Overview:
As an administrator, you have the ability to manually deactivate or permanently delete user accounts within your Stafio.ai workspace. This is a critical administrative function for maintaining data security and managing your team as individuals join or leave the organization. This article outlines the difference between these two actions and provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform them.
1. Understanding Deactivation vs. Deletion
Deactivation (Soft Deletion):
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Action: This action disables a user's access to the Stafio.ai account. The user can no longer log in or access any data.
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Outcome: The user's profile and their associated data (notes, comments, etc.) are retained in the system. The user's name may be marked as "inactive" or "deactivated."
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Purpose: This is often used for temporary leave or for employees who might return. It allows an administrator to easily reactivate the account later without losing any historical data.
Deletion (Permanent Deletion):
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Action: This action permanently removes a user's account and all associated data from the Stafio.ai system. This process is irreversible.
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Outcome: The user's personal data (name, email, etc.) is permanently erased. Their contributions, such as notes and comments, may be either anonymized or permanently deleted, depending on your organization's settings.
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Purpose: This is used when an employee has permanently left the organization and you need to comply with data privacy regulations by permanently removing their information.
Manual Intervention Point: The decision to deactivate or permanently delete an account is a manual, administrative decision with significant consequences for data retention.
2. How to Manually Deactivate an Account
Steps to Deactivate:
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As an administrator, navigate to Settings > User Management.
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Locate the user you wish to deactivate.
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Click the three-dot menu (⋮) or an "Actions" button next to their name and select "Deactivate User" or a similar option.
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Confirm the action. The user will immediately lose access, but their profile will remain visible to administrators with a "Deactivated" status.
3. How to Manually Delete an Account
Steps to Delete:
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As an administrator, navigate to Settings > User Management.
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Locate the user you wish to permanently delete.
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Click the three-dot menu (⋮) or an "Actions" button next to their name and select "Delete User" or a similar option.
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Important: A confirmation prompt will appear, warning you that this action is irreversible and that associated data may be permanently lost. This is a final manual checkpoint.
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The system may also prompt you to manually transfer ownership of any active jobs, candidates, or tasks to another team member to ensure continuity. This is a crucial manual step to prevent data loss.
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Confirm the permanent deletion.
4. Best Practices for Account Management
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Use Deactivation First: For most cases, deactivation is the safest first step. This allows you to retain historical data and easily restore access if needed.
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Understand Data Retention Policies: Be familiar with your organization's data retention and privacy policies before performing a permanent deletion.
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Assign Ownership: Always transfer ownership of active tasks and data before deactivating or deleting a user to ensure business continuity.
5. Troubleshooting & Tips:
Issue: I can't find the "Deactivate" or "Delete" option.
Suggested Fix: These are administrative functions. Ensure you are logged in as a user with Admin permissions or have the delegated permission to manage users.
Issue: I accidentally deleted an account.
Suggested Fix: Contact Stafio.ai support immediately. Because deletion is permanent, there is no guarantee of data recovery, but support may be able to assist if the action was very recent.
Issue: The system won't let me delete an account until I transfer their tasks.
Suggested Fix: This is a safety feature. You must manually reassign all open jobs, candidates, and tasks to another active user before you can proceed with the deletion.
Issue: I want to delete a user's data but keep the account active.
Suggested Fix: This may not be possible. Deletion typically applies to the entire account. You may need to manually go into their user profile and delete their specific notes or comments if that functionality is available.