Two Options for Manual Onboarding Communications

Without ChangeEngine's connections feature, you can either do nothing or download HRIS data and manually map each employee to a manager and buddy. ChangeEngine uses those relationships to fill names and automatically CC the manager, HR lead, or TA, removing repeated spreadsheet checks and copy-and-paste work.

If you don't have ChangeEngine's connections feature, you have two options. You can do nothing, or reach out to HR, someone else with HRIS access, or use your own access to download the data.

What Does the Manual Manager and Buddy Process Require?

The manual path starts with an HRIS download and ends with you building the org chart yourself. If you're Excel savvy, you filter the export with formulas to work out who each person's manager is. On screen, the org-chart export uses XLOOKUP to populate the manager email, while the buddy column is maintained by hand at two minutes per task.

You may also track each person's buddy in a separate spreadsheet. In the example, that tracker is manually updated every Monday, so you have to look across multiple sheets to understand each relationship.

Once you understand the relationships, you open Outlook or Gmail, paste in the template, and copy each person's name and the CC list from the spreadsheet. The on-screen email template had been pasted 27 times that week, and the message went to a buddy on the wrong team. That is a lot of small work before the message is even sent. The communication process adds another layer where mistakes can happen.

How Does the Connections Feature Remove Spreadsheet Work?

ChangeEngine's connections feature uses HRIS relationship data so one message can fill in the employee name, buddy, and manager automatically. Relationships come from the HRIS or are inferred from the data.

You can automatically CC the manager, HR lead, and TA, giving each of them visibility without rebuilding an org chart or copying a CC list. The on-screen comparison shows the setup working from 10 hires a month to 1,000 hires. It's the same data without the repeated copy-and-paste work.

Frequently asked questions

How do you send manager and buddy emails without connections?

Download the HRIS data, use Excel formulas to map each employee to a manager, and maintain buddy assignments in a separate sheet. Then paste the template into Outlook or Gmail, replace the names, copy the CC list, and check that the message is going to the intended person.

What does ChangeEngine fill into a manager or buddy message?

ChangeEngine's connections feature can use relationship data from the HRIS or infer relationships from the data. It fills the employee name, buddy, and manager into one message. It can also automatically CC the manager, HR lead, and TA, removing the need to copy a CC list from a spreadsheet.

Why is the manual process prone to email errors?

When manager details and buddy assignments live across separate spreadsheets, every email requires repeated copy-and-paste work. Names and CC lists can be replaced incorrectly, and the message can go to the wrong person. The worked example shows a buddy email going to someone on the other team after 27 template pastes that week.