Before you begin, make sure you’re:

☑️ Logged into the Sense Workplace web app

☑️ Assigned administrator permissions

☑️ Familiar with creating or editing custom screens

☑️ Aware of how workflows operate in Sense Automate

Variants let you customise what different workflow participants see when completing forms during workflow steps.
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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 appear in:

Settings > Screen designer > Screens

A screen with variants will show a dropdown arrow, revealing each variant underneath.

Variants apply only when a workflow step references the screen.

They affect:

• What fields participants see

• What fields participants can edit

• Which fields are required

• Whether fields are shown or hidden

Variants do NOT affect the main profile view at all.

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 Done

Behaviour:

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 Done

Changes apply instantly to all workflows using that variant.

Variants control workflow task behaviour:

✔ 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.