HR Notification types and examples

This guide explains what each notification type does and shows common notifications that HR teams set up in Manage Notifications. Use the examples as a starting point, then adjust the timing, audience and wording to suit your organisation.

Every example assumes you've already set up your global settings. Keep each new notification in Test until you've checked it.

How notification types work
Notification types at a glance
About each type
Worked example
- First aid expiry reminder for one office
Tips for building your notifications
Related articles

How notification types work

You choose a Type when you create a notification in Employee Communications > Manage Notifications. The type decides:

The date it sends against, for example the employee's probation end date or leaving date. You then choose whether it sends before, after, on or between a number of days related to that date.
What you can narrow it to, for example only certain leaving reasons or courses. These options appear under the schedule, labelled Optional (or Required such as Holiday Year End).
The extra merge fields you can add to the subject and body using Insert field, for example Probation End Date.

Every type includes these merge fields: Employee Name, Known As, Job Title, Manager Name, Location and Org Units 1-5 (eg Group, Division, Business Unit, Department, Team etc).

Notification types at a glance

Type	Use it to	Sends against	Narrow by
Allowance	Let someone know an allowance is starting or ending	Allowance start or end date	Allowance
Birthday	Send a birthday greeting	Birthday	Milestone ages, or every birthday
Contract End	Warn that a fixed-term contract is ending	Contract end date	Contract type
Document Added	Tell someone a document was added to a record	Document date	Document category
Employee Check	Chase a safeguarding check before it expires or is signed off	Check expiry, commencing or validated date	Check, signed off
Further Information Date	Remind people about one of your FI date fields	A further information date field you choose	None
Holiday Year End	Remind someone about outstanding leave to take, or flag a negative balance	Holiday year end	Leave balance (required)
Leaver	Tell people someone is leaving	Leaving date	Leaving reason
Outstanding Verification	Chase or confirm a self-service change	Date the change was submitted	Waiting to be verified, verified by HR only
Payment	Tell someone about a one-off payment	Payment date	Payment
Probation	Remind a manager a probation period is ending	Probation end date	None
Qualification	Chase a qualification before it needs renewing	Qualification date or renewal date	Category, subject
Right to Work Expiry	Chase a document before right to work lapses	Right to work expiry date	None
Service Anniversary	Mark length-of-service milestones	Anniversary	Milestones, or every anniversary
Starter	Welcome a new employee or tell others they're joining	Start date	None
Talent Management Review	Remind people a review is due or needs sign-off	Review date you choose	Review type, sign-off status
Training	Remind people about a course they're booked on	Course start or end date	Course

About each type

Allowance

Let someone know an allowance is starting or ending.

Sends against: the allowance start date or end date.
Narrow by: Allowance. Choose Contains or does not contain, then add the allowance(s) you want.
Extra merge fields: Allowance Amount, Allowance Name, Allowance End Date, Allowance Start Date.
Example: let the employee know a temporary allowance is ending, 14 days before the allowance end date. Narrow by Allowance, choose Contains and add the allowance, for example an acting-up or on-call allowance. Send it to the employee with the manager as CC, for Current staff.

Tip: think carefully before adding the Allowance Amount merge field. Emails can be forwarded or read on shared devices, so you may prefer to leave the amount out and ask the employee to check their details in self-service.

Birthday

Send a birthday greeting on the day or ahead of it.

Sends against: the employee's birthday.
Mark: add the ages you want to mark, in years from the date of birth (eg 30, 40, 50 etc). Or tick Every anniversary to send every year.
Extra merge fields: Age, Birthday This Year (day and month), Date Of Birth.
Example: send birthday wishes to the employee on their birthday. Tick Every anniversary and set the audience to Current staff.

Contract End

Warn that a fixed-term contract is ending while there's still time to act.

Sends against: the employee's contract end date.
Narrow by: Contract type.
Extra merge fields: Contract Type, Length of Service, Contract End Date.
Example: warn the manager 30 days before the contract end date, narrowed to a contract type, for example Fixed term. Send it to their work email with HR as CC, for Current staff.

Document Added

Tell the employee, or their manager, when a document is added to their record.

Sends against: the document date.
Narrow by: Document category.
Extra merge fields: Document Category, Document File Type, Document Name, Document Date (upload).
Example: let the employee know a new document has been added to their record, on the document upload date, narrowed to a document category, for example a pay review letter.

Employee Check

Chase a check or clearance, such as a DBS check, before it expires or while it's still waiting to be signed off.

Sends against: the check's expiry date, commencing date or validated date.
Narrow by: Check, to pick which checks it covers. Signed off: Any, Yes or No.
Extra merge fields: Employee Number, Check Commencing Date, Check Expiry Date, Check Name, Check Status, Check Validated Date.
Example: flag an expiring DBS check 30 days before the expiry date, narrowed to the DBS check. Send it to HR with the manager as CC, for Current staff.

Further Information Date

Send a reminder based on one of your Personal Details further information date fields, for example a company car renewal date.

Sends against: the further information date field you choose.
Extra merge fields: Employee Number, Further Information Date.
Example: remind the employee 60 days before their company car renewal date. Choose your company car renewal date field and send it to the employee with HR as CC, for Current staff.

Holiday Year End

Remind an employee how much annual leave they have left before their holiday year ends, or flag a negative balance.

Sends against: the employee's active holiday year end.
Balance held in (required): choose Days or Hours.
Annual leave remaining: choose is at least, is more than, is at most or is less than, then enter a number. To flag an overdrawn balance, use is less than 0.
Extra merge fields: Employee Number, Carry Forward Expiry, Holiday Year End, Annual Leave Entitlement, Annual Leave Remaining, Annual Leave Taken, Balance Unit, Carried Forward, Leave Scheme, Leave Year.
Example: remind employees 90 days before their holiday year end if they have more than 5 days left. If you have schemes in days and hours, create the days one, then duplicate to amend to hours equivalent:
- Set Balance held in to Days and Annual leave remaining to is more than 5. Send it to the employee with the manager as CC, for Current staff.
- Set Balance held in to Hours and Annual leave remaining to is more than 37.5 (subject to FTE for 5 days). Send it to the employee with the manager as CC, for Current staff.

Leaver

Tell IT, the manager and HR that someone is leaving, before their last day.

Sends against: the employee's leaving date.
Narrow by: Leaving reason.
Extra merge fields: Leaving Reason, Leaving Date.
Example: tell HR, IT and the manager about a leaver, between 14 days before and 14 days after their leaving date. Add manager and type in the IT inbox address as recipients, CC HR and set the audience to All staff (in case they have already left)

Outstanding Verification

Chase a self-service change that's still waiting to be verified, or confirm one that has been.

Sends against: the date the self-service change was submitted.
Narrow by: Still waiting to be verified and Verified by HR only, each Any, Yes or No.
Extra merge fields: Employee Number, Change Type, Days Outstanding, Submitted Date.
Example: chase the manager when a self-service change is still waiting to be verified 7 days after it was submitted. Set Still waiting to be verified to Yes. Add manager as the recipient and set the audience to Current staff.

Payment

Tell the employee about a one-off payment.

Sends against: the payment date.
Narrow by: Payment.
Extra merge fields: Payment Amount, Payment Name, Payment Date.
Example: let the employee know about a one-off payment, 5 days before the payment date, narrowed to the payment, for example a long service award. Add the Payment Name and Payment Date merge fields and send it to the employee, for Current staff.

Tip: think carefully before adding the Payment Amount merge field. Emails can be forwarded or read on shared devices, so you may prefer to leave the amount out and ask the employee to check their payslip or self-service.

Probation

Remind a manager that a probation period is ending and needs a decision.

Sends against: the employee's probation end date.
Extra merge fields: Probation End Date.
Example: remind the manager 14 days before the probation end date. Send it to their work email with HR as CC, for Current staff.

Qualification

Chase a qualification or professional registration before it needs renewing.

Sends against: the qualification date or the renewal date.
Narrow by: Category and Subject.
Extra merge fields: Qualification Category, Qualification Name, Date Awarded, Qualification Date, Renewal Date.
Example: warn the employee and their manager 30 days before the renewal date, narrowed to the qualification. Set the audience to Current staff, or a subset.

Right to Work Expiry

Chase a document before someone's right to work lapses.

Sends against: the employee's right to work expiry date.
Extra merge fields: Expiry Date.
Example: flag an expiring right to work document 30 days before the expiry date. Send it to HR with the manager as CC, for Current staff.

Service Anniversary

Mark a length-of-service milestone, or every anniversary.

Sends against: the employee's anniversary.
Mark: add the milestones you want, in Years, Months or Days, counted from the Continuous start date or Start date in Personal Details. Or tick Every anniversary.
Extra merge fields: Anniversary Date, Continuous Start Date, Service Milestone.
Example: congratulate the employee on the day they reach 5 and 10 years' service. Add milestones of 5 and 10 Years and send it to the employee with the manager as CC, for Current staff.

Starter

Welcome a new employee, or tell their manager and IT that someone is joining.

Sends against: the employee's start date in Personal Details.
Extra merge fields: none beyond the standard set.
Examples:
- Remind the manager a new starter is joining. Send between 7 days before and 0 days after the start date, to the manager's work email, for All staff.
- Send the manager a last-minute reminder as well. Duplicate the first notification and change it to send between 1 day before and 0 days after the start date.
- Tell IT a new starter needs equipment. Send between 14 days before and 0 days after the start date, and type in the IT inbox address as the recipient. Set the audience to All staff (to ensure future starters are included).

Talent Management Review

Remind people a review is due, or chase a sign-off that hasn't happened.

Sends against: the next review date, review date, creation date or signed off date. Choose which in Send against the.
Narrow by: Review type. Employee signed off, Manager signed off and Peer reviewers signed off, each Any, Yes or No.
Extra merge fields: Review Name, Review Type, Next Review Date, Review Created Date, Review Date, Review Trigger Date, Signed Off Date.
Example: remind the employee to sign off their review 7 days before the next review date. Narrow by review type, and set Employee signed off to No. Set the audience to Current staff.

Training

Remind people about a course they're booked on.

Sends against: the course start date or end date. Choose which in Send against the.
Narrow by: Course.
Extra merge fields: Course Name, Course Venue, Course End Date, Course Start Date, Training Date.
Example: remind the employee and their manager about a course they're booked on, 7 days before the course start date, narrowed to the course. Add the Course Name, Course Venue and Course Start Date merge fields. Set the audience to Current staff.

Worked example

First aid expiry reminder for one office

This notification reminds employees in your London office, and their managers, when their first aid qualification is due for renewal.

Select Create New Notification and choose Qualification
Description: First aid expiry - London office
Subject and body: use Insert field to add merge fields such as Qualification Name and Renewal Date. For example:

Hi [Known As]

This is a reminder that your [Qualification Name] is due to expire on [Renewal Date].

Please ensure any necessary renewal or refresher training is arranged before the expiry date.

Attach up to 5 files as necessary, such as course details, by clicking Select files... or drag and drop your file over the button
Enable Include signature if you haven't written one in the body of the email
Schedule: send against the Renewal Date, 30 days before. Under Optional, choose the qualification Category, then the First Aid subject. Without the filter, the notification would send for every qualification

Audience: build a subset with Location = London office and give it the description London office

Recipients: add the employee's work email as To and the manager's work email as CC

Set it to Test, check the email in the next run, then set it to Live

Variation: for a final reminder, duplicate the notification and change the schedule to 7 days before the renewal date.

Tips for building your notifications

Start with your most common processes, such as starters, leavers and probation. Add more as you go
Name notifications consistently, for example [Type] - [purpose] - [recipient]. This makes them easy to scan on the summary screen
Duplicate instead of rebuilding when you need the same email at a different time or for a different group
Use Between for starters so late-added records are still picked up
Use All staff for anything sent before a start date. New starters aren't current staff until they join
Use filters to stay focused. Qualification, Talent Management Review and Employee Check notifications send for every record unless you filter them
Use work email for sensitive details. Switch on Work email addresses only on the Recipients tab for any notification that contains sensitive information, such as safeguarding, leaver or pay details. This only restricts sending when work email domains are set in your global settings
Check the send log after a notification goes live to confirm it's reaching the right people

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