Training course · n8n · Human Resources

n8n for HR Teams

Workflow automation with n8n and AI: master nodes, the AI Agent node, integrations and GDPR-friendly self-hosting in practice.

Duration
2 days (14 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

This course connects n8n with the everyday processes of Human Resources. Participants work on realistic scenarios and leave with prompts, workflows and checklists they can use straight away.

n8n is a flexible workflow automation platform that combines visual flows with language models and hundreds of integrations. Unlike many cloud services, n8n can also be self-hosted, so your data can stay in your own data centre or with a European hosting provider. Over two days you will learn how triggers, nodes and data flows fit together, how to transform data between applications and how to automate recurring tasks from your day-to-day work reliably.

The core of the course is the combination of automation and AI. Using the AI Agent node, chat models, memory and tools, you build workflows that classify emails, summarise documents, enrich records or answer enquiries. You learn to catch errors, test workflows and document them properly. Finally, you look at hosting options, credential management and data protection, so that your automations run stably, securely and in line with GDPR once they go into everyday operation.

HR departments are service providers, advisers and change agents at once: they manage contracts and processes, support managers and drive topics such as people development and company culture. Generative AI can take a lot off their plate. AI assistants draft policies, employment references, job descriptions and employee communications, answer recurring questions on leave, working time or benefits and help design training and feedback processes. Automation speeds up onboarding and offboarding and analyses employee surveys. HR, however, demands particular care: personnel data is highly sensitive, decisions about people must remain fair and transparent, and many AI applications require works council involvement. Considering these conditions from the start builds acceptance and turns AI into genuine relief.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • HR business partners
  • HR officers and generalists
  • Learning and development specialists
  • Payroll and HR administration staff
  • Heads of HR and CHROs

Typical challenges we address

  • Handling recurring employee queries alongside strategic work
  • Producing policies, references and documents quickly and in a legally sound way
  • Coordinating onboarding and offboarding across many stakeholders
  • Analysing employee feedback and HR metrics meaningfully

What you will be able to do

  • You can build n8n workflows independently using triggers, logic nodes and data transformations.
  • You can connect n8n to the applications you use every day and fall back on the HTTP Request node where needed.
  • You can use the AI Agent node and other AI building blocks for classification, extraction and summarisation.
  • You can safeguard workflows with error handling, validation and human approval steps.
  • Create HR documents, communications and development concepts efficiently and soundly with AI.
  • Automate HR processes such as onboarding and employee queries with clear responsibilities.
  • Take employee data protection, co-determination and the EU AI Act into account when using AI in HR.

Course outline

Day 1

Module 1 Fundamentals: workflows, triggers and nodes
  • Getting to know the n8n interface, canvas and execution view
  • Trigger types: schedules, webhooks, incoming email and app events
  • Understanding items and JSON data and working with expressions
  • Using core nodes such as Edit Fields, IF, Switch, Merge and Loop Over Items
Module 2 Integrations and data processing
  • Connecting common applications: email, spreadsheets, CRM, collaboration and cloud storage
  • Using the HTTP Request node for APIs without a ready-made integration
  • Creating, managing and sharing credentials securely within the team
  • Filtering, merging and reshaping data and writing it to target systems
Module 3 AI in n8n: the AI Agent node and LLM building blocks
  • Connecting chat models from different providers as well as locally hosted models
  • Configuring the AI Agent node with a system prompt, memory and tools
  • Automating classification, structured data extraction and summarisation
  • Using your own documents via vector stores for retrieval-augmented generation
Module 4 Error handling, testing and maintainability
  • Setting up error workflows, retries and failure notifications
  • Validating AI output and defining fallbacks for unusable responses
  • Working with pinned test data and tracing past executions
  • Modularising, naming and documenting workflows for colleagues

Day 2

Module 5 Self-hosting, data protection and operations
  • Cloud versus self-hosted: effort, control and licensing model compared
  • Assessing data flows to AI providers against GDPR requirements
  • Managing access rights, logging and retention of execution data
  • Adding human-in-the-loop approval steps to automated processes
Module 6 Practice lab: Human Resources
  • Drafting HR documents
  • Employment references
  • Employee self-service
  • Onboarding automation
  • Survey analysis
  • People development
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Personnel data is protected by the GDPR and national employee data protection rules; in Germany, introducing AI systems capable of monitoring behaviour or performance requires works council co-determination under the Works Constitution Act. AI used for decisions on promotion, termination or performance evaluation is high-risk under the EU AI Act.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Drafting HR documents

An AI assistant drafts policies, works agreement proposals, job descriptions and employee information in plain language, which HR then checks against employment law and agrees internally.

Employment references

Based on a structured performance assessment, AI drafts a reference letter at the appropriate rating level with favourable yet truthful wording, which HR checks against established reference conventions.

Employee self-service

A knowledge assistant answers questions on leave, travel expenses, working time or benefits based on approved policies, cites the source and hands complex cases to HR.

Onboarding automation

Workflows create checklists, welcome emails, induction plans and tasks for IT, the line manager and buddies, so new joiners are well prepared from day one.

Survey analysis

Free-text answers from employee surveys or exit interviews are anonymised and clustered by theme, sentiment summarised and fields of action for leadership and HR derived.

People development

AI supports the design of training programmes, competency models, learning paths and guides for performance and feedback conversations, tailored to roles and company culture.

Prerequisites

You should be confident with common office applications and have basic experience with AI assistants. No programming is required, although a basic grasp of structured data is helpful. You work in HR and know the core HR processes and basic employment law in your organisation.

Technical requirements

You will need a laptop with an up-to-date browser. We provide an n8n environment for the exercises, or you can use your own instance; API keys for a language model are set up together during the course.

Data protection & compliance

Personnel data is protected by the GDPR and national employee data protection rules; in Germany, introducing AI systems capable of monitoring behaviour or performance requires works council co-determination under the Works Constitution Act. AI used for decisions on promotion, termination or performance evaluation is high-risk under the EU AI Act.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Tue, 24 November 2026 – Wed, 25 November 2026 Online Request
  • Wed, 2 December 2026 – Thu, 3 December 2026 Hanover Request
  • Tue, 15 December 2026 – Wed, 16 December 2026 Online Request
  • Mon, 18 January 2027 – Tue, 19 January 2027 Munich Request
  • Thu, 4 February 2027 – Fri, 5 February 2027 Online Request
  • Thu, 18 February 2027 – Fri, 19 February 2027 Stuttgart Request

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to code to work with n8n?

No. Most workflows are built visually by connecting nodes. During the course you also learn simple expressions to reference and reshape data precisely. A Code node is available for special cases but is not essential. A logical understanding of processes and data fields is entirely sufficient to get started.

Why is n8n attractive from a European data protection perspective?

n8n can be self-hosted, for instance on your own servers or with a European hosting provider. This keeps you in control of where workflow and execution data is stored. What still matters is which data you send to external AI services. On the course you learn to assess these data flows and, where appropriate, connect locally hosted models.

How does n8n differ from Make or Power Automate?

All three automate processes across applications. n8n stands out for its self-hosting option, its fair-code licensing and particularly flexible AI building blocks such as the AI Agent node. Make offers a very approachable cloud interface, while Power Automate excels at deep Microsoft integration. The course puts these differences into context for typical scenarios.

Does the works council have to agree to AI use?

Often, yes. In Germany, as soon as an AI system is technically capable of monitoring employee behaviour or performance, the works council has co-determination rights, plus information and consultation rights. We show how to involve employee representatives early and what an AI framework agreement typically covers.

May we process personnel data in AI tools?

Only in approved environments with a data processing agreement, a clear purpose and a legal basis. Many tasks, such as drafting policies or training concepts, need no personal data at all. Where they do, minimise and pseudonymise the data. In the course we develop practical rules for your HR team.

How much does “n8n for HR Teams” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 2 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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