How to Use Make.com for People Ops Automation

People operations teams use make.com to replace manual admin work with powerful automated workflows that save time and improve employee experience. This step-by-step guide shows how to turn typical HR and People Ops tasks into scalable automations inspired by real customer stories.

The examples below are based on success stories from fast-growing companies that rely on make.com to streamline onboarding, offboarding, and ongoing employee management.

Why People Ops Teams Choose Make.com

Modern People Ops teams handle onboarding, performance processes, benefits, compliance, and more. As companies grow, manual work in spreadsheets and inboxes becomes risky and slow.

With make.com, teams can:

• Connect HR tools, communication apps, and IT systems without code
• Automate repetitive tasks like account creation and notifications
• Reduce human error in critical employee lifecycle workflows
• Scale processes across departments and locations

The following sections outline a practical approach to designing and launching People Ops automations with make.com.

Plan Your People Ops Automation in Make.com

Before you build anything in make.com, clarify what you want to automate and why. Start small and expand once you have a reliable foundation.

Step 1: Map Your Existing People Ops Process

Begin by mapping the manual process you want to automate. For example, consider your employee onboarding flow:

• Who submits new hire data?
• Where is this data stored (HRIS, form, spreadsheet)?
• Which tools need to be updated (email, chat, project tools, payroll)?
• Who needs to be notified and when?

Write down each step in order. This process map will later become your scenario in make.com.

Step 2: Define Clear Automation Goals

Set specific objectives for your first automation with make.com. Examples:

• Reduce onboarding coordination time by 50%
• Ensure all new employees have accounts before day one
• Automatically inform managers of key HR changes

Measurable goals help you decide what to build first and how to evaluate success.

Step 3: List the Apps to Connect in Make.com

Identify which systems must be part of your workflow. Common People Ops tools include:

• HRIS or employee database
• Email and calendar platforms
• Chat tools and collaboration hubs
• IT and access management systems
• Project and task management tools

Check which of these already have modules or integrations inside make.com and where you may need webhooks or custom API calls.

Build an Onboarding Automation in Make.com

Onboarding is one of the highest-impact People Ops workflows you can automate in make.com. A reliable flow ensures new hires feel welcome and productive from day one.

Step 4: Create a New Scenario in Make.com

1. Log into your make.com account.
2. Click to create a new scenario.
3. Select a trigger that starts your onboarding flow, such as a new record in your HR system or a submitted form.

This trigger represents the moment a new hire is confirmed and onboarding should begin.

Step 5: Add Data Enrichment and Validation Steps

Use modules in make.com to clean and validate incoming data. Typical actions include:

• Formatting names and job titles consistently
• Checking that required fields (start date, manager, location) are present
• Routing incomplete records to a People Ops teammate for review

Good validation prevents issues later in the automation.

Step 6: Automate IT and Tool Access

Next, create a branch of your scenario in make.com dedicated to access and accounts:

• Create email and collaboration accounts for the new hire
• Add them to the correct groups or channels
• Trigger hardware or software requests for IT if needed

Use conditions to adapt access based on role, team, or location.

Step 7: Send Welcome and Manager Notifications

Communication is a key part of onboarding automation in make.com. Include steps to:

• Send a welcome message to the new hire with key links and schedules
• Notify the hiring manager of the onboarding checklist
• Inform relevant stakeholders (IT, finance, facilities) of the start date

These messages can be customized using dynamic fields such as name, role, and team.

Automate Offboarding and Changes with Make.com

Offboarding and internal changes are just as important as onboarding. Automating these workflows in make.com reduces security risks and ensures consistent communication.

Step 8: Design an Offboarding Scenario

Build an offboarding flow in make.com using a similar approach:

1. Use a trigger such as a termination record in your HR system.
2. Retrieve the employee’s access and asset details.
3. Schedule or execute account deactivation in connected tools.
4. Notify IT, managers, and payroll of key dates.

Include time-based logic if some steps must occur on the last working day instead of immediately.

Step 9: Handle Role and Status Changes

Use make.com to manage status changes such as promotions, location moves, or department transfers:

• Monitor for role updates in your HR database
• Automatically update group memberships and permissions
• Trigger manager and team announcements

This keeps employee records and access in sync without manual coordination.

Monitor, Optimize, and Scale Make.com Workflows

Once your People Ops workflows are running in make.com, continuous improvement will help you handle growth and complexity.

Step 10: Add Logging and Alerts

Configure your scenario in make.com to log key actions and errors. Add alerts when:

• A critical step fails (for example, account creation)
• Data is incomplete or inconsistent
• An automation runs longer than expected

Clear logs help you troubleshoot without disrupting employees.

Step 11: Refine Conditions and Branches

Use scenario filters in make.com to fine-tune your workflow:

• Create different flows for full-time employees, contractors, or interns
• Adapt steps based on country or legal entity
• Customize communication for different departments

This refinement keeps your automation relevant as your organization changes.

Step 12: Expand to New People Ops Use Cases

After onboarding and offboarding work reliably in make.com, extend automation to:

• Performance review reminders and tracking
• Probation period check-ins
• Anniversary or recognition workflows
• Benefits enrollment notifications

Each new workflow can reuse patterns and modules from your first scenarios.

Learn from Real People Ops Success Stories

Many companies have already transformed their People Ops processes with make.com. They report major time savings, fewer errors, and more consistent employee experiences.

To see detailed examples of how People Ops teams use make.com, including specific app combinations and workflow diagrams, review the success stories on the official blog: People Ops automation success stories on make.com.

Next Steps: Build a People Ops Automation Strategy

To build a sustainable People Ops automation program with make.com, focus on three areas:

• Standardize your key HR processes
• Integrate core tools and systems
• Continuously review and optimize your automations

If you need strategic guidance to plan or scale your automation roadmap around make.com, you can get expert consulting support from specialized partners such as Consultevo.

By starting with high-impact workflows like onboarding and offboarding and then expanding to ongoing employee journeys, People Ops teams can use make.com to operate more efficiently, reduce risk, and deliver an experience that scales with company growth.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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