# Manage Their Status

Control when your employees work by managing their lifecycle state: keep them active, suspend them to pause work, or terminate them to move them to Alumni.

## TL;DR

Every employee has two independent indicators. **State** is the lifecycle position you control (active, suspended, terminated). **Status** is the current work activity the system manages automatically (available, working, awaiting input). You change the state. The system updates the status. Suspended employees stop all work but keep their configuration. Terminated employees move to Alumni with their full history preserved, and you can re-hire them at any time.

## Where to Find It

Open any employee by clicking their name in the sidebar. In the top-right corner of the employee dashboard header, you will see state controls that change based on the employee's current state:

- **Active employees** show a "Manage" dropdown with "Suspend" and "Terminate" options
- **Suspended employees** show a "Start Working" button and a "Manage" dropdown with "Terminate"
- **Terminated employees** show a "Re-hire" button

The employee's current state and status also appear in the header next to their avatar, as a colored badge.

## Employee States

States represent where an employee is in their lifecycle. You control these directly.

| State | What It Means | Avatar Ring Color | Can Work? | Can Chat? |
|-------|--------------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|
| **Onboarding** | New hire going through initial setup | Orange | Yes | Yes |
| **Active** | Ready to work, receiving tasks and messages | Green | Yes | Yes |
| **Suspended** | Paused temporarily, not receiving any work | Red | No | No |
| **Terminated** | Employment ended, moved to Alumni | Gray | No | No |

## Employee Status

Status shows what the employee is doing right now. The system updates this automatically. You do not control it directly.

| Status | What It Means | Dot Color |
|--------|--------------|-----------|
| **Available** | Idle, ready for the next task | Green |
| **Working** | Processing a task or message right now | Blue |
| **Awaiting Input** | Waiting for your approval or response | Yellow |
| **On Hold** | Waiting for credits to be available | Orange |
| **Error** | Something went wrong, needs attention | Red |
| **Offline** | Employee is suspended or terminated | Gray |

When an employee is suspended or terminated, their status automatically becomes "Offline" regardless of what it was before.

## What You Can Do

| Action | Where | How |
|--------|-------|-----|
| **Suspend an active employee** | Employee dashboard header | Click "Manage" dropdown, then "Suspend." Confirm when prompted |
| **Resume a suspended employee** | Employee dashboard header | Click the "Start Working" button |
| **Terminate an employee** | Employee dashboard header | Click "Manage" dropdown, then "Terminate." Confirm when prompted |
| **Re-hire a terminated employee** | Employee dashboard header (in Alumni) | Click the "Re-hire" button. They return to Active state |
| **Skip onboarding** | Employee dashboard header (during onboarding) | Click "Skip Onboarding" to move directly to Active state |

## State Transitions

Not every state change is available from every state. Here is what you can do from each:

| From State | Can Go To |
|------------|-----------|
| **Onboarding** | Active, Suspended, Terminated |
| **Active** | Suspended, Terminated |
| **Suspended** | Active, Terminated |
| **Terminated** | Active (re-hire) |

## What Happens When You Suspend

- The employee immediately stops receiving work
- Scheduled triggers skip silently while suspended
- Chat is disabled (you will see an "on break" message instead)
- The status changes to Offline
- All configuration is preserved (skills, duties, tools, schedules, everything)
- The employee stays in their team and appears in the sidebar with a red ring
- No credits are consumed while suspended

## What Happens When You Terminate

- The employee is moved to the Alumni section in the sidebar (labeled "Fired," collapsed by default)
- All conversation history, tasks, journal entries, and Drive files are preserved
- Chat is disabled (you will see a "was fired" message with a re-hire suggestion)
- The status changes to Offline
- The employee disappears from active team views but remains accessible in Alumni

## What Happens When You Re-hire

- The terminated employee returns to Active state
- All their previous configuration (skills, duties, tools) is restored
- They move back to their original team
- Chat becomes available again immediately
- They can start receiving work right away

## Tips and Tricks

- **Suspend instead of terminating.** If you are not sure whether you still need an employee, suspend them first. They keep everything and can be resumed instantly
- **Check the sidebar for a quick overview.** Avatar rings give you a visual snapshot: green means active, red means suspended, gray means terminated
- **Suspended employees save credits.** A suspended employee does zero work and consumes zero credits. Use suspension to manage costs during quiet periods
- **Use the status badge to spot issues.** If an employee shows "Error" status, something went wrong with their last task. Check the Activity tab for details

## Good to Know

- **State and status are independent.** State is your decision (lifecycle). Status is the system's report (current activity). They update separately
- **Real-time updates.** State and status changes appear instantly in the sidebar and dashboard for all team members viewing the workspace
- **Training state is legacy.** You may occasionally see a "Training" state for employees that were trained before training moved to the company level. This resolves automatically
- **Sprint Planning state.** If your team uses sprints, employees enter a "Sprint Planning" state during sprint setup. This is managed by the sprint system, not manually

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What is the difference between suspending and terminating?**
A: Suspending pauses work temporarily. The employee keeps their place in the team and all configuration. Resume anytime with one click. Terminating moves them to Alumni, removing them from the active sidebar. You can re-hire them, but termination is meant for employees you no longer need.

**Q: Can I bring back a terminated employee?**
A: Yes. Find them in the Alumni section of the sidebar (labeled "Fired," collapsed at the bottom). Open their dashboard and click "Re-hire." They return to Active state with all their previous configuration intact.

**Q: What happens to scheduled work when I suspend an employee?**
A: All scheduled triggers skip silently while the employee is suspended. When you resume them, schedules pick up again automatically from the next trigger time.

**Q: Does suspending an employee save credits?**
A: Yes. A suspended employee does no work and consumes no credits. This is a good way to manage costs during quiet periods without losing the employee's setup.

**Q: Where do I find terminated employees?**
A: They appear in the "Fired" section at the bottom of the sidebar. This section is collapsed by default. Click it to expand and see all terminated employees with their full history.

**Q: Can I terminate an employee during onboarding?**
A: Yes. You can suspend or terminate an employee at any point during onboarding if you decide you do not need them.