Awesome! You have uploaded all of your employee data, and created all of your time away reasons. You're now ready to go live on Shapes with all your employees.
We have created a template below to help you launch Shapes company wide:
Slide template
You can duplicate the presentation in here (Also attached to the bottom of this article) and customize it to align with your companies goals. In the slides, we include an article and a video for each feature.
Email Template
Subject: Introducing Shapes, our new PeopleOS
Body:
We're super excited to announce the launch of Shapes, our new PeopleOS.
What is Shapes?
Shapes is a platform that enables you to access your personal information, benefits, and other relevant HR-related information from one central location. By using Shapes, you can easily access and manage your personal information without needing to go through HR.
Shapes will also become one single place to manage all of your Time Away requests and balance. In Shapes you will be able to request, approve, and manage all of your time away needs.
You can also use Shapes to see the company org chart, and public information about your colleagues, such as their Names, contact information, job, team, office, etc.
The following links will show you a video that will walk you through Shapes' capabilities as an employee and a manager.
Shortly you will receive an email from Shapes with instructions on how to sign up - Please complete the signup process, and confirm that all of the data in Shapes is correct.
If your company uses Single Sign-On (Google or Microsoft), skip the password setup step - simply log in to Shapes with your usual company account.
You can also use the following links to download the app directly to your phone
App Store: [Download Here]
Google Play: [Download Here]
If you have any questions, please reach out to HR
Optional - Using Shapes with Claude: If your company has enabled the Shapes connector for Claude, you can also connect your personal Shapes account to Claude to ask questions about your own HR data directly. Learn how to connect your account here.
You can share the below videos or written guides for the initial employee and manager training.
For Employees
Welcome to Shapes! 🎉
This guide walks you through the key features of the platform so you can hit the ground running - from finding colleagues to booking time off and completing tasks.
👥 People Directory
The People Directory is your source of truth for employee information. Here, you can:
View colleague profiles: Click on anyone to see their contact info, location, and reporting line.
Browse the org chart: Visualize the company structure and understand who reports to whom.
Search and filter: Quickly find people by name or team.
You also have access to your own personal profile, which includes information you've added or provided before joining the company.
🕒 Time Management
The Time Management tab helps you stay on top of your schedule:
Request Time Away
Click Book Time Away to request vacation, sick leave, or other absences - this also covers Working From Home / Working Away, if your company has set this up as a time away reason.
Select the type of leave (e.g. vacation, or Working Away)
Choose the dates
Add an optional note
Submit your request → Your manager will be notified
Once approved, the booking will appear as "Approved." You'll also see:
Your leave balance
A calendar view showing public holidays, team vacations, and birthdays
The option to sync with your calendar (Google, Outlook, etc.)
Clock In & Out
Use the Clock In/Out button at the top of the page to track your work hours.
Timesheet Summary
Fill out your timesheet either:
Manually, by adding entries
Or using Quick Fix, which lets you pre-select daily in/out times
✅ Tasks
View and complete your assigned tasks in one place.
Click a task to view more details
Mark it as complete once done
Example: You may be asked to schedule orientation meetings or complete onboarding steps.
📈 Performance Reviews
When a new review cycle begins, you'll see it under Performance Reviews.
Click Reviews to open the form
Answer the provided questions
Once you're ready, press Submit
You may also be asked to complete a Peer Review for a colleague - the same steps apply
You can also track your Goals & OKRs as part of a review cycle, including progress against past goals.
📋 Surveys
From time to time, you may be asked to complete a survey - for example, an engagement or pulse survey.
You'll be notified when a new survey is assigned to you
Answer the questions at your own pace and submit when done
Responses may be anonymous, depending on how the survey was set up
🏠 Homepage
Your homepage is fully customizable:
Use the notepad for private notes
See team info, upcoming birthdays, and work anniversaries
Add widgets to personalize your view
📱 Mobile App
Download the Shapes mobile app to manage everything on the go:
Clock in/out
View your upcoming time away
Access tasks
Look up colleagues in the People Directory
For Managers
Welcome to Shapes! 👋
This guide is designed specifically for managers. You'll learn how to view your team's data, approve time off, manage tasks, and more.
🔍 Manager Permissions vs. Employee Access
As a manager, you have elevated access. This includes:
Seeing private details about your direct reports (configured by your HR team)
Approving or denying time-off requests
Viewing and submitting team timesheets
Completing workflows related to your team
👥 People Directory & Org Chart
The People Directory lets you access both public and private team information:
Public Info: View any colleague's basic details (e.g., phone number, email)
Private Info (for your reports): Click into your direct reports to view vacation balances, past requests, and more HR-related data
Org Chart: Visualize team structure and reporting lines; quickly find team members using the search bar
View As: Click the 3 dots next to an employee's profile and select View As to see Shapes exactly as that employee sees it - useful for troubleshooting or answering "what do they see" questions
🔁 Workflows
As a manager, you'll receive workflow tasks related to your team - for example, approving a document or completing a step in a new hire's onboarding.
Find these under Assigned Tasks, alongside your other tasks
Click a workflow task to see what's needed and complete it
📈 Performance Reviews
In addition to completing your own manager review form during a cycle, you can:
Assign or change peers for any of your direct reports taking part in a review cycle
Track your team's Goals & OKRs and review completion status
🕒 Managing Time Off
Shapes simplifies how you review and manage vacation requests.
View Requests
You'll be notified whenever a team member submits a vacation request - via email, Slack, or both.
Approve/Deny Time Away
To review a request:
Go to Assigned Tasks or open your Calendar
Click the request to view dates and reasons
See if anyone else is away at the same time
Approve or deny directly from the task or calendar view
Once approved, the employee will be notified automatically.
Time Summary
In the Time Management tab:
View all your direct reports' working hours
Check if they've submitted their timesheets
You can also submit on their behalf, confirming accuracy
🏠 Homepage
The homepage gives you a personalized command center:
Private Notepad: Track your own to-dos
Team Info: See who's away, upcoming birthdays, and anniversaries
Widgets: Add shortcuts like "My Direct Reports" to quickly access team data
Click on a team member to view their full profile and status
📅 Syncing Your Calendar
Stay organized by integrating Shapes with your calendar:
Go to Calendar
Filter by My Direct Reports
Click Create Link to sync with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, etc.
You'll see who's away, when, and for how long - right in your personal calendar
Tip: Before sending the invite, consider sending pre-boarding workflow tasks (forms, documents to sign) to employees' personal emails, so they can complete paperwork before day one.
Once you have informed all of your employees about the new launch, you can invite them by following the steps here.