Build Employee Onboarding App with Glide

Employee onboarding can be a complex and time-consuming process for many organizations. Building an employee onboarding app with Glide offers a simple and effective solution to streamline this process. Glide lets you create custom apps without coding, making it easy to manage new hire information, training schedules, and communication.

This article explains how to build an employee onboarding app with Glide. You will learn the essential steps, features to include, and best practices to ensure your app supports a smooth onboarding experience for new employees and HR teams alike.

What is Glide and how does it support building onboarding apps?

Glide is a no-code platform that allows you to create mobile and web apps from spreadsheets. It simplifies app development by using Google Sheets or Excel as the data source. This makes it ideal for HR teams who want to build onboarding apps without technical expertise.

Using Glide, you can design user-friendly interfaces and automate workflows that help new employees get up to speed quickly. It supports various data types, user roles, and integrations that enhance onboarding efficiency.

• No-code platform: Glide enables app creation without programming, allowing HR teams to build onboarding apps quickly and easily using spreadsheet data.

• Spreadsheet integration: It connects directly to Google Sheets or Excel, making data management for employee details and training schedules seamless and real-time.

• Customizable interfaces: Glide offers drag-and-drop components to design intuitive onboarding screens tailored to your company’s needs and branding.

• Multi-platform support: Apps built with Glide work on both mobile devices and desktops, ensuring accessibility for all new hires and HR staff.

These features make Glide a practical choice for organizations looking to improve their onboarding process without investing in complex software development.

How do you start building an employee onboarding app with Glide?

Starting your onboarding app involves preparing your data and setting up the Glide project. Proper planning ensures your app covers all essential onboarding steps and information.

Begin by outlining the key onboarding elements such as employee profiles, training tasks, company policies, and contact information. Then organize this data in a spreadsheet to serve as your app’s backend.

• Define onboarding workflow: Map out the steps new employees must complete, including document submission, training, and introductions.

• Create a spreadsheet: Structure your Google Sheet with tabs for employee data, tasks, resources, and feedback to organize onboarding information effectively.

• Start a Glide project: Sign in to Glide and connect your spreadsheet to create a new app that will automatically generate screens from your data.

• Set user roles: Configure user sign-in and roles to control access, ensuring employees see only relevant onboarding content.

Following these initial steps sets a strong foundation for building a functional and user-friendly onboarding app.

What key features should an employee onboarding app include?

An effective onboarding app must cover all critical aspects to support new hires. Including the right features helps employees understand their roles and company culture quickly.

Focus on features that facilitate communication, task tracking, and resource access. This ensures a smooth onboarding experience and reduces HR workload.

• Employee profiles: Display personal and job-related information to help new hires and managers stay informed and connected.

• Task checklists: Provide clear onboarding tasks with deadlines and completion status to guide employees through required steps.

• Document repository: Store important files like company policies and forms for easy access and reference during onboarding.

• Training schedules: Include calendars or timelines for training sessions to keep new hires on track with learning goals.

Incorporating these features ensures your onboarding app covers all necessary areas for a comprehensive new hire experience.

How can you customize the onboarding app’s user interface in Glide?

Customizing the user interface (UI) improves usability and reflects your company’s branding. Glide offers flexible design tools to tailor the app’s look and feel.

You can adjust layouts, colors, fonts, and navigation to create an engaging and easy-to-use onboarding app that new employees will appreciate.

• Use drag-and-drop components: Arrange buttons, lists, and images intuitively to simplify navigation and highlight important onboarding content.

• Apply brand colors and logos: Customize the app’s color scheme and add your company logo to reinforce brand identity throughout the onboarding process.

• Design responsive layouts: Ensure the app adapts well to different screen sizes, providing a consistent experience on phones, tablets, and desktops.

• Incorporate user-friendly navigation: Use tabs, menus, and links to organize onboarding sections logically and reduce confusion for new hires.

Thoughtful UI customization makes the onboarding app more welcoming and easier to use, boosting engagement and completion rates.

What integrations enhance the functionality of a Glide onboarding app?

Integrations with other tools can extend your onboarding app’s capabilities. Connecting Glide with popular services streamlines workflows and improves communication.

Consider integrating calendar apps, email services, and HR platforms to automate notifications, schedule training, and manage employee data efficiently.

• Calendar integration: Sync training schedules with Google Calendar or Outlook to send reminders and keep employees informed about upcoming sessions.

• Email automation: Connect with email platforms to send onboarding updates, welcome messages, and task reminders automatically.

• HR software connection: Link your app to HR management systems to update employee records and track onboarding progress in one place.

• Form and survey tools: Integrate with tools like Google Forms to collect feedback and improve the onboarding experience continuously.

These integrations reduce manual work and help maintain a smooth, connected onboarding process for both HR and new employees.

How do you test and deploy your Glide employee onboarding app?

Testing ensures your onboarding app works correctly and meets user needs before full deployment. Glide provides tools to preview and share your app easily.

After testing, you can publish the app and distribute it to new hires and HR staff for immediate use.

• Preview app on devices: Use Glide’s preview feature to test the app on different devices and screen sizes for consistent performance.

• Gather user feedback: Share the app with a small group of HR staff and new employees to identify usability issues and gather improvement suggestions.

• Fix bugs and refine UI: Address any problems found during testing and enhance the interface based on user feedback for better experience.

• Publish and share app link: Once finalized, publish the app and distribute the URL or QR code to new hires for easy access during onboarding.

Thorough testing and thoughtful deployment ensure your onboarding app delivers value and supports smooth employee integration from day one.

Conclusion

Building an employee onboarding app with Glide is a practical way to simplify and improve your onboarding process. Glide’s no-code platform lets you create customized, accessible apps that help new hires complete tasks and access resources efficiently.

By following the steps outlined, including planning your data, adding key features, customizing the UI, integrating useful tools, and testing thoroughly, you can launch an effective onboarding app that benefits both HR teams and employees. This approach saves time, reduces errors, and supports a positive onboarding experience.

FAQs

Can I build an employee onboarding app with no coding experience using Glide?

Yes, Glide is designed for users without coding skills. It uses spreadsheets to manage data and drag-and-drop tools to design the app, making it accessible for HR professionals.

Is it possible to customize the onboarding app’s look to match my company’s branding?

Absolutely. Glide allows you to apply custom colors, logos, fonts, and layouts so your onboarding app reflects your company’s brand identity clearly.

Can I track task completion and progress in the onboarding app?

Yes, you can create task checklists with status indicators in Glide. This helps new hires and HR track onboarding progress effectively.

Does Glide support integration with calendar and email services?

Glide supports integrations with calendar apps like Google Calendar and email platforms through third-party tools, enabling automated scheduling and communication.

How do I share the onboarding app with new employees?

You can publish your Glide app and share the link or QR code with new hires. They can access the app on any device without installation.