Departments

Departments help you organize employees into functional groups within your organization. This guide covers department creation, hierarchy management, and employee assignment.

Department Overview

Navigate to Departments from the main menu to view your organizational structure.

Department List View

The department list displays:

• Department Name: Name of the department
• Parent Department: For sub-departments, shows the parent
• Head: Department head/manager
• Employee Count: Number of employees assigned
• Status: Active or Inactive

Creating Departments

Add a New Department

1. Navigate to Departments > Add New
2. Fill in the department details
3. Click Save

Department Fields

Field	Description	Required
Department Name	Unique name for the department	Yes
Department Code	Short code identifier (e.g., HR, IT, FIN)	No
Parent Department	For sub-departments, select the parent	No
Department Head	Employee responsible for the department	No
Description	Brief description of the department's function	No
Status	Active or Inactive	Yes

Example Departments

Common departments in an organization:

Department	Code	Description
Human Resources	HR	Employee management and welfare
Information Technology	IT	Technology and systems
Finance	FIN	Accounting and financial operations
Sales	SALES	Sales and revenue generation
Marketing	MKT	Brand and marketing activities
Operations	OPS	Day-to-day operations
Administration	ADMIN	Administrative functions

Designations (Positions)

Designations define job titles and positions within departments.

Viewing Designations

Navigate to Designations or Departments > Designations to manage positions.

Creating Designations

1. Click Add New Designation
2. Enter the designation details
3. Save

Designation Fields

Field	Description	Required
Designation Name	Job title (e.g., Software Engineer)	Yes
Department	Associated department(s)	No
Description	Role description	No
Status	Active or Inactive	Yes

Example Designations

Designation	Typical Department
CEO	Executive
HR Manager	Human Resources
Software Developer	IT
Accountant	Finance
Sales Executive	Sales
Marketing Coordinator	Marketing

Best Practice

Create designations that align with your actual organizational chart. Avoid overly specific titles that may become outdated.

Department Hierarchy

Building a Hierarchy

Create parent-child relationships between departments:

1. Create the parent department first (e.g., "Engineering")
2. Create sub-departments with the parent selected (e.g., "Frontend Team", "Backend Team")

Example Hierarchy

Company
├── Executive
├── Human Resources
│   ├── Recruitment
│   └── Employee Relations
├── Engineering
│   ├── Frontend Development
│   ├── Backend Development
│   └── Quality Assurance
├── Finance
│   ├── Accounts Payable
│   └── Accounts Receivable
└── Sales
    ├── Inside Sales
    └── Field Sales

Hierarchy Benefits

• Reporting Structure: Clear chain of command
• Filtered Views: View employees by department branch
• Cascading Permissions: Managers can view their entire branch
• Organizational Clarity: Visual representation of structure

Assigning Employees to Departments

During Employee Creation

1. When creating a new employee, select the department from the dropdown
2. Select the appropriate designation
3. Optionally assign a reporting manager

Changing Employee's Department

1. Navigate to the employee's profile
2. Click Edit
3. Change the Department field
4. Update the Designation if needed
5. Save changes

Bulk Department Assignment

1. Go to Employees
2. Select multiple employees using checkboxes
3. Click Bulk Actions > Change Department
4. Select the new department
5. Confirm the change

Department Heads

Assigning a Department Head

1. Open the department for editing
2. Select an employee from the Department Head dropdown
3. Save

Department Head Responsibilities

Department heads typically have permissions to:

• View all employees in their department
• Approve leave requests from team members
• Review attendance records
• Access department-specific reports
• Receive notifications for department activities

Automatic Permissions

When you assign a department head, the system may automatically grant relevant permissions based on your role configuration.

Department Reports

Available Reports

• Headcount Report: Employees per department
• Department Summary: Overview of all departments
• Hierarchy Report: Visual org chart
• Attendance by Department: Department-wise attendance statistics
• Leave Summary by Department: Leave utilization per department

Generating Reports

1. Navigate to Reports
2. Select the report type
3. Filter by department if needed
4. Choose date range
5. Export or view on screen

Managing Inactive Departments

Deactivating a Department

When a department is no longer needed:

1. Reassign all employees to other departments first
2. Open the department for editing
3. Set status to Inactive
4. Save

What Happens to Inactive Departments

• No longer appears in dropdown selections
• Existing records reference is preserved
• Can be reactivated if needed
• Historical reports still show the department

Before Deactivating

Always reassign employees before deactivating a department. Employees cannot belong to an inactive department.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Use clear, descriptive names
• Be consistent with formatting (e.g., always "Department" or never)
• Avoid abbreviations in names (use department code instead)

Structure Tips

• Keep hierarchy depth reasonable (3-4 levels max)
• Create departments that reflect actual work organization
• Review and update structure periodically

Maintenance

• Regularly audit employee assignments
• Update department heads when roles change
• Archive inactive departments instead of deleting

---

Next: Learn about Shifts to manage work schedules.