Activity Labels: What They Are, Benefits, How to Manage, and Which Widgets Use Them
Activity Labels in Workalizer are tags you define to categorize events by name: document titles, chat room titles, and calendar event titles. For example, any item whose title contains "Workalizer" can be tagged with the label Workalizer, so you can analyze the segment of activity dedicated to that project across Drive, Chat, and Meet. Labels are based on rules you configure; initial labels can be generated by AI and then edited in Settings > Activity Labels. Once defined, many widgets group or filter by these labels to give you project- and initiative-level insights.
Who Benefits
- Managers and Team Leads: To see how time and communication are split by project, client, or initiative (e.g. "Workalizer", "Support", "Admin Tasks").
- HR and Operations: To analyze work patterns by category and align reporting with internal taxonomy.
- Admins: To define and maintain labels in Settings and optionally use AI to suggest a first set of labels.
What Are Activity Labels?
Activity Labels are custom tags applied to activities based on the name of the underlying item:
- Document title (Drive files)
- Chat room title (Google Chat spaces)
- Calendar event title (Meet meetings and other calendar events)
You define rules so that when a title matches a rule (e.g. contains "Workalizer"), the corresponding activity is assigned that label. Labels are then used across Workalizer to group and filter data—for example "Communication by Activity Label", "Working Time Allocation by Label", or "Docs Shared Externally by Label"—so you can see how much work goes to each project, client, or type of work.
Benefits of Using Activity Labels
- Project and initiative analysis: See time, communication, and document activity per label (e.g. one label per project or client).
- Consistent categorization: Same rules apply everywhere so reporting is aligned across Performance Review, Work Patterns, and Apps.
- Better decisions: Use label-based widgets to balance workload, spot over- or under-investment in a segment, and support compliance (e.g. external sharing by label).
- Flexibility: You can create, edit, and delete labels in Settings and optionally generate an initial set with AI, then refine by hand.
How to Manage Activity Labels
Labels are managed under Settings > Activity Labels (/settings/, then the Activity Labels tab). From there you can:
- Create new labels: Define a new label and the rules (e.g. "title contains X" or "title matches pattern") that assign it to documents, chat rooms, or calendar events.
- Edit existing labels: Change the label name or the matching rules.
- Delete labels: Remove a label when it is no longer needed; data already recorded is not re-tagged retroactively by deleted rules.
- Generate labels with AI: Use the option to generate an initial set of labels from your data; then review and edit them in the same tab.
After you save, new and updated rules apply to incoming activity; many widgets will immediately support grouping or filtering by the new or updated labels.
Widgets That Use Grouping or Filtering by Activity Labels
These widgets either group data by activity label or offer a filter by activity label. Use them after defining labels in Settings to get segment-level insights.
Performance Review (Employee) and Work Patterns (Team)
- Communication by Activity Label (By Activity Label): Number of documents, chat messages, and Google Meet sessions sent, received, or participated in, grouped by activity label (e.g. Project Work, Admin Tasks, Support). Available in Performance Review for Employee and Work Patterns.
- Created Items by Activity Label: Documents, meetings, events, and chat rooms grouped and sorted by activity label, showing how work is distributed across projects or initiatives. Performance Review (Initiative and Ownership) and Work Patterns.
- Top Recurring Events and Meetings: Recurring meetings and events grouped by activity label, showing how time is allocated across different types of regular work. Performance Review and Work Patterns.
- Working Time Allocation by Label: How working time is allocated across activity labels (meetings with duration, documents, chat messages, calendar events), with comparisons to previous period and team averages. Performance Review (Time Management) and Work Patterns.
- Docs Shared Externally by Label: Number and types of files shared outside the organization, categorized by activity label, to reveal sharing patterns and support compliance. Performance Review (Policy Compliance) and Work Patterns.
Apps (Drive and Chat)
- Documents Bar Chart (Drive): Document activity grouped by time period; supports filter by activity label (and org unit, user, period). Apps > Drive.
- Chat Activity Bar Chart (Chat): Chat activity by time period; supports filter by activity label (and org unit, user, period). Apps > Chat.
- Chat Stats (Chat): Posted messages, messages in spaces, daily average per user; supports filter by activity label (and org unit, user, period). Apps > Chat.
Step-by-Step: Getting Started with Activity Labels
- Open Settings > Activity Labels: Go to /settings/ and select the Activity Labels tab.
- Generate or create labels: Use Generate labels with AI to get a first set of suggested labels, or create labels manually with rules (e.g. "title contains Workalizer" → label "Workalizer").
- Edit and save: Adjust names and rules as needed and save. New activity will be tagged according to the updated rules.
- Use label-based widgets: In Performance Review, Work Patterns, and Apps > Drive or Chat, open widgets that group or filter by activity label to analyze by project or initiative.
- Refine over time: Add or edit labels when new projects or naming conventions appear so reporting stays accurate.
