This article explains how to configure both sections and attributes in Personio. Sections and attributes, visible in the employee's Personal Info tab, help you to better manage employee information.
Create a section
A section is a part of the employee's Personal Info tab that groups related attributes together.
For example, the Personal data section normally includes First name, Gender, Birthday, Address, and Phone number. And the HR information section normally includes Position and Hire date.
To create a section, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > People > Employee Information.
- Click the Create a Section button.
- Name the section and click Create.
- Click on the three-dot icon to either rename or delete the section.
Note
If you delete a section, all the attributes placed on that section will also be deleted, and all the employee data entered for those attributes will be lost. This action cannot be reverted.
Add an attribute
An attribute is a specific piece of information in an employee's Personal Info tab that requires a value to be filled in. Depending on access rights, either you or the employee fills in these values.
Some examples of attributes are First name, Birthday, Hire date and Position.
To add an attribute, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > Employee Information.
- Select the Personio account's default language in the dropdown next to Add an attribute.
- Click on the section where you want to add the attribute and click Add an Attribute
- Enter a name for the attribute and select the attribute type from the drop-down.
Tip
For the attribute types Standard, Number (integer), and Number (up to two decimals), you can also specify whether the attribute should be used for the unique identification (Unique ID) of your employees. To do so, tick the Unique ID checkbox. The system already defines employee email addresses as Unique IDs. - Click Add.
- To move an attribute to another section, use drag-and-drop.
Note
Before moving an attribute to a new section, check the access rights for that new section. For instance, attributes moved to the Public profile section may become visible to all employees. - To edit an attribute, click into the attribute, make the relevant changes directly in the field, and click Save. The new edits will override the current settings for all your employees.
-
To delete an attribute, click the trash can icon on the right side of the attribute.
Note
If you delete an attribute, all the employee data entered for that attribute will be lost, including the candidate data. This action cannot be reverted.
Translate a section or attribute
Translating a section or attribute in Personio means it won't appear in the company's default language (example: English) in employee accounts, but in the language selected by each employee in their Personal Settings (example: Spanish for an employee in Spain).
Attribute translation behaves differently, depending on the attribute type:
-
Preset section/attribute: Automatically translated into all Personio languages to match the employee's account language, so no translation is needed.
- Custom section/attribute: Not automatically translated. You must manually enter translations for each attribute in all relevant languages. A yellow alert sign indicates any untranslated attributes, which display in the company's default language until translated.
To add translations for your custom attributes, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings > People > Employee Information and select the relevant section.
- Choose a language from the dropdown menu next to Add an attribute.
- Click the attribute you want to add a translation for.
- Accept the suggested, AI-generated translation, or enter your own translation. Note that for the Tags custom attribute type, you can translate the attribute name, but not the attribute options.
- Click Save and repeat these steps for all the relevant languages.
Employees see the attribute in the language they have selected in their Personal settings.
Note
When retrieving data through the Public API or exporting data via People list/ Custom Reports, you will see the original names (database values) for the various options in the list of options attributes. Example: Your Personio account's default language is English, and you create a "Favorite color" list of options attribute with the options "Red", "Blue", and "Green". Even if you add translation to that attribute and options, employees will still see the options in English when exporting data.
Sample configuration for sections and attributes
Section | Attribute | Attribute Type | Example |
Public Profile |
First name Last name Gender Legal entity Office Department Position Work phone Mobile phone |
Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Standard Standard |
John Doe Male john.doe@personio.com Personio Professionals Munich Customer Success CS manager 089 123789456 089 123789456 |
HR Information |
Status Employment type Hire date Contract end date Cost center Supervisor Length of probation Weekly hours Children Notice period Personnel number Nationality |
Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Predefined Standard Number List of options |
Active Internal 01/01/2017 31/12/2018 125 Erika Smith 6 months 40 / 40 (100%) Mary, James 3 months 189 Irish |
Personal data |
Birthday Birth name Place of birth Country of birth Street Number Addition to address Zip code City Private Email Skype name Private phone number Food preference Food allergies |
Date Standard Standard List of options Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard Link Link Standard Standard List of options Standard |
01.01.1980 Doe Munich Germany Example Street 10 3rd floor, left 80634 Munich john.doe@sample.com https://www.linkedin.com https://www.xing.com john_doe 089 123456789 Vegetarian Gluten |
Payroll information |
Tax-ID (IdNo) Social security number Tax category Marital status Religion Child benefit Further activity Type of health insurance Note Health insurance Child benefit Religion of the spouse Tax-free amount per year Severe disability Degree of disability Highest level of educational Highest academic qualification Main / secondary occupation |
Standard Standard List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options Standard List of options Number List of options Standard List of options List of options Standard Standard List of options |
12345678901 80010180D000 1 married protestant 0 None Statutory Health Insurance Sample insurance 0 protestant 0 no 0 Baccalaureate Master of Science Primary Employment |
Bank details |
Name of account holder SWIFT Code Bank name Payment method IBAN |
Standard Standard Standard List of options Multi-line text field |
John Doe ABCDEFG123 Sample Bank Bank transfer IR12345678901234567 |
Emergency contact |
Name of emergency contact Emergency cell phone contact Relationship to the employee Landline number of emergency contact |
Standard Standard Standard Standard |
Erika Smith 0176 0987654321 Wife 089 0987654321 |
HR Contact |
Contact person Extension number |
Standard Standard Standard |
Maria Maier maria.maier@personio.com 1234 |
Company pension scheme |
Pension type Total monthly amount Employer share in € Employee share in € Starting date Receiving institution Contract number |
Standard Standard Standard Standard Date Standard Standard |
Direct insurance 180 € 40 € 140 € 01/01/2017 Sample insurance 1234567890-A |
Talent management |
Programming languages Languages MS Office |
Multiple selection Multiple selection Multiple selection |
JavaScript, PHP, C++ German, English Word, Excel, PowerPoint |
Trainings |
First aid course Safety briefing Sales training Product training Rhetoric course Human Resources Management |
Date Date Date Date Date Date |
01/01/2017 23/06/2017 14/05/2017 28/08/2017 11/11/2017 01/03/2017 |
Languages |
Irish English French Spanish Dutch Italian Portuguese Swedish Finnish |
List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options |
C2 C1 A2 A1 A2 B1 B2 A2 C1 |
Skills management |
Self-competence Social skills Methodological skills Management skills Expertise |
List of options List of options List of options List of options List of options |
Good Average Good Average Good |
Employee Equipment |
Key ID Handover of keys Laptop ID Laptop delivery Smartphone identification Smartphone handover Other hardware Date of issue |
Standard Date Standard Date Standard Date Standard Date |
11 01/01/2020 12345678 01/01/2020 0987654ABC 01/01/2020 Headset, Mouse, Keyboard 01/01/2017 |
Tools |
Ticketing HRM PAYROLL Web conference Workflow |
Multiple selection Multiple selection Multiple selection Multiple selection Multiple selection |
Software X, Software Y Personio, Software Z Software 2 Software 1, Software 3 Software A, Software B |
Clothing sizes |
T-shirt Shoes Pants |
List of options List of options List of options |
XS; S; M; L; XL; XXL 36; 37; 38 XS; S; M; L; XL; XXL |
Company car |
Brand Model License plate Date of acquisition 1st service after x km 2nd service after x km |
Standard Standard Standard Date Standard Standard |
Volkswagen Golf M-HR-1234 01/04/2020 2000 15000 |
Vacation/ long-term time off |
End date of parental leave |
Date |
31/08/2020 |
Anniversary |
1-year anniversary 5th anniversary 10th anniversary |
Date Date Date |
01/04/2021 01/04/2025 01/04/2030 |