Webhooks: real-time event automation
Webhooks are one of the most valued technical capabilities for IT teams in enterprise environments. They allow Sesame HR to automatically notify external systems when relevant events occur within the platform.
A webhook is an automatic HTTP notification (POST) that Sesame HR sends to a URL configured by the administrator when a specific event occurs. Unlike periodic API queries (polling), webhooks allow you to react to events in real time — no constant querying required.
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⚡ Polling vs. Webhooks: Polling: your system periodically queries Sesame → Higher resource consumption, potential latency. |
Supported events
Sesame HR can send webhook notifications for the following event types:
Event |
Description |
Employee hire |
A new employee profile is created in Sesame HR. |
Employee leaver |
An employee is deactivated or removed from the system. |
Department change |
An employee is reassigned to a different department or office. |
Time off request |
An employee requests holidays or time off. |
Time off approval |
A manager approves or rejects a time off request. |
Clock in/out record |
An employee clocks in or out. |
Contractual change |
A contract, salary or compensation is modified or created. |
Onboarding process |
An employee onboarding process is started or completed. |
How they work
The webhook flow in Sesame HR follows these steps:
- Configuration: the administrator registers a destination URL and selects the events they want to receive from the Sesame HR panel.
- Event: when a subscribed event occurs (for example, a new hire), Sesame generates a JSON payload with the event data.
- Notification: Sesame sends an HTTP POST request to the configured URL with the event payload.
- Processing: the receiving system processes the notification and executes the corresponding actions (create user in AD, update ERP, etc.).
Example payload for an employee hire webhook:
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POST https://your-system.com/webhooks/sesame { |
Enterprise use cases
Sesame HR webhooks allow you to automate critical workflows in large organisations. Here are the most common scenarios:
Automatic IT provisioning
When a new employee is hired, the webhook notifies the IT system to automatically provision their access: email account, software licences, VPN credentials and equipment. This reduces onboarding times from days to minutes.
Real-time ERP updates
Every time the organisational structure changes (new department, office change, employee reassignment), the webhook automatically updates the corporate ERP, keeping data consistent across systems.
Automation with Zapier or Make
Connect Sesame HR webhooks with automation platforms such as Zapier or Make (Integromat) to trigger complex workflows. For example: when a holiday request is approved, send a notification to the team, update the shared calendar and adjust shift planning.
Compliance alerts
Configure webhooks to alert the compliance team when time tracking incidences occur, when contractual changes fall outside normal parameters, or when absences are left unjustified.