What is the lock icon?

On the Daily View, the lock icon signals whether you have an employee assigned to a shift, or if the AutoScheduler can change the shift.

The lock icon is green (locked) when you have a staff member assigned, and the icon is red (unlocked) when you don’t have an employee assigned. When the icon is red (unlocked, no assigned employee) the shift will be AutoScheduled.

Lock or Unlock the Icon

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To change a lock icon from “locked” to “unlocked”, simply click on it. If you leave the lock icon “unlocked”, the shift will be AutoScheduled, and may be changed.

To change a lock icon from “unlocked” to “locked”, first assign an employee to that shift, then click on the icon. This will “lock” the employee into the shift, and the AutoScheduler will not change this shift.

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How do I import data from Excel or CSV?

During Set Up, you will be asked to enter information about your employees. This information can provide names, positions, and pay rates to help TimeForge manage your employees. TimeForge also provides employee contact information to enable the software to contact them through email and phone messages. To avoid unnecessary time spent during set up, you can import this data from an existing Excel spreadsheet (or CSV) with your employees’ information on it.

Create CSV file in Excel

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Set up your staff in Excel and save it as a CSV file.

Go to Import Data

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Navigate to the Set Up tab, then click on Import Data.

Upload CSV file

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You can import your data (positions, employees, departments, pay rates) in a CSV and TimeForge will process it.
Click on Browse, and find your Excel (or CSV) file. Click Upload to continue.

Preview then Import Data

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Preview data by using the Previous and Next buttons, and align the proper field titles, then click Import Data.

Finish Importing Data

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Click the Finished button to save information that was imported from your CSV or Excel file.

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What are Work Periods?

TimeForge gives you total control of every aspects of the scheduling process. Work Periods allow you to split the day into different ‘work periods’, such as ‘Morning’, ‘Afternoon’, and ‘Evening’, or ‘Open’, ‘Mid’, and ‘Close’. Below are instructions for adding any work periods that might be relevant to your business operations.

Go to Work Periods

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Navigate to Schedules then click on Work Periods.

Edit Work Period Information

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Work Periods allow you to split the day into different ‘work periods’, such as ‘Morning’, ‘Afternoon’, and ‘Evening’. TimeForge will use the work periods to allow easy visualization of the schedule and availability. Edit the work period information and save.

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How do I add HR information to an employee?

HR information might include pre-hiring information, onboarding paperwork, training documentation, certifications, or offboarding paperwork.

You can upload forms, specify which positions need specific HR documents, and customize your options. Below is information on adding HR information to an employee, after you have already customized HR settings. If you have not set up HR yet, go to the Human Resources link under the Employees tab.

Go to Employees List

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Navigate to the Employees tab and click on Employees.

Select an Employee

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To add HR information, choose a staff member and click on the blue Edit button next to their information.

Human Resources

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On the Employee Information page, click on the Human Resources tab.

HR Information

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Edit the information for the HR type, click Upload to upload the appropriate form (if applicable), and click the Save button.

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How do I add Human Resource Category?

Human resource information enables you to store and easily access all applicable paperwork regarding employees and their information. You can upload HR documents like I-9’s, W-4’s, training manuals, insurance verification, and other forms that are applicable to the labor management needs of your business.

You will want to add human resource information categories to organize these documents for easy input and retrieval of these forms. Categories you might use include I-9, W-4, Acceptance Letter, Job Application, Insurance Verification, Driver’s License, Customer Service Policies, alcohol serving certification, etc.

These categories are further filed under specific types that are provided by TimeForge. For example, an acceptance letter, job application, and I-9 might be filed under Onboarding Document, while a handbook on customer service policies might be filed under Ongoing Training.

Go to Employees list

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Navigate to the Employees tab and click on Human Resources.

Edit Human Resources

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Edit the information to make a Human Resource Type.

Remember to click Save!

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How do I know who has read my messages?

TimeForge offers a built-in messaging service to provide a quick and convenient way for employees and managers to communicate. Additionally, TimeForge Messaging offers a written record of this correspondence. To see if your message has been read, and by whom, follow the steps below.

Go to Messages

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Navigate to the Schedules tab and click on Messages.

View Sent Messages

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On the Messages page, scroll down to sent messages.

The View Messages Column Will Show Who Has Viewed Your Messages

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Look at the View Messages column and click on one of the numbers to see who has read your message.

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How do I approve or deny shift swaps for my staff?

TimeForge enables your employees to swap shifts (if you want them to be able to do this).

Shift swaps are simple: If Joe Smith doesn’t want to work the shift that he is currently scheduled for, he can “give up” his shift, and another employee can “pick up” that shift. Then, a manager can approve or deny the swap.

You can view shift swaps either through the Schedules tab or through your Today page. After viewing shift swaps, you can accept or deny shift swaps, and you can also leave a message to the employee regarding the approval or denial of the swap.  TimeForge also has alerts which will email managers (or staff members) which shift swaps are available, or need to be reviewed.

Schedules Tab View: Go to Shift Swaps

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Navigate to the Schedules tab, then click on Shift Swaps.

Schedules Tab View: View Open Shifts

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Click on the blue link: View Open Shifts, Given Up by Employees. A pop up will show you the shifts that are available for other staff members to pick up. These open shifts have already been given up by your staff.

Today Page View: View Open Shift Swaps

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This information can also be seen on your Today page, simply scroll down if you don’t see it right when you log in.

Accept or Deny Shift Swaps

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Once another employee “Picks Up” a shift, you will be able to accept or decline the shift swap, and TimeForge will notify the relevant employees automatically. Simply click on Approve or Deny, according to your preference.

Leave a Message

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After making your decision you can leave a message for the staff members to read, if you want to. Simply type your message into the Message field, then click Continue.

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How do I delete a department?

You might want to delete a department if an unnecessary department was created by accident, or if a department has been eliminated from your business. For example, if Amazing Vittles ‘n Things has closed down their “Dog” department, their managers will want to eliminate the Dog department from the TimeForge system to avoid future Dog related confusion.

Go to Departments

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To delete an unwanted department, navigate to the Set Up tab and click on Departments.

Delete Unwanted Department

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Find the unwanted department and click on the red Delete link.

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How do I add a Leave Type?

Leave types help you track employee leave and eligibility. For example, an employee might be eligible for one paid week of vacation every year. You could label the leave type for this as “Vacation”. You can also modify leave options when you fill out the Leave Type Information, so TimeForge will automatically calculate accrued and used time off.

Go to Leave Types

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Navigate to the Set Up tab, then click on Leave Types.

Add a New Leave Type

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On the Leave Types page, go to the Add a New Leave Type button.

Fill in the Leave Type Information

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On the Leave Type Information page, complete editing and when finished, click save.

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Why can’t I see other departments or staff members?

You will not be able to see another department if you are not associated with that department, according to your department settings. To be able to see a department, the position to which you are assigned must be associated with that department OR you must be assigned to that department (you can manage a department without working in the department).

For example, if you are a “Craft Manager” (position) in “Crafts” (department), and all “Craft Managers” are assigned to the “Crafts” department, then you will be unable to see what’s going on in the “Produce” department, unless you assign “Craft Managers” to “Crafts” and “Produce”. If you don’t want to assign all of the employees associated with that position to a department, you can add them individually. So, if you only want a specific “Craft Manager” to work in “Produce”, you can assign just the employee you want without assigning all the other “Craft Managers” to “Produce”. Below are instructions for reassigning department positions.

Go to Departments

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Navigate to Set Up and click on Departments

Select a Department

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Click on the department that you would like to be in.

Go to Positions

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Go to the Positions tab and click on the certain positions that are wanted in the department.
Click save!

Finish Editing Department Information

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This question pops up because you already have these positions in a different department. Choose one of the following and click Next.

Choose Department While Managing Attendance

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When managing time and attendance shifts, you can also choose the department that the employee is working in (note, the Department column is only shown if the position and employee can be assigned to more than one department).

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heartWhat some of our clients have to say ...

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
We really like the program so far. I know that it is geared towards restaurants, but we are a real estate company and we love it because it is inexpensive and it is so easy to use.- Nicole @ Exit Premier Realty
The Timeforge scheduling system has not only increased our efficiency tremendously; decreased the errors in what is normally an error prone environment; it has also saved us ten times what it costs us each month.- Michael @ Tiara Cafe
I would highly recommend TimeForge to anyone making work schedules. ... What used to take 1-2 hours, now takes 15 minutes. The reports section is comprehensive and useful.- Lawrence Payne @ Mid Pacific Country Club
I've been really pleased with this latest version of TimeForge. I'm really getting familiar with this program and its become a great time saver! Keep up the good work!- Loren @ Fresh Produce
Before using TimeForge, creating a schedule took 2 hours. With TimeForge, it takes less than 10 minutes.- Gail @ Kerr Drug

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About TimeForge

The best tools available for managing labor in the restaurant, retail, food-service, and hospitality industries. Includes time management, employee scheduling, and other labor management tools.

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