6 Unconventional Make.com Automations That Will Truly Delight Your Employees

In today’s competitive landscape, employee satisfaction and retention are paramount for business success. While the conversation around automation often gravitates towards efficiency gains and cost reduction, there’s an equally powerful, often overlooked, application: leveraging automation to actively enhance your employees’ daily lives and overall work experience. At 4Spot Consulting, we firmly believe that operational excellence isn’t just about the bottom line; it’s about fostering an environment where your team feels valued, supported, and liberated from the mundane. Make.com, a remarkably versatile low-code automation platform, offers a unique opportunity to build intelligent workflows that don’t just streamline business processes, but genuinely delight your employees.

Forget the standard new hire onboarding email sequences. We’re talking about creative, impactful solutions that address common workplace frustrations, provide instant gratification, and free up your high-value talent to focus on strategic work that truly drives growth. We’ve witnessed firsthand how strategic automation can significantly reduce low-value work, minimize human error, and, perhaps most importantly, elevate employee morale and engagement. The goal isn’t just to automate tasks; it’s to automate empathy, support, and recognition. Ready to discover how Make.com can transform your workplace from the inside out, making your employees’ days smoother, more productive, and genuinely more enjoyable?

1. The Proactive “Desk-Side Concierge” for IT & Facilities Support

Imagine a world where your employees don’t have to chase down IT for a software issue or facilities for a broken chair. Instead of a generic ticket system, this Make.com automation creates a “desk-side concierge” experience. When an employee reports an issue via a simple form or a dedicated Slack command, Make.com doesn’t just log it; it intelligently triages it. For common issues, it can immediately trigger a self-help article from your knowledge base, or even schedule a brief video call with a support agent, automatically checking their availability. For more complex problems, it assigns the ticket to the most relevant specialist based on keywords, escalates critical issues to team leads, and provides real-time updates directly to the employee through their preferred communication channel (Slack, Teams, or email).

Beyond IT, this system can extend to facilities management. Need a new monitor? The automation can check inventory, trigger an order if necessary, and notify the employee of the expected delivery or setup time. This level of proactive, personalized support reduces frustration, minimizes wait times, and makes employees feel heard and prioritized. It removes the administrative burden of follow-ups and empowers your support staff to focus on solving problems rather than managing communication. The result is a seamless support experience that boosts productivity by getting employees back to work faster and makes them feel genuinely cared for by the organization.

2. Automated, Personalized Professional Development & Resource Delivery

One of the biggest drivers of employee delight is feeling supported in their growth. This Make.com automation moves beyond generic training recommendations to deliver truly personalized professional development paths. Imagine an integration with your HRIS and performance review system: after an annual review, Make.com can analyze an employee’s goals, identified skill gaps, and career aspirations. It then intelligently curates relevant learning resources—be it internal company training modules, specific courses from external platforms (like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning), or even articles and podcasts relevant to their development—and delivers them directly to the employee’s inbox or a dedicated learning portal.

Furthermore, as an employee moves into a new role or takes on a new project, the automation can proactively “nudge” them with relevant resources, best practices, or contact information for internal subject matter experts. This ensures that employees always have the right tools and knowledge at their fingertips, reducing the time spent searching for information and accelerating their upskilling. It demonstrates a tangible investment in their future, making them feel empowered and valued. The system can even track completion and suggest next steps, fostering a continuous learning culture that leads to higher engagement and a more skilled workforce.

3. “Meeting-Free Friday” Protection & Intelligent Calendar Blocking

Meeting fatigue is a real problem in modern workplaces, often leading to reduced productivity and burnout. While many companies implement “no-meeting” policies, enforcement can be challenging. This Make.com automation actively protects your employees’ focus time, particularly for initiatives like “Meeting-Free Fridays” or dedicated deep-work blocks. Make.com integrates with your team’s calendars (Google Calendar, Outlook 365) and, during designated focus times, automatically declines meeting invitations, suggesting alternative times or redirecting to a specific booking link. This is not just a simple blocker; it can differentiate between internal and external meetings, allowing crucial client calls while safeguarding internal focus time.

The automation can also monitor calendar density. If an employee’s day is packed with back-to-back meetings, Make.com could proactively suggest short breaks, block out “lunch recovery” time, or even flag overly scheduled individuals to their managers. This intelligent calendar management ensures employees have dedicated time for uninterrupted work, reducing context switching and allowing for more meaningful output. The delight comes from the sense of control over one’s schedule, the reduced stress of an overloaded calendar, and the company’s commitment to supporting a healthy work-life balance. It empowers employees to do their best work without constantly battling their calendar.

4. Automated Internal ‘Shout-Out’ and Peer Recognition System

Employee recognition is a powerful motivator, but traditional methods can often be infrequent or feel formal. This Make.com automation builds a real-time, dynamic peer recognition system that fosters a culture of appreciation. Imagine a simple form or a dedicated Slack/Teams command where employees can quickly give a “shout-out” to a colleague for great work, help offered, or living company values. Make.com then takes this input and automatically posts it to a designated internal channel (e.g., #kudos or #greatwork), notifying the recognized employee and their manager.

But it doesn’t stop there. The automation can also track these shout-outs over time. For example, it could automatically generate a monthly summary for each manager highlighting their team’s contributions, or even trigger a small, automated reward for employees who receive a certain number of shout-outs (e.g., a digital gift card, a company branded item ordered via an e-commerce integration, or a donation to a charity of their choice). This system creates continuous positive reinforcement, making employees feel seen and valued by their peers and leadership in a timely, organic way. It boosts morale, strengthens team bonds, and reinforces positive behaviors, leading to a more engaged and positive workplace culture.

5. Proactive Employee Milestones & Swag Delivery Automation

Celebrating employee milestones – birthdays, work anniversaries, achievements – often falls through the cracks due to busy schedules. This Make.com automation ensures these moments are never missed, creating a delightful and personal touch for every employee. Integrating with your HRIS (e.g., BambooHR, ADP), Make.com can pull upcoming birthdays and work anniversaries. Weeks in advance, it can trigger a workflow to send a personalized card (via a printing service integration like Lob.com) or order a thoughtful gift (via a corporate swag platform or e-commerce API) directly to the employee’s home address.

Beyond standard milestones, this system can be expanded to celebrate personal achievements (like completing a major certification), onboarding anniversaries, or even “welcome back” gifts after a sabbatical. The key is the proactivity and personalization. Imagine an employee receiving a carefully selected piece of company swag on their 5-year anniversary, or a personalized “happy birthday” message and a small treat delivered to their desk without anyone having to manually remember or organize it. This not only makes employees feel valued and remembered but also showcases a thoughtful company culture. It removes administrative burden from HR, ensuring these important moments are consistently and flawlessly celebrated.

6. Automated ‘Knowledge Nudge’ System for Context-Aware Information Delivery

Employees spend a significant amount of time searching for information, interrupting colleagues with common questions, or making decisions based on outdated data. This Make.com automation creates a “knowledge nudge” system that proactively delivers context-aware information, saving time and reducing friction. Imagine integrating Make.com with your internal knowledge base (Confluence, Notion, SharePoint) and your internal communication tools (Slack, Teams).

When an employee types a common query into a chat channel (e.g., “How do I submit an expense report?”), Make.com can intercept the query and immediately present the relevant knowledge base article, saving them from waiting for a human response. This can extend to project-specific contexts: as a new project kicks off, the automation can “nudge” team members with links to relevant past project documentation, key client insights, or even internal best practices for that type of initiative. The delight here comes from instant answers, reduced interruptions for expert staff, and the empowerment of self-service. It ensures consistent information, reduces errors, and allows employees to maintain their workflow without breaking concentration to search or ask for basic information. This makes every employee feel more capable and connected to the company’s collective intelligence.

The beauty of Make.com lies in its ability to connect disparate systems and create intelligent workflows that go far beyond basic task automation. By shifting our perspective from purely business efficiency to actively enhancing the employee experience, we unlock a powerful new dimension of value. The unconventional automations we’ve explored here are not just about saving time; they’re about demonstrating to your employees that their well-being, growth, and daily comfort are priorities. These innovations reduce friction, celebrate achievements, and provide the proactive support necessary for your team to thrive.

At 4Spot Consulting, we specialize in identifying these unique opportunities, designing bespoke solutions, and implementing them flawlessly to deliver tangible ROI and, crucially, a more engaged and delighted workforce. It’s about empowering your employees to spend more time on high-value work, reducing the administrative burden, and fostering a culture of innovation and care. Ready to save 25% of your employees’ day and elevate their experience? We’re here to help you map out your unique path to employee delight.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Beyond Efficiency: Strategic HR Automation with Make.com & AI