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Sapling - ADP WorkforceNow Integration Guide

Matt Troy
Updated

Introduction

The Kallidus Sapling platform helps HR and People Operations teams automate and streamline administrative tasks so they can focus on employee experience, retention, and creating an amazing culture for the most successful teams.

ADP Workforce Now is an all-in-one platform for payroll and HR software, providing expert support and analytics for data-driven insights​.

With the ADP Workforce Now integration, Sapling will:

  • Create Users: When a new hire completes preboarding in Sapling, they will automatically be created in ADP

  • Update User Attributes (optional): When a user profile is updated in ADP/Sapling, the corresponding user profile will be updated in Sapling/ADP

  • Deactivate Users (optional): When a user is offboarded in ADP/Sapling, the corresponding user in Sapling/ADP will automatically be deactivated 

  • Link Users: Existing Sapling users will be linked to corresponding users in ADP based on Company Email

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How it Works

Create Users

  • When a new hire completes preboarding in Sapling, they will immediately be created in ADP with their personal information and job details

  • When onboarding the new hire in Sapling, you will be required to specify an ADP Company Code and ADP Template
    • This determines where the new hire is created (eg. you have multiple companies in ADP) and how the new hire will be onboarded (eg. you have multiple onboarding flows in ADP)
    • Please note that these fields will only appear if the specified Location, Department, and Employment Status values match the filters configured under the integration settings
  • Once created in ADP, you can validate their data and complete their onboarding in ADP as needed

  • The new hire will then be invited to ADP based on your company settings in ADP

  • Check out the Supported Fields section for what fields are synced from Sapling to ADP for user creation

Update User Attributes in Sapling (optional)

  • When a user profile is updated in ADP, the corresponding user profile will be updated in Sapling via a daily (overnight) sync

  • Rehirings and terminations made in ADP are also synced into Sapling this way

  • Check out the Supported Fields section for what fields are synced from ADP to Sapling for user updates

Update User Attributes in ADP (optional)

  • When a user profile is updated in Sapling, the corresponding user profile will immediately be updated in ADP

  • Check out the Supported Fields section for what fields are synced from Sapling to ADP for user updates

Deactivate Users (optional)

  • When a user is offboarded in Sapling, the corresponding user in ADP will automatically be deactivated once the Sapling Access Cutoff date (specified during offboarding) is reached

  • Check out this article for more information on offboarding users in Sapling

  • When a user is terminated in ADP, the corresponding user will be deactivated in Sapling via a daily (overnight) sync

  • Check out this article for more information on terminating users in ADP 

Link Users

  • As long as the integration is enabled, a daily (overnight) sync will link existing Sapling users to corresponding ADP users based on Company Email

  • Check out the Before Enabling the Integration section to get the most of the initial user linking when the integration is first enabled

Before Enabling the Integration

Paid Subscription and Data Consent Required

To leverage this integration, you'll first need to purchase a subscription to the Sapling Connector for ADP Workforce Now - please note the recurring annual fee. Once purchased, you'll received an email from ADP requesting your consent to provide Sapling with the necessary data permissions. Once consent has been granted, you're ready to enable the integration in Sapling. 

User Creation Limitations

Sapling will only auto-create ADP accounts for new hires that complete preboarding after the integration is enabled. 

As such, before enabling the integration you need to manually create ADP accounts for all your existing Sapling users (if they don't already have one). For a speedier solution, please reach out to ADP Support and ask if you're able to do so via bulk upload. 

Once the integration is enabled, existing Sapling users will be linked to corresponding ADP users based on Company Email. Once linked, user updates in Sapling will sync to ADP going forward.

Setting Up the Integration

Part 1: Purchase a Sapling Connector subscription from ADP Marketplace and grant consent

  1. From the ADP Marketplace, purchase a subscription to the Sapling Connector for ADP Workforce Now
  2. Once purchased, review the consent request email from ADP and click "View Request"
  3. Click "Allow" to grant Sapling the necessary data permissions

Part 2: Configure the ADP integration in Sapling

  1. Reach out to Sapling Support (or your Implementation Consultant/CSM) and let them know you've purchased the Sapling Connector and granted consent as needed
  2. They will complete the necessary backend configurations and enable the integration for you
  3. Once enabled, they will notify you to configure the remaining steps below
  4. Under Administration Tools, navigate to Integrations
  5. Scroll down to find the ADP integration (it should already be enabled) and click "Settings"
  6. Under the integration settings, enable the sliders below as needed
    • Sync Changes from Sapling to ADP: If you'd like for user updates (including offboarding and rehiring) to be synced from Sapling to ADP
    • Sync Changes from ADP to Sapling: If you'd like for user updates (including termination and rehiring) to be synced from ADP to Sapling
    • Enable multiple company codes: This should always be enabled
    • Enable multiple tax types: If you'll be hiring international hires where non-SSN self identification will be used
  7. Specify which Location, Department, and Employment Statuses the integration applies to, and click "Next"
  8. Confirm your configuration details and click "Activate" to complete the integration

Supported Fields

Kallidus is continually expanding the number of fields that sync between Sapling and ADP.

Please note that is not possible to exclude or custom map any of the supported fields above, or map any additional fields at this time. 

For Sapling fields with approval chains enabled, updates from ADP will not be synced into Sapling for those fields. Updates from Sapling will still be synced to ADP, but only after the field changes have been fully approved. 

When creating Sapling new hires in ADP, both required and non-required fields will be validated on the backend before being synced. If a required field fails validation (eg. First Name contains an unsupported character), the Sapling new hire will not be created in ADP. This applies to the Sapling fields below:

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Personal Email
  • Start Date

If a non-required field fails validation (eg. Home Phone Number format does not match the new hire's resident country), the Sapling new hire will be created in ADP but the invalid field will not be synced. This applies to the Sapling fields below:

  • Department
  • Location
  • Job Title
  • Manager
  • Home Phone Number
  • Mobile Phone Number

Key Factors to be aware of

Field Name Matching

  • For the fields to sync correctly, the naming conventions must match between Sapling and ADP for both the fields names and field values (for dropdown fields)

Managing ADP Templates

ADP provides several system templates you can use with this integration right away. Please note that you need to be a Practitioner in ADP in order to use any of the system templates.

  • HR + Payroll (System)
  • HR + Payroll + Time (System)
  • HR + Time (System)
  • HR Only (System)
  • International (System)

For any custom ADP templates you'd like to use with this integration, the template must be given API user access by enabling the options below in ADP. To do so, navigate to Setup >> Hire/Rehire (under Template Management) >> Select a template >> Assign Users >> Next/Submit.

For any ADP Templates not currently in use, you can deactivate them in ADP by navigating to Setup >> Hire/Rehire (under Template Management) >> Disable the status slider.

Managing People Managers

For a user's Manager in Sapling to sync as the user's Manager (Reports To) in ADP, the Manager must have the following:

  • An existing profile in ADP
  • The Management Position flag enabled on their ADP profile
  • When onboarding new hires, the Management Position flag has to be enabled on the Manager's profile before the new hire's Start Date is reached

Managing Departments and Locations

When the integration is enabled, we will sync all of your Department and Location options from ADP into Sapling's Department and Location fields. As such, please note the following:

  • If any of the synced Department or Location options were later deactivated in ADP, you need to manually remove those deactivated options from Sapling's Department and Location fields - we cannot do this for you automatically
  • For a Department option to be valid, it must be active in ADP and has to be available for the Company Code specified for any particular user
  • For a Location option to be valid, it must be active in ADP and have a description

You can review your Department and Location options in ADP by navigating to Setup >> Validation Tables>> Department/Location.

Managing Pay Grades

For a Job Title to successfully sync from Sapling to ADP, the Default Pay Grade associated with the Job Title in ADP must be left empty.

Managing Offboarding/Termination

When it comes to offboarding/terminating users, you can do so from within Sapling or ADP respectively. The sections below outline best practices for each option.

How to terminate users in ADP while leveraging Sapling offboarding workflows

  1. Create an offboarding workflow in Sapling (or edit an existing one) 
  2. Within that workflow, add a placeholder task along the lines of "offboard user in ADP"
    • For example, the 'Offboarding Workflow' in Sapling would be comprised of 20 tasks across multiple stakeholders (including Exiting team members, Managers, IT, and Payroll teams) that are notified of the offboarding 
    • The placeholder task "offboard user in ADP" would be assigned to one of these stakeholders including the user's information (including termination dates, last day worked, termination type, etc.)  
  3. Assign the Sapling offboarding workflow by navigating to the User profile >> Tasks >> Assign workflow
  4. When the placeholder task is reached within the Sapling offboarding workflow, the assigned stakeholder would go into ADP and initiate the offboarding process there
  5. Once the user has been offboarded in ADP and their Termination Date is reached, their offboarded status will be synced from ADP to Sapling via the daily (overnight) sync with the following details included: 
    • Last day worked (taken from the ADP Termination Date) 
    • Termination date
    • Reason for termination (voluntary/involuntary)
    • Status (inactive) 

How to offboard users in Sapling 

  1. Navigate to the User profile >> Actions >> Start offboarding
  2. Complete the offboarding workflow, specifying the Last day worked, Termination date, and Access Cutoff date, and assigning all workflows and documents as needed
  3. Once the user's Access Cutoff date is reached, the Sapling user profile will be deactivated and the ADP user profile will be deactivated immediately afterwards with the following details synced from Sapling to ADP:
    • Last day worked
    • Termination date
    • Eligible for rehire (yes/no)

Managing Termination Dates

When a user's Termination Date is updated in ADP (after they've been offboarded in either ADP or Sapling):

  • If the user's existing Termination Date in Sapling and it matches the latest ADP Termination Date, no changes will be reflected - both the existing Termination Date and Last Day Worked will remain as is.
  • If the user's existing Termination Date in Sapling is differs from the latest ADP Termination Date, both the existing Termination Date and Last Day Worked will be deleted. A new Termination Date and Last Day Worked will then be added in Sapling to match the latest ADP Termination Date. 

Managing Rehiring

When it comes to rehiring users, you can do so from within Sapling or ADP respectively - but please note the different behaviours between the two workflows. The sections below outline best practices for each option.

Rehiring users in ADP while leveraging Sapling onboarding workflows

When rehiring users in ADP, please note that users will not be reactivated in Sapling until their Start Date is reached. As such, this option is only advised if users do not need to complete any onboarding workflows in Sapling prior to their Start Date.

To rehire users in ADP and assign Sapling onboarding workflows (after the Start Date is reached): 

  1. Start the rehiring process in ADP, specifying a new Start Date 
  2. If the new Start Date is a past or current date, the ADP user profile will be reactivated immediately and the Sapling user profile will be reactivated afterwards via the next daily (overnight) sync
  3. If the new Start Date is a future date, the ADP user profile will be reactivated when the Start Date is reached and the Sapling user profile will be reactivated afterwards via the next daily (overnight) sync
  4. Once the Sapling user profile is reactivated, you can find them on the Transitions dashboard in Sapling and assign all workflows and documents as needed

Rehiring users in Sapling

When rehiring users in Sapling, please note that users are reactivated in Sapling immediately. As such, users are able to log into Sapling (via email or SSO) and complete any assigned onboarding workflows prior to their Start Date.

To rehire users in Sapling and assign onboarding workflows:

  1. Navigate to the User profile >> Actions >> Start rehire process
  2. Complete the rehiring workflow, specifying a new Start Date and assigning all workflows and documents as needed
  3. If the new Start Date is a past or current date, the Sapling user profile will be reactivated immediately and the ADP user profile will be reactivated immediately afterwards
  4. If the new Start Date is a future date, the Sapling user profile will be reactivated immediately, and the update will sync to ADP right away. ADP will record the future start date, but the user’s profile in ADP will only become active when the Start Date is reached
  5. Once the ADP user profile is reactivated, an admin can go to the user profile in ADP to complete the remaining rehiring steps there (e.g. payroll)
  6. To assign onboarding experience in ADP before the start date, you can find them on the Onboarding Dashboard by adjusting the hire date filter

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Note: If the new Start Date is set as a past or current date in ADP but a future date in Sapling, the user profile in Sapling will stay active and won’t be overridden by ADP during the overnight sync. To ensure data stays synced, we recommend completing onboarding in either ADP or Sapling only—not both.

 

Managing Time Off

Sapling customers can import their time off accruals and balances into Workforce Now through ADP’s Time Off import function. The workflow takes approximately 5 minutes each pay cycle when completed with batch processing.

  • An admin will have to import data from Sapling to ADP, using a report like this.
  • This will require running a report in Sapling, then using the template linked.

Product Compatibility

  • This integration is only for ADP Workforce Now, but other ADP products (eg. ADP TotalSource) may be able to use parts of this integration. For confirmation on the compatibility of your ADP product, please reach out to ADP Support. 
  • If you are an ADP TotalSource customer, you will only be able to sync new hires from Sapling to ADP. Once a Sapling new hire has been synced to ADP, you will not be able to sync any additional user updates from Sapling to ADP. This is due to a compliance limitation of ADP TotalSource which does not allow additional data to be received via inbound APIs. However, you are still able to sync user updates from ADP to Sapling. 

Filters in Sapling

Sapling supports filtering, and allows you to identify what users you want to keep synced based on the following:

  • Location

  • Department

  • Employment Status

Looking to do more?

Want to build your own custom integration? Check out the publicly available resources below:

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