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Custom Employee Notifications

Create custom notification messages that appear in the Employee Hub to communicate with employees about specific actions, reminders, or requests.

Overview​

Custom employee notifications allow you to send targeted messages to employees directly in the Employee Hub. These notifications can include:

  • Actionable messages with buttons
  • Task reminders
  • Document upload requests
  • Custom workflow notifications

Notifications appear in the Employee Hub's notification panel (accessible via the bell icon) and can be marked as tasks to appear in a separate Tasks tab.

Getting Started​

Creating a Basic Notification​

  1. Navigate to Employee Notification Messages in Salesforce (use App Launcher to search for it)
  2. Click New
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    • Name: Enter any descriptive name for the notification
    • Employee: Select the employee who should receive the notification (required)
    • Type: Choose simple-message for basic notifications (required)
    • Title: Enter a clear, descriptive title (required)
  4. Optionally add:
    • Plain Text: The message content
    • Rich Text: Formatted message content with styling options
    • Button Name: Label for an action button
    • Button Link: URL where the button should navigate (e.g., link to Documents page)
  5. You can skip:
    • Record Id: Not required for basic notifications
    • Object Type: Not required for basic notifications
  6. Click Save

The notification will appear in the Employee Hub for the selected employee in the notification panel (Inbox tab).

Viewing Notifications in Employee Hub​

Once created, employees will see the notification in their Employee Hub:

  1. Click the notification bell icon in the top right corner
  2. The notification appears in the Inbox tab
  3. The notification shows:
    • The title
    • The plain text or rich text message
    • A timestamp showing when it was created

Field Reference​

Required Fields​

  • Employee: The employee who will receive the notification
  • Type: Either simple-message or custom.<any-name-you-want>
  • Title: The notification title displayed to the employee

Optional Fields​

  • Plain Text: Simple text message content
  • Rich Text: Formatted message with styling (bold, italic, colors, links, images)
  • Button Name: Text displayed on an action button
  • Button Link: URL where the button navigates (can link to Documents page, forms, etc.)
  • Record Id: Associate the notification with a specific record
  • Object Type: Specify the object type for the associated record

Marking Notifications as Tasks​

You can mark a notification as a Task to make it appear in the Tasks tab instead of (or in addition to) the Inbox tab. This is useful for:

  • Action items that require completion
  • Reminders with deadlines
  • Items that need to be tracked separately

When marked as a Task, the notification appears in the right-side Tasks panel in the Employee Hub, making it more prominent for actionable items.

Advanced Configuration​

Using Custom Notification Types​

Instead of simple-message, you can use custom types like:

  • custom.sick-leave-certificate
  • custom.certificate-request
  • custom.<any-name-you-want>

Custom types allow you to:

  • Create Notification Type custom metadata for more control
  • Configure different notification channels (email, Slack)
  • Set up specific behaviors per notification type

Notification Type Custom Metadata​

For custom notification types, you can create Notification Type custom metadata to control:

  • Which channels send the notification (Employee Hub, Email, Slack)
  • Default behavior for that notification type
  • Custom routing logic

Simple Message Type Behavior​

The simple-message type automatically sends notifications via:

  • Employee Hub (always)
  • Email (by default, controlled by Notification Type custom metadata)
  • Slack (by default, controlled by Notification Type custom metadata)

You can control email and Slack delivery through Notification Type custom metadata settings.

Use Cases​

Example 1: Document Upload Request​

Scenario: Request an employee to upload a sick leave certificate

  • Type: custom.sick-leave-certificate
  • Title: "Please upload your sick leave certificate"
  • Plain Text: "Please upload your sick leave certificate before August 1st"
  • Button Name: "Upload"
  • Button Link: Link to Documents page

Example 2: Task Reminder​

Scenario: Remind an employee to complete their performance review

  • Type: simple-message
  • Title: "Complete your performance review"
  • Plain Text: "Your performance review is due by the end of the month"
  • Mark as Task to appear prominently
  • Button Link: Link to the review form

Example 3: Vacation Reminder​

Scenario: Friendly reminder about vacation

  • Type: simple-message
  • Title: "Do not forget to rest during the vacation!"
  • Plain Text: "That is simple-message type"

Best Practices​

  • Use clear, actionable titles: Make it immediately clear what the notification is about
  • Include specific deadlines: Add dates or deadlines in the message content
  • Link buttons to relevant pages: Use Button Link to direct employees to the right place (Documents, Forms, etc.)
  • Mark time-sensitive items as Tasks: Use the Task flag for items that require action
  • Use custom types for specific workflows: Create custom types for notifications that need specific routing or behavior
  • Keep messages concise: Employees should be able to understand the notification quickly