Need to fix an incorrect Original Start Date for an employee?
Here's how to do it safely without disrupting their historical employment timeline.
In HiBob, there are two start date fields—and they work differently:
- Start Date – Reflects the start of the employee’s current employment. You can update this directly from their profile:
Profile → Actions → Change work details → Change start date - Original Start Date – A system-calculated field that reflects the employee’s very first employment with your company. This can’t be edited directly.
The Original Start Date is pulled from the earliest "Employed" row in the employee’s Lifecycle table. If someone was rehired, the Start Date updates to reflect the new employment, but the Original Start Date stays tied to the first record.
Why can’t I just edit the Original Start Date?
Because it’s meant to preserve historical accuracy—for tenure tracking, compliance, and reporting. If this field were editable, it could cause data conflicts across systems and reports.
Workaround: How to update the Original Start Date
If the Original Start Date is incorrect, you can update it by temporarily adjusting the employee’s Lifecycle history:
- Go to the employee’s profile > Lifecycle tab
- Find the earliest “Employed” row—this sets the Original Start Date
- Temporarily delete all rows after it (terminations, rehires, changes, etc.)
- Go to Actions > Change work details > Change start date, and enter the correct date
- Rebuild the Lifecycle by re-adding the rows you removed, with the correct dates and details
Before you start
This process rebuilds the entire Lifecycle table, so proceed with caution:
- Be sure to manually restore all lifecycle events after updating the date
For rehired employees:
- Start Date = current employment
- Original Start Date = first employment (unless adjusted using this workaround)
If you’re unsure whether to proceed, check with your HRIS admin or contact HiBob Support to confirm the safest approach.
