Before you begin, make sure you’re:

☑️ Logged in

☑️ Assigned the relevant permissions

☑️ Familiar with creating or editing custom screens

☑️ Aware of how workflows operate in Sense Automate

Variants let you customise what different participants see when completing forms during workflow processes.

Variants are available for Profile screens and Return to Work screens.

They are not available for Expense line item screens.
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Variants are ideal when:

• Employees, Managers, and HR complete different fields

• Some participants must see information but not edit it

• Required fields differ by participant

• Workflow steps need controlled visibility and behaviour

• You want to avoid creating multiple duplicate screens

Variants provide workflow flexibility while maintaining a single master screen for reporting and consistency.

Variants ARE:

• Visibility rules applied inside workflows

• Based on a single master screen

• Configured per participant (Employee, Manager, HR, etc.)

• A way to set View / Edit / Required behaviour

• Used to streamline workflow tasks

• Efficient — all roles share one underlying screen

Variants are NOT:

• Different versions of a screen

• Profile visibility settings

• A way to rearrange fields

• A way to hide fields from profiles

• A way to collect separate data for different roles

• A substitute for Access roles or Profile templates

Variants solve the problem of different people needing different interactions with the same form during a workflow.

Example:

An Employee Self-Review workflow might require:

• Employee: complete review answers

• Manager: add feedback

• HR: add final notes

Instead of building three separate screens, variants allow all participants to use one screen — with different view/edit rules.

This creates:

• Clean reporting

• Single source of truth

• No duplication

• Easy maintenance

• Less risk of configuration error

Variants are managed from:

Settings > Screen designer > Screens

Variants are available for:

Expense line item screens do not support variants.

A screen with variants displays an expand arrow, allowing you to view and manage its variants.

Variants apply only when the relevant screen is used within a workflow or process.

They control:

Variants never affect the employee profile.

Variants sit on top of a single master screen.

The master screen defines:

• Field structure

• Field order

• Field types

• Column headers

• Reporting structure

Variants define:

• Who can view a field

• Who can edit a field

• Which fields must be completed

• Which fields are hidden during the task

• Behaviour for each workflow participant

Variants do not modify the master screen.

They only modify how it behaves during that workflow step.

To create a variant:

1. Go to Settings > Screen designer > Screens

2. Locate the screen

3. Click More actions (…)

4. Select Create variant

5. Name the variant

6. (Optional) Add a Description

7. Set the behaviour for each field:

8. Click Save changes

Behaviour:

After saving a Return to Work screen, Sense HR recommends creating separate variants for Employees and Managers.

You can:

Choosing Later does not create any variants automatically.

You can create variants later using the same process used for Profile screens. For Return to Work workflows, make sure you create the variants using the exact recommended names, such as Employee and Manager, so the workflow can reference them correctly.

To edit an existing variant:

1. Go to Settings > Screen designer > Screens

2. Expand the variants under a screen

3. Select the variant

4. Adjust View / Edit / Required toggles as needed

5. Click Save changes

Changes apply instantly to all workflows using that variant.

Variants control workflow behaviour for Profile and Return to Work screens:

✔ Visibility

✔ Edit permissions

✔ Required fields for the workflow

✔ What a participant can see during a task

✔ What must be completed to progress

Variants do NOT affect:

✖ Field order

✖ Underlying data structure

✖ What users see in their employee profile

✖ What screens appear on templates

✖ Reporting structure

✖ Permissions outside workflows

Example 1 — Employee Self-Review

Master screen fields:

• Self review comments

• Strengths

• Areas for improvement

• Manager comments

• HR notes

Employee variant:

• Employee fields — Edit

• Manager/HR fields — Hidden

Manager variant:

• Employee fields — View

• Manager comments — Edit

• HR notes — Hidden

HR variant:

• All fields — View

• HR notes — Edit

Example 2 — Equipment Allocation (Table)

Master screen fields:

• Item name

• Issue date

• Return date

• Employee notes

• Manager notes

Employee variant:

• Return date — Edit

• Employee notes — Edit

• Manager notes — Hidden

Manager variant:

• All fields — Edit

HR variant:

• All fields — View

Example 3 — Onboarding Checklist

Master screen fields:

• Personal details confirmed

• Upload documents

• Manager checklist

• Notes

Employee variant:

• Personal fields — Required

• Manager checklist — Hidden

Manager variant:

• Manager checklist — Required

• Employee fields — View

Common missteps (and how to avoid them)

❌ Misstep 1 — Creating variants before building the full screen

Variants cannot add fields that don’t exist.

✔ Build the full screen first (you can always add to it later)

❌ Misstep 2 — Renaming variants used in library workflows

Library workflows depend on variant names.

✔ Never rename library variants.

❌ Misstep 3 — Editing a field that appears in multiple variants

Editing field properties affects every screen that uses that field.

✔ Create a new field if you need different behaviour.

❌ Misstep 4 — Expecting variants to change the employee profile

Variants do not control profile visibility.

✔ Use Access roles for profile visibility.

❌ Misstep 5 — Removing fields used in workflow steps

Removing a field removes it from all variants and can break a workflow.

✔ Check the workflow before removing fields.

❌ Misstep 6 — Forgetting to update variants when new fields are added

New fields default to Hidden.

✔ Review all variants after adding new fields.

Library workflows often include:

You may safely:

You must NOT:

⚠️ Removing a field from the master screen removes it from ALL variants

Workflow steps using that field may break.

⚠️ Field property updates affect all variants

Labels, options, and validations apply everywhere.

⚠️ Hidden ≠ deleted

Hidden fields can still appear in profiles (depending on Access roles).

⚠️ Variants do not isolate data

All variants write back to the same fields.

⚠️ Deleting a screen deletes all variants

Workflow steps attached to those variants will fail.

⚠️ Variants cannot fix issues with the screen design

Fix the master screen first; then adjust variants.

Best practice

✔️ Build the full master screen before creating variants

✔️ Name variants clearly (Employee, Manager, HR, Reviewer, Approver)

✔️ Use variant descriptions to document purpose

✔️ Review variants whenever fields are added

✔️ Preview workflow tasks after variant updates

✔️ Keep workflow roles consistent

✔️ Use variants only for workflow behaviour

✔️ Use Access roles for profile visibility

Variants allow you to tailor workflow task visibility and behaviour for different participants — without duplicating screens or creating inconsistent data structures.

Use variants when:

• Employees, managers, and HR need different interactions

• Required fields vary by workflow role

• You want to maintain a single reporting structure

• You want workflow-specific visibility without altering profile visibility

Avoid using variants when:

• You need different profile experiences (use Access roles + templates)

• The underlying structure must differ (create separate screens)

Variants sit on top of a well-designed master screen.

Build the screen, then layer workflow behaviour with variants.