Naledi Mokoena
Product Designer
- Team
- Product
- Reports to
- Alex Morgan
- Joined
- 12 September 2024
Employment contractEquipment assigned
Core HR · October PeopleKnow your people.
Know your people.
Keep the details together.
One current employee record for profiles, reporting lines, documents and the everyday work around them. Give employees, managers and HR a useful view of the same organisation.
Find a person. Get the full picture.The people directoryNorthstar · Example workspace Employee record
Interactive example · Illustrative people and data
- One record
- per person, read by leave, reviews, pay and every other module
- Full · standard · none
- access set per module, on top of each person’s role
- Native e-signature
- signed copies filed against the employee automatically
- Who viewed whom
- access reports and a tamper-evident audit log
Who it’s for
Every HR team needs a record. Few have one they trust.
Core HR is the part nobody notices until it is wrong. These are the situations where it matters most.
A 300-person retailer across 14 stores
Store managers move, stores open and the structure changes every quarter.
The need
“After the last restructure, nobody could say for certain who reported to whom.”
How October helps
Reporting lines sit on each record and the org chart draws itself from them. Branch and location are fields on every profile, so the directory filters to a single store in a click.
A group with SA and US entities
Two legal entities, two sets of rules, one HR team.
The need
“We keep separate spreadsheets per country and they never quite agree.”
How October helps
Entity, branch and location live on the same profile. Public holidays follow each person’s country, and the South African and US compliance modules work from the same record.
An HR team of one
Contracts, ID copies and policies spread across inboxes and a shared drive.
The need
“I spend Friday afternoons chasing signatures and looking for the latest contract.”
How October helps
Send letters from templates that fill in employee details, get them signed in the browser and find the signed PDF in the person’s files. Expiry dates and acknowledgments are tracked for you.
A scale-up preparing for audit
Finance, the board and an auditor all asking about access.
The need
“Can you prove who has looked at salary and personal data this year?”
How October helps
Field visibility, locked fields and per-module access control who sees what. Access reports show who viewed each record, and the audit log is hash-chained so tampering shows.
Why the record breaks
Five systems, five versions. None of them current.
TodayA spreadsheet, the payroll system and a shared drive each hold part of a person. They drift apart within weeks.
With OctoberOne profile holds employment, entity, branch, manager, leave policy, documents and history. Payroll integrations keep it in step.
TodayThe org chart is a slide someone updates before board meetings. It is wrong the day after.
With OctoberChange who someone reports to and the org chart, manager dashboards and approvals follow straight away.
TodayContracts go out as PDF attachments. Signed copies come back by email, or not at all.
With OctoberTemplates merge employee data, signers sign in the browser, and every step from sent to signed is recorded and filed.
TodayWhoever has the spreadsheet can see everything in it, including ID numbers and home addresses.
With OctoberEach field is visible to everyone, managers or HR only. Sensitive fields can be locked so only HR can change them.
Inside Core HR
The record the rest of October runs on.
Keep people, structure and paperwork in one place, with the right access for each role.
Employee record
One profile, with the history attached.
Every person has a profile with their role, manager, entity, branch, location, leave policy and probation status. Add custom fields for anything specific to your business. With the Audit Trail module, HR sees each change with the before and after values.
- Standard and custom fields
- Entity, branch and location per person
- Change history with before and after values
Lindiwe KhumaloStore Manager · Retail operations · Reports to Pieter van Wyk
Employee #EMP-0412
EmploymentFull-time · Active
EntityHarbourline (Pty) Ltd
BranchCape Town · V&A store
LocationSouth Africa
Leave policySA retail · store staff
Hire date3 Mar 2024
Probation endsCompleted
Change history
- Reports to:
Ayesha Patel→ Pieter van WykRegional restructure · HR import · 2 Sep - Job title: Assistant Manager → Store ManagerEdited by Megan (HR) · 14 Jul
- Branch: Canal Walk → V&A storeEdited by Megan (HR) · 14 Jul
Structure
An org chart that keeps itself current.
The org chart reads reporting lines straight from the records. Search, filter by department and expand a branch to see a team. Positions and requisitions show the roles you have and the ones you plan to fill.
- View by department or by manager
- Bulk manager updates for restructures
- Departments, positions and requisitions
Pieter van WykRegional Manager · Western Cape
Lindiwe K.V&A store · 14
Jason A.Canal Walk · 11
Ayanda N.Stellenbosch · 9
Documents
Paperwork that files itself.
Store contracts, certifications and ID documents on the person. Send letters for e-signature from templates with merge fields such as job title and manager. Track who has acknowledged a policy and which certificates are about to expire.
- E-signature with a full audit trail
- Signed copies filed to Employee files
- Acknowledgments and expiry alerts
Sent for signature
Role change letter · merged from the “Promotion letter” template with {job_title}, {manager_name} and {salary}.
SentViewedSignedFiled
Employment contract.pdfEmployee files · Signed 3 Mar 2024
Signed
Code of conduct 2026Company document · Requires acknowledgment
Acknowledged
First aid certificateExpires 30 Nov 2026
Expiring
Access
The right detail for the right person.
Roles set the broad shape: owner, admin, HR manager, manager and employee. Module access and field visibility fine-tune it. Pay, payroll and equity modules can only be granted by an owner.
- Field visibility and locked fields
- Full, standard or no access per module
- Access reports and exportable audit logs
FieldVisible toEmployee
Home addressHR onlyCan edit
Emergency contactsManagersCan edit
Demographics (EE)HR onlyLocked
Tax numberHR onlyLocked
Shirt sizeEveryoneCan edit
Access report · Lindiwe Khumalo
Megan R. · HR ManagerViewed profile · Today 09:12
Pieter van Wyk · ManagerViewed profile · Yesterday 16:40
A restructure, start to finish
Three regions become two. The record keeps up.
An illustrative regional restructure at a 300-person retailer with one HR manager.
- Mon 09:00HR manager
Exports the directory, updates the manager column for 38 store staff and imports the file with ‘Automatically give Manager access’ switched on.
- Mon 09:05October
Updates the records and gives two new regional leads Manager access. Nobody else’s access changes.
- Mon 09:10Regional manager
Opens the org chart filtered to Retail operations and sees the new Western Cape region with its three stores.
- Mon 11:00HR manager
Sends role change letters from one template. Each fills in the person’s new title and manager.
- TueStore managers
Sign on their phones. The signed PDFs land in their employee files, and each record shows the change in its history.
38Records updated
2Given Manager access
Lindiwe K. · Ayesha PatelPieter van Wyk
Jason A. · Ayesha PatelPieter van Wyk
Riaan S. · Ayesha PatelTumelo Mokoena
Reporting lines, the org chart and every manager view now read from the updated records.
One record. Everyone working from it.
How it works
Bring your people across. Then build on the record.
- 1
Import or connect
Import a spreadsheet of employees, or connect Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 so joiners appear automatically. Existing people are matched by email.
- 2
Set the rules
Choose which fields are required, who can see them and which ones employees can edit. Set module access for each role.
- 3
Connect the rest
Link your payroll provider, calendars and Slack or Teams. Leave, onboarding, reviews and pay then read from the same record.
Privacy by default
Personal data, handled like it matters.
Role-based access
Five roles, with full, standard or no access per module. Managers see their own teams, not the whole company.
Owner-gated pay data
Compensation, payroll, equity and pay reviews can only be granted by an owner.
Tamper-evident audit
With Audit Trail, each log entry is hash-chained to the one before it, and access reports show who viewed which records.
Read-only directory sync
Google and Microsoft directory sync reads from your identity provider and never writes back to it.
Built on the record
Everything else reads from the same profile.
Onboarding
Pre-onboarding answers land on the new record, and the onboarding plan uses its manager, department and start date.
ExploreTime & leave
Leave policy, country and department on the record decide balances, public holidays and team coverage.
ExploreCompliance
Certifications, employment equity data and audit trails attach to the employee file.
ExploreCompensation
Pay grades, equity and benefits follow the person’s current role.
ExploreInside core hrMade for the work
Made for the work
behind the moment.
Explore the workflows, tools and practical details that support core hr throughout the working day.
01 / Employee data & documents
Everything, organised.
Every employee has one profile: personal details, contracts, certifications, ID documents, reporting lines and history. Employee files, contract templates, e-signatures and service requests live beside the record instead of in a shared drive.
- Searchable employee profiles
- Employee files and contract templates
- Pending signatures and e-sign
- Service requests and letters
02 / Org charts & assets
See your structure. Manage your resources.
Dynamic, auto-updating org charts visualise reporting lines and team structures with search, zoom and a department filter. Positions and requisitions define the roles you have and the ones you need. Asset management tracks laptops, phones, licences and equipment per person.
- Interactive org chart with mini-map
- Departments and positions
- Requisitions for new headcount
- Assets assigned to people
03 / Dashboards for every role
Your view, your way.
Every user gets a personalised home: employees see tasks, surveys, leave balance and goals; managers see team morale, 1:1 cadence and approvals; HR and executives see the metrics that matter to them. A single action counter surfaces everything pending.
- Employee, manager, HR and executive views
- Tasks, approvals and documents to acknowledge
- Goals, leave and recognition at a glance
- One counter for everything to action
04 / HR inbox & help
Every question, answered from one queue.
Employees raise tickets and service requests; HR works them from a central inbox with analytics on volume, categories and resolution time. Documents, policies and the help centre sit alongside so most answers are one search away.
- My tickets and HR inbox
- Help-desk analytics and SLAs
- Central document repository
- Policy acknowledgements
05 / Social feed & celebrations
Culture, built into the platform.
A company-wide feed keeps everyone connected: announcements, shout-outs, birthdays, work anniversaries and milestones. Culture stops living in a separate app.
- Company feed and announcements
- Automated birthdays and anniversaries
- Recognition surfaced in the feed
- Contractors and blended workforce reporting
Policy and announcement drafting
Generate policies, announcements and job descriptions from your own context.
Search that understands people
Find a person, a document or a setting from anywhere with one shortcut.
The full pictureThere’s more
There’s more
inside.
Explore the detail behind core hr.
Directory+
- Employees
- Departments
- Org chart
- Positions
- Requisitions
- Assets
- My assets
Social+
- Feed
- Celebrations
Contractors+
- Contractors
- Contractor compliance
- Workforce report
Documents+
- Documents
- Employee files
- Service requests
- Pending signatures
- Contract templates
Get help+
- My tickets
- HR inbox
- Help-desk analytics
Platform+
- Global search (⌘K)
- Notifications
- Help centre
- Support chat
Next, explore onboardingA first day
Explore people operations A first day
worth looking forward to.
Questions,
answered.
Can we migrate from our current HRIS?
Yes. October imports employee data, documents and organisational structure, and integrates with 40+ HR and workplace systems so you can run the shared record first and phase other modules in.
Who can see what?
Role-based permissions govern every field and document. Access reports and audit logs show who has access to what and what they did with it.
Does it support contractors and multiple entities?
Yes. Contractors have their own profiles, compliance tracking and a blended workforce report. Multi-location and multi-country organisations are supported with regional compliance modules.
Start with your organisation
See Core HR in your working day.
We’ll walk through the real product with your team and show how it connects to the rest of October People.