Shapes' People Directory is fully customizable, meaning that you can select, reorder, and download the fields that matter most to you.
Searching the People Directory
The search box matches on work email, Employee ID, and Unique Identifier, in addition to name and job title. This is useful when you have an identifier from another system but not the exact name — for example during imports, audits, or support checks.
Note: Search still respects field permissions, so fields that are hidden from you won't be searchable or shown in results.
Find Anyone in Your Company from Any Page
People Search lets you find a colleague from anywhere in Shapes, without going to the People Directory first. Open it with ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) or the search button in the top bar, type a name or job title, and press Enter to open their profile. Quick filters, the people you viewed recently, and a hand-off to Shapes AI are one step away.
Who can use it
Everyone who signs in to Shapes on the web, in every role.
You see the same people you can see in the People Directory, with their name, photo, and job title. Terminated employees aren't included.
Ask the agent appears only if your account has Shapes AI, the AI agent you open from How can I help today? in the top bar. It isn't shown while you're viewing Shapes as another employee.
How to find someone
On any page, press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows), or click the search button (the magnifying glass) in the top bar. Hovering over the button shows Search people and the shortcut.
Type a name or a job title. Results appear as you type, in name order, and the first one is highlighted.
Press Enter to open the highlighted person's profile, or click any person. Use the up and down arrow keys, or Tab, to move between results.
To close search, press Esc, click anywhere outside it, or press ⌘K again. If you've typed something, the first Esc clears it and the second closes search.
Filter to your team or to who's away today
Two quick filters sit under the search box. Click one to turn it on and click it again to turn it off. They work together, and with whatever you type.
My team: everyone who shares a Team value with you, you included. You only see this filter if you have a Team value you're allowed to see.
Away today: people with approved time away that covers today. The number next to it is how many of the people you can see are away. It's greyed out when nobody is away. People on a Working Away day, such as working from home, aren't counted.
Search never shows why someone is away or for how long.
Pick up where you left off
Before you type anything, search shows Recently viewed: the last three people whose profiles you opened, newest first.
Every profile you open counts, whether you opened it from search or from anywhere else in Shapes. Your own profile isn't added.
The list is kept in your browser, for you only. Another browser or device starts with an empty list.
If you can no longer see someone, they drop off the list.
Hand your question to Shapes AI
When a name isn't what you're after, choose Ask the agent at the bottom of the results. Shapes AI opens on a new chat with what you typed already in the message box, so you can edit it first. Nothing is sent until you send it.
If nothing matches, search shows No people match "…" and an Ask the agent instead button.
Good to know
Search matches names and job titles only, not work email or Employee ID. The search box in the People Directory matches work email, Employee ID, and Unique Identifier, for the fields you're allowed to see.
Each word you type has to appear in the name or job title, so "jo do" finds John Doe and "sales man" finds a Sales Manager.
Up to 50 matches are listed. If more match, search tells you how many more there are, and you can keep typing to narrow it down.
Search loads the people you can see each time you open it, so a new joiner or a permission change shows up the next time you open it.
⌘K doesn't open search while another window or dialog is open in Shapes, so it never interrupts something you're in the middle of.
If people can't be loaded, search says "Couldn't load people. Close and reopen search to try again."
My team is not the same as your direct reports: it's everyone who shares a Team value with you, whatever their reporting line. If you don't see the filter, you don't have a Team value, or your role isn't allowed to see it.
Away today is greyed out when nobody you can see has approved time away today. Bookings on a Working Away reason, such as working from home, aren't counted.
Search can't show anyone you can't see in the People Directory. It follows the same visibility.
Use cases
Morning check-in: a team lead opens search before stand-up, turns on My team and Away today, and sees at a glance who's out.
Quick lookup mid-task: an HR admin working on a report jumps straight to an employee's profile with ⌘K, without leaving the page to open the People Directory.
Beyond names: an employee types a question instead of a name and passes it to Shapes AI with Ask the agent.
Note: Search finds people by name and job title only, and Recently viewed doesn't follow you between browsers or devices.
Related articles: AI Chat, Permission Levels, Setting Up Time Away Reasons (Time Off & Working Away).
How to Customize the People Directory
Navigate to the People Directory from the main menu on the left-hand side of your Shapes dashboard.
Click Customize on the top left of the People Directory.
A menu will open where you can choose which fields to display. Available options depend on your permission level — you won't see any fields that have been restricted.
Add, remove, and drag & drop fields to arrange them in the order that works best for you.
Columns can also be reordered directly from the table header, using the drag handle on each column. The column header menu lets you add a new column next to the selected one, or remove that column from the current view. Full Name always stays pinned first, so the directory keeps a stable identity column no matter how the rest are arranged.
Note: The Customize Columns drawer closes with the X button, Escape, or a click outside the drawer, without closing the People Directory itself.
You can also add, rename, and duplicate people views — giving you more flexibility to save custom views and explore your people data.
Download Your Directory
After customizing the fields and order, you can also export the directory as a CSV or Excel to use offline or share with others.
Viewing Terminated Employees
To include terminated employees in your People Directory view:
Click the Filters button at the top of the People Directory.
Look for the Employment Status or Work Status filter.
Select Terminated to include terminated employees in the results.
Note: Only Admins and Super Admins can filter by terminated employees — this option is not available to regular employees.
Filtering by Direct Reports
A Has Reports filter is available in the People Directory and in workflow activity views, letting you isolate people-managers without navigating the org chart.
Note: Filter values currently display as True and False.
Customize the "Add Employee" Form
When a new employee is added to Shapes, an Add Employee pop-up collects their basic details before the profile is created. Super Admins can customize which fields appear in this form and in what order — making sure the right information is captured from the very first step.
This is especially important if your account uses onboarding workflows. Many workflows are triggered by specific fields like Start Date, Job Title, Direct Manager, Team, or Office. If those fields aren't filled in at the time the employee is added, workflows may not trigger, tasks may not be routed correctly, and anchor dates may not be set. Customizing this form helps prevent gaps before they happen.
Important considerations
Fixed Fields: First Name, Last Name, and Work Email are mandatory fields. They will always appear at the top and cannot be removed or reordered.
Required Filter Fields: If your Admin permissions have custom filters configured (e.g., limited to a specific office or team), those fields will be automatically added to the form as required and cannot be removed.
Field Support: File upload fields are not currently supported in the Add Employee form.
How to customize the form
Go to the People Directory.
Click + Add Employee (top right).
In the pop-up that opens, look for the Customize Form or settings icon within the form.
From there you can add, remove, and drag & drop fields to arrange them in the order that works best for you.
Changes will reflect immediately for all users when accessing the Add Employee pop-up.