People Teams Automations - Serval Documentation

This guide provides detailed workflow examples for People teams. For a quick-start guide, see Serval for People Teams.

Onboarding Workflows

Onboarding new employees involves coordinating across multiple teams and systems. These workflows automate common touchpoints.

New hire account provisioning

Automatically create accounts across your tech stack when a new employee starts:

Create email account in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
Set up communication accounts (Slack, Teams, etc.) and add to appropriate channels
Provision access to core tools based on role (Engineering, Finance, etc.)
Create entries in identity and security systems
Add to relevant distribution lists and groups

Example Trigger: New employee detected in HRIS or manual request via Slack

Equipment provisioning

Coordinate laptop and equipment setup:

Create procurement request in your asset management system
Assign standard equipment based on role/department
Track shipping and delivery status
Notify IT when equipment is ready for configuration
Send welcome email with setup instructions

Example Trigger: 2 weeks before employee start date

Day-one welcome workflow

Ensure new hires have everything they need on their first day:

Send welcome message with first-day instructions
Share onboarding checklist and training materials
Introduce to team via Slack channel
Schedule 1:1 with manager and People Ops
Provide links to benefits enrollment and policy documents

Example Trigger: Employee start date

Role-based access setup

Provision access based on the employee’s department and role:

Lookup department and job title from HRIS
Apply appropriate access profile
Grant access to team-specific tools and resources
Add to security groups and permission sets
Document access granted for compliance

Example Trigger: New hire detected or department change

Benefits enrollment reminders

Ensure new hires complete benefits enrollment:

Send initial enrollment reminder with deadline
Provide links to benefits portal and documentation
Follow up if enrollment is incomplete
Escalate to People team if deadline is missed
Confirm enrollment completion

Example Trigger: Scheduled based on start date and enrollment windows

Example Prompt: Automated New Hire Setup

“When a new employee is added to our HRIS, create their Google Workspace account using their work email. Then add them to Slack and the #general and #announcements channels. Finally, send their manager a message with a link to their onboarding checklist.”

Offboarding Workflows

Offboarding requires timely, complete access removal to maintain security. These workflows ensure nothing is missed.

Access revocation

Systematically remove access when an employee departs:

Suspend or delete email account
Deactivate Slack account
Remove from all provisioned applications
Revoke SSO and identity provider access
Archive any personal data per retention policy

Example Trigger: Termination detected in HRIS or manual request from People team

Equipment recovery

Coordinate return of company assets:

Send instructions to departing employee
Track return status
Notify IT to wipe and inventory returned devices
Update asset records

Example Trigger: Last day of employment

Knowledge transfer

Preserve institutional knowledge:

Export relevant documents and files
Reassign ownership of shared drives and projects
Transfer calendar events and meeting notes
Archive direct messages if needed for compliance
Notify team of transition

Example Trigger: Last day of employment marked in HRIS or by manual request

Exit checklist automation

Ensure all offboarding steps are completed:

Create exit interview task for People team
Generate final payroll adjustments
Process benefits termination
Update HRIS employment status
Send confirmation to relevant stakeholders

Example Trigger: Termination date entered in HRIS

Example Prompt: Complete Offboarding

“Offboard Jane Doe, her last day is Friday.”

Serval looks up the employee in the HRIS, identifies all their provisioned accounts, and executes the revocation workflow—providing a complete audit log of what was removed.

Employee Support Workflows

Workflow	Description
PTO Balance Lookup	Employees ask Serval for their current PTO balance; Serval queries the HRIS and responds
Manager Approval Routing	Route requests (time off, expense, access) to the appropriate manager for approval
People Ops Ticket Triage	Automatically categorize and route incoming People Ops requests to the right specialist
Anonymous Feedback Collection	Collect employee feedback and surface trends to People leadership
PTO Request Form	Structured form to request time off with automatic manager approval routing
Department Transfer Request	Request to move to a new department with manager and People team approval
Address/Contact Update	Self-service form to update personal information with verification

Lifecycle Management Workflows

Workflow	Description
Promotion Processing	Update access, titles, and systems when an employee is promoted
Department Transfers	Adjust access and team memberships when employees change departments
Leave of Absence	Manage temporary access suspension and reinstatement
Return from Leave	Reactivate accounts and update systems when employees return

Reporting & Analytics Workflows

Workflow	Description
Headcount Reports	Generate weekly headcount summaries from HRIS data
Turnover Alerts	Notify People leadership when turnover in a department exceeds thresholds
New Hire Summary	Weekly digest of new hires starting, including their setup status
Access Audit Reports	Monthly reports on who has access to sensitive systems

Recruiting Support Workflows

Workflow	Description
Applicant Pipeline View	Query your ATS for a summary of candidates by stage
Interview Feedback Reminder	Send reminders to interviewers to submit feedback after interviews
Offer Letter Status	Check status of pending offer letters and follow up as needed
New Requisition Alert	Notify recruiting team when new job requisitions are opened

Serval for People Teams

Quick-start guide for People teams

Create Your First Workflow

Step-by-step guide to building workflows

Approvals

Add approval steps to your workflows

Integrations

Connect Serval to your tech stack

​Onboarding Workflows

​Example Prompt: Automated New Hire Setup

​Offboarding Workflows

​Example Prompt: Complete Offboarding

​Employee Support Workflows

​Lifecycle Management Workflows

​Reporting & Analytics Workflows

​Recruiting Support Workflows

​Related Documentation