Report on who backfilled departed employees
Overview
The Backfilled By field (backfilledBy) lives on the leaving person's row and points to whoever filled their seat. You can use it to answer questions like:
- Who replaced Jane after she left?
- Which recent exits still have an open seat?
- How long did a seat sit empty before the backfill was hired?
- Did the replacement come in at a higher or lower salary?
This is the forward-looking complement to Historic Backfill, which looks backward from the current job. Backfilled By looks forward from the person who left.
Add the column to a Data Sheet
To see the field in a Data Sheet:
- Open a Data Sheet.
- Select Select columns.
- Under Recruiting, select Backfilled By.
Because the field lives on the leaving person's row, you need to view it at a point in time when that person still holds their job:
- Set the date slider to a date before the person's last day, or
- Use a date-range report that includes their tenure.
On today's date, people who have already left no longer appear on a row (they no longer hold the job), so the field will not be visible for them on a current-date Data Sheet.
Backfilled By is a highly sensitive field. Only viewers with sensitive access can see it. Users without sensitive access see no value and will not see the column, including the existence of the field.
Filter examples
Use these CQL filters on a Data Sheet or report to find the people you are looking for.
Question | CQL filter |
|---|---|
Whose seat has been backfilled? | backfilledBy:* |
Who is leaving but has no backfill yet? | endDateOrg:* && !backfilledBy:* |
Regretted exits still waiting on a backfill | departRegret = true && !backfilledBy:* |
Exits backfilled by a specific person | backfilledBy = 'Jane Doe' |
Column and formula examples
Add these as columns on a Data Sheet or as expressions in a report to surface backfill detail.
Insight | Expression |
|---|---|
Who replaced them | backfilledBy.name |
Replacement's start date | backfilledBy.startDate |
Days the seat sat empty | backfilledBy.startDate - endDateOrg |
Did the backfill keep the same title? | backfilledBy.title = title ? 'Same' : 'Changed' |
Salary change on the backfill | backfilledBy.base - base |
Second replacement in a chain | backfilledBy.backfilledBy.name |
The salary comparison example (backfilledBy.base - base) requires compensation access on both rows. Viewers without comp access will see a scrubbed or empty value.
Things to know
- Internal moves count. On an active employee who moved to a new role internally, the field shows who took their old seat. You can use this to build internal-mobility backfill reports alongside turnover reports.
- First replacement only. The field always shows the first person to fill the seat, not the current holder. If the backfill later leaves, chain with backfilledBy.backfilledBy to follow the next replacement.
- Date context matters. Run the report as of a date before the person's last day, or use it on future-dated departures, to see the field on their row.
- Works in scenarios. In a planning scenario, the field reads scenario changes and shows who is planned to fill the seat.
- Highly sensitive. Viewers without sensitive access see nothing back. Hidden backfill jobs and unannounced hires also stay hidden.