When Moss is connected to your HR software, Team / Department and Manager are kept in sync automatically. By default, both fields reflect the values held in your HR system, and any manual change in Moss is overwritten on the next sync run.
If you need to override what HR sends – for example when your team structure in Moss differs from how it’s modelled in your HR tool – you can lock the field for that specific user. A locked field keeps the value you set; HR sync skips it on future runs while continuing to update everything else.
Note: This applies only to the Team / Department and Manager fields. All other synced data, like user status and name, continues to sync as usual.
The two field states
For every user linked to HR, each Team / Department and Manager field is in one of two states:
State | What happens |
Synced (default) | Shown with a purple synced icon next to the field label. Updated by your HR system on every sync run. Manual changes are overwritten on the next sync unless the field is locked. |
Locked | Shown with a yellow padlock icon next to the field label. Keeps the value you set; HR sync skips this field for this user, while all other fields continue to sync as normal. |
You can mix locked and synced fields on the same user – for example, lock the Manager but keep the Team in sync.
Lock a Team or Manager field
Go to User Management > Users and open the user’s detail panel.
Click the Team / Department or Manager field and select a new value.
A short prompt appears: “Would you like to lock this field and prevent future updates?”
Lock saves your value and locks the field. A yellow padlock icon 🔒appears next to the field label.
Dismiss saves your value without locking. HR sync may overwrite it on the next run.
Hovering the padlock shows: “Source: Locked. HR changes won’t update this field. Revert to HR value.”
Revert a locked field back to HR sync
Open the user’s detail panel and click the locked Team / Department or Manager field.
In the dropdown, select the first option (Restore HR value).
Outcome: the lock is removed, the HR value is applied, and the field returns to the synced state.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn’t HR sync updating Team or Manager for one of my users?
If the HR system isn’t updating the field as expected, work through the following checks in order:
Is the user linked to HR? Go to User Management > Users. The summary above the table shows an HR Sync – Pending linking count for users in Moss who haven’t yet been matched to an HR record. Click Review and link, then click Save. Go back to HR software and click Sync now to apply HR values for Team and Manager.
For the Manager field – does the HR manager exist in Moss? If the user’s manager in HR has no corresponding user in Moss, Moss can’t set the field. Invite the manager into Moss first; once they exist, the next sync will fill in the Manager value.
For the Team field – is the HR team mapped to a Moss team? Go to User Management > HR Software and click Manage next to Teams. Check that the HR team is mapped to a Moss team. Unmapped HR teams are skipped during sync.
Will locking a field stop the user from being deactivated by HR?
No. Locks affect only the Team / Department and Manager fields. Status changes (joiners, leavers, role changes) and other attributes continue to flow from HR as usual.
Can I lock other fields, such as email or job title?
Not today. Locking is available for Team / Department and Manager only. If you need additional fields, please reach out to your CSM.
Does locking work in bulk?
No. Locks are set per user, per field.
Who can lock or unlock a field?
Anyone with permission to edit Team or Manager on the user profile. The same permissions apply as for editing the field itself.