Best Ways to Use Automation in Jira For HR Processes - Part 2

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In the first part of this guide, we covered how to use Smart Templates and Smart Checklists to automate recurring HR tasks in Jira. We looked at how to structure typical processes like HR onboarding, set up templates with reusable components, and trigger automated task creation using built-in features.

In part two, we’ll focus on other ways to automate and optimize your HR operations in Jira. We’ll explore how to:

• Create custom flows with native automation
• Use workflow rules to guide task progress
• Streamline request handling in Jira Service Management
• Connect Jira with external HR tools

Let’s start automating!

Building Custom Rules With Native Automation For Jira 

As covered earlier in Part 1, you can pair Automation for Jira with Smart Checklist and Smart Templates to enhance your HR processes. But, of course, this Jira functionality goes far beyond these use cases. 

Jira’s native rule builder gives you the flexibility to create custom automation based on your team’s needs. You can define when rules should run, what actions they trigger, and how they fit into your overall process structure. This makes it easy to adjust Jira for HR processes in your organization.

Automation in Jira for HR can help with tasks like:

• Linking work items to connect related HR tasks automatically
• Scheduling task creation for recurring activities like performance reviews
• Adding checklists to repetitive tasks when they are created (such as an offboarding checklist)
• Auto-assigning tasks based on conditions such as keywords in the description (e.g., “Employee satisfaction survey”)
• Triggering reminders and alerts for contract renewals, feedback sessions, or policy confirmations

Here’s an example of how you can set up a rule to assign tasks automatically. When a new work item is created, the rule checks if the description includes a specific keyword. It also verifies whether an assignee has already been set. If not, the task is assigned automatically based on your chosen logic. You can assign it to the person who created the task, the epic assignee, or someone responsible for handling this type of work.

In this example, the rule looks for the phrase “recruitment launch” in the description. If it’s found and the work item has no assignee, the task is automatically assigned to the person in charge of recruitment.

Please note: if the assignee defined in the rule loses access to the project or their account becomes suspended, the rule may stop working as expected.

Creating an automation rule in Jira for HR involves the following steps:

• Go to Project Settings → Automation, then click Create Rule. You’ll need Administrator permissions for the project to access this feature.
• Choose a trigger — an event that defines when the rule will run. For example, you can select Work item created or Work item updated.
• Add conditions to narrow down when the rule applies. In the example above, we apply a User condition to check if the assignee field is empty.
• Set the action — instructions for what the rule should do when triggered. For example, automatically assign the task or send a notification.
• Save and enable the rule. The rule will now run automatically based on the conditions you’ve defined.

Integrating Automation With Jira Service Management Helpdesk

Many HR teams rely on Jira Service Management (JSM) to run internal helpdesks or employee self-service portals. It’s a powerful way to handle requests, manage approvals, and gather feedback in one place. Adding automation makes these tasks even faster and easier to manage, helping your HR team respond more efficiently.

Jira’s built-in automation offers a wide range of possibilities. Here are a few examples of what you can automate:

• Categorizing HR requests. When a ticket is submitted, the system can detect the type of request and assign it automatically. For example, a time-off request can be routed directly to the HR manager.
• Streamlining approvals. If a ticket reaches a status like “Ready for Approval,” it can be sent automatically to the relevant approvers. This is useful for tasks like approving job offers or signing documents.
• Sending automated notifications. Team members can receive real-time updates in tools like Slack when something changes in a ticket. For example, once a leave request is approved or rejected, the requester gets a notification without needing to follow up manually.
• Creating work items from Smart Templates. For example, when an employee’s contract is nearing its end date, this can trigger the automatic creation of a task using a contract renewal template. The HR team will then receive a task to review the contract and decide whether to renew or end it.
• Adding Smart Checklists to user requests. For common request types, you can attach checklists automatically and even make them visible to the requester. This allows employees to track the progress of their request in view-only mode. For instance, after submitting a business travel request, an employee can see the checklist the HR team is following to process it. For more details, watch this short video about Codifying processes. 

To set up automation in your HR Service Management project, go to Project Settings → Automation. From there, you can create a rule that fits your needs. Below are a few examples to show how this can work in practice.

Here is a rule that clones a JSM work item into another project. The rule is triggered when the original item is moved to In Progress. This is useful when a request requires input from a team in a different project. For instance, if an employee submits a reimbursement request, the rule can clone it to the finance team’s project once processing begins.

You can adjust the rule to apply only to specific work types, depending on your needs.

This type of automation works best when both projects use the same layout. If there are differences in field configurations, work types, and workflows, make sure to review them and check in with your Jira Administrator before turning the rule on.

The next example shows a rule that adds a Smart Checklist to selected JSM tickets. For instance, when an employee submits a request labeled “Business Trip,” the rule attaches a predefined checklist to the work item. This gives the assignee a clear step-by-step plan for handling the request.

 

For more details on how to set up this automation, please see this Adding Checklist to JSM guide. 

Custom automation and thought-through checklists make it easier to manage HR requests efficiently. They also help create a smoother, more reliable experience for your team and the employees you support.

Configuring Workflow Automation in Jira for HR Processes

In Jira, workflows let you map out the main stages of a process and guide how each work item moves from start to finish. This is especially helpful for recurring HR tasks that follow a consistent path.

Below is a simple example of a recruitment workflow. It starts with Screening, moves to Interviewing, and then to Accepted. At any stage, there’s also a path to mark the candidate as Rejected, allowing flexibility when needed.

Jira allows you to integrate automation into your workflows. In particular, you can set specific actions to run when a work item moves from one status to another.

Here are some common examples of using workflow automation in Jira for HR processes:

• Enforcing status transition rules. You can prevent work items from skipping required steps. For example, moving a task from Screening to Offer can be blocked unless it first goes through Interviewing.
  
  
• Compliance validation.  Add rules that will validate whether certain conditions are met. For instance, a rule can check whether an employee satisfaction survey form is attached before allowing you to proceed with the performance review.
  
  
• Auto-assigning reviewers. A workflow automation rule can change the assignee when a work item transitions to a specific stage. For example, when a business trip request is moved to “Approval Pending”, the work item can be auto-assigned to the employee’s manager.

To add automation to your workflow, use Jira’s Workflow Editor. There, you can adjust your statuses and transitions and add various rules. They fall into three main categories: rules that restrict transitions, validate details, or perform certain actions.

To access this menu, open the workflow you want to change in the Workflow Editor and click Rule in the menu bar at the top:

In this menu, you’ll see a list of available rules and will be able to choose the one that fits your process.

Let’s apply this to the recruitment workflow example shown earlier. Suppose only team members who were present during the interview can decide whether to move a candidate forward. These people are listed in the Approvers field of the work item.

To enforce this, you can add a workflow rule that limits who can transition a work item to the Offer Discussion stage after Interview Debrief. In the Workflow Editor, choose the rule Restrict who can move a work item from the list.

Next, we specify the transition to which the automation should be applied and select who can move the work item at this step: Restrict to -> Users in the custom field -> Approvers.

Once this is ready, we click Add. The automation is now active and will apply to all work items that follow this workflow.

Integrating Jira with Other Business Apps and HR Tools

HR teams often rely on more than just Jira. They also work with dedicated HR platforms like BambooHR, Workday, Greenhouse, Rippling, or HiBob. On top of that, many use business tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Sheets, Miro, or various ITSM and project management systems.

By connecting Jira to these third-party apps, you can automate more of your HR tasks and reduce manual updates across platforms.

Here are some integration options worth exploring:

• Native integrations. Jira comes with built-in connectors for popular tools like Slack, Figma, Excel, Trello, Confluence, and others.
• Marketplace apps. Click Apps → Explore more apps in the top menu of your Jira project to browse the Atlassian Marketplace. It offers a wide range of third-party tools with specialized features.
• Data integration solutions. Platforms like Onward or Zapier allow you to link Jira with HR tools such as BambooHR. These solutions can move data between systems and reduce the need for manual input.
• Reporting automation tools. Platforms such as Coupler.io help you pull Jira data into BI tools to build live dashboards and custom reports.
• Trigger-based automation platforms. Tools such as Zapier also support multi-step automation based on specific events. You can use them to build connected processes across Jira and other apps.

Let’s say you want to create an onboarding task in Jira automatically when a new employee is added to BambooHR. This can be done using a Zapier integration for BambooHR and Jira.

After signing up for Zapier and selecting the two apps to connect, define the trigger and the action. In this case, the trigger is “New employee added” in BambooHR. The action is “Create work item (issue)” in Jira. Once set up, every time a new hire is added, an onboarding task will be created in Jira automatically.

You’ll also need to connect your BambooHR and Jira accounts by entering your API credentials for both apps. Once connected, you can fill in the required work item details, such as project, work item type, and any mandatory fields.

Next, match the fields from BambooHR to the corresponding ones in Jira. For example, you can map the employee’s name, position, or department to appear in the new onboarding task.

When everything is set up, test the integration. If it works as expected, turn it on. Zapier will then check BambooHR at regular intervals. When it detects a trigger event, like a new employee being added, it will automatically create a new onboarding work item in Jira based on your configuration. Apart from the employee onboarding process, similar integrations can be set up for various other use cases. 

Additional Ways to Optimize Work Beyond Jira for HR

From automating individual tasks to streamlining HRSM processes, Jira for HR offers many tools to improve how you manage work. But Jira is just one piece of the puzzle. To make your processes even more efficient, consider expanding your automation efforts across other tools your team already uses.

For example, when a new candidate applies, you can automatically create a Google Drive folder for that person, storing their CV, portfolio, and internal notes in one place. Or, you can set up a data quality check in Greenhouse that sends weekly reports if any required fields are missing from applicant profiles. These are just a few ways automation can support your team beyond Jira.

Even small improvements add up. The more you can automate, the more space you create for meaningful work - and that’s where HR can make the biggest difference. I hope this tutorial has helped you discover new ideas for optimizing HR processes!

P.S. Make sure to have a look at Part 1 of this blog post to discover more automation options in Jira for HR teams.

[Prabhu Palanisamy _Onward_]

Love the focus on HR use cases! Shameless plug :) OnRamp and OnLink provide native integrations to several HR applications including BambooHR, Workday, Greenhouse, Rippling, HiBob and 70+ systems. You don't need an external integration tool to connect to these systems :)