Shapes' People Directory is fully customizable, meaning that you can select, reorder, and download the fields that matter most to you.
Searching the People Directory
The search box matches on work email, Employee ID, and Unique Identifier, in addition to name and job title. This is useful when you have an identifier from another system but not the exact name — for example during imports, audits, or support checks.
Note: Search still respects field permissions, so fields that are hidden from you won't be searchable or shown in results.
Jump to a Profile from Anywhere
Press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) from anywhere in Shapes to search for a person by name or job title. Use the arrow keys to move through results, Enter to open a profile, and Esc to close it — it's keyboard-only, with no button anywhere to open it. Results follow the same visibility rules as the Directory, so you'll never see anyone here you couldn't already see there.
How to Customize the People Directory
Navigate to the People Directory from the main menu on the left-hand side of your Shapes dashboard.
Click Customize on the top left of the People Directory.
A menu will open where you can choose which fields to display. Available options depend on your permission level — you won't see any fields that have been restricted.
Add, remove, and drag & drop fields to arrange them in the order that works best for you.
Columns can also be reordered directly from the table header, using the drag handle on each column. The column header menu lets you add a new column next to the selected one, or remove that column from the current view. Full Name always stays pinned first, so the directory keeps a stable identity column no matter how the rest are arranged.
Note: The Customize Columns drawer closes with the X button, Escape, or a click outside the drawer, without closing the People Directory itself.
You can also add, rename, and duplicate people views — giving you more flexibility to save custom views and explore your people data.
Download Your Directory
After customizing the fields and order, you can also export the directory as a CSV or Excel to use offline or share with others.
Viewing Terminated Employees
To include terminated employees in your People Directory view:
Click the Filters button at the top of the People Directory.
Look for the Employment Status or Work Status filter.
Select Terminated to include terminated employees in the results.
Note: Only Admins and Super Admins can filter by terminated employees — this option is not available to regular employees.
Filtering by Direct Reports
A Has Reports filter is available in the People Directory and in workflow activity views, letting you isolate people-managers without navigating the org chart.
Note: Filter values currently display as True and False.
Customize the "Add Employee" Form
When a new employee is added to Shapes, an Add Employee pop-up collects their basic details before the profile is created. Super Admins can customize which fields appear in this form and in what order — making sure the right information is captured from the very first step.
This is especially important if your account uses onboarding workflows. Many workflows are triggered by specific fields like Start Date, Job Title, Direct Manager, Team, or Office. If those fields aren't filled in at the time the employee is added, workflows may not trigger, tasks may not be routed correctly, and anchor dates may not be set. Customizing this form helps prevent gaps before they happen.
Important considerations
Fixed Fields: First Name, Last Name, and Work Email are mandatory fields. They will always appear at the top and cannot be removed or reordered.
Required Filter Fields: If your Admin permissions have custom filters configured (e.g., limited to a specific office or team), those fields will be automatically added to the form as required and cannot be removed.
Field Support: File upload fields are not currently supported in the Add Employee form.
How to customize the form
Go to the People Directory.
Click + Add Employee (top right).
In the pop-up that opens, look for the Customize Form or settings icon within the form.
From there you can add, remove, and reorder fields.
Changes will reflect immediately for all users when accessing the Add Employee pop-up.