How do I Set Up Break Rules?

The TimeForge Breaks module inside of TimeForge Scheduling is a powerful and flexible management system for scheduling breaks and meal periods for staff members. TimeForge Breaks are controlled using the Break Rules, and these Break Rules become scheduled breaks on the schedule that can be controlled and monitored using TimeForge Attendance, or with a worksheet and signatures by staff members.

TimeForge Break Rules are designed to allow management staff to specify the language and requirements of paid, unpaid, optional, and required breaks, similar to how they might be specified by federal, state, or local authorities

For example, in some states, it may be required to provide a 15-minute optional and unpaid break to staff members who work at least 6 hours.

Navigate to the Break Rules

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Go to the Employees tab, and the Breaks sub-tab.

Review the Break Rules

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Review the Break Rules, which specify the number of breaks, duration of break, recurrence, whether or not the break is required (or optional), whether the break is paid (or unpaid), a description for the break, the position the break applies to, and how long the employee must be at work for the break to apply.

Configure Break Rules

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To add a break rule, click on the Add a New Break Rule button [7]. Some information about this screen:

1 – Breaks applying to any position are listed under the “Any Position” section. Breaks for specific positions are listed under their respective position names. This flexibility allows management breaks, or FOH and BOH to have different break set ups.

2 – Select the number of breaks, and the duration of the break(s). For example, in the picture, we are describing “2 breaks”, and each break lasts “5 minutes”.

3 – Choose the duration for repetition of the break(s). For example, in the picture, we are describing breaks that occur once every 6 hours. If the breaks should be awarded every 2 hours, but the shift is 4 hours long, the staff member may be awarded 2 sets of breaks.

4 – Decide whether the breaks are paid, unpaid, required, or optional, and add a description for the break. For example, in the picture, we are describing a required, but unpaid break, with no description.

5 – Decide if the break applies to all positions, or only one type of position, and also decide which specific shifts will receive the break. For example, in the picture we are awarding breaks to staff members who work Bartender shifts that are at least 6 hours long, but no longer than 8 hours.

TimeForge will tie all of the Break Rules together and will apply / award the breaks to staff members working applicable shifts. Based on the picture for this step, TimeForge will provide (2) 5-minute breaks to bartenders who work at least 6 hours, but less than 8 hours. These breaks will both be required, but are unpaid.

When you’re done working with the breaks, make sure to click on the Save Break Rules button [6].

Test the Break Rules

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TimeForge provides management staff with the ability to test the break rules, to ensure that the break rules are configured exactly as you need them for your business.

To test the break rules, choose an applicable position, and then simulate the duration of a work shift, and click on Test Break Rules.

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How do I Approve or Deny Availability Requests?

Using TimeForge, staff members can request time off, or change their availability. These types of requests, which can affect the hours worked, PTO, or the schedule, must first be approved or denied, by a manager or supervisor at your location.

Requests and Availability on the TimeForge Today page

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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.

Request Approval Process

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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.

Working Staff Members Who are Already Scheduled to Work

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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.

Send Messages to Staff based on Availability

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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.

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How do I add, edit, or delete Positions?

Adding, editing, and removing positions (also known as job codes in some industries) from within TimeForge is simple. Positions need to be created in order to schedule staff members.

Positions are automatically synchronized from some Point of Sale systems that TimeForge integrates with.

Get to the Employees Tab

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First, navigate to the “Employees” tab.

Access the Position List Page

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Select the “Edit Positions” link.

Add a New Position, or Choose an Existing Position to Edit

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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.

Modify the Appropriate Fields

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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.

Position Sections and Stations

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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..

Multi-Level Pay Rates

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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.

Deleting a Position

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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.

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How do I add, edit, or delete employees?

Adding, editing, and removing staff members from within TimeForge is very easy to do. Employee accounts need to be created for any staff member who will be scheduling employees, or who will be placed on the schedule themselves. Additionally, any staff member who will be running reports, clocking in, or receiving messages needs to have an employee account.

Employees are automatically synchronized from some Point of Sale systems that TimeForge integrates with.

Get to the Employees Tab

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First, navigate to the “Employees” tab.

Access the Employees List

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

View the Employee List

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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).

Add or Edit Employee Specific Information (Part One)

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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.

Add or Edit Employee Specific Information (Part Two)

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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.

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How do I edit or delete a Request?

Editing and deleting requests and changing availability is easy with TimeForge!

Prior to manager approval, Pending Requests can be edited or deleted.

After a request is approved by management, you cannot edit the request, but you may delete it.

Get to the Requests Tab

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

Requests that are not yet Approved can be Edited

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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.

Delete or Edit Pending Requests

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

Pending Requests

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

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How do I create a Request or change my Availability?

Creating requests and changing availability is easy with TimeForge!

Staff requests are immediately sent to management for manager approval, and you will receive notifications through TimeForge and email when your request is approved or denied.

Get to the Requests Tab

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

View the Request Calendar

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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.

Fill out the Create New Preference Pop-Up

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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.

Enter your own Time Range for a Request or Availability Change

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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.

Requests may be denied if made too early

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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.

Pending Requests

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

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What is the difference between Availability and Requests?

In many restaurants, retail businesses, and other industries, staff members are required to work with two different concepts for work preferences:

Availability is when you are normally available to work. For example, you may be available on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8am – 2pm. Perhaps you are not available to work on Tuesdays or Thursdays because of school conflicts, or another job. Availability sheets are commonly passed out on a continuous basis (school semesters are common), and are filled out by staff members.

Requests are normally one-time changes to your normal availability. For example, you may be available next Tuesday to work, because your professor canceled class. In many locations, requests are placed in some sort of log book – either an industry specific manager log (such as a Red Book from Red Book Solutions or a Beat Yesterday book) or a simple spiral notebook or binder.

TimeForge supports both types of work preferences from a single Availability & Requests page. Recurring requests can be be made within TimeForge, similar to an Availability sheet and individual daily Requests can also be made within TimeForge.

TimeForge supports 4 different types of Availability and Requests to enable staff members can easily customize their work schedule.

- Wants to work: If you would like to work a particular shift, for example on a day that works well with your schedule, create a Wants to work request.

- Available to work: By default, you are always available to work, and can be scheduled to work. Create either Wants to work, Does not want to work, or Unavailable to work requests to change your availability.

- Does not want to work: These requests indicate that you would prefer to not work, but can work if required.

- Unavailable to work: If you cannot work, an Unavailable to work request will ensure that you are not placed on the schedule during this time frame.

Staff requests and changes to availability are sent to your management team for approval, and once approved you will be notified through TimeForge and by email (if your email account is set up).

TimeForge can Accommodate Recurring Availability and One Time Requests

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

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We are one year into it now, well past being enamored with the newness. We are married to TimeForge. It's as essential to us now as any of our management tools today, and we very happy about that.- Steve @ Hermosa Cyclery
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