HR Files FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about HR Files.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
HR Files Overview.
Setup
What do I need to configure before HR Files is ready to use?
Enable the app from the Apps Marketplace (it requires a licence and is disabled by default). Once enabled, open Settings inside the app. The two things most admins configure first are the approval workflow (on by default — sensitive file types wait in a pending queue until an admin approves) and auto-sync (which connected apps automatically file documents into HR Files). Both work with sensible defaults, so the app is usable immediately after enabling it.
Who can see and manage files once the app is enabled?
Everyone in the business sees the Home and Files tabs. What files they see depends on each file’s audience setting. Admins and app admins get the full picture: Approvals queue, Document Requests, Settings, Bulk Upload, Sync Settings, and Document Consolidation. Managers and above also see the Compliance view and the Audit Log, scoped to files they can access. Any user can upload a file.
Permissions and access
How does the audience setting control who sees a file?
Every file has exactly one audience setting:
- Private to HR (the default) — only the uploader and business admins.
- Employee only — plus the assigned employee.
- Employee + reporting chain — plus anyone in the employee’s management chain.
- Specific roles — plus users whose role in the business matches a list you set on the file.
- All employees — every active member of the business.
On top of the audience, you can add per-person access grants for finer control.
What does the sensitive-type clamp do?
Some file types are too sensitive for the audience setting alone. The restricted file types list (default: Medical, Garnishment, and Disciplinary) overrides the per-file audience and clamps visibility to HR plus the assigned employee — no matter what audience the uploader chose. Admins, the uploader, and anyone with an explicit access grant can still see the file. You can customise the restricted list in Settings.
How do per-person access grants work?
An admin can grant a specific person access to a file with one of four permission levels:
| Level | View | Download | Edit | Delete | Share | Delegate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read Only | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Read & Download | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Full Access | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Admin Access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Grants can be permanent, temporary (with an expiry date that auto-expires them), emergency, or delegated (passed on by a grantee who has delegate permission — delegated access cannot be further delegated). You can suspend, restore, or revoke any grant at any time; every change is audit-logged.
Day-to-day
How does the approval workflow decide which files need approval?
When the approval workflow is enabled (it is by default), a file enters the pending-approval queue if it is sensitive. A file counts as sensitive when any of these is true: (1) the uploader flagged it as sensitive, (2) its type is on the sensitive file types list (default: Background check, ID document, Tax document, Performance review), or (3) it is marked as a compliance document. Files that are not sensitive are auto-approved on upload.
An admin or app admin approves or rejects the file — the uploader cannot approve their own file. While a file is pending, only the uploader, admins, the assigned employee, and anyone with an explicit access grant can see it; broader audiences are blocked until it is approved. If you edit an already-approved file so that it becomes sensitive, it is automatically sent back for re-approval.
Can I request a specific document from an employee?
Yes. From the Requests tab, an admin can ask a specific employee for a specific document type (e.g. “please upload your Tax document by Friday”). The employee sees the open request in their Files list. When anyone uploads a file assigned to that employee with the matching type, the oldest open request is automatically fulfilled — regardless of the upload path (single, bulk, mobile, or sync). Only one open request per employee and document type is allowed at a time.
Can I send a document out for signature from HR Files?
Yes. On any file assigned to an employee, use Send for signature to dispatch the document through the E-Signature app. When the employee completes signing, the file is automatically marked as signed with the date and signer recorded. If the initial send fails, the file stays in a draft state and you can retry.
Which apps auto-sync documents into HR Files?
Six sources can be enabled in Sync Settings:
- Recruiting — resumes, cover letters, offer letters, background checks (on hire).
- Onboarding Hub — all document types (on signed or verified).
- Forms — HR, onboarding, compliance, and tax form submissions (on submission).
- E-Signature — completed signed documents in employment, HR, compliance, and onboarding categories.
- Employee Data — approved employee data documents.
- Employee Profile — all profile documents (on creation).
Each source has its own rules for which document types and events trigger a sync. When a previously-synced document is updated at the source, a new version is created on the existing HR file rather than a duplicate. You can pause all syncing globally or disable individual sources.
What happens when an employee is offboarded?
By default, nothing changes — the employee’s files stay active and accessible to anyone who could already see them. If you turn on Archive HR files on offboarding in Settings, deactivating an employee automatically archives their active, non-compliance files. Compliance documents are never archived by this setting — they stay active under their retention hold. Archived files can always be restored.
When something looks wrong
“I uploaded a file but my employees can’t see it”
The most common causes, in order:
- The file is pending approval. If the approval workflow is on and the file is sensitive, broader audiences are blocked until an admin approves it. Check the file’s approval status on its detail page.
- The audience is too narrow. A file set to Private to HR or Employee only is invisible to other employees. Change the audience or add an explicit access grant.
- The file type is restricted. File types on the restricted list (default: Medical, Garnishment, Disciplinary) are clamped to HR plus the assigned employee regardless of the audience setting.
- The file is not assigned to an employee. Company-wide files (no employee selected) are only visible through the audience setting — an employee-specific view won’t show them.
“I can’t delete this file”
A file marked as a compliance document is under a legal hold and cannot be deleted. Remove the compliance flag first if retention is no longer required. A file that has already been soft-deleted also cannot be deleted again.
“The document coverage roster says an employee is missing documents”
The Compliance view flags employees in two ways when the minimum-documents rule is enabled: (1) their total file count is below the configured minimum (default 3, adjustable from 1 to 20 in Settings), or (2) they are missing one of the required document types you configured. An employee can have three files and still be flagged if one of the required types is absent. Only non-deleted files count.
Licensing and limits
Does HR Files require a licence?
Yes. HR Files requires a licence and is disabled by default. An administrator enables it for the business from the Apps Marketplace.
What are the file size and upload limits?
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum file size (non-video) | 100 MB |
| Maximum file size (video) | 500 MB |
| Bulk upload — files per batch | 50 |
| Bulk upload — per-file size cap | 50 MB |
| Employee file-packet zip | 200 files / 500 MB total |
| File name length | 255 characters |
Accepted formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, CSV, TXT, JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MOV, AVI, WEBM, MPEG.
How long are download and preview links valid?
Download links are valid for 1 hour. Preview links are valid for 5 minutes. Both are pre-signed S3 URLs generated on demand — they cannot be bookmarked or shared.
What retention policies are available and how do they work?
Each file can be assigned a retention policy: 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, or Permanent. The retention clock starts from the file’s document date (or the upload date if no document date is set). Admins can customise the duration for each named policy in Settings (from 1 to 100 years). When a file’s retention period expires, the daily sweep surfaces it for admin review. Auto-archiving of retention-expired files is off by default but can be enabled in Settings. Compliance documents are exempt from the retention sweep — they are always retained.
More help
- HR Files Overview
- Ask AI — the assistant answers HR Files questions from these articles.