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Access roles

What access role should I assign my users? Exploring the role of Admin, Manager, and Employee

Kholod Hindi avatar
Written by Kholod Hindi
Updated today

In Aboard, you can assign three different roles to your employees. These are:

  • Admin

  • Manager

  • Employee


Admin Role

An Admin has full access to your HR system and is considered the “superuser” of the platform. This role typically belongs to someone like your Head of HR or equivalent.

Key permissions:

  • Access to all system settings in the back end

  • Ability to view and edit details for all employees

  • Authority to add new employees and manage their information

  • Full control over all modules and configurations

  • Access to the Employee Portal, just like regular users

Admins are responsible for setting up and managing the overall structure of the system.


Manager Role

A Manager has access to certain administrative features—but only for the team members they are responsible for. When you assign a manager to an employee during setup, that employee becomes part of the manager’s team.

Example:
If Employee A is assigned to Manager B, then Manager B will automatically gain visibility and access to Employee A’s information and workflows.

Key permissions (for their team only):

  • View employee profiles

  • Approve or decline time off requests

  • Create and manage onboardings

  • Schedule 1-on-1 meetings, including assigning topics and tasks

This role helps ensure managers are empowered to support their teams, while keeping broader admin access restricted.


Employee Role

An Employee has limited access within the system and can only use the Employee Portal. This role is designed for regular staff members who don’t need access beyond their own experience.

Key access:

  • View and update their own personal information

  • Submit and track time off requests

  • Complete assigned onboardings or tasks

  • Access company documents or policies made visible to them

Employees cannot see or change any system settings or view information about other employees.


Psst… Want to give more people access without making them Managers or Admins?

You can use our Teams feature to create custom groups for things like onboarding teams, temporary project teams, or team leads—without changing someone’s main role. Teams allow you to expand access to specific parts of the system, like seeing data for select employees, even if the user isn’t their direct manager.

💡Pro tip: If someone is involved in multiple areas—say, helping with onboarding and managing time off—it can be smart to keep their role as Employee or Manager and just give them the access they need through Teams instead. Flexible and tidy!

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