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HR, Workforce & Training Software

Deputy Setup: Day-Zero Path to a Working HR Loop

applicant tracking; career site and job boards; core hris; payroll processing. Lite · applicant tracking | Core | Pro. Slack, Google Workspace. Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance; Teams that will trial Core for up to 31 days before Homebase-style SMB hubs; Ops leaders who want WFM AI with a human-in-the-loop. Deputy is a shift-work platform for scheduling, timekeeping, compliance, comms, and optional HR/payroll add-ons. Published USD per-user: Lite list price Core list price (most popul Buyer question: is Deputy the right hr commit for Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance, or is Tiny shops that need a free ≤10-employee plan the real constraint? Thesis for setup: Deputy is a yes only when applicant tracking plus core hris (Lite, Core, Pro) are must-haves; not worth it if Tiny shops that need a free ≤10-employee plan dominates the operating model.

By Lee MeyeridricksUpdated Aug 18, 20267 min readFact-checked
Find HR (2 min)

Quick answer

core hris (Lite, Core, Pro) decides whether Deputy setup is a one-team pilot or a specialist project — confirm unlocks for core hris (Lite, Core, Pro), payroll processing (Lite, Core, Pro) before invites.

  • Start with: applicant tracking
  • Gate check: core hris (Lite, Core, Pro)
  • Integrate after: data quality pass on Slack

What matters in your Deputy setup

  • What Deputy actually is — Deputy is a shift-work platform for scheduling, timekeeping, compliance, comms, and optional HR/payroll add-ons. Published USD per-user: Lite list price Core list price (most popular), Pro list price list price monthly invoice minimum. All users including mana…
  • Configure these first — Research lists applicant tracking, career site and job boards, core hris, and payroll processing as supported — that is your day-zero surface.
  • Do not treat it as every HR job — Deputy is applicant tracking / recruiting. It is not a substitute for frontline scheduling or a GPS time clock.
  • Prove with a real workflow — Worked example: Harbor Retail (two recruiters and eight hiring managers) is done when they can a hiring manager moves a candidate and leaves feedback without an admin — not after a vendor tour.

Deputy day-zero path

Deputy setup walkthrough for applicant tracking / recruiting.
A working Deputy core loop beats a decorated empty workspace.

Deputy must vs nice

Must-have
  • Core job loop
  • Plan / hub gates
  • Integrations
Nice-to-have
  • AI extras

Deputy checklist

Bring these questions to every demo

Ask vendors to show the workflow live, not just describe it.

  • 1Name an HR/ops ownerFields, users, and hygiene need a responsible party.
  • 2Configure one core loopone hiring pipeline, one career-site job, and interview scheduling that a hiring manager can run
  • 3Complete non-admin proofa hiring manager moves a candidate and leaves feedback without an admin

Frequently asked questions

  • When is setup actually done?

    When a non-admin can a hiring manager moves a candidate and leaves feedback without an admin on the package you will buy.

  • Should we turn on every Deputy hub on day one?

    No. Extra hubs hide whether the core applicant tracking / recruiting loop works.

1. Deputy day-zero to steady-state sequence

  • Day zero — objects and owners

    Define owners for applicant tracking, career site and job boards, workforce scheduling before inviting the whole org.

  • SMB pilot

    One pipeline / one team proves Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance before company-wide seats.

  • Cutover

    Freeze legacy writes briefly; validate Slack and Google Workspace before reopen.

Treat Deputy setup as a controlled rollout — not a weekend dump of CSV files.

Deputy implementation go / no-go

  1. 1Go when plan unlocks cover core hris (Lite, Core, Pro)
  2. 2Pause if this limitation blocks ops: Every user including managers is billed; list price invoice minimum
  3. 3Do not expand seats until applicant tracking is green

Deputy implementation mistakes

  • Mistake 1

    Every user including managers is billed; list price invoice minimum

  • Mistake 2

    HR, analytics, messaging, and US payroll are add-ons (some bundled on Pro)

  • Mistake 3

    SMS is usage-priced by country

  • Mistake 4

    No free forever plan

  • Big-bang invite

    Inviting every user before object design creates junk data that is expensive to unwind.

Deputy plan gates that affect rollout

Implementation fails when unlocks needed for go-live sit on a higher tier than budgeted.

  • Seats61%
  • Add-ons18%
  • Implementation12%
  • Training5%
  • Other4%

  • Lite

    31-day trial · Unlocks: applicant tracking, career site and job boards, core hris · Suits: teams whose must-have gates appear on this tier

  • Core

    31-day trial · Suits: teams whose must-have gates appear on this tier

  • Pro

    31-day trial · Suits: teams whose must-have gates appear on this tier

Deputy implementation checklist

0/3 dimensions noted — saved in this browser only.

  • Prep

  • Pilot

  • Scale

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