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How to Check If Approval List Users Left the Company Using Power Automate

WPS Editor Sep 25, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs an automated process to daily verify if individuals on an approval list are still employed, ensuring the notification flow remains maintainable even if the flow owner leaves the organization.

How to Check Whether Approval List Users Still Work for the Company

Product: Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Automating the daily verification of approver employment status using an organizational directory.
Observed behavior: The goal is to proactively identify departed approvers and alert a shared team to update the list, avoiding operational failures caused by dependencies on a single flow owner.

Before you start

Ensure you have adequate permissions to read user profiles in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) via Power Automate, and verify that you have administrative access to the source data of your approval list.

Solution 1Recommended

Build a Scheduled Directory Check Flow with Shared Ownership

Create a scheduled Power Automate flow that cross-references your approval list with your organization's directory and notifies a shared team about departed users.

Using a scheduled flow ensures the approval list is checked automatically every day. By integrating with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), you can instantly flag inactive or missing accounts.

To maintain the flow long-term and prevent failures, it is critical to use shared mailboxes for notifications and assign co-owners to the flow rather than tying it to one individual.

Create a scheduled trigger

Open Power Automate and create a new 'Scheduled cloud flow'. Configure the recurrence trigger to run daily at your preferred time.

Retrieve the approval list

Add a 'Get items' action (e.g., from SharePoint or Excel Online) to fetch the current list of designated approvers from your dataset.

Verify user status against Entra ID

Add an 'Apply to each' loop for the retrieved items. Inside the loop, use the 'Get user profile (V2)' action from the Office 365 Users connector to check if each user's account is still active in the directory.

Handle missing users and notify

Configure the run-after settings to catch failures (which happen when a user is not found). Use the 'Send an email (V2)' or 'Post message in a chat or channel' action to send a summary report to a shared mailbox, Microsoft Teams channel, or group.

Assign co-owners or a service account

Navigate to the flow's details page and add multiple team members or a dedicated service account as co-owners. This ensures the automated process will not break if the original creator leaves the company.

Build a Scheduled Directory Check Flow with Shared Ownership

Best Practice for Connections: Always try to use a service account for the connections inside the flow (like SharePoint and Office 365 Outlook) so that password expirations or departed employees do not disrupt the automation.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Manage Your Approval Lists Efficiently with WPS Office

While Power Automate handles complex directory integrations, it requires an active Microsoft 365 subscription. If you need a reliable way to manage, organize, and track your approval lists and daily spreadsheets offline or via cloud sharing, WPS Spreadsheet provides a highly compatible and cost-effective alternative.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download the free office suite for your operating system.
2. Install and Launch: Run the installer and open WPS Spreadsheet from the main dashboard.
3. Manage Approval Lists: Open your existing .xlsx approval lists or create a new tracking sheet to seamlessly manage team data.

100% free, lightweight, and fast office suite.Seamless compatibility with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and CSV formats for managing lists.Familiar tabbed interface ensuring zero learning curve for Microsoft Office users.Built-in tools for data validation, filtering, and team collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a Power Automate flow stop running when the owner leaves?

Flows created under a specific user account rely on that account's active status and active app connections. If the user's account is disabled in Microsoft Entra ID upon their departure, any connections relying on their credentials will fail.

How do I share a Power Automate flow to prevent failure?

You can add co-owners to the flow from the flow details page. For maximum stability, transfer the ownership and connection credentials to a dedicated organizational service account rather than an individual employee.

What connector checks if a user is still in the company?

You can use the 'Get user profile (V2)' action from the Office 365 Users connector. If an employee has left and their account is removed, this action will fail, which you can handle using the 'Configure run after' settings to trigger your notification.

Can I send flow alerts to a Teams group instead of an email?

Yes. Instead of using the Outlook email action, you can use the 'Post message in a chat or channel' action under the Microsoft Teams connector to send the list of departed users to a designated Teams channel.

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