How it works
- Celebrations read only the day and month of a birth date, so the year and age never appear on the Celebrations page, the wall or a bell.
- The company default, birthdays visible by default, sits in the wall and praise settings.
- Any employee opens the privacy switches from the Celebrations page and hides their birthday, their work anniversary or both.
- HR can open the same switches for any person, for example when someone asks by email.
- Only the switches that change are saved, so an untouched birthday keeps following the company default.
- Hidden days disappear from the Celebrations page, self-service and the company wall.
What you can set
- Company default: birthdays visible or hidden.
- Per person: hide birthday.
- Per person: hide work anniversary.
- Who can change it: the person, or HR for anyone.
- Birth year and age never shown in celebrations.
- A person's own choice overrides the company default.
Why birthday privacy matters
Birthdays are personal data, and people have their own reasons for keeping them quiet: a recent loss in the family, a faith that does not mark birthdays, or simply not wanting attention. Showing a birth year is worse, because it reveals age, which can feed unfair assumptions in hiring and promotion. Giving each person a switch, and never showing the year, lets the company celebrate without making anyone uncomfortable.
Worked example: opt-in birthdays at a school
A school in Dehradun with 70 staff decides that birthdays should be shown only for people who want them shown. HR turns off birthdays visible by default in the wall settings, then explains at the monthly staff meeting how to switch theirs on. Over the next two weeks, 38 teachers and office staff choose to show their birthday. Their birthdays now appear on Celebrations and in the morning posts, while the other 32 stay private. Work anniversaries still show for everyone who has not hidden theirs.
Handling privacy requests
Treat each privacy request as a quiet, routine change rather than a favour. People who ask to hide a birthday rarely want to explain why, and a same-day change without questions builds more trust than any policy document about personal data.
- Change the switch the same day someone asks, without asking why.
- Mention the privacy switch in every induction session.
- Do not share a birthday list outside ZeniaHR for people who hid theirs.
- Review the company default when your workforce or culture changes.
See birthday privacy settings in a demo
We show it on a video call with your own shifts, leave types and rules. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
Can employees hide their birthday in ZeniaHR?
Yes. Any employee can hide their birthday, their work anniversary or both from the Celebrations page. Hidden days no longer appear on the Celebrations page, in self-service or on the company wall. HR can also make the change for someone who asks.
Do celebrations show an employee's birth year?
Never. Celebrations use only the day and month of a birth date, so no Celebrations page entry, wall post or bell shows the birth year or age. Work anniversaries show years of service instead, which is a different number and one people are usually glad to share.
Can HR hide someone's birthday for them?
Yes. HR can open the privacy switches for any employee and hide their birthday or work anniversary, for example after an email request. This helps people who rarely log in, such as staff at sites or on the shop floor, who may not find the setting themselves.
Can birthdays stay hidden unless an employee agrees to show them?
Yes. Turn off birthdays visible by default in the wall and praise settings. Birthdays then stay hidden unless a person switches theirs on, because each person's own choice overrides the company default. Work anniversaries still follow each person's own switch.