What is a HR Custom Field and When to use it?

Modified on Thu, 4 May, 2023 at 1:45 PM

What is a HR Custom Field?

A HR custom field:

It is an extra employee information field where company specific data is stored.
It is configured for your company based on specific company or industry needs.
Stores character, numerical, or date information.
It is either a keyable field or a drop-down field with company specific information.

What does a HR custom field look like in the employee profile?

After configuration, HR Custom Fields are available to complete in the employee profile. These fields capture employee data and are used for tracking purposes in your company.

Select each picture to enlarge and view the examples of HR Custom Fields.

(Click to enlarge)		COBRA Reason Your company needs to store reasons why employees selected COBRA. This HR Custom Field is a drop-down field with prepopulated values.
(Click to enlarge)		401K Beneficiary Your company needs to store 401K Beneficiary information. This HR Custom Field is character driven, allowing names to be entered as needed.

HR Custom Fields vs Account Extra Fields

The system has both HR custom fields and Account extra fields. What is the difference? When would you use one vs the other?

Take a few minutes to review the chart below for a better understanding of the difference between the two.

Consider why, who needs to access, and what other company information you need to store for employees. This helps determine whether to use a HR Custom Field or an Account Extra Field.

Employee Profile Locations

Select the arrows below to see an example of each field and where it is found in the Employee Profile.

HR Custom Fields are found on the HR Tab of the Employee Profile

Account Extra Fields are found on the Main Tab of the Employee Profile

When to use a HR Custom Field

Here are other scenarios of when a HR Custom Field is configured. Select each picture to enlarge and view the HR Custom Field.

Company needs to track sweatshirt sizes (This field is set up with a drop-down option)
Company needs to track number of pets (This field is set up with an integer)
Company needs to track a specific eligibility date for life insurance (This field is set up with a date)

These are just examples.

What other examples can you think of for your company?