HRIS Integration Guide

Overview

Section uses Finch as a secure, unified connection layer to read employee data from your organization's HRIS. Once connected, Section HQ can display adoption and usage analytics broken down by department, job level, and team — giving managers and administrators richer visibility into how your organization is engaging with AI tools.

Finch supports 200+ HRIS providers including Workday, ADP, Gusto, BambooHR, Rippling, and more. The connection is established through Finch Connect, an embedded authorization widget that handles provider selection and authentication entirely within the Section HQ admin dashboard at hq.sectionai.com — no IT configuration or metadata exchange required.

Please reach out to your Customer Success representative if you have questions or difficulty with the process below.

What Data Is Accessed

Section reads the following fields from your HRIS via Finch:

Data	Purpose
Employee directory (name, active status)	Match employees to Section Coach accounts
Department & manager	Power department-level analytics
Work email address	Join HRIS records to platform activity
Job title & employment type	Segment analytics by role and level
Company name & department structure	Organizational hierarchy

Section does not access payroll data, compensation, social security numbers, or any personally sensitive fields beyond those listed above.

Setup Sequence

Step 1 — Client: Initiate the Connection

Sign in to the Section HQ admin dashboard at hq.sectionai.com and navigate to Settings → Connectors. In the HRIS section, click the card for your provider (or Other HRIS Provider if your HRIS isn't listed individually — this covers any of the 200+ systems in the Finch network).

From the connector detail panel, choose one of two setup paths:

I have admin access — Opens the Finch Connect widget directly in your browser so you can authenticate with your HRIS right away. No redirect to an external site is required, and no configuration needs to be done in your HRIS system ahead of time.
Invite IT to complete setup — If you don't hold HRIS administrator credentials yourself, Section will generate a secure, single-use setup link you can forward to whoever does. Depending on your organization, that may be an IT admin, an HR admin, or both — they'll complete the Finch Connect flow on a dedicated setup page without needing a Section Coach login.

Step 2 — Client: Select Your Provider and Authenticate

Within the Finch Connect widget:

Select your HRIS provider from the list (e.g., Workday, ADP, Gusto, BambooHR).
Enter your HRIS administrator credentials when prompted.
Authorize the connection.

Finch handles the provider-specific authentication flow entirely. Section never sees your HRIS credentials — Finch exchanges them for a secure access token on your behalf and returns only that token to Section.

Step 3 — Section: Confirm Connection and Begin Syncing

Once authorization is complete, the HRIS connector will appear as Connected under Settings → Connectors in hq.sectionai.com. Section's backend will begin an initial sync of your employee directory, which typically completes within a few minutes depending on organization size.

Subsequent syncs run automatically on a daily schedule to keep department and employee data current.

Supported Providers

Finch supports 200+ HRIS and payroll providers. Commonly used providers include:

Workday
ADP Workforce Now / ADP Run
Gusto
BambooHR
Rippling
Namely
UKG (Kronos / Pro)
Paychex Flex
TriNet
Ceridian Dayforce
Personio
HiBob

For the full list of supported providers, see Finch's provider network.

FAQs

What does Section do with HRIS data?

HRIS data is used exclusively to enrich your Section Coach analytics. Employee records are matched to platform activity by work email address, enabling department-level breakdowns of AI tool adoption, usage frequency, and engagement trends. HRIS data is never used for any other purpose.

Does Section store our employee data?

Yes, Section stores a synchronized copy of the employee fields listed above in order to power analytics. Data is encrypted at rest, and access is restricted to your organization's data within the platform.

What happens if an employee leaves or changes departments?

Section Coach syncs with your HRIS on a daily schedule. When an employee is marked inactive or their department changes in your HRIS, that change will be reflected in Section Coach after the next sync.

Can I disconnect the HRIS integration?

Yes. To protect against accidental removal of org-wide analytics enrichment, HRIS disconnection is handled through your Customer Success representative rather than self-serve. Contact them and Section will stop syncing data. Historical enriched analytics already in the platform will remain until your account is offboarded.

What if my HRIS provider isn't listed in Finch Connect?

Contact your Section Customer Success representative. Finch regularly adds new providers, and Section can work with you on alternative approaches if your provider isn't currently supported.

Why is my connection showing a "Needs Reconnection" status?

HRIS connections can occasionally require reauthentication — for example, if your HRIS administrator credentials change or if your HRIS provider revokes the token. In hq.sectionai.com, navigate to Settings → Connectors, open the HRIS connector showing the error, and click Reconnect on the affected connection to re-authorize through Finch Connect. Your existing data and historical analytics will be preserved.

Can multiple HRIS providers be connected for the same organization?

Yes. Organizations that use more than one HRIS system (e.g., separate platforms for different business units) can connect multiple providers. Each provider goes through the same Finch Connect flow. Contact your Customer Success representative if you need assistance setting this up.