Learn more about document access and how it works in Huma
Who can access a document in Huma?
Documents in Huma can be shared with the following:
- Everyone
- Specific individuals
- Specific groups
- A targeted role:
- "Admins" of a group = Users with roles granting document access within the group
By sharing a document with a group, we always recommend granting additional access to one person, such as the HR manager or someone in a similar role.
Levels of document access
Huma provides three levels of document access:
- No Access: Users cannot view or interact with the document.
- Only See: Users can view the document but cannot make changes.
- See and Edit: Users can view and make changes to the document.
Example: How document access works
Scenario:
An employment contract for Ewa is shared with:
- Ewa, Kari (HR) and 'Admins of Team X'
Access permissions:
- Ewa: Can only view the document.
- Kari (HR): Can view and edit the document.
- Admins of Team X: Can view and edit the document.
Note: Members of Team X who are not administrators cannot access the document, as it hasn’t been shared with them.
Does the 'regarding' person automatically have access to the document?
No, a person tagged as 'regarding' does not automatically gain access. Access must be granted explicitly.
Why can’t administrators access all documents?
To protect sensitive information, document access is controlled. Administrators can access documents only if they are:
- Shared directly with them.
- Shared with their group (e.g., team, location, or organization).
- Shared with group administrators, where they also have document permissions.
Note: When a document is shared with a team, location, or organization, it can be explicitly shared with administrators of that group.
How to add a document administrator
To assign a document administrator:
- Navigate to System Settings.
- Select Roles and go to User Roles.
- Edit an existing role or create a new one.
- Scroll to the Documents section and select Full Access.
- Click Grants to specify users for this role.
- Assign the role to specific teams, locations, or companies.
A tip from Huma on managing documents and roles
Huh – did that employee have permission to access the document? Who actually has access?
We understand that documents can be sensitive, making it naturally important to have a clear overview of who has access to each document. This is especially crucial in larger organizations with multiple departments and layers of management. In some cases, it might be practical to establish a dedicated role for managing document access.
Create a separate user role with document admins, that is solely responsible for managing document access, and make sure no other roles include the same administrative rights. This way, there will only be one role with document permissions, making it easier to keep track of which employees have these accesses. The Document Admin role can, for example, be assigned to a Team Leader, granting them "view and edit" access only for the specific team they oversee.
You can also use "Extend access" after you have created a new role with document admins, to grant "see and edit" access to all documents. The access will be extended to also include document administrators in the organization.
- To create a new user role you need to
-
- Go to "System settings"
- Navigate to "Roles" and "User roles"
- Click on the "Add new user role" located in the top-right corner
- Give the new role name and description, and click "Continue"
- "Edit 'Permissions' and 'Grants' according to your needs
Read this article to see the procedure for creating a new user role and how to assign it to employees.
Remember
- that even if you have a "System Role" with document permissions, it does not automatically grant you access to the documents.
- the person uploading the document must grant access to the Document Admin role.
What documents can an administrator access?
Example: If a document is shared with administrators of the "HR" team, all individuals with the administrator role in "HR" will have see and edit access to the document.
Handling document access when someone leaves the company
When someone with see and edit access to many documents leaves the company:
- They can share the documents directly with others.
- They can share the documents with a team they are part of or where they have document permissions.
Tip: Always share important documents with those who need access. Fx. supervisors or 'group admin' to ensure continuity of access.
- Read more about How to keep employee data after people leave the company here.
Changing access for multiple documents
You can update access for multiple documents simultaneously by:
- Selecting the documents.
- Using the action bar at the bottom of the screen to update their access.
Transferring documents where you are the sole editor
If you are the only one with edit access to certain documents, transfer access by:
- Go to "Documents".
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner and select "extend access."
- Review the details and confirm that you want to extend access to all your documents.
- Click 'Extend access'.
Important notes:
- This action will extend access to include document administrators within the organization.
- Access can also be updated individually for each document if needed.
