HR in Odoo: 6 Powerful Features You’re Not Using (But Should!)


This Tuesday, Odoo hosted a webinar on some rarely used HR features that can seriously improve your workflow.

They covered a lot of useful stuff, but I want to walk about 6 features that really stood out to me – especially for anyone working with HR in Odoo.

These tools are already built into the system, but often go unnoticed. Which is a shame, because they can really make your life easier. If you give them a shot, you might start seeing Odoo in a whole new light.


1. Recruitment Through Referrals – Referrals Module

Instead of just posting job ads on external sites, why not get your team involved?

Odoo turned referrals into something that feels like a game:

  • Employees can refer candidates and earn points
  • Job postings can be shared through WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and more
  • The system keeps track of who referred whom and awards points accordingly
  • Points can be exchanged for rewards like gift cards
  • It's a fun way to get employees more involved in hiring

Candidates coming in on their own. Sounds like an HR dream, right? 😄 


Bonus: Odoo even added a fun interface with a little character to guide users. Check that:


2. Automated Onboarding – Set It Up Once and Reuse It

Bringing someone new on board always comes with a long to-do list: contracts, gear, training, documents…

But Odoo lets you automate most of it with just one setup.

In the Employees module, you can create an onboarding plan linked to a specific job role (e.g. “Developer onboarding”). When someone’s hired:

  • Tasks are automatically assigned to HR, the manager, and IT
  • The new employee gets a checklist and can mark tasks as done
  • Everyone sees the status without needing to send emails like “Hey, did you order the laptop?”
  • You can even automate document signing (e.g. NDA), and the signed files are stored directly in the system

Simple to set up, and a massive time-saver.

3. Submit Expenses by Email

If you’ve ever chased receipts after business trips or client meetings, you know how time-consuming it gets. Now imagine this: your employee takes a photo of the receipt and sends it via email. That’s it.

Here’s how it works in Odoo:

  • Each employee can send receipts to a unique email address
  • The system creates an expense report automatically and pulls out key info with OCR – amount, date, category
  • The employee just selects the expense type and clicks “Submit”
  • The manager approves it, and accounting doesn’t need to enter anything manually
  • The journal entry is posted right into the accounting system 

No separate apps, no extra tools – it’s all built into Odoo.