How to Use Profile Templates

How Templates Work

• Generic (Default) — Every company starts with a built-in "Generic" template. Fields in Generic apply to all employees regardless of role.
• Named templates — Additional templates you create (e.g. "Manager", "Contractor"). Their fields only appear on profiles of employees whose role maps to that template.
• Role assignment — You link a template to a Company Role in Settings. Employees with that role see both the Generic fields and the linked template's fields.

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How to Create a New Template

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Click the + New Template button at the end of the tab strip.
3. Enter a Template name (minimum 2 characters, e.g. "Manager").
4. Click Create.

Your new template appears as a tab. Add groups and fields the same way you do for Generic.

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How to Rename a Template

• Double-click the template tab name to edit it inline, then press Enter to save.
• Or click the ⋮ (three-dot menu) on the tab and choose Rename.

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How to Duplicate a Template

1. Click the ⋮ menu on the template tab you want to copy.
2. Choose Duplicate.
3. Edit the suggested name (defaults to "Original Name COPY") and click Duplicate.

All groups, fields, and settings from the source template are copied to the new one.

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How to Archive a Template

1. Click the ⋮ menu on the template tab.
2. Choose Archive and confirm.

Note: You cannot archive a template that is still assigned to an active Company Role. Reassign or delete the role first — the confirmation dialog will tell you which roles need updating.

Archived templates are removed from the tab strip. Existing employee data is preserved — if you later reassign the template, values reappear.

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How to Assign a Template to a Company Role

1. Navigate to Settings → Company Roles.
2. Click Add Role or edit an existing role.
3. In the Profile Template dropdown, select the template this role should use.
4. Click Save.

Employees assigned to that role will now see the Generic fields plus the fields from the selected template on their profile.

Tip: If you choose "No template (Default only)", employees with that role see only the Generic fields.

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What Happens When a Role Is Removed from an Employee?

If you remove a role from an employee and that role was linked to a template, the template-specific fields will be hidden from their profile. However:

• Existing data is never deleted — values are preserved in the background.
• If the role (or an equivalent role with the same template) is re-added, the fields and values reappear automatically.

Timecloud shows a confirmation message listing which fields will be hidden before the role removal is applied.

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How to Configure Compliance Items Per Template

Each profile template (including the Generic/Default tier) has a Compliance panel where you can attach compliance items. When an employee is assigned a role with that template, the configured compliance items are automatically added to their profile going forward.

Opening the Compliance Panel

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Select the template tab you want to configure (or stay on Generic for items that apply to all employees).
3. Expand the Compliance accordion panel. The header shows the number of items currently attached (e.g. "Compliance (3 items)").

Adding Compliance Items

1. Click the Add compliance items dropdown and select one or more compliance items from the list.
2. Click the Add button.

The selected items appear in the compliance table below. Only items not already attached to this template appear in the dropdown. You can add multiple items in a single batch.

Setting the Preboarding Level

Each attached compliance item has a Preboarding dropdown with three options:

• Required — The item appears in the employee's preboarding wizard and must be completed before submission.
• Optional — The item appears in the preboarding wizard but is not mandatory.
• Exclude — The item is tracked on the employee's profile but does not appear in the preboarding wizard.

To change the level, click the Preboarding dropdown on the item's row and select a new value. The change saves automatically.

Removing a Compliance Item

1. Click the delete (trash) icon on the compliance item's row.
2. Confirm the removal in the dialog that appears.

Note: Removing a compliance item from a template does not delete it from employees who already have it. It only prevents it from being automatically added to future role assignments.

Understanding the Compliance Table Columns

Important: Compliance configuration applies going forward only. When you attach a new compliance item to a template, it is added to employees the next time they are assigned the associated role — it does not retroactively add to employees already in that role.

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Configuring Preboarding for Profile Properties

When preboarding is enabled, each profile property row in the template displays a Preboarding dropdown that controls whether the field appears in the employee's preboarding wizard.

Preboarding Levels

• Required — The field appears in the preboarding wizard and the employee must fill it in to complete the package.
• Optional — The field appears in the wizard but the employee can leave it blank.
• Exclude — The field does not appear in the preboarding wizard (default).

How to Set the Preboarding Level

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Select the template tab you want to configure.
3. Expand a group and find the property you want to configure.
4. Use the Preboarding dropdown on the property row to select Required, Optional, or Exclude.
5. The change saves automatically.

The same dropdown is also available in the inline property editor (cog icon) when editing a field's settings.

Tip: Auto-generated fields like PIN and Employee Number do not show the preboarding control because their values are assigned automatically by Timecloud.

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How to Plan the Employee Lifecycle

The Lifecycle panel lets you plan the entire employee journey — from preboarding before day one, through onboarding, offboarding, and post-termination tasks. Each template (including Generic) has its own lifecycle timeline, so you can tailor the process for different roles.

Opening the Lifecycle Panel

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Select the template tab you want to configure.
3. Expand the Lifecycle accordion panel.

The lifecycle timeline is always visible once the accordion is open — no additional toggle is required. The timeline is divided into four phases, separated by anchor dates:

• Preboarding — Tasks before the employee's start date
• Onboarding — Tasks after the employee starts
• Offboarding — Tasks after notice is given
• Post Termination — Tasks after the employee's end date

Two anchor dividers mark the key dates: Start Date (between Preboarding and Onboarding) and Termination Date (between Offboarding and Post Termination).

Adding a Lifecycle Task

1. Click the + Add [Phase] Task button under the phase where you want the task.
2. Enter a task name at the top of the modal.
3. Choose the Task Type from the toggle bar:
   • Admin Task — An internal task assigned to one or more admins (e.g. "Order laptop", "Schedule orientation"). Supports rich-text descriptions and file attachments.
   • Admin Email — An automated email notification sent to assigned admins about an employee (e.g. "Review probation", "Confirm training complete"). Includes a subject line and rich-text body.
   • User Email — A task sent to the employee themselves, optionally including form(s) to complete.
4. Fill in the task details (see below for each type).
5. Click Save.

Admin Task Fields

• Assign Admin(s) — Search and select which admin(s) are responsible.
• Description — Rich-text instructions or context for the task. Supports bold, links, lists, and placeholder tokens (see Template Variables below).
• File Upload — Click the upload area to select files or drag and drop. Uploaded files appear in a list below the dropzone with a remove button.
• Due Date — Number of days relative to the anchor date (e.g. "7" means 7 days after start).
• Warning Threshold — Days before the due date to trigger a reminder notification to assignees.

Admin Email Fields

• Assign Admin(s) — Search and select which admin(s) receive the email.
• Subject — Email subject line. Supports placeholder tokens.
• Body — Rich-text email body using the built-in editor (supports bold, links, lists, and placeholder tokens — see Template Variables below).
• Send Date — Number of days relative to the anchor date when the email is sent.
• Reminder Threshold — Days after the send date to send a single follow-up reminder if the task is still incomplete.

User Email Fields

• Select Form(s) — Choose one or more public form templates the employee must fill out.
• Subject — Email subject line for the notification.
• Body — Rich-text email body using the built-in editor (supports bold, links, lists, and placeholder tokens).
• Send Date — Days relative to the anchor date when the notification is sent.
• Reminder Threshold — Days after the send date to trigger a follow-up if incomplete.

Template Variables

The rich-text editor for Admin Task descriptions, Admin Email bodies, User Email bodies, and Welcome Message subjects and bodies supports placeholder tokens that are automatically replaced with real values when the task is displayed or the email is sent. Type { in the editor to open the variable picker, or click the Insert Variable button in the toolbar.

Available tokens:

Department / user group variables

If your company uses multi-level departments, the Insert Variable menu includes extra layer tokens in addition to the main department variable:

• Department (or your custom label) — inserts the employee's full department path. When an employee belongs to nested departments, levels are separated by dashes (e.g. "Operations - Sydney - Warehouse"). Multiple top-level assignments are separated by semicolons.
• Department - Layer 1, Department - Layer 2, etc. — inserts only the names at that specific level of the hierarchy. For example, Layer 1 returns the top-level department and Layer 2 returns the next level down. Multiple values at the same level are separated by commas.

The number of layer tokens matches the depth of your department tree. If departments are not enabled for your company, these tokens do not appear.

Tip: The token label in the Insert Variable menu uses your company's custom department name (e.g. "Division", "Team", "Branch") instead of the default "User Group".

Editing a Lifecycle Task

• Click the pencil icon on any task row to reopen the task modal with the current values pre-filled.
• Make your changes and click Save.
• Use the X button in the top-right corner to close without saving.
• The Save button is only enabled when changes have been made.

Removing a Lifecycle Task

1. Click the trash icon on the task row.
2. Confirm removal in the dialog.

When a task is removed from the template, any pending notification alerts for that task are automatically cancelled across all affected employees.

Understanding the Timeline Display

Each task row shows:

• The task name
• A colour-coded badge: amber for Admin Task, blue for Admin Email, green for User Email, blue for Automation
• Assignee chips showing who is responsible (up to 3 shown, then a "+N" overflow chip)
• A friendly timing label: "First Day", "Week 1", "Week 2", ... or "N days prior / after"

Tasks are automatically sorted by their due offset so you can see the sequence at a glance.

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Lifecycle Task Notifications

Timecloud automatically sends email notifications to task assignees based on lifecycle task due dates. No additional setup is required — notifications are triggered whenever a task has a Due Date and Warning Threshold configured.

Notification Types

How It Works

• Notifications are sent to all assigned admins on the task.
• Each email includes the task name, employee name, and due date.
• Overdue notifications are sent only once per task per employee — you won't receive duplicate alerts.
• If a lifecycle task is deleted from the template, any pending warning or overdue alerts for that task are automatically cancelled.
• When task dates change (e.g. an employee's start date is updated), notifications are rescheduled automatically.

Admin Email Notifications

Admin Email tasks have their own notification flow, separate from Admin Task warning/overdue alerts:

• The email is sent on the configured Send Date to all assigned admins.
• If the task is not marked as complete within the Reminder Threshold, a single reminder email is sent.
• The email body uses the rich-text content and subject line you configured on the task, with placeholder tokens replaced automatically.

Tip: Set the Warning Threshold on your tasks to receive early reminders. For example, a threshold of 3 days on a task due 7 days after start means assignees get an email 4 days after start.

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How to Configure the Preboarding Package

The Preboarding Package is an automated bundle sent to new employees before their start date. It always appears as the first item in the Preboarding phase (shown with a blue "Automation" badge).

Opening the Preboarding Package

• In the Lifecycle timeline, click the pencil icon on the Preboarding Package row.

Package Contents

Toggle on or off which items are included in the package:

Empty section warnings: If a section is switched on but has nothing configured (e.g. E-Sign Documents with no files, or Profile Details with no fields set to Required or Optional), a warning icon appears. The section will not appear in the employee's preboarding wizard until content is added.

Quick-Edit Modals

Each editable item in the package contents has a pencil icon. Clicking it opens a quick-edit modal where you can configure that section without leaving the package editor:

• Welcome Message — Write a subject and body using the rich-text editor with placeholder tokens.
• E-Sign Documents — Add, rename, remove, or reorder documents. Attach default files and toggle whether a signed upload is required.
• Profile Details — View all profile property groups and change the preboarding level (Required, Optional, Exclude) for each field. Changes save immediately.
• Competency Upload — Add or remove competency items and set their preboarding level.
• Additional Documents and Acknowledgements — Configure policies, custom instructions, and signature settings.

Automation Settings

• Assigned To — The admin responsible for overseeing package completion.
• Due Date — Number of days before the employee's start date.
• Warning Threshold — Days before due date to send a reminder.

Click Save Package when done.

Removing a Preboarding Package

If you no longer need a configured preboarding package on a template, you can remove it to reset to the default unconfigured state.

1. In the Lifecycle timeline, click the trash icon on the Preboarding Package row.
2. A confirmation dialog appears — click Remove to confirm.

Once removed:

• The package resets to its default unconfigured state.
• All acknowledgement policies attached to this tier are also removed.
• Any pending notifications for the package are automatically cancelled.

Note: The remove button only appears when the package has been previously configured (saved at least once). You can reconfigure the package at any time by clicking the pencil icon again.

Tip: Lifecycle configuration applies per template. Tasks and packages set on the Generic template apply to all employees, while tasks on named templates (e.g. "Manager") only apply to employees in the matching role.

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How to Track an Employee's Lifecycle Progress

Once you have configured lifecycle tasks on a profile template, every employee who matches that template gets a live Lifecycle tab on their profile. This tab shows the computed timeline, lets admins mark tasks as done, and provides a one-click way to send the onboarding package email.

Opening the Lifecycle Tab

1. Navigate to Employees and open an employee's profile.
2. Click the Lifecycle tab.

The tab displays the employee's full timeline, organised into collapsible phase panels.

Understanding the Timeline

The timeline is split into the same four phases you configured on the template. Each phase appears as a collapsible panel — active phases expand by default, inactive ones are collapsed. Phases with no configured tasks are hidden automatically.

• Preboarding — Tasks due before the employee's start date. Activates when a Work Start Date is set.
• Onboarding — Tasks due after the employee starts. Activates when a Work Start Date is set.
• Offboarding — Tasks leading up to the employee's departure. Activates when a Work End Date is set on the Operations tab.
• Post-termination — Tasks after the employee's end date. Activates when a Work End Date is set on the Operations tab.

Tip: To unlock the Offboarding and Post-termination phases, set the employee's Work End Date on the Operations tab of their profile. Due dates for tasks in those phases are calculated from this date.

Phase Status Indicators

Each phase header shows a numbered indicator and a status pill:

Task Row Layout

Each task row within a phase shows:

• A colour-coded status icon — green check (completed), red exclamation (overdue), orange clock (due soon), or grey circle (not started)
• The task name
• An expand arrow — tasks with a description show a toggle arrow next to the name. Click it to expand or collapse the description text inline.
• Assignee chips — displayed as @Name badges showing who is responsible for the task
• File attachments — clickable file links that download the attached documents (if any were added when creating the task)
• The due date — calculated from the employee's Work Start Date or Work End Date
• A Complete checkbox — for Admin Tasks and Admin Emails in active phases, to mark the task as done
• A three-dot menu (⋮) — opens a menu with actions like Send notification, Remove from employee, and Restore task (see sections below)

Completing Admin Tasks and Admin Emails

Admin Tasks and Admin Emails in an active phase have a Complete checkbox at the end of their row. To mark one as done:

1. Tick the Complete checkbox on the task row.
2. The status updates to Completed (green check) immediately.
3. A confirmation notification is sent to all assigned admins.

To undo, untick the checkbox — the status reverts based on the current date and due date.

Note: Only Admin Task and Admin Email rows can be toggled by admins. User Email tasks are completed when the employee submits the associated form(s). Package items are tracked automatically.

Expanding Task Descriptions

Tasks that have a description display a small expand/collapse arrow next to the task name. Click the arrow to reveal the full description text inline below the task row. Click again to collapse it. This works for both Admin Tasks (rich-text descriptions) and any other task type with a description.

Sending a Task Notification Manually

You can manually send or resend the notification for any incomplete lifecycle task directly from the employee's timeline — useful when a notification was missed, an email bounced, or you want to nudge an assignee.

1. Click the ⋮ (three-dot menu) on the task row.
2. Select Send notification.
3. A success message confirms the notification was sent.

Note: The Send notification option appears for Admin Task, User Email, and Admin Email rows that are incomplete and not archived.

Catch-Up Notifications When Employment Dates Change

If you change an employee's Work Start Date or Work End Date and some lifecycle tasks now have send dates in the past, Timecloud prompts you to send those missed notifications.

1. Update the employee's Work Start Date or Work End Date on their profile and click Save.
2. If any lifecycle notifications are now overdue, a "Send lifecycle notifications?" dialog appears.
3. The dialog lists which notifications will send now and which are scheduled for the future.
4. Click Yes to send all overdue notifications immediately, or No to skip.

Tip: This is especially helpful when backdating an employee's start date — the system catches any lifecycle emails or task alerts that would have been sent and offers to fire them off straight away.

Removing or Restoring a Task

You can remove a task from an individual employee's timeline without deleting it from the template. Removed tasks can be restored later.

To remove a task:

1. Click the ⋮ (three-dot menu) on the task row.
2. Select Remove from employee.
3. A confirmation dialog appears — click Remove to confirm.

To restore a removed task:

1. Click the ⋮ menu on the greyed-out task row.
2. Select Restore task.

Note: If the task has been deleted from the profile template since it was removed, it can no longer be restored — the Restore task option will be greyed out with an explanation.

Sending the Preboarding Package

The Send Package button at the top-right of the Lifecycle tab sends the onboarding welcome email to the employee. The email includes the welcome letter and links to any forms they need to complete.

1. Click Send Package. A confirmation dialog appears — click Send to confirm.
2. Once sent, a green "Package sent" chip appears next to the tab header and the button changes to Resend Package.

You can resend at any time — for example, if the employee didn't receive the first email or needs a reminder with updated form links.

Tip: Make sure the employee has a valid email address on their profile before sending the package.

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Built-in Groups vs Custom Groups

• Built-in groups (Basic, Demographics, Contact, Pay Details) contain standard employee fields. You cannot rename, reorder, or delete these groups — but you can mark individual fields as Sensitive to restrict who can see them.
• Custom groups are groups you create yourself. You have full control to add, rename, and delete custom groups and their fields.

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How to Create a Custom Group

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Select the template tab you want to add the group to (or stay on Generic if it should apply to everyone).
3. Click the New Group button (top-right).
4. In the dialog that appears:
   • Choose an optional icon for the group.
   • Enter a Group Name (required, minimum 2 characters).
   • Add a Description (optional, up to 120 characters).
5. Click Create Group.

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How to Add Fields to a Group

1. Expand a group by clicking its name in the accordion.
2. Click Add Property.
3. In the inline editor row that appears, select a field type: Text, Number, Date, True/False, File, Multiple Files, or Dropdown.
4. Enter the field name.
5. Toggle Sensitive on or off to control visibility (see below).
6. For Dropdown fields, add your option values and choose whether to Allow multiple selections.
7. Click Save to confirm.

Tip: Use Multiple Files for fields where employees may need to upload more than one document — for example, a collection of certificates or supporting paperwork. Each multiple-files field can hold up to 10 files.

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How to Edit a Field

• Rename a field inline — Click the pencil icon next to any custom field's name. Type the new name, then press Enter or click the tick icon to save. Press Escape or click the cross icon to cancel.

Note: Built-in fields (e.g. Staff ID, Email, Date of Birth) cannot be renamed or have their type changed. You can still toggle the Sensitive flag on built-in fields.

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How to Manage Job Title Options

The Job Title field is a built-in dropdown on the employee profile. Instead of free text, employees select from a predefined list of job titles that your company manages.

How It Works

• The first time an admin opens the Profile Template page, Timecloud automatically creates job title options from any existing free-text job titles already entered on employee profiles.
• From that point on, admins manage the list of available job titles through the options dialog.

Adding, Renaming, and Removing Options

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Expand the group containing the Job Title field (typically Employment).
3. Click the checklist icon next to the Job Title field name.
4. In the Manage Job Title options dialog:
   • Edit an existing option by changing its label text.
   • Add a new option by typing a name in the New option field and clicking the + button (or pressing Enter).
   • Remove an option by clicking the delete icon next to it. A confirmation dialog warns that employees currently assigned that job title will have their value cleared.
5. Click Save to apply your changes.

Validation Rules

• Labels may contain letters, numbers, spaces, and hyphens only.
• Labels have a maximum length of 100 characters.
• Up to 200 job title options can be created.
• Each label must be unique.

Tip: Removing a job title option clears the value from any employee currently assigned to it. Add the replacement option first, then update affected employees before removing the old one.

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How to Manage Available Options for Dropdown Fields

Some built-in dropdown fields — such as Ethnicity — come with an expanded set of options. Admins can choose which of those options are available in the employee profile dropdown.

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Expand the group containing the dropdown field (e.g. Demographics).
3. Look for the checklist icon next to the field name and click it.
4. In the Manage available options dialog:
   • Use the Search bar to find specific options.
   • Tick or untick checkboxes to enable or disable individual options.
   • The active count at the top shows how many options are currently enabled.
5. Click Save to apply your changes.

Tip: If an employee already has a value selected that you later disable, their existing selection is preserved as a greyed-out chip — it won't be lost, but it will no longer appear in the dropdown for new selections.

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How to Delete Groups and Fields

• Click the delete (trash) icon on a group header to remove the entire group and all its fields.
• Click the delete (trash) icon on an individual field row to remove just that field.
• Built-in groups and their standard fields cannot be deleted.

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Marking Fields as Sensitive

The Sensitive toggle controls who can view a field's value on employee profiles.

• When Sensitive is turned on, only company admins (and users with the appropriate permissions) can see the field's value.
• Use the Sensitive slide toggle directly on any field row to quickly change its sensitivity.
• You can also set the Sensitive flag when adding a field.

Tip: Use Sensitive for fields like tax file numbers, bank details, salary information, or any data that should be restricted to authorised personnel.

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Controlling Payroll Panel Sensitivity

In addition to marking individual fields as sensitive, you can control who can access entire payroll panels on employee profiles. The Payroll group in Profile Templates includes panel-level Sensitive toggles that each gate a whole section of the employee's profile.

Timecloud shows only the toggles relevant to your company's payroll setup. Legacy Payroll Fields and Employment Agreements are mutually exclusive — you will see one or the other depending on your configuration, never both at the same time.

How It Works

• When a panel toggle is set to Sensitive, the entire panel is hidden from sub-admins who do not have the Manage Sensitive Properties → View permission.
• Sub-admins with View but not Edit can see the panel in read-only mode.
• Company Admins always have full access regardless of these toggles.
• Each toggle controls both viewing and editing — there is no way to hide the panel but allow edits.
• Toggles only appear for panels that are active for your company — you will never see a toggle for a panel that does not apply to your setup.

How to Change a Panel Toggle

1. Navigate to Human Resources → Organization View → Profile Template.
2. Expand the Payroll group.
3. Find the panel toggle row (e.g. Payment & Tax Details) below the regular payroll fields.
4. Click the Sensitive toggle to turn it on or off.
5. The change saves automatically.

What the Defaults Mean

• Payment & Tax Details and Employment Agreements default to sensitive because they contain financial and pay-rate information.
• Legacy Payroll Fields and Payroll Export Settings default to not sensitive, matching their previous behaviour. Turn them on if you want to restrict access to overtime overrides or export codes.

Tip: These panel toggles also affect the HR Report Builder — columns derived from a sensitive panel are marked as sensitive in report exports.

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Editing Group Settings

• Click the settings (gear) icon on a custom group header to edit the group's name, icon, or description.
• Built-in groups do not show settings or delete controls.

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Searching Fields

Use the search bar at the top to quickly find fields across all groups. A results banner shows how many matches were found. Click Clear Search to reset.