How to Get Started With ClickUp for HR and Operations

ClickUp can centralize HR, operations, and team workflows that might otherwise be spread across tools like Zenefits and multiple project apps. This how-to guide walks you step-by-step through planning and setting up your workspace so you can manage people, processes, and projects in one place.

This article is inspired by the breakdown of Zenefits alternatives on the ClickUp Zenefits alternatives page and shows you how to put similar ideas into action.

Step 1: Plan Your ClickUp Workspace Structure

Before you invite your team, outline how you will organize everything in ClickUp. A clear structure makes it easier to manage HR tasks, benefits-related work, and daily operations.

Define core Spaces in ClickUp

Start by mapping your organization into Spaces. Think of Spaces as high-level departments or functions.

• HR & People Operations
• Payroll & Benefits Coordination
• Compliance & Legal
• Recruiting & Onboarding
• Company Operations or Administration

Each Space groups lists, tasks, and views related to that area, similar to how Zenefits groups HR features but with flexible project management capabilities.

Choose Lists for HR processes

Within each Space, create Lists to match specific workflows you need to manage in ClickUp.

• HR & People Operations Space
  • Employee Directory
  • Time Off Requests
  • Performance Reviews
  • Policy Updates
• Recruiting & Onboarding Space
  • Open Roles
  • Candidate Pipeline
  • New Hire Onboarding
• Payroll & Benefits Space
  • Payroll Runs
  • Benefits Enrollment
  • Vendor Management

This structure lets your team see where each type of work lives as soon as they log into ClickUp.

Step 2: Create Core HR Workflows in ClickUp

Once your structure is in place, you can build streamlined workflows that mirror or replace parts of Zenefits-style processes.

Build a time off request workflow in ClickUp

1. Create a List called “Time Off Requests” in your HR & People Operations Space.
2. Set task statuses such as:
   • Submitted
   • In Review
   • Approved
   • Denied
   • Archived
3. Add custom fields for:
   • Request Type (Vacation, Sick, Unpaid, Parental Leave, etc.)
   • Start Date
   • End Date
   • Total Days
   • Manager
4. Create a form view so employees can submit time off directly into ClickUp without hunting for templates.
5. Set automations to assign the task to the right manager when a request is submitted, and to update statuses based on decisions.

This reduces back-and-forth messages and centralizes approvals into one easy-to-track workflow.

Set up a recruiting pipeline in ClickUp

1. Create a List called “Candidate Pipeline” in your Recruiting & Onboarding Space.
2. Define candidate stages as statuses, for example:
   • New Applicant
   • Phone Screen
   • Interviewing
   • Offer Extended
   • Hired
   • Not a Fit
3. Add candidate custom fields such as:
   • Role
   • Source (Job Board, Referral, Agency)
   • Salary Range
   • Location
4. Create a board view in ClickUp so you can drag candidates through pipeline stages visually.
5. Set task templates for each role so you can quickly add new candidates with standardized details.

This visual approach gives you many of the tracking benefits of specialized HR tools while keeping candidate management connected to broader company projects.

Step 3: Use ClickUp Views to Mirror HR Dashboards

The source Zenefits alternatives overview highlights the importance of visibility into employee data and processes. You can recreate much of this visibility using flexible views in ClickUp.

Key ClickUp views to enable

• List View for detailed records of employees, candidates, or payroll runs.
• Board View for drag-and-drop pipelines like recruiting, onboarding, or policy change approvals.
• Calendar View to see time off, probation end dates, and performance review cycles.
• Gantt View to manage longer HR projects such as new benefit rollouts or company-wide handbook updates.
• Dashboard to combine charts, tables, and widgets that summarize HR workload and status.

By combining these views, ClickUp can act as a central hub for people operations and planning.

Step 4: Automate Repetitive HR Tasks in ClickUp

Many HR tasks are routine and repetitive. Automation in ClickUp reduces manual work while keeping human oversight where it matters.

Practical ClickUp automation examples

• New hire onboarding
  • Trigger: A candidate moves to “Hired” in the pipeline List.
  • Action: Automatically create a task from a “New Hire” template in the Onboarding List, assign it to HR, and set due dates relative to the start date.
• Policy acknowledgment
  • Trigger: A task with a “Policy Update” tag is moved to “Approved”.
  • Action: Automatically create tasks for each department lead to review and confirm rollout.
• Time off notifications
  • Trigger: Time off request set to “Approved”.
  • Action: Notify the employee in ClickUp, tag the team lead, and add the time off to a shared Calendar view.

Automations help your team maintain consistency that you might expect from specialized HR platforms.

Step 5: Collaborate With Stakeholders in ClickUp

HR and operations teams rarely work alone. Managers, executives, and external advisors all need visibility. Collaboration features in ClickUp make that possible.

Best practices for ClickUp collaboration

• Use comments and mentions on tasks to ask for clarifications, share updates, or request approvals.
• Attach documents such as policy PDFs or offer letters directly to relevant tasks.
• Create shared views tailored for managers, executives, or finance teams.
• Limit access appropriately for sensitive HR tasks using permissions and private Lists.

By keeping conversations inside ClickUp tasks, you build a historical record of decisions and changes.

Step 6: Report on HR Metrics Inside ClickUp

Just as the comparison of Zenefits alternatives emphasizes insights and analytics, you can configure ClickUp to create meaningful HR reports.

HR dashboard ideas in ClickUp

• Open roles by department and stage.
• Average time to hire.
• Upcoming performance reviews and due dates.
• Time off by team and month.
• Status of policy or benefit rollout projects.

Use widgets like tasks by status, tasks by assignee, and custom field charts to track the metrics that matter for your organization.

When to Combine ClickUp With Other Tools

There are times when pairing ClickUp with a dedicated HR or payroll solution makes sense. For example, you might rely on an external system for actual benefits administration but run projects, approvals, and communications from ClickUp.

If you want help designing a combined tech stack, including HR platforms and ClickUp-based workflows, you can consult experts such as Consultevo for implementation support.

Next Steps: Implement Your ClickUp HR Workspace

To recap, you can use ClickUp to organize HR and operations in a structured way that rivals all-in-one HR platforms while giving you far more flexibility for projects and collaboration.

1. Define Spaces and Lists that mirror your teams and processes.
2. Build workflows for time off, recruiting, onboarding, and policy management.
3. Leverage views and dashboards for real-time visibility.
4. Automate repetitive tasks while keeping human approvals in the loop.
5. Collaborate and report inside ClickUp to keep everyone aligned.

With this setup in place, ClickUp becomes a powerful backbone for HR and operations, enabling you to adapt quickly as your organization and people needs evolve.