Communities

Create open and closed Empuls groups, manage membership automatically or manually, set posting permissions, and use groups to drive team collaboration.

Groups are the communities at the heart of Empuls. They bring together colleagues around shared roles, departments, locations, interests, or projects — and they’re where conversations, recognitions, announcements, and polls live. Every organization starts with a default Townhall group that includes all employees, and you can create as many additional groups as your organization needs. Browse and manage groups in your tenant at https://<your-empuls-url>/home/groups.

By default, any active employee can create a group. Super Admins can restrict group creation to managers and admins only under Access Control Settings.

Group types

Empuls supports several categories of groups. Use the type that fits your purpose:

Group type	Description
Townhall	Default company-wide group. All employees are members automatically.
Department groups	Official groups for a team or function, typically managed by HR or department leads.
Location groups	Groups organized by office location or region.
Interest groups	Voluntary communities around hobbies, sports, wellness, books, and more.
Project groups	Created for specific projects or product initiatives.
Leadership groups	Restricted groups for management-level discussions.

Public vs. private groups

• Public groups — visible to all employees; anyone can join immediately.
• Private groups — membership requires approval from a Group Admin. Non-members can optionally be allowed to view discussions without joining.

Creating a group

1. Navigate to groups

   Go to Social > Groups > See All, then click Create Group.

   
2. Fill in group details

   Enter the Name, Description, and Membership Restrictions (public or private). Click Create Group.

   
3. Add members

   From the group page, click Add Members in the Group Members card on the right. You can:

   • Type individual email addresses manually
   • Use filters such as All Employees, By Department, or By Location to add members in bulk
   • Set up automatic membership rules by configuring parameters
     
     

When employees are added to a group, they receive a notification.

Joining a group

1. Browse available groups

   Navigate to Social > Groups > See All, then click the Other Groups tab to see all groups you haven’t joined yet.

2. Join a group

   Search for the group by name or browse the list. Click Join on the group you want to join.

You can join public groups immediately. For private groups, your request goes to the Group Admin for approval.

Automatic group membership

Instead of manually managing members, you can define smart membership rules that automatically add and remove employees as their profiles change.

How it works

Admins can set membership rules based on one or more criteria:

• Location (e.g., Bangalore, London)
• Department / Function (e.g., Engineering, Sales)
• Employee Type (e.g., Full-time, Intern)
• Grade / Level
• Business Unit
• Custom attributes from your HRMS

Once rules are saved:

• Auto-join: Employees who match the criteria are added automatically.
• Auto-remove: Employees who no longer match (due to a promotion, location change, or department transfer) are removed automatically.

Setting up automatic membership

1. Open Add Members

   Navigate to the group, then click Add Members in the Group Members card.

2. Apply filters

   Use the filter dropdowns to define your audience — by department, location, grade, business unit, or other attributes.

3. Enable automation

   Check the option to update group members automatically in real time. This enables the auto-join and auto-remove behavior.

4. Save

   Click Add to save the rules. Matching employees are added immediately, and membership stays current as employee data changes.

Automatic membership is highly recommended for large or distributed organizations. It’s ideal for department groups, location groups, new joiner welcome groups, and regional social clubs.

Common automation use cases

Community type	Rule example	Result
Location-based	Location = Los Angeles	All LA employees join automatically
Org function	Department = Engineering	Engineering team grouped for knowledge sharing
Leadership	Designation contains "Manager"	Managers-only group for strategic discussions
New joiners	Date of joining within last 30 days	Onboarding group auto-populated each month

Posting in groups

1. Open the group feed

   Navigate to the group and click Post at the top of the feed.

2. Write your message

   Type your post. Keep it relevant to the group’s purpose, clear, and professional.

3. Add formatting and media

   Use bold, italics, and lists for readability. Attach images, videos, documents, or GIFs using the icons in the composer. Documents can be up to 10 MB; videos up to 500 MB.

4. Tag people or values

   Use @name to mention a colleague — they’ll receive a notification. Use @group to notify all group members. Use #value to attach a company core value card for peer recognition.

5. Post

   Click Post to publish to the group.

Types of content to post in groups

• Announcements — upcoming events, policy updates, important information
• Questions — ask for input, seek advice from colleagues
• Knowledge sharing — tips, articles, resources
• Recognition — celebrate a colleague’s achievement using a value card
• Polls — gather quick opinions from the group
• Community posts — fun, social content to build connection

Managing group settings

Group Admins can update group details, privacy, content moderation, and membership from the group settings panel.

1. Open group settings

   Navigate to Home > Groups > See All, select the group, then click Group Settings in the About this group card on the right side.

2. Edit group information

   Click the pen icon to update the group’s Name, Image, and Description. Click Update to save.

   
3. Manage privacy

   Switch the group between Public and Private to control who can join and view content.

   
4. Configure content moderation

   Click More > Edit to open content settings. Check or uncheck permissions for members, such as the ability to initiate discussions or add comments. Click Update to save.

   

Managing group members

Adding members

Navigate to Group Settings > All Members, then click Add Members. Enter email addresses or apply filters to add multiple employees at once.

Removing members

Go to Group Settings > All Members, click the action icon next to a member’s name, and select Remove from Group.

Bulk removal is not available. Members must be removed individually.

Giving and revoking admin rights

• To make someone an admin: Group Settings > All Members > action icon > Make Admin
• To revoke admin access: Group Settings > All Members > action icon > Revoke Admin Access

Archiving, leaving, or deleting a group

Click the three-dot icon on the Group Information page and choose the relevant option:

• Leave group — removes you from the group without affecting other members
• Archive group — prevents new posts and comments; older content remains viewable; archived groups appear under My Groups
• Delete group — permanently removes the group and all its content

Best practices

What makes a good group name?

Choose a name that immediately communicates the group’s purpose. Vague names like “Team A” don’t help employees decide whether to join. Clear names like “Engineering — Backend” or “Book Club” work much better.

How many groups should we create?

Start with the essentials: a group for each department, a location group per major office, and a few interest groups to seed community. Let employees create additional groups organically as interest develops.

When should I use public vs. private groups?

Use public groups for departments, locations, and general interest communities where transparency is fine. Use private groups for leadership discussions, project teams with sensitive information, or exclusive programs.

How do I keep groups active?

Post consistently. Ask questions, share wins, and run polls. Welcome new members by name. Respond to posts from others — groups thrive when participation is reciprocal.

Related pages

Social intranet

Overview of all social intranet features including posts, reactions, and feed personalization.

Townhall

Use the Townhall group for company-wide announcements and broadcasts.