day, ServiceNow automatically transitions the individual from the pre-hire role to the new-hire role. This seamless role change maintains compliance with organizational policies and simplifies the onboarding process for both administrators and new hires.
Create New Pre-Hire Portal
By leveraging following configurable components, organizations can quickly setup a pre hire portal for future joinees. Pre Hires having external role supports compliance requirements and provides a positive experience for every new joinee, from the moment they accept an offer through their first day on the job.
Journey Designer Onboarding Page
OOTB Journey Designer onboarding page can be configured or leveraged for setting up pre-hire portal. This page, along with its configurable widgets—such as “Start Onboarding,” “Our Culture,” and “Getting Started Resources”—can be tailored to build an onboarding experience that reflects the organization’s unique values and practices.
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