This article explains how to build your company's branch, department and position structure on People > Organization management. Users with Manage Organization Structure add, edit and delete; users with View Organization Structure can only view.
The structure has three levels: Branch > Department > Position. Each department belongs to a branch and each position to a department. A branch cannot have two departments with the same name, and a department cannot have two positions with the same name.
Before you start
Prepare your branch names and addresses. A branch is required when adding an employee, and some approval processes (for example E-Welcome) are set up per branch.
Step by step
Go to People > Organization management in the left menu. The screen has three columns: Branches, Departments, Positions. Each column has its own search box and Sort menu (Branch name, Department name or Position name; Ascending / Descending, Remove sorting to turn it off); the branch search looks in branch names and addresses.
Click Add Branch. Branch Name and Address are required; Latitude and Longitude are optional. Click Save.
Click Add Department, enter the Branch and the Department name and save.
Click Add Position, choose the Department, enter the Position Name and save. "Position has been successfully added." is shown.
Clicking a branch lists its departments, clicking a department lists its positions. Choose All Branches / All Departments to see everything.
To edit or delete a record, choose Edit or Delete in its row menu. A position row shows how many employees hold it; click the number to open the Employees window listing their names, personnel numbers, emails and phone numbers; a position with active employees shows a lock icon ("This position cannot be deleted because there are active employees assigned to it.").
Uploading with Excel: Use the Excel icon (Upload Excel) in each column header to add branches, departments and positions from a file. Upload branches first, then departments, then positions: the department file asks for the branch name, the position file asks for the department and branch names.
Result
The branches, departments and positions you add become selectable in employee creation, position assignment, approval processes and reports.
Deleted records are made inactive. Deleting a branch also deactivates its departments and positions; deleting a department also deactivates its positions.
Common problems
Symptom: A branch, department or position cannot be deleted.
Cause: Positions under it have active employees.
Fix: First move these employees to another position (Assigning position and manager) or deactivate them.
Symptom: "There is already a branch with the same name." / "A department with this name already exists in this branch." / "A position with this name already exists in this department."
Fix: Use a different name or the existing record.
Symptom: "This unit has active employees. Move them to another unit before deleting it."
Solution: First move the employees with an active position in the branch or department to another unit, then delete it.
Symptom: "The head office branch cannot be deleted."
Cause: The head office is the default branch of new employees and cannot be deleted. It stays the head office when you edit it.