--- sourceDocument: Australia Employee Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/employee-service-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Employee Service Management ft:clusterId : - emplsm bundleId : - emplsm workflow : - Employee --- # Automating seat assignment for new hires # Automating seat assignment for new hires {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Automating seat assignment for new hires This feature enables ServiceNow customers to automatically assign workspaces---such as seats or neighborhoods---to new hires by integrating HR Service Delivery with Workplace Service Delivery. It connects onboarding activities through Journey Designer and Workplace Case Management, ensuring seat assignment is part of the pre-boarding lifecycle event. This automation streamlines workplace provisioning and improves new hire experience by reducing manual steps. Show full answer Show less ## Configuration * Plugins must be installed in order with System Administrator rights: * Journey Designer (with demo data) * Workplace Space Management (with demo data) * Workplace Case Management * Set the **snwsdcore.ALLOCATIONTYPE** property to define how spaces are matched to employees (e.g., by Cost Center). This is not needed for neighborhood assignments. * If upgrading from earlier versions, update Journey Designer first, then Workplace Space Management, reinstalling demo data as required. ## Process * An HR manager or journey owner initiates an onboarding journey for a new employee. * The hiring manager enters employee details via the Journey interface. * When the pre-boarding event triggers, a workplace case is created for workplace location assignment. * Both employee and manager can track seat assignment status on the Employee Center Journeys page (manager requires the **snwsdcore.workplaceuser** role). * The system assigns a workspace by analyzing team locations and configured allocation type: * Neighborhood-qualified users are assigned automatically, with cases closed by work notes. * Location assignments follow configured workplace services. * If no matching space is found, a manual assignment task is generated for a case manager or agent. * Once assigned, notification emails with location details are sent to the new employee and their manager. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * Automates workplace provisioning during onboarding, reducing manual effort and errors. * Provides visibility into assignment status for employees and managers. * Supports flexible workspace assignment rules based on organizational attributes like Cost Center. * Enables fallback manual assignment to ensure no new hire remains unassigned. ## Related Configuration and Next Steps To fully implement and customize this feature, customers should consider configuring related elements such as workplace case and task templates, approval workflows, record producers for requests and reservations, SLA definitions, escalation rules, and grouping similar workplace cases under parent cases. Installing and configuring these components will enhance automation and case management efficiency. Use HR Service Delivery and Workplace Service Delivery to automatically assign a seat for the new hires in your organization. The automated seat assignment feature integrates Workplace Case Management and Journey designer to connect HR onboarding activities with workplace assignment. The pre-boarding activity in the onboarding lifecycle event contains an activity to automatically assign a workspace (seat or neighborhood) to new employees. ## Configuration overview {#auto-assign-new-hires__section_jh1_j4x_h3c} To use the automated seat assignment feature, you must install plugins in the following order. You must have the System Administrator (admin) role to install plugins. 1. Install the Journey designer plugin along with its demo data. For more information about installing Journey designer, see [Installation and configuration overview](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QCaAEdjwqx7SfejAwRxVSw "The Journey designer app has multiple versions that have different installation instructions and configuration options."). 2. Install the Workplace Space Management plugin along with its demo data. For more information about installing Workplace Space Management, see [Install Workplace Space Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/80AL16sI_dsKP~cD1VyoNQ "Install the Workplace Space Management application from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes."). 3. Configure a value for the sn_wsd_core.ALLOCATION_TYPE property. The system analyzes and assigns spaces based on the property value. For example, if the property is set to Cost Center, the system looks for a space with the same Cost Center as the new employee's manager. Note: This step is not required for neighborhood assignments. 4. Install the Workplace Case Management plugin. For more information about installing Workplace Case Management, see [Install Workplace Case Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mvq5uMItrLBFv6E0UGDWYQ "Install the Workplace Case Management application from ServiceNow Store applications. Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes."). Note: If you have earlier versions of the plugins installed, update the Journey designer plugin and reinstall the demo data. Then update the Workplace Space Management plugin and reinstall the demo data. ## Process overview {#auto-assign-new-hires__section_ur5_n3d_33c} 1. An HR manager or journey owner initiates an onboarding journey for a new employee. For more information about creating a journey, see [Create a journey](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Y_74j1mHSpmYpMBOtCMi6w "Users that are managers and have Modifier [sn_jny.writer] permission create journeys for employees and assign mentors to help with the journey."). 2. The hiring manager fills in basic information about the employee. For more information about journey view for a manager, see [Journey view for a manager](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/NhUB7eFOQ~V70RlPtC6ZVA "As a manager, here's how you can view all your journeys and your team's journeys in Journey designer on the Employee Center portal."). 3. When the pre-boarding lifecycle event starts, the system creates a workplace case with the service Workplace Location Assignment. For more information about the Workplace Location Assignment service, see [Workplace Location Assignment service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/HstlwJZxZxOvZi9zzOpcCA "The Workplace Location Assignment service automatically assigns a workplace location to an employee."). The employee and their manager can view the status of the workplace case from the Journeys page on the Employee Center. Note: To view workplace cases for employees, the manager must have the sn_wsd_core.workplace_user role. 4. The system analyzes the locations of the employee's team and assigns a location or neighborhood to the employee's profile.For neighborhood assignments, if the user qualifies for a neighborhood, the system closes the workplace case with a work note. the Assign Users to Neighborhood scheduled job assigns the profile to the neighborhood. For location assignments, the system follows the configured workplace service. If the system can't find a space or neighborhood for the employee, a manual assignment task is created. A case manager or agent can then assign a location to the employee. 5. After the space is assigned to the profile, the system sends an email to the employee and their manager with the location details. **Related concepts** * [Smart Assessment for workplace cases and tasks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/sGDaLBXlQ~c~azgItEDiEQ "Smart Assessment enables workplace case managers to create structured assessment templates with customizable questions and sections. These assessments trigger automatically based on specific conditions, such as state changes in workplace cases and tasks. Workplace agents complete these assessments as part of their workflow, to standardize data collection and support quality control.") * [Configuring a record producer for request edit](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WQeXBZZQHNc1Lqn0FA5j9w "Configure a record producer for editable workplace service requests.") * [Configuring a record producer for reservation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Uwt5IckMOWOvOmvKuB51Ow "Configure a record producer to integrate it with Workplace Reservation Management.") **Related tasks** * [Install Workplace Case Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mvq5uMItrLBFv6E0UGDWYQ "Install the Workplace Case Management application from ServiceNow Store applications. Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.") * [Create a Workplace case template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kxSeRdhkCIPw3qRVkI9s7Q "Create a Workplace case template for use when creating workplace services.") * [Create a Workplace task template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/irnQXyjaRBog1RLzml5Mkg "A Task template simplifies the process of creating tasks in Workplace Case Management by populating fields automatically.") * [Configure Approval options](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mUq357p34Ck2WaLHvr~vlw "Add approvers to approve cases created through Workplace services.") * [Configure a Record producer](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/afa4SEOfu7d9F9E_G53Big "Make a Workplace service available to employees as a self-service option. Configure a record producer to display the service as a catalog item in the Workplace Services catalog.") * [Create an SLA Definition](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/E7Nz~kM~fzmfcETGbEjWXQ "Configure SLAs to ensure that cases are resolved according to the expectations of customers. SLAs set up performance parameters, such as specifying minimum uptime or the amount of time that a task needs in order to reach a certain condition.
") * [Create a Workplace service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/V32qBbYBlZHnhImIjiAM_w "Create a workplace service with predefined steps of fulfillment. Select the fulfillment type required based on the workplace service. Create workplace services like catering, office supply request, parking, or any service to support employees needs.") * [Add a workplace service item to a workplace service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yhh73WhQ_4t3ChiYXIJdew "Configure a workplace item that an employee can order along with a workplace service request or as part of the reservation. For example, while making a reservation, an employee can order a workplace service item such as catering, an additional chair, whiteboard, marker, and more.") * [Create a workplace template configuration](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/O1naCmH7vauwd_j6~fVEOw "Define a template that must be applied to fulfill a workplace case. Set conditions based on common employee responses for requests. The template will be applied to those workplace cases that match the conditions specified.") * [Create a workplace field mapping](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TirUu_ON7UqTPjjuv2iQwQ "Create a field mapping record to copy the field information of a parent case to the child workplace service activities or to workplace item-related tasks. Skip the process of re-entering the same details of a parent case to a child case by using field mapping records.") * [Configure an escalation rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vAZqZ~RQsK9tUsbwmoSg~w "Escalate a workplace case to the relevant assignment group by using an escalation rule.") * [Add Fulfillment instructions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/oQubNh6VoU6aF9mgVhgOsA "Provide instructions to workplace agents on how to fulfill a workplace case. Add instructions for new workplace agents and for complicated workplace cases.") * [Group similar workplace cases under a parent case](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/cHR9_XOaV9JEx7uC1oIHNQ "Categorize cases that have similar issues and that require the same resolution under a single parent case. Reduce the time spent on resolving multiple workplace cases.")