Node: Task

What does the Task node do?

The Task node creates a task in Simployer One and assigns it to someone.

Use the Task node for the steps in your process that a person has to carry out. The task appears in the assignee’s Action Hub, and the automation records whether it was completed.

When should I use the Task node?

• Onboarding. IT gets a task titled “Prepare laptop and accounts”, the manager gets “Book first-week 1:1”, and the employee gets “Complete personal details”.
• Sick leave follow-up. The employee’s manager gets a task titled “Book follow-up conversation” when an absence reaches a certain length.
• Offboarding. The manager gets a task titled “Collect equipment and confirm handover”, with a due date on the last working day.

What settings does the Task node have?

• Task title: What the assignee sees in their task list on the Action Hub. Write it as an instruction, for example “Book first-week 1:1 with new joiner” rather than “1:1”. This is often all the assignee reads.
• Description: The details: what to do, why, and anything the assignee needs to know. You can include information from the employee’s record, such as their name, manager, or department, so the task reads specifically rather than generically.
• Assignee:You can assign a task to:
  • A named person - (a specific individual, regardless of who the run is for)
  • A role relative to the employee - (most commonly their manager, resolved from the employee’s record when the run starts)
  • The employee themselves
• Due date: When the task should be completed.
  
• Wait for completion: Whether the automation pauses at this node until the task is completed, or continues immediately.

What happens when a Task node runs?

1. The task is created and assigned. The assignee sees it in their Action Hub and is notified by email.
2. If Wait for completion is on, the automation stops at this node until the task is marked complete, then continues. If it is off, the automation moves straight to the next node and the task sits in the assignee’s list independently.
3. The run history shows that the task was created and, once it happens, when it was completed.

What are common mistakes and limitations with the Task node?

• Role-based assignees follow the record. “The employee’s manager” is resolved from the employee’s record when the run starts. If the manager field is empty, the task has nowhere to go and the node fails. If the manager field is wrong, the task goes to the wrong person.
• Wait for completion can stall a process indefinitely. If the assignee never completes the task, the automation never moves past this node. Only use Wait for completion where the following step genuinely depends on this one.
• Task text reaches a wider audience than the canvas. Managers and employees see task titles and descriptions. Do not put anything sensitive in them, particularly in automations triggered by compensation or sensitive-data changes.
• Due dates in the past. If the due date is set relative to a date that has already passed by the time the run starts, the task is created overdue.
• Editing the automation does not change tasks already created. Fixing the title in the automation will not fix tasks already sitting in people’s lists.