Transforming Employee Onboarding with Robotic Process Automation for a Leading UK Charity - Case Study

Executive Summary 

In late 2022, Cevitr partnered with a major UK-based charity to automate and streamline their employee onboarding —an essential but time-consuming process involving up to 90 data points per applicant. Previously managed manually, staff were processing 30-40 candidates a week. This task created operational bottlenecks and contributed to staff fatigue. Cevitr reduced processing time from 60 minutes to just 12 minutes per application, delivering rapid, accurate, and scalable results. As well as improved data quality i.e. storage and filing. 

Client Overview 

The client is a well-established national charity that supports individuals affected by a variety of issues such as physical and mental disabilities, people recently released from prison, as well as drug and alcohol misuse. Among its many services, it helps individuals re-enter the workforce, providing holistic support throughout their employment journey. 

The Challenge 

A dedicated team was responsible for conducting employee onboarding including pre-employment checks manually. Each new hire required extensive data handling—copying and pasting information across disparate systems—resulting in roughly one hour of work per applicant. This repetitive, critical process limited capacity and affected team morale. The client also faced an additional layer of complexity: job offer forms were submitted by dozens of different managers across the organization, leading to inconsistencies in data quality and format. 

The Solution 

Cevitr designed and implemented a digital automation solution powered by our digital worker, Jo. The process began by standardizing critical fields in the job offer form, ensuring all required data could be reliably used by the automation system. 

Key components of the solution included: 

• Enforcing mandatory data fields and training managers on proper form completion. 

• Implementing automated data validation: if submitted data is incomplete or invalid, the ticket is rejected and flagged for human review. 

• Developing a digital worker capable of: 

• Processing employee onboarding checks in just 12 minutes. 

• Creating new HR system accounts. 

• Setting up folder structures. 

• Drafting and emailing personalized contracts and welcome letters to candidates. 

• Requesting employment references directly from candidates. 

• Compiling and submitting completed reports to the client’s internal system. 

The full automation went live within 3–4 weeks. 

Implementation Approach 

The project followed a phased approach: 

1. Discovery – Mapping the manual workflow and identifying automation points. 
2. Design – Developing a robust digital worker tailored to variable input formats and compliance requirements. 
3. Testing – Iterative testing and refinement based on real-life scenarios. 
4. Deployment – Go-live within one month, supported by ongoing optimization. 

Collaborating closely with the client’s HR and IT teams ensured smooth integration with existing systems and adherence to internal data policies. 

Results & Benefits 

• 95% of pre-employment checks are now fully automated. 

• Processing time reduced from 60 minutes to 12 minutes per application. 

• The digital worker, Jo, operates twice daily and handles up to 1,200-1,800 checks annually. 

• Automation includes end-to-end tasks, from system setup to candidate communications and reference collection. 

• HR team redeployed to focus on candidate engagement and complex case handling. 

• Improved consistency and auditability, reducing error rates and ensuring compliance. 

• Staff have more time to focus on people related activities. 

Conclusion 

By automating its employee onboarding, this leading UK charity has significantly increased operational efficiency, reduced manual workload, and enhanced candidate experience. With Cevitr’s digital worker, the charity is now better equipped to support its core mission—helping people move forward with dignity, confidence, and opportunity.