Step 1: Import Employee Data

The first step in the initial setup of your Personio account is the setup and uploading of basic employee data. To do this, first consider which employee information you want to manage in Personio.

Best practices of additional employee attributes

The Best Practices for Sections und Attributes provides an overview of proven, additional employee sections and attributes, as well as examples.

 

Configuration of individual employee attributes in Personio

Before you can start importing your data, you must first store all additional employee attributes in Personio. To do this, navigate to Configure account > Employee information and edit your individual sections and attributes. Sections of thematically related attributes are summarized.

You can now add any number of attributes to the newly added sections. To do this, click the Attributes tab, select the appropriate section to which you want to add a new attribute and edit the attribute name.

In addition, it is necessary to select the attribute type. This is crucial for formatting the attributes. For an explanation of the different attribute types, please refer to the following table: 

Attribute Type	Explanation
General	The attribute is defined by a text. This is the case, for example, with the Name of emergency contact.
Multi-line textfield	Multi-line input fields are used to record comments or messages. The length of the text field is not limited.
Number	These attributes are stored as a command number. Therefore, if you want to manage a phone number, for example, you should save it as a text field.
Date	The attribute expression is a date. This is the case, for example, when the birthday is given.
Link	The attribute is a link. This attribute type allows you to store a URL such as the LinkedIn or Xing profile of the employee.
List of Options	A list of options enables you to query the attribute expression. You can store possible characteristics in advance. This is useful for example with yes / no queries.
Tags	In the case of the multiple selection, attributes are created in the same way as the selection list. However, several may be selected. For example, you can select languages that are used by employees.

 

Enter all employee information in our Excel template

1. First, download the Excel template (see below).
2. Now fill out the columns with your employee data. A line corresponds to an employee and this employee is clearly identified by the email address. Compulsory columns are marked in red and must be completed. Recommended columns are yellow, optional columns are green. [image]
3. You can also add as many additional columns as you want to import the employee attributes you created yourself.
4. Save the full Excel file.

 

Explanation of the columns 

Column Name	Required Column	Permissible Values	Description
First name	yes	Text
Last name	yes	Text
Gender	yes	"male" or "female"
Email	yes	E-Mail Address
Status	yes	"active", "inactive" or "onboarding"	active = Employee is currently employed by your company inactive = Former employee
Employment Type	yes	"internal", "external"	internal = Typical employee external = External employee, for example freelancer or tax consultant
Hire Date	yes	Date	Start of contract / start date of employee
Office	recommended	Text	Location / office of employee
Department	recommended	Text	Employee's department, for example "Management"
Position	recommended	Text	Title / Position of the employee,for example "Accountant"
Supervisor	recommended	E-Mail Address	E-Mail Address of employee's direct supervisor Important: The supervisor must also be entered as an employee in the Excel Sheet.
Birthday	recommended	Date	Employee's Birthday
Sub-company	recommended, if required	Text
Length of Probation	optional	Number	Length of employee's probation period in months (empty if not probation period)
Contract ends	optional	Date	End date of contract, if limited
Work Phone	optional	Telephone number	Employee's work phone number
Mobile Phone	optional	Telephone number	Employee's mobile phone number
Cost Center	optional	Text	Name of the cost center the employee belongs to
Linkedin	optional	Weblink	Weblink to employee's Linkedin-Profile

 

Import of employee data

After all preparations have been made, the employee data can be imported. The import process in Personio consists of three steps:

Upload file: In your Personio account, under the Import section, upload the file. Select Employee bulk upload as the File type.

 

Configure columns: In the next step, the columns of your Excel file must be assigned to the corresponding attributes stored in Personio. For this, it is useful if these are the same or at least similarly named.

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Preview of the import: The last step shows you a preview of the import. In the event that errors occur, you have the option to abort the import and to correct corresponding problems in the Excel table.

We are happy to help you import your data. Just a data check will save you a lot of work. Therefore, please write to support@personio.de if you are planning an import.