TimeForge University: Schedule Templates 201

TimeForge Schedule Templates can be used to easily and quickly build labor schedules.  Use schedule templates and weekly templates together to identify upcoming labor requirements and plan your staffing needs.

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Additionally, you can build schedule templates as you build your work schedule, and can create an unlimited number of weekly and daily schedule templates.  Each department can also have their own schedule templates, if desired.

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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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TimeForge University: Availability Requests 102

Managing staff members, and when they want to work (and do not want to work) in TimeForge is easy! This video shows some of the more advanced features of TimeForge availability requests. Review time off requests, approve and deny work availability, and maintain staffing levels.

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Using TimeForge, availability requests can be easily managed and monitored and schedules can quickly be rearranged based on the needs of staff and management.

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TimeForge University: Availability Requests 101

TimeForge’s powerful availability requests allow you to set up one-time requests, rotating availability, or school schedules. This video displays some of the power of the TimeForge Availability Requests.

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Using availability requests, TimeForge users can request time off, change their work availability, indicate with they are working at other jobs, and even create rotating staffing schedules.

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What is the difference between a TimeForge Employee, Supervisor, and Manager?

TimeForge has 3 different security levels which determine what each staff member can do within the TimeForge labor management system.

Manager – A TimeForge Manager is able to do anything inside of the TimeForge system, including adding staff members, adding/editing employee schedules, changing sales forecasts, modifying the daily log, and running payroll reports.

Supervisor – A TimeForge Supervisor is directly in between a TimeForge Employee and a TimeForge Manager. Many aspects of the supervisor are able to be customized, on a location-by-location basis, to fit your business’s needs. By default, supervisors are able to perform every TimeForge function that a TimeForge Manager can – however, Supervisors cannot view the pay rates / salaries of other Supervisors or of any Manager.

Employee – A TimeForge Employee is the base security level for all staff members inside of the TimeForge system. Employee’s can clock in / out and view their time card (if enabled), view their own schedule, request time off, change availability, swap shifts, and set up text messaging and email notifications.

Employee security settings can be changed by editing the employee, and changing the Employee Type.

Employee Type Options

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Changing the employee security level is simple. The Employee Type field is listed at the bottom of the Employee Information page.

Supervisor Options

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TimeForge Supervisor capabilities can be configured on a per-site basis. Supervisors can be configured to have limited labor management capabilities, or can be configured with the same permission levels as a TimeForge Manager.

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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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What is on the Today Tab?

The Today tab displays important information about your TimeForge account such as pending, approved, and denied requests, and includes the ability to clock in / clock out (if enabled), and information about upcoming schedules or possible shift swaps.

Top portion of the TimeForge Today Tab

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1. Important Messages from the TimeForge team are displayed here. This will include information about planned downtimes, outages, relevant upgrades, and other information.

2. Warnings about your account may appear if there appear to be issues with your TimeForge account. Make sure that you have entered your email address, cell phone number, and a Secret Question to ensure that you receive the most from TimeForge.

3. The weather for today and tomorrow at your work location is displayed.

4. If you are allowed to clock in from the computer you are using to access TimeForge, an appropriate clock in message will be displayed here.

Bottom portion of the TimeForge Today Tab

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1. Information about your TimeForge account can be viewed with this set of control buttons. Upcoming schedules, available shift swaps, unread messages, and availability / requests can be viewed from these buttons.

2. Pending Employee Requests are schedule requests / changes to availability that have not yet been approved or denied by your management team. These are displayed for your reference.

3. Approved Employee Requests are schedule requests / changes to availability that have been approved by your management team. These are displayed for your reference.

4. Denied Employee Requests are schedule requests / changes to availability that have been rejected by your management team. These are displayed for your reference.

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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

Quick Contact

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Phone: 1 866 684 7191
Fax: 1 866 684 7191
E-Mail: info@timeforge.com

 

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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