Focus Briefs are delivered automatically via Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email on the configured schedule. If you or someone in your organization is not receiving their brief, use this article to diagnose and resolve the issue.
Why isn't an employee receiving their brief?
Check the following in order:
1. Confirm they are in the audience
HR Admins or Company Admins configure who receives Focus Briefs. The employee may be excluded from the audience.
How to check: Go to Agents Hub > Overview and review the Focus Brief settings. Verify the audience configuration includes this person and does not exclude them.
2. Check that Focus Briefs are enabled
The Focus Brief agent may be disabled at the organization level.
How to check: Go to Agents > Agents Hub Overview tab. Confirm the Focus Brief is toggled on.
3. Verify the schedule and start date
The brief may not have started sending yet, or the schedule may not match expectations.
How to check: In the Focus Brief settings, verify the start date has passed, the schedule (day and time) is correct, and the cadence (weekly or bi-weekly) matches expectations.
4. Check for insufficient data
If an individual does not have enough data from 15Five and connected integrations to create meaningful insights, a brief will not be sent for that person. This is by design; the brief only sends when it has something substantive to say.
How to resolve: Encourage the employee to add My Context, complete check-ins regularly, and keep objectives updated. Connecting more work system integrations also increases the data available for brief generation.
Focus Briefs are generated using connected work system integrations along with 15Five data, such as reviews, 1-on-1s, objectives, and check-ins. An employee with too little activity across these sources does not receive a brief until more data is available.
5. Check for time off
If the employee was out for most or all of the period a brief covers, they get a short message instead of a full brief. This is expected. Full briefs return for a period when they were working most of the time.
How to resolve: No fix is needed. Share Why didn't I get a full Focus Brief this week? with the employee.
6. Verify delivery channel
Focus Briefs are delivered via Slack or Microsoft Teams when either integration is connected. Email is the fallback.
How to check:
- Confirm the employee's Slack or Teams account uses the same email address as their 15Five account.
- Check that the Slack or Teams integration is connected for the organization. See Connect work system integrations (Admin).
- If using email delivery, check the employee's spam/junk folder.
Can employees edit what the brief says?
Employees cannot edit the content of a brief directly. The brief is generated by AI based on available data. Employees control the inputs:
- Add or update My Context to influence what the brief focuses on
- Select Take Action on individual items to edit them or flag corrections
- Use the Add Context modal after each brief to provide feedback
Who can configure Focus Briefs?
HR Admins and Company Admins only. Managers and individual employees cannot configure brief settings. They receive and view briefs only.
If Something Goes Wrong
| Issue | Check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Brief content feels thin | Which work tools are connected | Connect meeting, messaging, and task tools in Agents Hub > Integrations. Then add context in My Context. |
| Employee is not receiving a Focus Brief | Verify the employee is included in the configured audience | Update the audience settings in Agents Hub > Overview and ensure the employee is not excluded |
| Focus Brief has not started sending | Verify the Focus Brief is enabled, and the start date has passed | Confirm the Focus Brief is enabled and review the configured schedule, cadence, and start date |
| Employee receives no brief while others do | Check whether the employee has sufficient 15Five and integration data available | Encourage the employee to complete check-ins, participate in 1-on-1s, update objectives, and add My Context |
| Employee got a short message instead of a full brief | Whether they were out for most or all of the period | No fix needed. Share Why didn't I get a full Focus Brief this week? with the employee. |
| Brief content seems inaccurate or incomplete | Review the available context and source data | Update My Context, add Team or Company Context, and use Take Action or Add Context to improve future briefs |
| The user cannot change Focus Brief settings | Verify the user's permissions | Only HR Admins and Company Admins can configure Focus Brief settings |