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How do I set up employee ID formats?

Choose what your employee IDs look like — prefix, suffix, year of joining, department code, separators and numbering — and ASHR.work assigns them automatically.

~4 min read · For admin · Updated 7/21/2026

Quick answer

Go to Admin → Settings → Employee ID format. Combine a prefix, suffix, year of joining, department code, separator, digit count and start number — the live preview shows the result, and every new employee automatically gets the next ID in your format.

What is this for?

Every employee gets a unique ID like DM0001. Instead of tracking numbers in a spreadsheet, you describe the shape of the ID once and the system assigns the next one to each new hire. You will find the builder in Admin → Settings, under Employee ID format.

The building blocks

Mix and match any of these — the preview updates as you go:

  • Prefix — text at the start. DM → DM0001. Leave blank for none.
  • Suffix — text at the end. X → 0001X. Leave blank for none.
  • Year of joining — adds the year the employee joined: full (2026) or short (26). It is read from each employee's joining date, so it updates itself every year.
  • Separator — the symbol between parts: dash, slash, underscore, or nothing. DM-2026-0001 vs DM20260001.
  • Number of digits — how long the number is. 4 digits → 0001; 1 digit → plain 1, 2, 3… with no padding.
  • Start number — where counting begins. Start at 1001 and your first hire is DM1001.
  • Department code in ID — adds a short code from the employee's department (Engineering → ENG) and gives each department its own count: DM-ENG-0001, DM-HR-0001.
  • Restart numbering every year — the count goes back to your start number each new joining year: last 2026 hire DM-2026-0057, first 2027 hire DM-2027-0001. (Needs the year in the ID, so restarts are visible.)

Popular formats

DM0001                classic prefix + number
0001                  numbers only (blank prefix)
DM-2026-0001          with year of joining
DM-ENG-0001           with department, each team counts separately
DM-ENG-2026-0001      everything together
DM26001               short year, no separator

Setting it up

  1. Open Admin → Settings

    Scroll to the Employee ID format card.

  2. Choose your parts

    Type a prefix or suffix, switch on the year or department code if you want them, and pick a separator.

  3. Set the numbering

    Pick the number of digits and the start number.

  4. Check the preview, then save

    The preview is exactly what your next hires will get. Click Save format.

Three things you never have to worry about

  • Old IDs never change. A new format only affects employees added after you save. Nobody's existing ID is rewritten.
  • The year changes by itself. No New-Year maintenance — the first hire of 2027 automatically gets 2027 in their ID.
  • No duplicates, ever. The counter skips past any ID that is already taken, including IDs that were typed in manually.

Frequently asked questions

Will changing the format change existing employee IDs?
No, never. The format only applies to employees added after you save it. Everyone already in the system keeps their current ID.
Do I have to update anything when a new year starts?
No. The year in the ID comes from each employee's joining date automatically. Someone joining in 2027 gets 2027 in their ID without you touching anything.
Can two employees end up with the same ID?
No. The system counts up automatically and skips any number that is already taken, even if two employees are added at the same moment or an ID was typed in manually.
Where does the department code come from?
It is taken from the first three letters of the employee's department, so Engineering becomes ENG. If an employee has no department, GEN is used.
Can I type an employee ID by hand instead?
Yes. When adding an employee you can enter an ID yourself, and it is used as-is. Leave the field blank to let the system generate one in your format.