Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All Culture Amp subscriptions
Getting started with Culture Amp? One of the first steps is uploading your employee data—this unlocks essential features like your organizational hierarchy, demographic reporting, and performance tools.
This guide walks you through exactly what you need to do to format and upload your employee data successfully, whether you're just getting started or enabling Pilot features like SMS survey links.
Step 1: Use the Employee Data Template
We recommend using our Employee Data File Template to get started. It’s structured to make sure your data is in the right format from the beginning.
Tip: Hover over the column headers in the template for helpful formatting tips.
Step 2: Add Required Employee Details
To ensure Culture Amp can uniquely identify each employee, include the required columns:
Column A: Name (Required)
Format as "First Last".Column C and/or D: Employee Id or Email (Required)
You can include one or both, but at least one is required to uniquely identify each person. Employee ID should be used alongside Email if you plan to use People Analytics.
Step 3: Add Recommended Fields to Unlock More Features
These fields aren't mandatory in your first upload but including them unlocks richer insights, and unlocks functionality:
Column B: Preferred Name (Optional)
Use this for more personalized communications.Column E: Date of Birth (Optional)
Enables age-based insights.Columns F & G: Start Date and End Date
Used to calculate tenure bands. It is also required for Retention Insights and People Analytics:All past employees must have both.
Leave End Date blank for current employees.
Column H: Language (Optional)
User’s preferred platform language (e.g.,en,es). Default is English. Assign the appropriate language code to each employee from this list.Column I: Manager Email (Required for Performance & 1-on-1s)
Used to builds your org hierarchy. Leave blank for your top-level leader (e.g., CEO).
Step 4: Optional – Enable SMS Survey Links (Pilot Only)
Pilot Program Notice
SMS Survey links allow organisations to send survey invitations and reminders via SMS for Engagement surveys. This feature is currently available to a select group of customers in our pilot release. This is an opportunity to test the feature before it's fully launched in GA.
Note: Before using SMS surveys, please review the SMS Survey Comms - Legal and Compliance guidance. This document covers essential information about employee consent, opt-outs, and right-to-disconnect laws that ensure compliance and increase workforce participation.
If you have any questions or need assistance, simply reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.
If you're part of the pilot, ensure the following fields are filled out:
Column J: Timezone
Use IANA timezone names (e.g.,America/New_York). Refer to theTZcolumn on the IANA Timezone List.Column K: Mobile Phone Number
Use the international E.164 format: [+][country code][subscriber number with area code] — for example, +14155552671 (up to 15 digits). More info on E.164.
Both fields must be included to enable SMS delivery.
Step 5: Add Custom Demographics (Optional)
You can track additional information by adding your own columns (Columns L–X and beyond). Some examples include:
Job Title
Department
Country
Location
Employment Type
Tip: If you have small groups (typically fewer than 5 employees), consider rolling them up into broader categories (e.g., combining teams into a "Division") to protect confidentiality and improve reporting visibility.
Performance Users: Additional Recommended Fields
For Performance features, we recommend including these fields, as they feed directly into performance cycles and other tools like Goals:
Job Title
Job Title Level (linked to Job Title)
Gender
Location
Business Unit
Division
Country
Employment Type
Tip: After uploading your employee data file, reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to connect with a Product Support Specialist. Request them to map your performance demographics to ensure the data populates correctly in the performance product.
Formatting Tips for a Smooth Upload
Remove instructions: Delete the instructional tab from the template.
Include only active employees:
Exclude terminated or leave-of-absence employees unless using Retention Insights or People Analytics.
Past employees must have both Start and End Dates.
Use consistent headers: Column headers are case-sensitive. For example, “Location” and “location” are treated as different demographics.
Match value capitalization: Demographic values like "Melbourne" and "melbourne" will be merged based on the first value seen.
Logical column order: Group related demographics (e.g., Division > Department > Team). This determines the display order in your account and employee profiles (only applicable when you upload for the first time).
Make all columns visible: Hidden columns may cause upload errors.
Use plain text headers: Avoid special or hidden characters.
Use only one sheet: Your file should contain a single worksheet tab.
Date Format Tips:
Preferred: Apr 15, 2025
Also accepted: YYYY-MM-DD or MMM DD YYYY
Step 6: Save Your File
When you're ready to upload:
Save as
.CSV (UTF-8)or.XLSX
XLSX is better for preserving formatting.Avoid special characters in the file name
This helps prevent “Invalid data format” errors.No passwords
Make sure the file isn’t password-protected.
Step 7: Import Your File
You can import data manually or via your HRIS.
Check out our Import Employee data into Culture Amp support guide for step-by-step instructions.
Performance & 1-on-1 Customers
When importing for the first time make sure you select full import to enable your hierarchy by including the Manager Email field. This ensures your Performance and 1-on-1 features function properly.
FAQs
Can I import employees without an email address?
Yes, but it depends on your subscription.
Engagement-only customers can import employees without email addresses if you're using kiosk mode. Just make sure each employee has a unique
Employee ID.Performance customers must include email addresses. The platform uses both the employee’s
EmailandManager Emailto build manager-direct report relationships.
Best practice: Always include both Email and Employee ID. We strongly recommend using a unique, permanent Employee ID for employees to avoid duplicate records. While emails are typically unique, they can change (e.g., due to name changes or company rebranding). A consistent Employee ID ensures that user profile data remains intact even if the email address needs to be updated.
Related pages:
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.