›Why HR self-service without a portal drowns HR in low-value tickets
60% of HR tickets are simple certificate requests that could be auto-generated — employment certificates for landlords, salary certificates for banks, address changes. Without a portal, these arrive by email or phone, are re-keyed into the HRIS, and the certificate is drafted from a Word template — a 3-day cycle for a 5-minute request.
The employee experience is poor too: the employee has no visibility on the request status, calls HR for updates, and receives a paper certificate by post or scanned email — hardly a modern employee experience.
›Form fields captured at request
The self-service request is submitted from the portal with exact fields: employee_id (lookup, auto-filled from session), request_type (select: Employment-certificate/Salary-certificate/Address-change/Payslip-duplicate/Payslip-query/Bank-details-change), certificate_recipient (select: Landlord/Bank/Administration/Other, for certificates), certificate_purpose (text, for certificates), new_address (text, for address changes), new_bank_iban (text, IBAN-validated, for bank changes), query_text (textarea, for payslip queries), requested_delivery_format (select: PDF-eIDAS/PDF-standard/Paper).
›The automated HR self-service workflow
The workflow is structured as a decision tree with 2 branches (auto-generation, HR-validation) after Step 2, and 5 steps end-to-end. Every action is appended to the timeline_selfservice audit subtable.
- Step 1 (Start — employee): the employee logs into the self-service portal and selects request_type with the relevant fields.
- Step 2 (Routing): if request_type is Employment-certificate, Salary-certificate or Payslip-duplicate, route to the auto-generation branch (no HR intervention). If request_type is Address-change, Bank-details-change or Payslip-query, route to the HR-validation branch.
- Step 3A (auto-generation branch — sql-query + usePDF): the sql-query module pulls employee data (name, salary, employment dates, position) from the HRIS database; usePDF generates the certificate PDF from the standard template with merge fields. The certificate is stamped with the HR stamp and signed with an eIDAS-qualified signature. Delivered to the employee via the portal in under 10 minutes.
- Step 3B (HR-validation branch — sql-query + email): the sql-query module pulls the current employee record for HR to review; the workflow emails HR with the change request and the employee's current data. HR approves or rejects; on approval, the workflow updates the HRIS and payroll via email notification.
- Step 4 (Archiving): the certificate or change record is archived encrypted via useArchive for the legal retention period, attached to the employee record.
- Step 5 (Status tracking — email): the employee sees the request status in real time and is notified by email on delivery or HR decision — no phone calls to HR.
›Concrete benefits
Organizations deploying Utilyx HR self-service cut HR ticket volume by 60% (the share that was simple certificate requests), deliver standard certificates in under 10 minutes (vs 3 days), and free HR to focus on high-value employee experience work.
The sql-query module pulls employee data straight from the HRIS, usePDF auto-generates the certificate with eIDAS signature, and the no-code visual designer lets HR adjust the request catalog and validation rules without developers. The portal and certificates are available in 7 languages for international workforces.
›The workflow in real time
Every node is executable, every branch is testable. Visualize the actual flow of your data while you design.
Frequently asked questions
Can the portal auto-generate employment and salary certificates?
Yes. For standard employment and salary certificates, the sql-query module pulls employee data from the HRIS and usePDF generates the PDF with an eIDAS signature — no HR intervention needed, delivered in under 10 minutes.
Are certificates legally valid for banks and administrations?
Yes. Certificates are delivered with the HR stamp and an eIDAS-qualified electronic signature, making them legally valid for banks, landlords and administrations.
Does the portal handle contractual changes like address updates?
Yes. Address changes, bank-details changes and payslip queries route to HR for validation via email; the workflow updates the HRIS and payroll on approval, and the employee sees the status in real time.
Ready to automate your processes?
Utilyx lets you design, automate and orchestrate your workflows visually — with an AI copilot, OCR, PDF generation and legal archiving. Start in minutes, not weeks.