In this article, we will share some best practices for typical Personio workflows that are particularly helpful for non-desk workers. This includes signing documents digitally, sending requests via Mail, MS Teams, or Slack, and using the Personio app for attendances and absences.  

The Personio App 

Access the Personio app easily on your smartphone and take advantage of its different functionalities, like time tracking and requesting absences. 

Time tracking

The Personio app offers two different ways of tracking attendances. 

Record working hours with the Start/Stop button

With the Personio app, you can start time tracking straight from the dashboard. The hours are then recorded in your Personio account.

To track time, follow these steps: 

1. In the dashboard, click Record now to start time tracking.
   

   Note
   The function runs in the background until you open the app again. 

2. To finish time tracking, click the Stop button. 
3. A window opens displaying the times already entered for that day. You then have the option to add break times, projects, and a comment.
4. Click Submit to transfer the hours you've entered to your Personio account. This triggers any approval process that may have been set up.

If your company tracks overtime, any time that exceeds your normal hours is displayed on the app dashboard.

With the app's time tracking function, you can document your entire workday as one, or as separate time windows. This is helpful to track time that you may have spent on different projects, for example. For each time window, a new entry is created in the attendance overview, and an approval process is triggered.

Recording manually

An alternative to the Start/Stop button is to record your working hours using the Plus button within the app.

To record your attendance manually via the Personio app, follow these steps: 

1. In the dashboard, click the blue Plus button. 
2. Select Track time from the menu.
3. Follow the steps in the app. 
4. To finish, click Submit. This triggers any approval process that may have been set up.

Tip
This can also be done retroactively by selecting the desired date under When?

Request absences 

With the Personio app, you can request different types of absences, from paid leave to sick days.  In the Absences section, the overview shows all the daily absence types that have been enabled for you (e.g. paid vacation), including the available accrual policy for each absence type. Any upcoming absences and reminders of missing documents will also be displayed.

To request an absence via the Personio app, the workflow is as follows: 

1. In the dashboard, click the blue Plus button. 
2. Select Request absence from the menu. 
3. Choose What kind of absence you want to request and follow the steps in the app. 
4. To finish, click Request absence. This triggers any approval process that may have been set up.

Personio Conversations  

Conversations is a workplace request tool from Personio. If your company is subscribed to Conversations, you can send requests to different teams within your company. Depending on your company's communication channel, you can use either Slack or Microsoft Teams. You can also send requests via email, which is enabled by default. 

For more information on how Conversations works, read the article on how to submit requests using Personio Conversations.  

E-Signatures

With Personio, you can sign documents electronically. Documents with electronic signatures are sent to your email, and you can sign them using a computer, smartphone, or tablet. 

To sign a document electronically, follow these steps:

1. You will receive an email with the document template and a request to add your digital signature. 
2. Sign the contract on a computer using the mouse or trackpad. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code with your smartphone or tablet and sign the contract directly on your mobile device.
3. Click Options to download the document or decline signing it.
4. To finish the signing process, click Accept. 

For more information on e-signatures, read the articles on how to sign a document with an electronic signature and on how to request an employees signature on documents.