Skip to content
English
BrioHR Website
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Bulk Upload Files to Employee Profile Documents

This article explains how to upload files for many employees at once into the same folder in their Profile > Documents, instead of opening each profile one by one. This is useful for payslips prepared outside brioHR, bonus letters, or documents you are moving over from another system.

Audience & Scope

Audience: HR Admin

Module: Core HR - Employee Management

Country: Global

Pre-requisites: User Group permission:

  1. Page Access > HR Lounge
  2. Profile Sensitive Data > Documents > set to Modify Everyone's

IMPORTANT: brioHR reads the Employee ID in each file name to match the file to the right employee. You review every match before anything is saved, so no file reaches a profile until you confirm.

 

Before You Start

1. Check your permissions

You need both of these. Without them, the Documents option does not appear in Bulk Import/Export.

  • Access to HR Lounge — go to Settings > User Groups, edit the user group, then open Pages Access > HR Lounge.
  • Access to Documents > Modify Everyone's — go to Settings > User Groups, edit the user group, then open Profile Sensitive Data > Documents.



Learn More: Employee Personal Files in brioHR: How to Upload, Manage and Access Documents

2. Name your files

  • Include one Employee ID in each file name, for example EMP001_Payslip_Jan.pdf.
  • You can upload several files for the same employee, for example EMP001_Payslip_Jan.pdf and EMP001_Payslip_Feb.pdf.
  • If an Employee ID contains a character that can't be used in a file name, such as #, replace it with a space. For example, for Employee ID BRIOHR#1001, name the file BRIOHR 1001_Payslip.pdf.
  • Upper or lower case doesn't matter: briohr 1001_Payslip.pdf still matches.

3. Check the limits

Limit

Value

Files per upload

Up to 100 files

File size

Up to 10 MB per file

File types

PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, PNG

NOT allowed

ZIP files and whole folders

Folders per upload

One folder

NOTE:

Have more than 100 files? Split them into batches of 100 and run the upload once per batch.

Step-by-Step Guide: Bulk Upload Files

Step 1 - Open Bulk Import/Export

  1. Go to HR Lounge > Employee Management > Bulk Import/Export.
  2. Click Documents.

 

Step 2 - Choose a folder

The page shows three steps: Choose a folder, Add & review files, and Upload files.

  1. Find the folder you want to upload to. The list shows every profile folder, including Personal Files and your custom folders, with:
    • Folder name and the number of recipients (employees the folder is assigned to)
    • Visibility, Office and Organization unit
  2. Use Search folder name or the Office, Visibility and Organization unit filters to narrow the list.
  3. Select the folder with its radio button. You can choose only one folder per upload.
  4. Click Continue.


NOTE: A file can only go to an employee the folder is assigned to. Personal Files is available for every employee.

Learn More: How to Create Custom Document Folders for BrioHR Employee Profiles

 

Step 3 - Add your files

  1. Click +Browse files and select the files from your computer. You can select many at once, or drag and drop them onto the page.
  2. Need more? Click Add more files. New files are added to the list and the files already there stay.

Files are checked as you add them:

  • Files over 10 MB, or in a format that isn't supported, are not added. brioHR shows which files weren't added and why.
  • If the list would go over 100 files, the whole selection is blocked.
  • Files with the same name as one already in the list are skipped, and you'll see: "Some files are already in the list and weren't added."

 

Step 4 - Review the matches

Each file is listed with its File name, Employee ID, Employee name and Status:

  • Matched — the file is matched to one employee and is ready to upload.
  • Needs attention — brioHR couldn't match the file. These rows are listed first.

A file shows Needs attention when its name has:

  • No Employee ID, or more than one Employee ID
  • An Employee ID that doesn't exist in the company, or that more than one employee shares
  • An Employee ID for an employee the folder isn't assigned to

To fix a row that needs attention, do one of the following:

  • Select employee: pick the right employee from the dropdown. Only employees who have the selected folder are listed, including resigned employees (marked INACTIVE). The row changes to Matched.
  • Remove the file: click the bin icon. The row is removed straight away

Useful tools on this step:

  • Filter by All, Needs attention or Matched, or search by file name, employee name or Employee ID.
  • Click a file name to download it and check its content before uploading.

IMPORTANT: Nothing is saved to any profile at this step. The Upload files button stays disabled until every row is Matched.

NOTE: Clicking Back keeps your files. If you then choose a different folder, brioHR asks you to confirm, because changing the folder removes all the files you added.

 

Step 5 - Confirm and upload

  1. Click Upload files.
  2. Check the Confirm File Upload message, for example: "25 file(s) will be uploaded to Payslips for 20 employee(s)."
  3. Click Confirm.

The files upload one at a time. A progress bar shows how many are done, and each row's status changes from Waiting to Uploading to Uploaded.

IMPORTANT:

  • Keep the brioHR tab open and stay logged in until the upload is complete.
  • You can move to other pages in brioHR while files upload. When you come back to Bulk Import/Export > Documents, the progress is still shown.
  • Refreshing or closing the tab, or logging out, stops the upload. Files already marked Uploaded stay in the employees' profiles; add the rest again in a new upload.
  • Only one upload can run at a time in your company. If another admin is already running an import, you'll see "Another import is in progress".

 

Step 6 - Check the result

When every file is uploaded, the page shows Upload complete. Each file is now in the selected folder in the employee's Profile > Documents.

If some files failed: failed rows show a Failed status. Click Retry upload to upload only the failed files again. Repeat until every file shows Uploaded.

NOTE: Who can see an uploaded file follows the folder's own visibility settings. For example, files uploaded to a folder that is hidden from employees (such as Warning Letters) are saved to the profile, but the employee won't see them.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I upload a ZIP file or a whole folder?

No. Select the individual files instead. You can select up to 100 at once.

2. Can I upload files to several folders at once?

No. Each upload goes to one folder. Run a separate upload for each folder.

3. Can I upload files for resigned employees?

Yes. Files are matched to resigned employees too, and you can pick them in the Select employee list.

4. I have more than 100 files. What should I do?

Split them into batches of up to 100 files and upload each batch separately.

5. What happens if I close the tab during an upload?

The upload stops. Files already marked Uploaded stay in the profiles. Start a new upload for the remaining files.

6. Why can't I see the Documents option in Bulk Import/Export?

You need both HR Lounge access and the Documents > Modify Everyone's permission. Ask your administrator to check your user group under Settings > User Groups > Profile Sensitive Data > Documents.

7. Can employees bulk upload their own files?

No. Bulk upload is for admins with the permissions above. Employees can still add files to their own Personal Files one at a time, if permitted.

 

Related Articles

  1. Employee Personal Files in brioHR: How to Upload, Manage and Access Documents
  2. Bulk and Mass Updates in brioHR: What You Can Do in Bulk, and Where

 

Ownership

By: Aqilah