You can establish a hierarchical organization structure to reflect your company’s unique needs and use it to filter, search, and identify your workforce in Deel.
This guide walks you through how to: • Configure organization structures (e.g., Departments, Teams, Squads) • Define and manage worker relations (e.g., Direct Manager → Direct Report) • View and assign worker organization positions and roles • Visualize your organization’s hierarchy in the Org Chart • Configure worker positions & relations directly from the Org Chart
Deel only supports linear (manager → direct report) reporting structures; circular (looping) hierarchies are not supported.
In this Article
What is an Organization Structure, Worker Relations, and Organization Positions How to Configure Organization Structure How to Define Worker Relations How to View & Assign a Worker Organization Position and Role How to View Org Structure (Org Chart) How to Configure a Worker’s Organization Position & Relation from Org Chart Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Organization Structure, Worker Relations, and Organization Positions
Organizational structure defines how roles and departments are formally arranged and who reports to whom. In Deel, structures help you group and filter workers in the People directory and Org Chart.
Worker relations define how two workers relate to one another (e.g., Mentor → Mentee, Direct Manager → Direct Report) and drive reporting lines shown on the Org Chart.
Organizational positions & roles represent the specific place a worker occupies in each structure (e.g., Department → "Marketing"; Position → "Team Lead").
How to Configure Organization Structure
Prerequisites
• You need Organization Admin permissions.
Step-by-Step
1 – Open Organization Settings > Organization > Org chart and structure
From any Deel page, click the Organization settings gear icon in the upper-right corner.
In the All Settings panel, select Organization under Organization & security to expand its settings.
Select Org chart and structure. If it is not visible, scroll within the left settings navigation.
2 – Select the Org structures tab
Note: Department is pre-enabled and always available for filtering.
3 – Click Create new structure
Click Create new structure.
4 – Complete the New org structure form
• Enter a Structure name (e.g., “Teams”, “Squads”). • (Optional) Toggle Allow employees to be assigned to multiple structures. • (Optional) Toggle Make structure mandatory (workers must be assigned during contract creation / profile edit). • Add levels and sub-levels using the + icon. Click Create structure to save.
Verification
The form closes and your new structure appears in the list. You can now visualize it in the Org Chart.
Troubleshooting
• Button not visible → Confirm you are on the Org structures tab. • Missing permissions → Confirm you have Organization Admin access, then ask an Org Admin for access if needed.
Tips
• Use clear, intuitive names (e.g., “Product Tribes”). • Plan levels on paper first to avoid future re-work.
How to Define Worker Relations
Prerequisites
• Administrator privileges.
Step-by-Step
1 – Organization Settings > Organization > Org chart and structure > Worker relationships tab
Open Organization settings > Organization > Org chart and structure, then select Worker relationships.
2 – Click Create relationship
Confirm the Worker relationships tab is active and the relationship table is visible. Click Create relationship to add a relationship, or click Edit for an existing relationship.
3 – Complete the form
1. Primary party (e.g., Direct Manager, Mentor) 2. Secondary party (e.g., Direct Report, Mentee) 3. (Optional) Toggle Make relationship mandatory. Click Submit.
Verification
The new relation appears in the list and is available for assignment in worker profiles and Org Chart filters.
Troubleshooting & UI Note
If the Worker relationships tab is missing and you see an HR upgrade splash, your organization may not have this feature enabled. Contact Deel Support or your Customer Success Manager to enable Advanced HR features.
How to View & Assign a Worker Organization Position and Role
Prerequisites
• Permission to view the People section.
Step-by-Step
1 – Navigate to People
In the left sidebar, click People to expand the section, then click Directory.
2 – Search & select the worker
Search for the worker and open their profile.
3 – Scroll to Organization position and role
Click Edit. In Organization Position: • Click Edit next to Position to assign the worker to a unit/level. • Assign a Department or other structure. • (Optional) Add an Additional role (e.g., Safety Officer). Click Save.
Tips
• Workers can be assigned to multiple structures if the structure allows it. • Use this section to quickly correct missing positions flagged in the Org Chart.
How to View Org Structure
Prerequisites
• Permission to view the Org Chart.
Step-by-Step
1 – Go to People > Org chart
In the left sidebar, select People. If the section is not already expanded, this reveals its submenu items. Select Org chart under People.
2 – View & filter the chart
Wait for the chart to load. Confirm that Org chart is selected in the sidebar and that chart controls, such as Search by name and the Manager and report view selector, are visible. A guided tour may appear the first time you open the chart. Click Skip to dismiss it, or click Next to continue the walkthrough. Use the chart controls to search for people or change the reporting-relationship view. For managers with direct reports, click the direct-report control on their card to open the report list.
Use the dropdowns to group by Worker relations, Org structures, or Worker country. A notice like “168 people not displayed” indicates the view is truncated—zoom or filter further.
How to Configure a Worker’s Organization Position and Worker Relation from Org Chart
- In People > Org chart, click a worker’s card.
- In the side panel, click Edit next to Organization position or Direct Manager to update.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is organization structure displayed in the worker profile?
In the Organization Position section, showing Position, Direct Manager, and other worker relationships.
What manager–direct report structure is not supported?
Circular hierarchies such as (A → B → C → A) or self-reporting (A → A).
How do I export the Org Chart?
Open People in the left sidebar and select Org chart. If a guided tour is blocking chart controls, click Skip. Then click the Export icon—shown as a downward arrow into a tray—in the bottom chart toolbar.
The Export org chart dialog opens and provides Export as PNG. Click Export as PNG to start the export; the export may take a few seconds or longer.
How do I edit worker relations in bulk?
Use the bulk edit worker relations flow.