When a person joins a department, a message can be sent to the line manager responsible. The message reaches the line manager one day before the new employee's starting date.
The appropriate event is generated every time a new holder relationship (A008) is created between a position and a person (entry in table T779W)
You can find the relevant customizing activity in the Implementation Guide for Organizational Management, under Integration -> Integration with Personnel Administration -> Workflow Message About New Employees (WS01200136).