This article explains how to make common employment changes in Personio. The right approach depends on the type of change. For some changes, you can update the existing employee profile. For others, we recommend using the rehire feature to create a new profile.

In Personio, one profile represents one employment. If an employment ends and a new one begins, you need a new employment record and a new profile.

This article covers the following scenarios:

• Correct the hire date after an employee has started
• Record a delayed onboarding
• Record a promotion or role change
• Record a legal entity change
• Record a contract type change
• Rehire a former employee

Before you start

Changing the hire date of an existing profile affects calculations and data across Personio. We strongly advise against changing the hire date unless you need to correct a mistake. Learn more about the implications of changing the hire date.

Correct the hire date after an employee has started

If you recorded the wrong hire date and the employee has already started, change the hire date to correct it. Unlike a delayed onboarding, the employee's data has already accumulated from the incorrect date. Changing the hire date triggers recalculations across Personio. Review the implications and check the updated data for correctness.

Record a delayed onboarding

If an employee's start date changed before they joined, change the hire date to reflect the actual start date. For example, if they were due to start on 1 January but started on 1 April instead, change the hire date to the actual start date. Personio recalculates time and absence data from the new date.

Record a promotion or role change

If an employee's role or responsibilities change but their employment continues without a break, update the relevant data on their existing profile, such as position, supervisor, department, and salary. You don't need to create a new profile or change the hire date.

Record a legal entity change

If an employee moves to a different legal entity, use the rehire feature. In most cases, a legal entity change requires terminating the current employment and registering the employee under the new entity with a new hire date.

Note:
Don't change the hire date on the existing profile to reflect a legal entity change.

Record a contract type change

If an employee moves from one contract type to another, for example, from a working student contract to a permanent position, the correct approach depends on local legislation:

• If local legislation requires a new hire date: terminate the current employment and use the rehire feature to create a new employee profile.
• If local legislation doesn't require a new hire date: update employment-relevant data on the existing profile, such as employment type, salary type, position, supervisor, salary, time off rules, and work schedules.

If you're unsure which applies, check with your legal or HR team before making changes.

You should only use the same profile if the employment continues without a break. For example, if the employee was terminated, had a gap, and then rejoined, use the rehire feature.

Note:
If you continue with the same profile, you need to keep the original hire date. This means you cannot log a new probation period or assign a new onboarding process for the new position. To use those features, use the rehire feature to create a new profile.

Rehire a former employee

If a former employee returns to your company, use the rehire feature. This preserves their employment history in both the current and new profiles and avoids data issues.

Note:
Don't reactivate the employee's previous profile by switching their status from Inactive to Active. This affects report data and employee history.

Understand what happens when you change the hire date

The hire date is the official start date of an employee's employment in Personio. Personio uses it as the reference point for calculations across multiple areas.

Person history

The hire date determines the date that key employment records are valid from, including position, supervisor, department, workplace, and legal entity.

Payroll

Changing the hire date also changes the effective dates of other attributes. This can affect payroll because a change that was valid in one month may now fall in a different month, which can cause recalculations in payroll reporting.

Reporting

The hire date determines when an employee appears in reports and analytics.

Onboarding

The hire date determines due dates for onboarding steps.

Probation period

The hire date determines the probation end date.

Tenure

The hire date determines the tenure of a person.

Time off and attendance

• Time off balance: Personio recalculates the balance from the updated hire date. For example, moving the hire date six years forward removes six years of entitlements. Past time off periods stay in the calendar, but Personio removes entitlements for those years. The employee ends up with a negative balance.
• Overtime balance: Personio recalculates the overtime balance from the new hire date. It no longer counts attendance periods before the hire date.
• Attendance goal: Moving the hire date forward sets the attendance goal for the gap period to zero. Any time tracked in that period becomes unreliable.