Access Levels in BambooHR

How do access levels function in BambooHR®?

Purpose: To help you understand the basic capabilities and features within Access Levels in Settings, which includes how to add non-employee users to your account.

Table of Contents

Did you know we have a BambooHR Learning course about Access Levels? Click here to learn more about what is included in this course.

Access levels in BambooHR help you create the access you need for each of your employees. We understand that not all employees will need the same type of access, so we have different types of access levels to help you meet your needs. Access levels allow you to preview access as a user to ensure that you set up everything how it needs to be. Additionally, it helps you keep track of the last time a user has logged in, and you will know if your employees are using BambooHR the way you want them to be.

Access Levels

You can view access levels by going to Settings and clicking Access Levels. The following features are available from the page:

  1. Levels: When you click Access Levels, it will take you to a page that shows all access levels in your BambooHR account. If you click on a specific access level, you will see which users are assigned to that access level. In the image above, you are viewing all users assigned to an employee access level.
  2. No Access: This feature shows you all active employees who do not have access yet, including non-employee users who have had their access disabled.
  3. Add a new access level: Click on the add icon to create a new access level from the following options: Employee Access Level, Manager Access Level, or Custom Access Level (Advantage, Core, and Pro packages only).
  4. +Add Employee: Click +Add Employee to grant an employee access to the specific access level you are viewing.
  5. Access Level Settings: Use this option to edit the current settings for the specific access level you are viewing. This allows you to make any changes to access for users within the specified access level.
  6. Action menu: This feature brings up three options for managing the selected access level:
    • Add a non-employee user who is not an employee in your BambooHR account, such as a contractor or auditor.
    • Duplicate an access level if you need to create a similar access level but need to make a few minor changes without starting from scratch (Advantage, Core, and Pro packages only).
    • Delete an access level.
  7. User access: If you hover over a user's name within a specific access level, you will see three options to manage the user's access:
    1. Preview: The eye icon will allow you to to preview BambooHR as the user will see it.
    2. Manage access: Clicking on the lock icon will bring up a pop-up box, where you can move the user to a new access level or remove their access.
    3. Dropdown menu: This three-dot icon includes the additional option of sending the user a password reset email. If you have BambooHR® Payroll, the Manage Payroll Access option will also show for payroll admins.

*Some features mentioned are only available in specific packages. If you are interested in learning more, contact a support hero.

Can I get a report of who is currently in each access level?

To ensure access level assignments remain confidential, only the Account Owner and Full Admin users will be able to export this information. To do so, navigate to Settings > Access Levels. Under the All view, click Export.

Here, you will be able to export a report for access level assignments or access level permissions.

Is there a report that documents the history of access level changes?

To see changes to an employee's access level, navigate to Settings > Access Levels. On the All view, click History.

This report will allow the Account Owner and Full Admin users to see all changes filtered by timeline, access level, author (who performed the change), and the following actions:

  • Access Level Created
  • Access Level Deleted
  • Access Level Edited
  • Person Added
  • Person Removed
How do I add a non-employee user?

To add a non-employee user in BambooHR, navigate to Settings and select Access Levels. Click on any current access level for the action menu (gear icon) to appear in the top right corner. Click on the action menu and select Add a Non-Employee User. Next, you will get a prompt to add the user's first name, last name, email address, and indicate the access level you want to add the individual to. Do not forget to click Save. As soon as you save the addition, an invitation is sent to the user to log in to BambooHR.

Keep in mind that non-employee users will not show up in the company directory, and they will not have an employee profile. For more information about non-employee users, click here.

How do I delete a non-employee user?

Change a non-employee user's access to No Access.

Navigate to the No Access section and click on the user's name in the list. Change the employee's email address* and click Save. 

*If you do not change the employee's email address, you will not be able to use the same address for a user in the future.

Then, within the No Access list, click on the user's name again and select Delete this User in the top right corner.