How to create an employee

Every worker you place through Agency Accelerator needs a profile on the platform. The profile holds their personal details, documents, certificates, emergency contacts and employment history, and it is what the platform uses to match workers to jobs, check compliance and process pay.

There are three ways to create a worker in Agency Accelerator, and this article walks through all of them so you can choose the one that suits the situation.

 

Before you start

• You need permission to manage employees within your agency.
• Have the worker's basic details to hand, including their full name, email address, date of birth, National Insurance number and DBS certificate number.
• If you are using Bulk Upload, have your worker information ready in a spreadsheet.
• If you plan to complete a full profile in one sitting, gather the worker's documents (photo ID, proof of address, CV, DBS certificate) and their training certificates first.

Note: You do not have to complete everything at once. Several sections include a tick box labelled "I do not have this information right now. I will edit later." so you can create the profile and fill in the gaps later.

 

Choosing the right method

Quick Add is best when you need a worker on the platform in a hurry. It creates a basic profile from a handful of essential fields, which you then complete later.

Detail Add is best when you want to set up a complete worker profile in one go. It takes you through all six stages of the profile, so the worker is ready for compliance review by the end.

Bulk Upload is best when you are adding many workers at the same time. It creates multiple general worker profiles from a CSV file, which you then complete individually.

To reach any of these options, go to Employees in the left hand menu, hover over Add Worker and choose Quick Add, Detail Add or Bulk Upload.

The Employees menu also gives you access to the Worker List, Cost Configuration, Compliance/Training and Teams.

 

Option 1: Quick Add

Use Quick Add when you want a worker on the platform straight away and you are happy to return to their profile later. It opens a short panel on the right of the screen with only the essential fields.

Steps

1. Go to Employees, hover over Add Worker and select Quick Add. The Quick Add Worker panel opens.
2. Enter the worker's First Name and Last Name.
3. Enter their Email Address. This is the address the worker will use to access the Worker Mobile App, so make sure it is correct.
4. Enter their Date of Birth.
5. Select their Gender.
6. Enter their National Insurance Number. The format is two letters, six digits and one letter, for example AB123456C.
7. Enter their DBS Number. This must be exactly twelve digits.
8. If you do not have the National Insurance or DBS details yet, tick I do not have this information right now. I will edit later.
9. Select Create Worker.

All fields marked with an asterisk are required, and the Create Worker button stays inactive until they are filled in or the tick box is selected.

Activating the worker

A worker created through Quick Add exists on the platform but is not yet active, which means you cannot allocate shifts to them. Once the profile has been created, choose one of the available activation options on screen to activate the worker.

Until the rest of the profile is completed, the worker will show as incomplete against your compliance requirements.

Option 2: Detail Add

Use Detail Add when you want to build the whole profile in one go. The screen is split into two parts. On the left you complete each section, and on the right you see a progress panel with the six stages of the profile:

• Basic Information: photo, name, contact information, date of birth, gender and nationality
• Documents and Proof: ID, right to work, DBS and other proofs, with expiry tracking
• Education and Training: qualifications and training certificates with issue and expiry dates
• Emergency: emergency contacts and essential notes
• Vaccination and Allergy Information: vaccinations, allergies and the medical questionnaire
• Employment: work history, referees and reference checks

Each stage shows an amber warning icon until it is complete, and a blue tick once it is done. The banner at the top of the page reminds you that all mandatory fields in the Basic Information section must be completed before you can move on to the remaining stages.

Stage 1: Basic Information

Agency Information

1. Select the Agency Location the worker will be attached to.

Personal Information

1. Select the pencil icon on the Worker Image circle to upload a photograph of the worker.
2. Enter the First Name and Last Name.
3. If the worker goes by another name, enter it in Also Known As.
4. Enter the Worker Email Address.
5. Choose the phone type in Select Phone and enter the number. Select + Add Another if you need to record more than one number.
6. Enter the Date of Birth and select the Gender.
7. Select the worker's Nationality.

Residential Address Information

In compliance with Children's Services regulations, you must record the worker's residential addresses for the past five years along with proof for each one. If the worker has not lived at the same address for the full five years, add each previous address as well.

1. If you do not have the address history yet, tick I do not have this information right now. I will edit later. and move on.
2. Select the Country and enter the Postcode and Residential Address.
3. Tick I am currently living in this address if this is the worker's current home.
4. Under How long have you been in this address, set the From and To dates. The Duration in Address field calculates automatically, so check that it looks right before moving on.
5. Under Proof Of Address Document, select Click here to add new file and upload the proof.
6. Select + Add Another Residential Address and repeat for each previous address until you have covered five years.

Employment Information

1. Select the Worker Type. This choice affects which documents the platform asks for later, so choose carefully.
2. Set the Contract Start Date.
3. Enter the Designation, which is the worker's job title.
4. Choose the Regulatory Settings that apply to the worker.
5. Check the TAX code. This defaults to 1257L and you can change it if the worker's code is different.
6. Select the Worker Employment Type: PAYE, PSC-Outside IR35 or Umbrella Company.

Photo ID Document, Visa and DBS Information

1. Enter the National Insurance Number in the format two letters, six digits and one letter.
2. Select the National Insurance Category. This defaults to A.
3. If the worker has a right to work Share Code, enter it here, for example A12 345 67G.
4. Enter the DBS Certificate Number, which must be exactly twelve digits.
5. Under Is there any Conviction, select Yes or No.
6. If any of this information is not available yet, tick I do not have this information right now. I will edit later.

Travel and Other Information

1. Enter the Preferred travel distance in KM. This is how far the worker is willing to travel for a shift and it helps with job matching.
2. Under Does this worker have a driving license?, select Yes or No. If yes, remember to upload a copy of the licence in the documents section.

Select Save when you have finished. Once the mandatory Basic Information fields are saved, the stage is ticked in the progress panel and the remaining stages unlock.

Stage 2: Documents and Proof

This stage is where you upload and track the worker's compliance documents. The platform builds the document list automatically based on the worker's type, visa status and other profile criteria, so no two workers will necessarily see the same list.

Documents are grouped into three sections:

• Right to Work Checks: documents that verify the worker's right to work in the UK, such as a passport
• Mandatory Documents: documents required by Care Hires for a compliance review, such as a CV, DBS certificate, National Insurance document, proof of address and, where relevant, a student timetable
• Optional Documents: documents that are recommended where applicable, such as Covid-19 vaccination proof, a PVG certificate for Scotland, or evidence of a regulatory setting where one has been selected

Documents marked as Mandatory must be uploaded and verified before the worker can be considered compliant.

Steps

1. Find the document you want to add in the relevant section.
2. Select Upload on that row and choose the file.
3. Add the Issued Date and, where the document expires, the Expiry Date. Documents that never expire show as No expiry.
4. Check the Status column to see where each document sits in the review process.
5. Select Next to move on to the next stage.

The buttons at the top of the section give you quick access to the worker's Profile, the Training Guide and a Summary of their compliance position. Rows with a Profile details link take you back to the field in the profile that the document relates to.

What this section is used for: the document area is a live compliance record rather than a one off upload. Once documents are in place, the platform tracks their expiry dates, prompts you when renewals are due and gives you an audit trail for inspections. Student timetables and term times are handled here too, so that placements can be matched around a student worker's study commitments. For the full detail on managing documents after the profile is created, see How to manage and maintain your employee documents and Managing student timetables and term times.

Stage 3: Education and Training

This stage records the worker's qualifications, training certificates and skills.

Training Compliance lists the certificates the worker holds, split into Mandatory Certificates and Optional Certificates. Each row shows the certificate name and version, the skills it unlocks, the delivery method and score, the issue and expiry dates, and whether it is currently Valid.

Steps

1. Select + Add New to add a certificate.
2. Enter the certificate details, including the delivery method, score, issue date and expiry date, then upload the certificate file.
3. Repeat for each certificate the worker holds.
4. Use the icons in the Actions column to view, edit or manage an existing certificate.

Additional Skills is for skills the worker has that are not backed by a certificate. Existing skills appear as tags at the top of the section, and you can remove one by selecting the cross next to it.

1. Use Search skills to add to look for a specific skill, or select any skill from the list below the search box.
2. If you have supporting evidence for a skill, upload it under the Other Documents section on the Documents tab.
3. Select Save Changes.

What this section is used for: certificates drive both compliance and job matching. Keeping issue and expiry dates accurate means the platform can warn you before a certificate lapses, and the skills attached to each certificate help the right workers surface for the right jobs. For more on maintaining certificates over time, including renewals and expiry tracking, see How to manage and maintain your employee certificates.

Stage 4: Emergency

Record who should be contacted if something happens while the worker is on shift.

1. Select + Add New.
2. Enter the Emergency Contact Name and their Relationship to the worker.
3. Enter the Primary Contact Number and, where available, a Secondary Contact Number.
4. Save the contact. It then appears in the table, where you can edit or remove it using the Actions column.

You can add more than one emergency contact.

Stage 5: Vaccination and Allergy Information

This stage covers the worker's medical questionnaire, vaccinations and allergies, all of which support risk assessments and safe placements.

Medical Questionnaire

If no responses have been recorded, the section shows a message explaining that the questionnaire has not been completed.

1. Select Request to Complete. The platform emails the questionnaire to the worker.
2. The worker's responses appear in this section once they have submitted them.

Vaccine Information

1. Select + Add New.
2. Enter the Vaccination Name/Type, the Clinic Site and the Vaccination Date.
3. Indicate whether the vaccination is Covid related.
4. Save the record. It appears in the table along with the date it was uploaded.

Stage 6: Employment

The final stage captures the worker's employment background and references.

Worker History

1. Select + Add New.
2. Enter the Organisation, the Designation and the Work Type, for example care sector related.
3. Enter the From and To dates and the employment basis, such as part time employment.
4. Add the Reason for leaving and any Note you want to keep on record.
5. Save the entry.

Reference

1. Select + Add New.
2. Choose the Reference Type, for example a professional referee, and select the organisation it relates to.
3. Add any Reference Notes.
4. Save the reference. Its Status shows as Pending until the reference is returned.
5. Use the eye icon in the Actions column to view the reference request.

Once all six stages show a blue tick, the profile is complete and the worker can be put forward for compliance review.

Option 3: Bulk Upload

Use Bulk Upload when you need to add several workers at once. You can import up to 100 rows at a time.

Important: Bulk upload creates general workers only. It does not create Care Hires verified workers. You can create the general worker records here, then fill in the remaining details on each profile and submit them for Care Hires verification.

Steps

1. Go to Employees, hover over Add Worker and select Bulk Upload. The Bulk Worker Creation screen opens.
2. Select Download sample CSV format to download the template. Using the template makes sure your data is in the format the platform expects.
3. Remove the example row and add your workers' details, following the column structure provided.
4. Save your file, then select Select file to upload and choose it. Your uploaded file appears in the preview area on the right.
5. Review the preview. If any information is incorrect or missing, the platform highlights exactly what needs to be fixed.
6. Correct the errors in your file and upload it again. If you want to start over, select Discard File.
7. When the upload is error free, import the file and select Submit Sheet. All workers in the CSV are then created in Agency Accelerator.

After the import, review each new profile to complete the compliance information and attach the required worker documents.

 

What happens after a worker is created

• Workers created through Quick Add or Bulk Upload are basic records. Open each profile and work through the six stages to complete it.
• Workers created through Detail Add are ready for compliance review once every stage shows a blue tick.
• Documents and certificates continue to need attention after creation, because expiry dates need monitoring and renewals need uploading.
• Once a worker is active and compliant, you can allocate shifts to them and they can access their shifts, timesheets and leave through the Worker Mobile App.

 

Check out our step by step guide on how to create an employee: