Article Contents
Introduction
Branches are one of the two ways you can segment data at the highest level in Hiro, the other being Departments.
Branches represent the physical locations your business operates from. Departments represent the business units across your entire organisation (e.g. Surveying, Town Planning).
Both are independent of one another. They are not hierarchical, and neither sits “above” the other. A department’s services may be offered at multiple branches, but you don’t need to configure this at the Settings level. The branch + department combination only comes into play at the project layer.
Why Branches Matter
Branches are the foundation for how Hiro handles office locations. Even if your business only has one office today, you’ll still need to set up a branch before creating projects or adding user accounts. This gives your account a consistent structure from the start and means you’re ready to scale smoothly if you expand into additional offices later on.
Branches also underpin other key features across Hiro. For example, public holidays set in the Who’s In? calendar can be limited to specific branches. This allows you to manage region-specific holidays, like state-based public holidays or local show days, so they only apply to staff in the relevant office.
Every user account in Hiro is tied to a branch, which keeps reporting and cost allocation clear. A user can only belong to one branch, but this doesn’t limit their ability to work on projects from other offices. For staff who travel between sites, simply assign them to the branch that best reflects their primary base.
To keep things simple, branch-related filters and reporting are hidden if you only have one branch configured. These options automatically appear as soon as you add a second branch, giving multi-office firms the visibility they need without adding unnecessary complexity for single-office businesses.
👉 For more detail on how branches are used within project structures, see What is a Work Schedule?
👉 To learn how branches connect with region-specific public holidays, see Configuring Public Holidays and Company Close-Downs
Setting Up Branches
Branches are configured in Settings > Branches. You must be a Hiro Global Administrator to add or edit them.
To create a new branch, click "New branch".
Otherwise, to modify the details of an existing branch, click the edit (pencil) icon adjacent to the one you wish to update. As with all of Hiro, bold fields are mandatory and unbolded fields are optional.
Branch Details
- Branch Name – the display name for this office location.
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Is this Head Office? – mark your primary office. This setting is important because:
- It provides the default branch information when a user does not yet have a branch assigned.
- The address is used on your Hiro subscription invoices.
- The address is also displayed on Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Plans.
- Status – toggle whether this branch is active.
- Sort Order – determines how branches appear in lists.
Location
All location details are displayed on the Company Info page:
- Address – street address, suburb, state, and postcode.
- Photo – optional image.
Emergency
All emergency details are displayed on the Emergency page:
- Evacuation assembly area – the designated off-site meeting point.
- Evacuation map – upload an image of your floorplan or evacuation diagram.
- Wardens – add wardens and their areas of responsibility.
Branches and Timesheets
Timesheets are always recorded against the user’s branch (from their user account settings). This keeps cost allocation consistent, because Hiro can clearly see which office incurred the labour cost.
Projects, on the other hand, are tied to a branch through their work schedule. Each task in a work schedule includes a branch field if your organisation has multiple branches configured . This drives revenue allocation, ensuring that invoice lines and budgets reflect the correct office location.
For example:
A staff member assigned to the Brisbane branch logs time on a project whose work schedule task is linked to the Sydney branch. The timesheet is still recorded against the user’s Brisbane branch for cost accounting. The project revenue flows to the Sydney branch based on the work schedule.
This separation allows your business to compare where costs are incurred versus where revenue is recognised. It’s particularly useful when staff from one office work on projects managed or billed through another.
👉 For more detail on how branches are used within project structures, see What is a Work Schedule?