Employees Tab

On the TimeForge Today page, you can see your labor dashboard - a screen that details the upcoming week, and many key items to keep track of. This includes shift swaps, open shifts, staff requests for time off, and messages as well as scheduled labor, and employees whom are currently on the clock.

After an employee requests time off (or time on), you will see several messages appear on your Today page, including the “Approve or Deny Pending Requests” link, and you will also see “Pending Requests” appear on the days that these requests actually occur.

To approve or deny these messages, click on the appropriate link.

On the “Process Requests” page, you will see color-coded requests, and you can choose to Approve or Deny each request.

You can also view the type of request, notes about the availability request that staff members entered, and can review other employees whom have requested the same time off. For example, if other employees have had the same time period approved previously, TimeForge will show these staff members, and their requests, to you. Choose “Approve” or “Deny” to manage the request.

Additionally, you can see that TimeForge has predicted your necessary staffing levels, and will let you know if you are facing a staffing shortage, before approving time off requests.

It is inevitable that employees will need time off, even though they are already scheduled.

In this case, TimeForge will provide you with several options.

Of course, you can Deny the request, which will notify the staff member that they cannot have the time off.

- You can Find a Replacement, which will approve the request, and take you to the schedule to find a new employee for the shift.

- You can Operate Short Staffed, which will remove the shift from the schedule.

- You can turn the shift into a Bid shift, allowing staff members to bid to work the shift.

- You can also mark the shift as an Open shift, leaving it open to be staffed by management at a later date.

Once you decide to approve or deny a request or change in availability, TimeForge will automatically send a message to the staff member, letting them know of your decision.

First, navigate to the “Employees” tab.

Select the “Edit Positions” link.

You can choose to create a new position, or edit an existing position. Also displayed are the base pay rates and pay scales for each position.

Please note: In a multi-location (multiple unit) business, Positions must be created at the Corporate Level. Each location will have it’s own version of the position, so that base pay rates and sections can be customized on a per-store basis.

Fill in the appropriate fields. Each position must have a unique description, ie, no two positions can have the same description.

Other fields include the base pay rate and pay scale, which can include hourly or salaried, bi-weekly pay periods, and even one-time payments such as a live band or other entertainment. Choose an appropriate overtime calculation if desired.

If you are exporting payroll to a payroll system, you may need to include a Payroll identifier for the payroll company. Include this here as well.

Each position can have a number of sections or stations associated with it. This will allow you to schedule very specifically, if necessary.

A few examples of where this might be helpful:
- A Server position might have stations or sections for each grouping of tables, such as Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, etc..
- A LifeGuard position might have stations or sections for each lifeguard tower or chair, such as Dive Chair, Kiddie Pool, Lap Pool, etc…
- A Cook position might have stations or sections for each cooking position, such as Prep, Pizza, Grill, etc..

In some states and municipalities, staff members are paid different rates based on the time they arrive. TimeForge supports this by allowing you to enter different rates during different time periods throughout the day.

For example, if a Server shows up before your restaurant opens, the pay rate may be lower than when the restaurant is operating.

To remove a position, simply click on the “Delete” link. TimeForge will prompt for verification before removing the position.

Please Note: TimeForge will not allow you to remove a position if an upcoming schedule or template uses the position, or if an employee is currently clocked in with the position.

First, navigate to the “Employees” tab.

The Employees List can be accessed by clicking on the “Employees” sub-tab.

From the Employee List, you can choose to add a new employee, edit or delete an employee, or import employees from other locations (if more than one location is configured).

Each employee has a number of settings that can be configured or changed by managers and supervisors inside of TimeForge. These settings control the hours and shifts that an employee can work, the staff members availability, and what positions the employee can perform.

Additionally, employees can be assigned to multiple locations if more than one location is configured.

Other employee settings include pay rates (which are not required), skill levels (for ranking how talented a staff member may be), and employee login information - including the employee’s email address.

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Requests tab.

Requests that are pending manager approval can be seen on your Request Calendar with a small cautionary icon next to them. These requests may also be edited, or deleted.

Once a request is approved or denied by management personnel, you will not be able to edit the request.

If you have made a mistake in the request, you can delete the request from this screen, prior to manager approval.

After a request or change to availability has been made, you can see the request and status on your Today page.

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Requests tab.

The Request Calendar shows the current week, and any requests or availability that has been set for the current week. You can navigate around this page by clicking on the Previous Week or Next Week buttons. Alternatively, you can choose a date from the calendar, and jump directly to the work date.

To create a request or update your availability, click on the date links, or click and drag your mouse on the date and times you are interested in requesting off.

After clicking on a date on the Calendar, the above pop-up will be displayed.

Choose the appropriate request (Wants to work, Available to work, Does not want to work, or Unavailable to work), enter a reason for management to review, and if necessary, choose a Request Type (such as Sick or Vacation).

The Happens selection can be modified so that the request can happen:

- One time: The request occurs only once on the start date
- Daily: The request occurs every day between a start date and end date
- Every weekday (Mon - Fri): The request happens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday’s in between the start date and the end date
- Every weekend (Sat - Sun): The request happens on Saturday’s and Sunday’s in between the start date and the end date
- Every Mon, Wed, and Fri: The request occurs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday’s in between the start date and the end date
- Every Tue and Thurs: The request occurs on Tuesday and Thursday’s in between the start date and the end date
- Weekly: You can pick which days of the week the request occurs on
- Monthly: The request can occur either monthly or based on the day of the month.

At the bottom of the pop-up window, you can see a written version of what the request will look like on the calendar.

Click Next to continue.

Rather than click on an actual date (such as the previous example), TimeForge will allow you to make a request for specific parts of the day. You can enter your own time range (as depicted above), or you can choose from predefined Work Periods or Day Parts, if management has previously defined these time ranges.

Click Next to continue.

Managers can require that all requests and availability changes be made several days in advance, to ensure that their labor schedule is not disrupted carelessly. In this example above, requests must be made at least 3 days in advance, and TimeForge will not allow you to continue.

If you have an emergency request, please speak directly with your manager, or send them a message using TimeForge.

After a request or change to availability has been made, you can see the request and status on your Today page.

TimeForge can accommodate one-time requests or recurring availability, with its simple to use but highly customizable requests system.