What the HiBob integration does
Sterling connects to HiBob with a secure sign-in (OAuth), you approve access inside HiBob. Once connected, Sterling can:
Sync your employees from HiBob (names, roles, org structure).
Read pay-relevant details — such as bank accounts and tax (IRD) numbers when a task needs them.
Handle time off — read balances and book leave on an employee's behalf.
Update employee records — for example, a work email with your approval.
Sterling never writes a change back to HiBob without a human approving it first.
Before you start
You need:
A Sterling account with admin access.
Admin access in HiBob, or a HiBob admin available to approve the connection.
Data flow diagram
Reads flow from HiBob to Sterling. Writes flow from Sterling to HiBob, and only
after you approve them.
HIBOB STERLING
| Employees (name, role) | — READ → | Syncing your team |
| Org structure | — READ → | Reporting lines |
| Bank accounts | — READ → | Pay-relevant details |
| Tax / IRD numbers | — READ → | Pay-relevant details |
| Time-off balances | — READ → | Leave lookups |
| Time-off bookings | ← WRITE — | Approved leave bookings |
| Employee fields | ← WRITE — | Approved record updates |
| Connection / uninstall | — EVENT → | Access invalidation |
Encryption boundary (AES-256-GCM at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit)
Sub-processor: OpenAI API (zero-retention, no training)
Sterling Setup: Enable the HiBob app
1. In Sterling, go to Apps
2. Find HiBob in the list and click Enable
Enabling creates the app record. It does not yet connect your HiBob account
3. Open the HiBob app page in Sterling and find the Connection panel.
4. Click Connect. You are taken to HiBob's consent screen.
5. Review the requested permissions and click Allow.
6. You are returned to Sterling and the connection becomes active.
✅ Your first employee sync starts automatically. For a team of ~50 this takes about a minute.
Troubleshooting
A change I approved isn't showing in HiBob yet.
HiBob can take around 20 seconds to reflect a write. Wait a moment and refresh.
The connection shows as disconnected, or I see a reconnect prompt.
Click Connect again on the HiBob app page to re-approve access. Access can expire or be revoked in HiBob, which ends the connection until you reconnect.
I want to disconnect Sterling from HiBob.
Use the disconnect (trash) icon in the Connection panel on the HiBob app page. This invalidates Sterling's access — no further data is read or written.
An employee's leave balance looks wrong.
Sterling reads balances directly from HiBob. Check the balance in HiBob first; if it differs, reconnect to force a fresh read.
Still stuck? Click the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of this Help Center to reach our team.