New in altomateHR: work permit and passport expiry reminders for foreign workers
An expired work permit or passport is a compliance problem you only find out about too late. altomateHR now warns HR — and the worker — well before it happens.
For employers of foreign workers, two dates matter as much as payday: when each worker's work permit expires and when their passport expires. Miss either and the worker can't be employed legally until it's sorted. The 13 November altomateHR release turns those dates into reminders that reach the right people automatically.
Reminders before documents expire
- Foreign staff are reminded themselves, in the app and on their phone, before their work permit or passport expires — and again on the day.
- Admins get reminders too, in the app, on their phone, and in one daily email. If no admins are chosen, the reminders go to the owner.
- Branch and outlet admins only hear about their own staff — an admin limited to certain employees gets reminders for those people only.
- Clicking an admin reminder opens the person's record at the date to update. Each reminder goes once per expiry date, and starts again when a new date is entered.
You choose when reminders go
A new page, Settings → Notifications, lists each notification with an On/Off switch that takes effect immediately. The Work permit & passport expiry notification lets you set:
- the first reminder anywhere from 7 to 90 days before expiry (30 days by default),
- an optional second reminder closer to the date, and
- a reminder on the day.
There's also an "Also email the staff member" option, off by default, for workers you'd like to receive an email as well as the app and phone alert.
Passport expiry, alongside the work permit
Foreign staff now have a Passport expiry date next to their work permit number and expiry. On the Executive Overview, the old Work permits card is now Documents expiring: it lists passports as well as permits, looking 60 days ahead or as far as your first reminder.
Getting the most from it
Fill in passport expiry dates for all foreign staff first — reminders can only go for dates on file. Then pick a first reminder that leaves enough time for your usual renewal process.
Read more about paying and managing foreign workers in Malaysia.
Also new this week
- Commission-only staff. The salary-change import now accepts a New Salary of RM 0 for staff paid only commission, changes to and from RM 0 are recorded in salary history, and commission-only runs now post to Xero correctly. Remember that commission-only employees must still earn at least the minimum wage each month — see our guide to commission-only staff.
- Safer sign-in. After 5 wrong passwords in a row, an account is locked for 15 minutes (resetting the password unlocks it). Repeated failed attempts from one network pause sign-in for that network, while a busy outlet signing in together is no longer held up.
FAQ
Does altomateHR remind us when a foreign worker's permit is about to expire?+
Yes. Admins and the worker get reminders in the app and on their phone before a work permit or passport expires, and on the day. Admins also get a daily email.
Can we change how early the reminders go?+
Yes. In Settings, Notifications, set the first reminder from 7 to 90 days before expiry, add an optional second reminder, and choose whether to remind on the day.
Will a branch admin get reminders about staff they don't manage?+
No. Admins limited to certain employees only receive reminders about their own staff.
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