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If you’re running Rippling, Workflow Studio is where time goes to be saved. In 2025, Rippling expanded Workflow Studio with richer scheduling, email controls, and calendar options—so you can turn repetitive HR/IT/Finance work into hands-off, auditable flows. (Rippling)

Below are seven field-tested automations your team can ship in an afternoon. Each includes triggers, conditions, and actions you can configure right in Workflow Studio.

1) Day-by-day pre-boarding with summary emails

What it does: From offer acceptance to day 1, drip out equipment confirmations, paperwork nudges, and “meet your buddy” notes—then send a single daily summary email to the hiring team so nobody misses a step. July ’25 added summary emails, custom date/time variables, and the ability to choose the calendar organizer for automated invites. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “Offer accepted” (or status moves to “Hired”).
• Conditions: Start date minus N days; location/department logic.
• Actions:
  • Create tasks for IT & Facilities; schedule intro events where organizer = hiring manager for clean invites.
  • Send summary email every morning to manager + recruiter with open tasks.
  • Post welcome note to Slack/Email.

Why it works: Consolidated comms reduce noise while keeping owners accountable.

2) 30/60/90 manager check-ins (automated prompts + survey loop)

What it does: After start date, ping managers at 30/60/90 days to run structured check-ins, collect a short survey, and escalate if overdue. Rippling’s onboarding guidance highlights using workflows for ongoing touchpoints across the full first 90 days. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “Employee start date reached + 30/60/90.”
• Conditions: New hires in last 90 days; employment type = FTE.
• Actions:
  • Email/Slack tasks for manager; create Calendar event via Workflow Studio.
  • Send a 3-question survey (App Studio form) to new hire; route low NPS to HRBP.

Pro tip: Duplicate the workflow for contractors with tailored prompts.

3) I-9 deadline guardrails (with remote verification eligibility)

What it does: Tracks day-1 completion and document review deadlines, prompts managers/HR for missing steps, and records evidence for audits. Rippling’s I-9 resources outline the form’s requirements and the newer remote verification path for E-Verify-enrolled employers. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “US hire created.”
• Conditions: Work location = US; E-Verify status; remote vs on-site.
• Actions:
  • Task new hire to complete Section 1 by end of day 1; schedule verifier task with due date anchors.
  • If remote eligible: send instructions + secure upload flow; else schedule onsite verification.
  • Escalate to HR Director if any step is overdue by 24 hours.

Outcome: Fewer last-minute scrambles and a clean audit trail.

4) Spend policy enforcement & month-end hygiene

What it does: Enforces spend at the point of swipe, routes exceptions, and streamlines close with bulk actions—all from Rippling Spend. Recent updates added policy templates and other speed-ups; Rippling’s spend guides cover best-practice policy structures. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “Expense submitted” or “Card transaction created.”
• Conditions: Merchant category, amount, role/supergroup, missing receipt, travel vs. non-travel.
• Actions:
  • Auto-approve low-risk items; escalate exceptions to Finance.
  • Auto-deny out-of-policy categories and email the rule rationale.
  • On the 28th: send a summary of unsubmitted expenses to each manager; on the 1st: ping Finance with a close checklist.

Bonus: Use pre-built policy templates to get started, then refine. (Rippling)

5) One-click offboarding with device/app retrieval SLAs

What it does: When someone exits, deprovision accounts, lock/wipe devices, create a return label, and escalate if the laptop isn’t scanned by the courier within 72 hours. Rippling details secure offboarding, MDM controls, and inventory automations you can tie to workflows. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “Termination date set.”
• Conditions: Asset assigned? Admin/privileged roles? Remote vs. in-office.
• Actions:
  • Revoke SSO, remove from groups, disable licenses (Microsoft 365/Google).
  • Lock/wipe device; generate shipping label; create a tracking task.
  • If “Device not in transit” after 72 hours: notify Security + Finance for stipend holdback review.

Result: Lower risk, faster hardware redeployment, fewer dangling licenses.

6) Interview scheduling clean-up (self-service + organizer control)

What it does: Combines Recruiting’s self-scheduling with Workflow Studio’s calendar features so invites come from the right person and panelists get reminders. Rippling added candidate self-scheduling and smart scheduling to Recruiting; July ’25 added organizer selection for auto-invites—great for preventing “no-reply@” chaos. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “Interview stage entered” or “Offer call scheduled.”
• Conditions: Role level; panel size; time zone spread.
• Actions:
  • Send self-schedule link; create panel prep tasks; organizer = recruiter of record.
  • Day-of: send Individual-mode reminders (no giant CC chains).
  • After: auto-collect feedback via form; escalate missing scorecards at +24h.

7) PTO nudge engine (well-being + coverage)

What it does: Encourages time-off, reduces burnout, and ensures shift coverage. Companies use Rippling to automate time-off reminders when someone hasn’t taken vacation in months. Pair this with scheduling to flag uncovered shifts before PTO approval. (Rippling)

Build it

• Trigger: “No PTO taken in 180 days” or “PTO request submitted.”
• Conditions: Balance > X hours; role requires coverage; critical period blocks.
• Actions:
  • Send a gentle reminder to employee + manager with recommended dates.
  • If shift-based: check schedule coverage; block/route for temp coverage if gaps exist.
  • Quarterly summary to HR on PTO utilization by org.

Implementation notes

• Why Workflow Studio now? 2025 updates made automations faster and more configurable: real-time triggers, precise scheduling, conditional logic, individualized emails, and organizer-controlled invites. (Rippling)
• Cross-app power: Because Rippling spans HR, IT, and Finance, one workflow can change policies, licenses, devices, cards, and approvals in one shot. (Rippling)
• Don’t forget App Studio: For front-end forms (e.g., probation reviews, equipment requests), build a lightweight app and have Workflow Studio do the back-end work. (Rippling)

Metrics to watch

• Onboarding: % tasks closed by start date; average days-to-productivity. (Rippling)
• Compliance: I-9 on-time rate; number of overdue verifications. (Rippling)
• Finance: % auto-approved vs. escalated expenses; close-cycle days. (Rippling)
• IT: Time to deprovision; device return rate; license waste (pre/post workflow). (Rippling)

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• Owner ambiguity: Use the July ’25 transfer/duplicate ownership features so automations survive org changes. (Rippling)
• Email overload: Prefer summary or individualized emails over massive CCs. (Rippling)
• Calendar clutter: Set the right organizer so attendees can reply/forward properly. (Rippling)
• Edge cases: Add conditionals for interns/contractors/execs to tailor steps. (Rippling)

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