This article provides a summary of attributes in Personio. It explains the following concepts:
- Attribute types (the format in which attributes store their data)
- The two types of attribute categories: core attributes and custom attributes. You’ll find a list of all core attributes and their related functionalities, and also examples of common custom attributes.
Understand attribute types
Every attribute in Personio has a type that determines what data it stores. The tables below show each attribute type and how it stores data.
Text attributes
| Attribute type | Description |
| Single line text | An attribute type for entering short text values. It has a maximum length of 2,000 characters. |
| Multiline text | An attribute type for longer text entries, like comments or notes. It has a maximum length of 2,000 characters. |
| Link (URL) | An attribute type for storing web addresses. Links open in a new browser window when you click them. |
List of options attributes
| Attribute type | Description |
| Single selection (radio button) | An attribute type for selecting one option from a predefined list of choices. |
| Multiselection (checkbox) | An attribute type for selecting multiple options from a predefined list. |
When you create an option in a List of options attribute, Personio assigns it a database value. You can rename the option in the UI, but you cannot change the database value after creation. Learn how to troubleshoot option values in exports and reports.
Numbers attributes
| Attribute type | Description |
| Number | An attribute type for entering whole numbers (without decimals). Large numbers have separators for better readability. For postcodes or similar data, use the Single line text field to make sure the formatting is correct. |
| Number with decimals |
An attribute type for entering numbers with one or two decimal places. This is suitable for monetary values, percentages, or allowances. You can configure up to two decimal places in the attribute type options. Some core attributes, like Weekly working hours, can include up to three decimal places. |
| Date | An attribute type for entering dates. You can display only the day and month to users with view-only permissions by selecting the option to restrict year visibility. When this option is active, users with propose or edit access can still see the year. |
Relationships attributes
| Attribute type | Description |
| Person |
An attribute type that creates a relationship with another person in Personio. Use Person for non-supervisory connections like mentors. Learn about the differences between relationship types. |
| Additional supervisor |
An attribute type that creates a relationship with another person in Personio. Use Additional supervisor for dotted-line reporting. Learn about the differences between relationship types. |
Core attributes
By default, your account includes preset core attributes, which Personio manages and defines. These attributes use unified validation and formatting rules, and Personio automatically translates them into all supported languages.
Core attributes connect to many important functionalities in Personio. For example:
- Preferred name is used to display employees’ names across all Personio spaces.
- Birthday is used to display employee birthdays on the celebration widget on the Home dashboard.
- Hire date is used to mark a person’s start of employment and turns their status to Active on that day.
- Termination date is used to mark a person’s end of employment. It turns their status to Inactive the day after, which prevents them from logging in.
To see all attributes, go to Settings > People > Personal information. You can identify core attributes by the lock icon. You can't edit or delete these attributes. For some List of options attributes, Personio also predefines the options. For example, the core attribute Gender.
Tip:
Some core attributes, like Citizenship and Marital status, are new and currently available only to new customers. If you're an existing customer, you can use our self-service migration tool. This allows you to move existing custom attributes to the new core attributes at your own pace.
The table below lists all core attributes.
| Name | Description |
| Children | Information about a person's children, including names and birthdates. You can add maternity protection details if they apply to the person’s location. |
| Citizenship | The citizenship of the person. |
| Employee ID | The employee ID. |
| Contract end date | The planned end date of the employment agreement. It doesn't automatically terminate employment. |
| Cost centers | The unit where you allocate a person's costs. A person can have more than one cost center. |
| Birthday | A person's birthdate as shown on official identification documents. |
| Department | A primary organizational unit within a company, typically based on a specific function. |
| The unique address used for logging in, receiving notifications, and more. | |
| Employment type | Classification of work relationship, where a person might be an internal employee or external to the organization, such as freelancer or contractor. |
| First name | The official given name as shown on legal ID, used for payroll, contracts, and other legal purposes. |
| Full time weekly working hours | Expected weekly working hours as specified in someone's contract. Personio uses these values when calculating FTE and prorated salaries. |
| Gender | The official gender as recognized by authorities and used in legal documents. |
| Hire date | The official date that a person started working with the organization. |
| Job name | The official title of a person's role in an organization. If you set up the job architecture, it displays Job name, Job family, Job track and Job level. |
| Last name | The official surname as shown on legal ID, used for payroll, contracts, and other legal purposes |
| Last day of work | The final day the person works at the organization, which may precede the official termination date. |
| Legal entity | A distinct part of an organization, such as a subsidiary or branch, recognized as a separate entity for legal and tax purposes. |
| Marital status | The employee’s marital status. |
| Workplace | A designated location where a person performs their work, which may be remote. |
| Personal email | A personal email address that belongs to the person and can be used to contact the person directly when required. |
| Mobile phone number | The mobile phone number that can be used for logging in or receiving important notifications. |
| Position | A specific role or job title a person holds within your organization. |
| Preferred name | The name a person chooses to be called in Personio. |
| Length of probation | The duration of the trial period for evaluating a new hire’s performance and fit, as specified in their contract. |
| End of probation period | The end date of a new hire’s probation period, calculated based on hire date and length of probation. |
| Status | A person's current work state. This affects their access rights and visibility of their profile across Personio. |
| Supervisor | The person someone directly reports to. |
| Team | A group of people working together on specific projects or tasks. Can include members from various departments. |
| Notice pronounced | The date when the person or the organization officially communicated the intent to end the employment. |
| Termination date | The official end date of employment. The person's status automatically changes to Inactive at 00∶00 the following day. |
| Regretted termination | Regretted termination occurs when someone leaves an organization that wants to keep them. |
| Voluntary termination | Voluntary termination occurs when an employee chooses to leave the organization, while involuntary termination is initiated by the employer. |
| Termination reason | Extra notes to provide context for the termination. |
| Position should be backfilled | The intention to hire someone new for this position after the current person leaves the organization. |
| Termination type | The specific reason for ending employment, such as collective layoff, dismissal, retirement, or contract expiration. |
| Weekly working hours | Expected weekly working hours as specified in someone's contract. It affects their full-time equivalent (FTE) and effective salary calculation. |
Integration-specific attributes
If you manage a payroll integration in your account, you likely have an additional set of system-managed attributes. Personio translates them automatically.
- You can’t edit, delete, or archive them.
- They show a lock icon.
- You can apply them to specific legal entities.
Custom attributes
You create custom attributes in Personio to fit your specific needs. You can edit, delete, and archive these attributes and also customize their values. They're visible without a lock icon on the Personal information page.
Personio doesn't automatically translate custom attributes into all supported languages. These attributes link to custom placeholders in document templates.
If you have multiple legal entities, you can specify which custom attributes apply to which entity. This in turn affects which attributes appear in an employee’s profile. Learn more about legal entity-specific attributes.
Examples of custom attributes
| Name | Definition | Attribute type |
| Emergency contact | The primary person to contact in case of an emergency involving the employee. | Single line text |
| Previous experience | A brief text outlining the employee’s previous experience. | Multiline text |
| Link to the LinkedIn profile. | Link | |
| Occupation type | Occupation type based on the work schedule. The predefined options are Full-time, Part-time, Minijob, Apprentice, Student, and Intern. You can edit these options. | Single selection (radio button) |
| Languages | Languages spoken by the employee. | Multi-selection (checkbox) |
| Parking spot number | The parking space number assigned to each employee. | Number |
| Annual bonus percentage | The percentage of the employee’s annual salary awarded as a bonus, including decimal values. | Number with decimals |
| Visa expiration date | The date when the employee’s visa expires. | Date |
| Project lead | An additional supervisor of the person to map dotted-line reports. You can use this in roles and permissions. | Additional supervisor |