6 Ways to View Employee Anniversary Dates and Birthdays in SharePoint

Showcasing employee birthdays and anniversaries on your SharePoint intranet landing page or SharePoint employee directory is a common request from many companies.

While SharePoint doesn’t have a built-in web part specifically for this purpose, here are six effective methods you can use:

1. News Widget

The News Web Part offers more flexibility with images, text, and additional information.

This web part allows you to highlight and organize certain events, making it a versatile option. The advantages of this option are that it is easy to implement and customizable. However, this option doesn't allow for recurring events so you'd need to add birthdays and anniversary dates each year which isn't ideal.

How to Set Up:

1. Go to the SharePoint site where you want to add the News Web Part.
2. Click on "Edit" in the top right corner of the page.
3. Click the "+" button where you want to add the web part and select "News."
4. Then click "Save as draft."
5. Change the title of the section to "Upcoming Birthdays."
6. Add a "News" post for each birthday or anniversary, including relevant images and text.
7. Publish the page to make it live.

2. Events Calendar

The SharePoint Calendar (Events Web Part) is a classic tool that's been updated for a modern experience.

You can easily add events, like birthdays and hire dates, that will appear in chronological order on your main page. The advantage of this option is it's easy and quick to set up. However, this option doesn't support recurring events, so you'd need to add any dates manually each year.

How to Set Up:

1. Navigate to the SharePoint site where you want to add the Events Web Part.
2. Click on "Edit" in the top right corner of the page.
3. Click the "+" button where you want to add the web part and select "Events."
4. Click "Add event" to create a new event for each birthday or anniversary.
5. Fill in the details and save each event.
6. Publish the page to make it live.

3. Microsoft Delve

Delve is another option, though it requires users to navigate away from the SharePoint page.

Delve profiles include a field for birthdays, which users can choose to display. The main advantage of this option is that there is no configuration needed. However, using this option users will need to leave the intranet landing page or your SharePoint employee directory to view employee birthdays and anniversary dates in their Delve profiles. Also, with Microsoft deprecating Delve in December 2024 this option may not be the best for the long term.

How to Set Up:

1. Ensure that employees have updated their Delve profiles with birthday and anniversary information.
2. Direct users to access Delve by clicking on their profile photo and selecting "My Profile."
3. Birthdays and anniversaries will be displayed in the profile if the information is provided by the user.

4. People Web Part

The People Web Part is another straightforward solution.

It allows you to list employees and automatically displays their photos and other details from their Delve profiles. This option is quick and easy to set up. However, this option only lists employee names, without the actual dates, and as mentioned before Microsoft is deprecating Delve in December 2024.

How to Set Up:

1. Go to the SharePoint site where you want to add the People Web Part.
2. Click on "Edit" in the top right corner of the page.
3. Click the "+" button where you want to add the web part and select "People."
4. Add the employees you want to highlight by typing their names.
5. Publish the page to make it live.

5. Custom List

Creating a Custom List is a more detailed approach.

You can build a list with columns for Employee Name (using the People picker) and Birthday or Anniversary (as a date field). This list can be displayed on your main page and customized with additional columns or grouped and filtered as needed. The option offers more control and customization than the previous options provided. However, it does require some time to set up and doesn't support recurring events, but you can easily adjust the year in the date fields.

How to Set Up:

1. Go to the SharePoint site where you want to create the Custom List.
2. Click on "Site contents" and then "New" > "List."
3. Name your list and create columns for Employee Name and Birthday or Anniversary.
4. Use the People picker for the Employee Name column and date fields for birthdays and anniversaries.
5. Add your data to the list.
6. Go to the page where you want to display the list, click "Edit," and add the List Web Part.
7. Select your custom list to display it on the page.
8. Publish the page to make it live.

6. Office 365 Group Calendar

Finally, you could create a public Office 365 Group or an Org-Wide Team.

This approach ensures everyone has access and visibility. You can add recurring events (birthdays or anniversaries) to the group's Outlook calendar, and then embed this calendar in your SharePoint page using the Group Calendar Web Part. The advantages of this are that it supports recurring events and will show past events. However, it requires creating a separate Office 365 Group or MS Team.

How to Set Up:

1. Create a new Office 365 Group or Team.
2. Open the group’s Outlook calendar.
3. Add recurring events for birthdays and anniversaries.
4. Go to your SharePoint site, click "Edit," and add the Group Calendar Web Part.
5. Configure the web part to display the Office 365 Group calendar.
6. Publish the page to make it live.

Viewing Birthdays and Anniversary Dates in OneDirectory

For an even more seamless experience of viewing employees' birthdays and anniversary dates consider using OneDirectory.

This employee directory tool syncs and automatically builds employee profiles from your Microsoft user profile data. This allows you to automatically display birthdays and anniversaries without any setup required. By leveraging OneDirectory, you ensure your employees' birthdates and anniversary dates are always up-to-date and correct with employee information, saving you time and effort.

Give OneDirectory a try! 

Start by signing up for our 14-day free trial, where you will experience all the benefits of OneDirectory's modern employee directory solution.

Conclusion

By implementing any of these options, you can effectively display employee birthdays and anniversaries on your SharePoint intranet landing page or SharePoint employee directory. Each method has advantages and limitations, so choose the one that best suits your needs and technical comfort level.