When a freelancer says they've finished onboarding but their profile disagrees, you can see which stage is still open and who has to act next. Then you can move them forward and get them ready for Tasks, Contracts and invoices sooner.
Who can do this: Any team member who can open talent profiles can check a status. Adding a workflow to someone needs Can send invites to Partners. Moving people between stages or finishing a workflow for them needs an admin, or the stage manager for that stage.
Availability: Accounts that use onboarding workflows.
Your workspace may use a different name for Partners, such as Freelancers, Talent or Contractors. The steps are the same.TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What each onboarding status means
- How the status is set
- Find what's still outstanding
- Common reasons a freelancer isn't fully onboarded
- Add, remove or move a freelancer through a workflow
- Fully onboarded doesn't mean payable
- What incomplete onboarding can block
- Troubleshooting
- Related articles
- Support/Resources
What each onboarding status means
The icon next to a freelancer's name on directory cards, in the table view and on their profile shows their status. Hover over the icon to read it. A green tick with no hover text means Fully onboarded.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Not invited | You added the profile but haven't invited them yet. | Invite them. |
| Invitation pending | They were invited but haven't accepted. They must accept from the inbox the invitation was sent to. | Check the email address and resend the invitation if needed. |
| Not Onboarded | They aren't in any workflow that counts toward onboarding, or they were disqualified from it. | Add an onboarding workflow (see below). |
| Onboarding underway | At least one workflow that counts toward onboarding is still open. | Find the open stage (see below). |
| Fully onboarded | They finished every workflow assigned to them that counts toward onboarding. | Nothing. Check bank and tax details before you pay them. |
| Unsigned document | A document is waiting for their signature. | Ask them to sign it. |
| Has requested document expired | A document you requested from them has passed its expiry date. | Ask them to upload a current one. |
The Status filter in the talent directory uses the onboarding values, plus Not Invited, Pending and Registered. Those three describe the freelancer's account, not their onboarding, so a freelancer can be Registered and Not Onboarded at the same time.
How the status is set
A workflow counts toward onboarding only when Mark partner as fully onboarded on finish is ticked in its settings. On your list of workflows, the Required column shows which ones have it.
- A freelancer becomes Fully onboarded when they finish every one of these workflows assigned to them.
- If they're in several, they stay Onboarding underway until the last one finishes.
- Workflows without this option don't change the status. A freelancer who finishes only those stays Not Onboarded.
- If none of your workflows have this option ticked, every registered freelancer shows Fully onboarded.
Find what's still outstanding
To check from the freelancer's profile:
- Open the freelancer's profile. The directory list doesn't show stages.
- Select the More info tab.
- Each workflow the freelancer is in has its own section. Open it to see the stages and what the freelancer has entered in each one.
To open the workflow itself, click its name in that section.
To check from the workflow:
- Go to Workflows → Workflows and open the workflow.
- Click the freelancer's name.
- Select Current stage to see what they've entered so far, or Stages to see which stages are done and when.
Then work out who needs to act:
| The open stage is... | Who acts |
|---|---|
| A stage the freelancer fills in | The freelancer |
| An internal review stage | Its stage manager, or an admin |
| A document waiting to be verified | The team member who reviews documents, by clicking Verify |
Common reasons a freelancer isn't fully onboarded
No onboarding workflow is assigned
Freelancers who were bulk-imported or added directly don't get a workflow automatically. Registering from an invitation doesn't always add one either. Add one with Manage workflows (steps below).
A second workflow hasn't started
Another assigned workflow is still at its first stage. Ask them to complete it, or remove it if it was added by mistake.
An internal stage has no stage manager, or the manager is away
Internal stages are hidden from the freelancer, so they can't move it forward. Add a stage manager to the stage, or ask an admin to review it and click Save and proceed. See How to Manage Workflows: Stages, Stage Managers and Moving Talent.
A stage was filled in but not saved
The freelancer added something, such as a portfolio, but didn't click Save changes, Continue or Submit on that stage. Changes made in their profile, Settings or Documents don't complete a workflow stage. Ask them to open the stage from Onboarding and save it.
A document is waiting to be verified
If a document request needs verification, the stage stays open until someone on your team clicks Verify.
The workflow doesn't mark freelancers as onboarded
If Mark partner as fully onboarded on finish is off, finishing the workflow doesn't change the status. Edit the workflow, tick the option and click Save workflow.
Add, remove or move a freelancer through a workflow
Important: Removing a workflow from a freelancer deletes their progress and stage history in that workflow. Remove only workflows that were added by mistake.To add or remove a workflow:
- On the freelancer's profile, open the actions menu and choose Manage workflows.
- Tick the workflows to add, or untick the ones to remove.
- Click Apply.
You'll see "Workflows have been updated." Adding a workflow emails the freelancer so they can start. To do this for several freelancers, select them in the talent directory and choose Manage workflows.
To move a freelancer forward, open the workflow and use the actions menu on their row:
- Send reminder notification reminds them about a stage they need to complete.
- Move to stage moves them to a different stage.
- Finish onboarding finishes the workflow for them. Only admins see this option.
You can also write to them from the Messages tab on their stage. For the rules on moving people, see How to Manage Workflows: Stages, Stage Managers and Moving Talent.
Fully onboarded doesn't mean payable
To schedule an invoice, a freelancer also needs valid bank details and tax information. A workflow without Bank Details and Tax Information stages can finish without them. Scheduling then shows "Partner has missing tax information." or "Partner has incorrect or missing payout method."
Check the Tax Information and Payout Methods sections on the More info tab, if your role can see them. To collect these details from everyone, add the Bank Details and Tax Information stages to your onboarding workflow. See Global Pay: Payable Requirements for Freelancers.
What incomplete onboarding can block
Depending on how your account is set up:
- Contracts: you'll see "This partner hasn't finished the required onboarding yet. Until this happens, you won't be able to make the Contract live."
- Tasks: you can't make the Task live until the freelancer is fully onboarded.
- Invoices: when the freelancer tries to add an invoice, they see a Complete onboarding message.
Onboarding belongs to your company's account. If a freelancer finished onboarding with another company that uses Worksuite, that doesn't count for yours.
Troubleshooting
The status didn't change after the last stage finished
The status updates on its own. Refresh the page or open it in a private browser window. If it's still wrong, or it changed after someone edited the freelancer's email address, contact Worksuite Support with a link to the freelancer's profile and the name of the workflow.
I don't see the More info tab, bank details or tax details
Your role doesn't include that access. Ask an admin on your team to check your role.
Related articles
- Talent Directory Overview: the directory, its filters and status icons
- How to Manage Workflows: Stages, Stage Managers and Moving Talent: stage managers, moving people and stage conditions
- Creating Workflows: stage types and the settings that control onboarding
- Global Pay: Payable Requirements for Freelancers: what a freelancer needs before you can pay them
Support/Resources
Still have questions about onboarding status? Click Support in the bottom-left corner of Worksuite to contact our Support team, or email support@worksuite.com. Including a link to the page you're on and a screenshot helps us answer faster.