Alerts and Notifications | Business context

Sage People offers several types of system-generated alerts and notifications to users and stakeholders within the system to:

  • Direct users to the system for information where possible, rather than generating unnecessary email traffic.
  • Provides process efficiency and automation where possible.
  • Provide the capability for custom organization-specific conditions where necessary.
  • Preserve the ability to maintain manual control of some processes.

Types of alerts and notifications

The following are some sample alerts and notifications that are delivered with Sage People. For more information of alerts and notifications for specific product areas or features see the details of that product area or feature.

Communication method Description

WX Action

  • When a team member logs into the self service portal, the badge next to Actions indicates how many actions the team member has: 

    Screenshot: Badge indicating the number of actions next to Actions in the sidenav

  • All pending actions for the team member are listed on the Actions page in the self service portal: 

    Screenshot: Self service portal Actions page

  • A list of pending actions can be emailed to the user in the Actions Digest. Digests are sent every 7 days. If you create a new action in the intervening period, Sage People sends the mail again the day after you create the action, and the 7-day cycle is reset:
    Screenshot: An example Actions Digest email

  • Actions page and the Actions Digest indicate if actions relate to the team member themselves, and those that relate to any direct reports that they have.

  • Actions Digests are created when an action is generated for a team member, and a reminder is created every 7 days until Actions are completed.

Action Event

  • Emails are generated to specified users by preconfigured triggers associated with events in HR processes. Examples include:

    • A notification to IT when an employment record is created.

    • A welcome letter and onboarding form to a new team member’s home email address 7 days prior to their start date.

    • A notification to the manager when a team member submits an absence request.

    • A notification to a team member when a manager reveals a performance review.

  • You can customize these emails with logo and brand colors. You can also merge data from the system into pre-defined templates that you can edit:

    Screenshot: An example action event email with new starter details

  • For a full list of triggers, see Events you can use to trigger action events.
  • An action event can be configured so an HCM Form or a PDF is attached to the email and sent with it.
  • Conditions can be specified to restrict circumstances for triggering emails.
  • Cross-object fields can be used.
  • Emails can be sent by the system to specific individuals and groups using Organization wide email addresses. The sender is selected on the HCM package configuration page.

Salesforce Flows
  • Emails are sent to specified users for triggers not available in action events.
  • Choices for recipients are more limited than from action events.
  • Cross-object fields cannot be used.

Scheduled Report
  • Aggregated information can be shared with Sage People users outside of HR.
  • Can be sent to any Sage People user in an email form or can be sent to an HR user to download and share in CSV or Excel format.
  • Scheduled reports are useful for keeping organizational stakeholders up to date with periodic changes without flooding them with emails. For example, a report emailed quarterly with new hires and terminations to senior leaders.

Customer considerations

In Sage People, there are multiple methods of launching an alert. Consider the following principles when planning what alerts and notifications to use:

  • Unless an immediate notification is required, use the WX Action and Actions Digest for any event available. This avoids flooding team members and managers with emails.
  • For events requiring immediate notification, or those not available in WX actions, use an action event.
  • When a trigger is not available or you cannot select a recipient in an action event, use a Salesforce Flow with an email alert.

The table below will detail most types of alerts and notifications and the typical conditions or maintenance for each of them. More information is available in each module about the specific alerts and notifications surrounding that event, speak to your implementer or Customer Success for more information. 

Alert or notification type Trigger Available recipients Conditions Content editing Merge fields
WX Action and Actions Digest

Examples: 

  • Approve absence request

  • Approve employment change request

  • Confirm skill

  • Reveal performance review

  • Review objective

For WX actions available for a specific process, see the setup information for that process.

  • Next approver in an approval process
  • Another individual who needs to act in a process such as performance review
 No conditions are available. If an action becomes due based on the team member’s policy, the action is created by the system and included in the next Actions Digest. Content of the email cannot be edited. Content of the email cannot be edited.
Action event email

For a full list of triggers see Events you can use to trigger action events

Various options including:

  • Team member work or home email address.
  • Management chain up from team member or down for the highest level of the organization.
  • Direct reports, cross reports, colleagues.
  • Action roles, process approvers and other related users.
  • An unlimited number of additional email addresses.

  • Can restrict email delivery based on specific conditions. For example, only send an email to full time team members.

  • Can send different emails to mutually exclusive conditions. For example, send one email if the request was created by a team member and another if it was created by a manger.

Email content is defined with Salesforce Classic Email Templates. Fields from related objects can be merged into the email if correctly configured.
Email alert through Salesforce Flow

Typically used to trigger alerts and notifications for processes not available through WX Actions or action events, including: 

  • Dependents
  • Emergency contacts
  • Disciplinary actions
  • Grievance
  • Incident reports
  • Stock options
  • Team member photos
  • Field changes

Various options including: 

  • Specific users
  • Public groups of users
  • Related users if they have been set up.  For example, the team member’s manager is a related user on the Team Member object.
  • Up to 5 additional email addresses.

Can be restricted to when a record is:

  • Created.

  • Created and any time it is edited.

  • Created and when it is edited to meet specific criteria.

Criteria can include:

  • Contents of fields in an object.

  • A Salesforce formula that evaluates to true.

 Email content is defined with Salesforce Classic Email Templates. Fields from the triggering object can be merged into the email. You cannot use cross-object fields.