How to Use the Document Workflow feature in Document Management

Audience & Scope

Audience: Admin

Module: Document Management

Country: Global

Pre-requisites: Access to Document Management module in HR Lounge

The Document Workflow option is a new enhancement to the Document Management module that allows organizations to route documents to multiple stakeholders for electronic signatures before the document is considered complete.

Instead of generating documents for employees to only view, HR can now configure a signature workflow that includes employees, managers, heads of department, and specific individuals. Each assigned signer will receive a task to review and sign the document directly within brioHR.

This feature is ideal for documents such as:

Bonus Letters
Employment Contracts
Policy Acknowledgements
Any document requiring multiple approvals or signatures

Before using the Document Workflow feature, ensure the required users have access to the Document Management module.

Navigate to: Settings → User Groups

Enable the Document Management permission for the appropriate users:

Employees (under MyHR permissions)
Managers (under Team Dashboard permissions)

Only users with this permission will be able to view and sign documents assigned to them.

Refer to this article here for the steps to enable the user permissions.

How the Document Workflow Works

The document workflow is configured during template creation.

When enabled, HR can determine:

Who needs to sign the document
Which roles are involved
Where each signature should appear on the document

Supported signer roles include:

Recipient (Employee)
Manager
Head of Department
Specific Employee

Multiple roles can be included within the same document.

Setting Up a Document Workflow

Watch this video for a quick overview of this feature or refer to the step by step below!

Step 1: Create or Edit a Template

1. Navigate to: HR Lounge → Document Management

2. Create a new template or edit an existing one.

3. When creating the template, enable the Document Workflow toggle.

Step 2: Configure Required Signers

4. Once the workflow is enabled, choose which roles must provide signatures.

You can require signatures from:

Recipient(s)
Manager
Head of Department
Specific Employee(s)

Step 3: Design the Document

5. Continue to the document editor as usual.

6. Set up the Layout then within Fields, insert your:

Dynamic Fields
Manual Fields
Signature Fields
Signed Date Fields

For every role included in the workflow, a corresponding Signature Field must be added to the document.

If a required role does not have a Signature Field, the editor will display a warning until it is added.

Note: Signed Date fields are optional but recommended if you need to record when the document was signed.

Step 4 : Customizing Signature Labels

7. Each signature field can be customized with its own label.

For example:

Employee
Manager
Head of Department
Team Lead

You can also choose whether the label appears:

Above the signature
Below the signature

This makes completed documents easier to read and identify.

Step 5 : Generating Documents

8. Once the template is complete:

Activate the template.
Generate the document as usual.
Select the destination folder.
Select the employee(s).
Review the assigned workflow.

During review, brioHR automatically assigns:

Each employee's Manager
Each employee's Head of Department
Any Specific Employee selected in the workflow

If required information is missing (for example, an employee has no assigned manager), the system will highlight it before document generation.

After updating employee information, simply click Refresh Employee Data to retrieve the latest details.

Step 6 : Signature Process

After the document is generated, signing tasks are automatically assigned to all required parties.

Each signer receives a pending task within their own workspace.

Managers / Head of Department / Specific Employees

Managers receive pending signing tasks in:

Team Dashboard → Document Management

They can:

Review the contents
Apply their signature
Submit

NOTE:

If Head of Departments have multiple employees within their department require signatures, they can complete each assigned document from the same module.

Employees

Employees access documents through:

MyHR → Document Management

They can:

Review the document
Apply their signature
Submit

Parallel Signing

One of the benefits of the Document Workflow feature is that signatures are collected simultaneously. Signers do not have to wait for another person to sign first.

All assigned users can review and sign the document independently, helping organizations complete approvals much faster.