Help center
Frequently asked questions
Everything we're asked most often, grouped by module. All answers are also available inside the product.
Admin console
- What happens if a manager leaves?
- Re-assign their direct reports to a new manager from Admin → Team Management. You should also re-check any in-flight appraisals and pending leave requests so nothing is stranded.
- Can one employee report to multiple managers?
- Not in V1. Each employee has one reporting manager. Dotted-line relationships are planned for a future release.
- How does the org chart stay in sync?
- It reads the manager_id field on every profile. Any change in Admin → Team Management reflects immediately at /dashboard/organisation.
Performance appraisals
- How often does the appraisal cycle run?
- Quarterly by default. Admins can change cadence under Admin → Settings. Each cycle opens a self-review, manager review, and optional peer feedback windows.
- What is the rating scale?
- A 5-point scale applied to five criteria — Job Knowledge, Productivity, Communication, Initiative, and Customer Execution. The manager also adds an Observation paragraph.
- What is FASTIFY?
- FASTIFY is the reflection framework used in the self-review — Failure, Acceleration, Success, Threats, Innovation, Feedback & Testing, Your Contribution. Managers add the eighth element, Observation. It pushes for an honest retrospective rather than generic self-praise.
- Who assigns peer reviewers?
- Admins from /dashboard/admin → Peer Assignments. Each employee is paired with 2–4 peers who worked with them during the review period, with the months-worked value and projects captured for context.
FAQs
- Is my data isolated from other customers?
- Yes. ASHR.work is a multi-tenant platform with a tenant_id on every per-org table and a Postgres row-level-security policy that makes cross-tenant reads or writes impossible — even with a hand-crafted query.
- Is data encrypted?
- All data is encrypted at rest and in transit using modern industry-standard cryptography (AES-256 at rest, TLS in transit) provided by the underlying Supabase platform. Database backups are encrypted.
- Are you GDPR / DPDP / CCPA compliant?
- ASHR.work is designed to support GDPR, India's DPDP Act, and CCPA subject-rights workflows (access, export, erasure). For signed DPAs and specific regional commitments, contact sales.
- Who can see my data inside ASHR.work?
- Only users in your tenant. Within a tenant, RLS plus role gates mean employees see their own data, managers see their direct reports, admins see everything in the tenant. ASHR.work employees do not access customer data except for explicit support requests with customer consent.
- Where is data stored?
- On Supabase (Postgres + Auth + Storage) hosted on major cloud providers. Enterprise customers can discuss regional hosting during contracting.
- Do you have SOC 2 / ISO 27001?
- Independent compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001) are on the roadmap. For the current status and our security questionnaire, email hello@ashr.work.
- How do you handle data deletion?
- Individual subject-deletion requests are processed promptly per applicable law (e.g. GDPR Article 17). For specific retention and backup timelines for your account, contact us — we document them in the DPA.
- How is ASHR.work priced?
- Per employee per month in USD. Three tiers — Starter ($4), Growth ($8), and Enterprise (custom). INR pricing is available for India-based teams on request.
- Is there a free trial?
- Yes. Every new tenant starts on a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
- What is included in each tier?
- Starter covers the basics for up to 25 employees — employee directory, leave management, documents, org chart, role-based access, and email support. Growth adds unlimited employees, performance appraisals, 360° peer feedback, onboarding workflows, reports, and priority support. Enterprise adds custom roles & SSO, advanced RBAC & audit logs, payroll & compliance (on request), a dedicated success manager, custom SLAs, and priority phone support.
- Do you charge for inactive or part-time employees?
- You pay for active users (those who can log in). Offboarded employees do not count. Part-time employees count as full seats.
- Can I pay in INR?
- Yes, INR invoicing is supported for India-based teams on request. Contact sales@ashr.work.
- Is there a seat limit?
- Starter is capped at 25 employees. Growth and Enterprise have no cap. If you're above 25 on Starter, upgrade to Growth.
Getting started
- Do I need to migrate data before going live?
- No. You can invite people without pre-loading anything. Additional data (balances, documents) is added inside the product after launch.
- Can I change roles after launch?
- Yes. Admin → Role Management lets you change any user's role, including promoting an employee to manager mid-cycle.
- Where do I configure leave rules?
- Admin → Settings controls the leave escalation window. Leave type definitions (EL, SL, CL, LOP) are managed at the system level.
- Where do I see my leave balance?
- Time Off shows your EL/SL/CL balances at the top of the page, plus every request you have submitted and its current status.
- How do I update my profile?
- Settings → Profile. Change your display name, update your avatar, and set notification preferences.
- What is FASTIFY?
- FASTIFY is the reflection framework used in self-reviews — Failure, Acceleration, Success, Threats, Innovation, Feedback & Testing, Your Contribution. Managers add an Observation. It encourages honest retros rather than generic ratings.
- How do I see my team?
- Manager → Team shows every direct report. Manager → Home shows the collapsible team tree including sub-team hierarchies.
- What happens when I escalate a leave request?
- Escalation triggers an email to the next level up and an admin audit-log entry. The original request stays editable until someone takes a final action.
- Can I delegate appraisals?
- Not in V1. Manager appraisals are owned by the direct manager. Peer feedback is the delegation mechanism for broader input.
- What is ASHR.work?
- ASHR.work is a modern HRMS built for SMBs, startups, and multi-industry teams. It covers employee management, leave, performance appraisals, onboarding, documents, reporting, and more, all inside a single Next.js + Supabase platform.
- Who is ASHR.work for?
- Growing companies (5–500 people) that want a single, well-designed HR system rather than gluing together five point tools. Admins run the org, managers run their teams, employees use it for everyday HR tasks.
- How long does it take to get started?
- Most teams are live inside 15 minutes. An admin creates the tenant, invites people, sets a leave policy, and employees start using the dashboard immediately.
Leave management
- Can I cancel a pending leave request?
- Yes. Pending requests can be edited or withdrawn from your Time Off history. Once approved, contact your manager to cancel.
- What if I do not have enough balance?
- You can still apply as LOP (loss of pay). Your admin decides whether LOP is allowed based on the leave policy.
- My manager has not responded — what happens?
- After the escalation window set by your admin (commonly 24–48 hours), the request is escalated to the next level and both parties are notified by email.
- Can I apply for leave on a holiday?
- No. Holidays are blocked in the date picker so you do not spend balance on days you already have off.
- What do the validation flags mean?
- Flags highlight requests that need extra attention — back-dated, overlapping a holiday or another leave, or exceeding balance. Read the flag, then decide. Approval is still one click.
- Can I approve leave on behalf of another manager?
- Admins can. Managers see only their direct reports. If a manager is on vacation, an admin can approve on their behalf from /dashboard/leave/admin.
- What is the escalation window?
- The number of hours your admin has configured (default 48). If you do not act within the window, the request is escalated automatically and audit-logged.
- Does rejection notify the employee?
- Yes. An email with your rejection reason is sent immediately. The employee can withdraw and re-submit if the reason can be addressed.