> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.skillsdb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# People Flags
> Learn how to create and manage People Flags in SkillsDB — custom labels for categorizing employees by talent potential, specialty, or any org-specific attribute.
**Quick Summary:** People Flags are colored labels that administrators assign to individuals to categorize them across your organization. SkillsDB includes three built-in potential flags, and you can create unlimited custom flags to match your own categorization needs.
# Overview
People Flags are administrator-defined labels attached to individual employees to mark meaningful attributes — for example, talent potential levels, project availability, leadership readiness, or any other category relevant to your organization. Once assigned, flags appear as colored badges on a person's profile and in people tables, making them immediately visible to anyone with access to that person's record.
SkillsDB includes three system-default flags for talent potential assessment that are available immediately without any configuration. Administrators can supplement these with any number of custom flags, each with a unique name, description, and color.
People Flags are distinct from Skill Flags. People Flags are applied to individuals and describe attributes of the person. Skill Flags are applied to a person's relationship with a specific skill and describe their level of expertise or designation for that skill (for example, Expert or Mentor). See Skill Flags for information on that feature.
Only administrators can create, edit, delete, and assign People Flags. Managers can view flags applied to their direct reports but cannot modify them.
### Prerequisites
Before managing People Flags, you need:
* **Permission level**: Administrator role
* **Access**: Navigate to **Settings > Flags > People Flags** tab
***
## Understanding People Flags
#### System flags
SkillsDB includes three system-default People Flags that are pre-configured and available to all organizations. These flags cannot be edited or deleted, but they can be disabled if your organization does not use them.
| Flag | Color | Purpose |
| ---------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **High potential** | Green | Marks individuals demonstrating exceptional growth potential and readiness for advancement |
| **Moderate potential** | Yellow | Marks individuals showing steady growth potential with room for development |
| **Low potential** | Red | Marks individuals showing limited growth potential in their current role |
System flags are labeled **System** in the flags list and their name, description, and color cannot be changed.
#### Custom flags
Administrators can create unlimited custom flags with a name, optional description, and color of their choosing. Custom flags are fully editable after creation and can be deleted at any time.
Custom flags support any categorization that matters to your organization — for example:
* Project availability (`Available`, `On Bench`, `Deployed`)
* Specialist designations (`AWS Certified`, `Six Sigma Black Belt`)
* Development programs (`Mentoring Program`, `Leadership Track`)
* Succession planning (`Successor – Director`, `Succession Candidate`)
#### People Flags vs Skill Flags
People Flags and Skill Flags are two distinct systems that exist side by side in SkillsDB. Understanding the difference helps ensure you apply the right tool.
| | People Flags | Skill Flags |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Applied to** | A person | A person's specific skill |
| **Describes** | An attribute of the individual | An attribute of the person-skill relationship |
| **Examples** | High potential, Available, On Bench | Expert, Mentor, Focus, Interest |
| **Managed at** | Settings > Flags > People Flags tab | Settings > Flags > Skill Flags tab |
| **Assigned via** | People tables or person profile | Skills matrix or person's skill record |
Use People Flags to describe who a person is organizationally. Use Skill Flags to describe someone's standing or relationship to a specific skill.
***
## Managing People Flags
All People Flag management is done from **Settings > Flags**. Select the **People Flags** tab to view and manage the full list of flags for your organization.
The flags list displays each flag's name, description, color, and enabled status. Drag handles on the left allow you to reorder flags. System flags are labeled **System** and appear with locked controls.
#### Creating a custom flag
1. Navigate to **Settings > Flags** and select the **People Flags** tab
2. Select **Add Flag**
3. In the **Add new people flag** modal, enter the following:
* **Flag name** (required) — Up to 30 characters
* **Description** (optional) — Up to 100 characters; shown as a tooltip when hovering over the flag badge
* **Color** — Enter a hex color code (for example, `#3B82F6` for blue); defaults to gray if left blank
4. Select **Save**
The new flag appears at the bottom of the flags list and is enabled immediately. You can drag it to any position in the list.
**Tip:** Choose colors that are visually distinct from one another and from the system flags. High-contrast colors make flags easier to scan in large people tables.
#### Editing a custom flag
1. Navigate to **Settings > Flags > People Flags** tab
2. Select the **edit icon** (pencil) next to the flag you want to update
3. In the **Edit people flag** modal, update the name, description, or color
4. Select **Save**
Changes take effect immediately. Any person who already has the flag assigned will see the updated name, description, and color on their record.
**Note:** System flags (High potential, Moderate potential, Low potential) cannot be edited. The edit icon is not available for system flags.
#### Enabling and disabling flags
Each flag has an **Enabled** toggle that controls whether it can be assigned to new people.
* **Enabled** — The flag is active and appears in the flag assignment dropdown when editing a person's flags.
* **Disabled** — The flag is hidden from the assignment dropdown. It cannot be applied to new people, but existing assignments are preserved. The flag badge continues to appear on people who already have it assigned, marked as **Inactive**.
To toggle a flag, select its **Enabled** checkbox in the flags list. The change takes effect immediately.
Disabling a flag is the recommended approach when you want to retire a flag temporarily without losing existing assignment data. Deleting a flag is permanent and removes it from all people.
#### Reordering flags
The order of flags in the list determines how they appear in the assignment dropdown and in people tables. To reorder:
1. Navigate to **Settings > Flags > People Flags** tab
2. Select and hold the **drag handle** (the grip icon on the left side of a flag row)
3. Drag the flag to the desired position
4. Release to drop — the new order saves automatically
System flags can be repositioned relative to other flags by dragging them within the list.
#### Deleting a custom flag
Deleting a flag permanently removes it from your organization and strips it from every person it has been assigned to.
1. Navigate to **Settings > Flags > People Flags** tab
2. Select the **delete icon** (trash can) next to the flag you want to remove
3. Review the confirmation message, which shows how many people currently have this flag assigned
4. Select **Delete** to confirm
**Warning:** Deleting a People Flag removes it from all people it is currently assigned to. This action cannot be undone. If you want to preserve existing assignments and simply stop applying the flag to new people, disable the flag instead of deleting it.
**Note:** System flags (High potential, Moderate potential, Low potential) cannot be deleted. The delete icon is not available for system flags.
***
## Applying People Flags to Individuals
Administrators assign People Flags to individuals directly from any people table in SkillsDB. The **People Flags** column appears in team and employee list views.
To apply a flag to a person:
1. Navigate to a people table — for example, **Manage > Employees** or **Team > People**
2. Locate the **People Flags** column in the row for the person you want to update
3. Select the **+** (plus icon) in that person's People Flags cell
4. In the dropdown that appears, search for a flag by name using the **Find Flag** input, or scroll the list
5. Check the flag(s) you want to apply to this person
6. The assignment saves automatically — no additional confirmation is required
To remove a flag from a person, open the same dropdown and uncheck the flag.
**Note:** Only enabled flags appear in the assignment dropdown. Disabled flags are not available for new assignments but remain visible on people who already have them.
Flags assigned to a person also appear on their individual profile page under the **General** tab, alongside other profile information.
### Where People Flags Appear
Once assigned, People Flags are visible in several areas of SkillsDB:
| Location | How flags appear |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Manage > Employees** | People Flags column shows colored badges; up to two displayed inline, with a "+N more" count if additional flags are assigned |
| **Team > People** | Same column and badge display as Manage > Employees |
| **Person profile (General tab)** | All assigned flags displayed as colored badges |
| **Search results** | People Flags can be used as a filter to narrow search results by flag |
Hovering over a flag badge shows the flag's description (if one was entered), making it easy for viewers to understand the meaning of a flag without navigating away.
***
# Common Questions
No. Only administrators can assign or remove People Flags. Managers can view flags on their direct reports' records but the assignment controls are not available to them.
Yes. The color field is optional. If no hex color is entered, the flag badge defaults to gray (`#6B7280`). You can add or update the color at any time by editing the flag.
People Flags are assigned directly to the individual, not to their position in the org structure. A flag remains on a person when they move departments, are reassigned to a different manager, or change roles. You must manually remove the flag if it is no longer applicable.
There is no limit on the number of custom flags. However, consider whether each flag serves a distinct, searchable purpose for your organization. A smaller set of well-defined flags is easier to maintain and more consistently applied than a large set of overlapping categories.
Yes. A person can have any number of People Flags applied simultaneously. For example, someone could hold both `High potential` and `Available` at the same time. All assigned flags are displayed together as separate badges on their record.
Yes. People Flags are available as a filter dimension in the **Search** page. After navigating to **Search**, open the filter options and select one or more People Flags to narrow results to people who hold those flags.
Disabling a flag hides it from the assignment dropdown so no new assignments can be made, but preserves all existing assignments. People who already have the flag retain it on their record, and it is still visible (marked as **Inactive**). Deleting a flag permanently removes it from every person it was assigned to and from the system. Deletion cannot be undone.
No. System flags are locked — their name, description, and color cannot be changed. You can disable them if your organization does not use potential ratings, which hides them from the assignment dropdown and from new assignments. Existing assignments to system flags are preserved when the flag is disabled.
***
# Related Articles
Configure Expert, Mentor, Focus, Interest, and custom flags that apply to skills
How employees and managers view People Flags on profiles
Collect structured data from employees, including talent assessments
Report on people data including flag assignments across your organization
***
# Need Help?
If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization's SkillsDB administrator or contact [SkillsDB Support](https://www.skillsdb.com/support).