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.
4. Track Skills and Growth
You can track much more than just job titles in Odoo. For example, you can keep a clear record of employee skills and how they evolve.
In the Employees module, you can:
- Assign specific skills (e.g. “Python – intermediate”)
- Update skill levels after training or development talks
- Use the Appraisals module to link feedback directly to employee profiles
- Track progress and use that info when planning promotions, role changes, or training
It’s all in one place, so you’re not guessing who’s performing well. You’ve got the data.
5. Accrual Plans – Let Odoo Handle Leave Entitlements Automatically
No need to manually adjust leave days as employees hit seniority milestones.
With Odoo, you can set up an accrual plan once, and it takes care of the rest.
- For example: +1 day after 2 years, +2 days after 5
- Odoo automatically updates leave balances as people hit those dates
- No manual tracking, no reminders
Small feature, big time-saver – especially when there are lots of other things to do.
6. Filter: “Hired in the Last 90 Days”
Need to see who joined recently? No more digging through spreadsheets or trying to remember start dates.
Odoo has a built-in filter that does it instantly.
- One click shows only employees hired in the last 90 days
- Great for onboarding check-ins, tracking training, or setting up first review meetings
It’s small, but when your team gets bigger, this makes staying organized a lot easier.
That’s all!
Hopefully one of these made you think, “Why aren’t we using this already?!” There’s a lot in Odoo just waiting to be switched on.
Want to explore Odoo more or need help making it happen? Get in touch – we’d be happy to support you!