What is a Schedule?

Accurate and correct employee scheduling is a powerful labor cost control measure. With TimeForge, supervisors and managers can quickly and accurately build labor schedules while considering the needs of their business, as well as the desires of other staff members.

Each TimeForge schedule is a collection of many shifts, and each shift is assigned a corresponding start and end time, as well as position (or job), and employee. Other information can be included with each shift, including whether the shift is for an “extra” staff member, the section or station being worked, and other pertinent information.

TimeForge schedules can be of any usable business length – some businesses prefer one-week, two-week, or one-month schedules. Other businesses prefer a mix of schedules, and may have differing schedules based on departments or store requirements. Don’t worry … TimeForge automatically notifies managers and supervisors responsible for creating the schedule of any conflicts!

Upcoming Employee Schedules

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Upcoming (and historical) employee schedules are displayed on the Schedule List page. Each schedule can be copied, modified, deleted, analyzed, printed or used to print break reports.

Schedules on the Today Page

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The schedule is easily viewed on the Today Page – including all scheduled and confirmed shifts, pending shift swaps, open shift swaps, pending requests, and other information.

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What is a Department?

TimeForge departments provide larger organizations with the ability to partition, or assign, groups of employees to individual managers.

Each department can have a number of positions (positions can even overlap departments, if necessary), employees, supervisors, and managers. Employees may belong to more than one department, if necessary.

Examples of departments include:
- A restaurant could have a front of house, back of house, and bar department.
- A grocery store might have many departments, including cashier, meat counter, bakery, and other departments.
- A cinema or movie complex might have departments for the ticket counter, concessions, and floor.

Departments are created at the Corporate Level – all locations (or stores) within a single corporation share departments.

Please note: Enabling departments within TimeForge will change the TimeForge interface to accommodate the many new department features. For example, schedule forecasts, sales, and positions are all linked to departments.

Enabling Departments inside of TimeForge

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Departments, while powerful, should only be enabled by organizations needing them.

Adding or Editing Departments

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Each Department can have one, or more, positions assigned to it. Assigning positions will ensure that staff members, supervisors, and managers are not distracted or confused by other departments that are using TimeForge.

Employees can be assigned to Departments

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Each staff member can be assigned to one or more departments. Employees cannot belong to a position unless the position is assigned to one of the employee’s departments.

Schedules can be created on a department basis

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Each schedule can be assigned to a department, providing very fast reporting and schedule building on a per-department basis.

Additionally, schedule templates and weekly templates are assigned to departments, providing one-click scheduling for each department.

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What is a Skill Level?

Skill levels in TimeForge allow managers and supervisors to rank staff members based on experience at each position. Skill levels can be used to differentiate experienced employees from inexperienced staffers or newly hired employees. The higher the skill level, the more experienced the staff member.

Employees who work more than one position or job can have multiple skill levels. For example, a staff member may be an excellent cashier (with a skill level of 5), but may be a manager in training (with a skill level of 2).

Employees can be ranked by skill levels for each position

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Skill levels can be used to rank employees for each position that the staff member can work.

Shifts can require skilled employees

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Each shift may require employees of different skills, which can be set at the template or schedule level.

For example, on Saturday and Sunday, a pool or aquatics center may need a very skilled head lifeguard (skill level 5), but on other days, perhaps a slightly less skilled life guard will suffice (a skill level 3 or 4).

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What is a Position or Job Code?

TimeForge Positions are similar to Job Codes, Position Codes, or Job Descriptions that are available in many Point of Sale solutions. Employees can work one or more positions in the TimeForge system. Employees can work as many positions as necessary.

Each position can have its own name / description, pay rate (and pay scale), color (for drawing on graphs), and overtime calculation. In addition, positions can have Payroll Identifiers (for use in some payroll programs), stations / sections (useful when assigning shifts to employees), and multi-level pay rates.

- Stations / sections are used to identify areas of work for a specific position or job code. For example, a “Waiter” or “Server” Position might have several sections that correspond to tables at a restaurant, such as “Section 1“, “Section 2“, etc…
- Multi-level Pay Rates can be used to pay staff members at varied rates throughout the work day. For example, a “Waiter” or “Server” Position might receive a normal hourly rate of $2.13 from the hours of 10am and 11pm. However, prior to 10am, employees working as a Server may receive $7.35

When used at the Corporation Level within TimeForge, Positions are available at every location – however, each location / site / unit can have individual base pay rates, multi-level pay rates, sections / stations, overtime calculations, and colors. This functionality enables multi-unit concepts to easily perform labor management with a single, simple tool – TimeForge!

Position List

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Every TimeForge account can have as many positions / job codes as necessary – there are no limits.

Position Information

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Position information can easily be configured inside TimeForge, and each position can have an unlimited number of Stations / Sections, and Pay Rates.

Overtime calculations can be based on time and a half (1.5x), double time (2.0x), or California Overtime (a combination of 1.5x and 2.0x overtime).

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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 use Employee Schedule Snapshots?

TimeForge schedules are saved automatically when any field is modified – but sometimes it is useful to save the current schedule before making any modifications – so that you may come back to the previous employee schedule if necessary.

Schedule Snapshots allow you to archive / save the current version of the schedule, along with some quick stats about the number of shifts, and the cost of the schedule. At any point in time you can easily restore a previously saved Schedule Snapshot. Simply choose which snapshot you’d like to restore, and your employee work schedule will immediately roll back to the previously saved Schedule Snapshot.

Employee Schedule Snapshots are available on the Schedule Detail page, and are very useful for:

* Integrating newly hired staff members (Identifying which shifts can be moved around to accommodate the new employees)
* Rolling back to a previous version of the current work schedule
* Identifying shifts that can be removed or modified to reduce labor costs
* Viewing the effects of a drastic schedule change or shift swap prior to actually “doing it”
* And other “What If?” scenarios with the employee work schedule and staff members

Create a Schedule Snapshot

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To view Schedule Snapshots, or create a new one, click on the “View Schedule Snapshots” button at the bottom of the Schedule Detail page.

Click on “Create a Snapshot” to create a schedule snapshot. Schedule snapshots can only be used with schedules that are not yet posted.

Review Work Schedule Snapshots

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Previous Schedule Snapshots are visible in the “View Schedule Snapshots” pop up window.

Listed with each snapshot is the date and time the snapshot was created, the number of shifts in the schedule, the total number of labor hours scheduled, and the estimated labor cost (schedule cost) for the snapshot.

To restore a schedule snapshot, simply click on the radio button next to the desired snapshot, and then click on “Restore a Snapshot“. After a few seconds, your schedule will be restored to the selected snapshot.

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What is a TimeForge Employee?

TimeForge employees are staff members (employee or manager) that use the TimeForge system. More specifically, if a staff member can log in to TimeForge, can be scheduled inside of TimeForge, or can clock in on TimeForge (or with a 3rd party plug in), then that staff member is an “employee“.

You can add, edit, and delete employees in TimeForge from the Employee List page.

Get to the Employee List on TimeForge

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The employee list page can be accessed by clicking on the Employees tab, and then choosing Edit employees

Employee List on TimeForge

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Employees can be seen on the Employee List page. Each of the columns can be sorted, and employees can easily be modified, deleted, or sent a message.

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How can I send a message to other staff members?

TimeForge’s messaging system provides a single location for convenient and simple work related messages. Messages sent through TimeForge are sent as both email messages, and are also available as TimeForge messages when logged into TimeForge.

To send and receive messages, make sure that you have provided an email address on the TimeForge “Setup” page.

Get to the Messages Page on the Schedules Tab

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First, navigate to the “Schedules” tab, and then the “Messages” sub-tab.

From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Schedules tab, or click on the I Have Unread Messages button.

Navigate to the Messages Page

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The “Messages” page displays all incoming / received messages from managers and other staff members, as well as messages that you have sent to other team members.

Send a Staff Message

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The last several messages sent through TimeForge are listed in the Sent Messages section.

To send a new message, click on Send a Message.

Choose Staff Members and Send Your Message

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Choose the staff members that should receive your message, and enter an appropriate message. Selected individuals will receive notification of the message through their TimeForge account as well as through email. Click on Send a Message to send the message.

Staff members are displayed in an easy to read / locate fashion, and you can send a message to multiple staff members by simply selecting all of the staff member names. Team members and managers that do not have a TimeForge account are shown with a line drawn through them, as these individuals cannot receive messages using TimeForge.

Please note: If the recipient of your message responds via email, it will be delivered to your email account that is registered with TimeForge.

Review Sent Messages

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At any time, you can review the status of messages sent using TimeForge.

TimeForge records the message date and time, the actual message, and the number of recipients (click on the Sent Messages link to see which staff members the message was sent to) . If an email address for the recipient(s) was configured with TimeForge, emails were also sent to these coworkers, and anyone that has viewed the message will be displayed in the Viewed Messages link.

Please note: TimeForge cannot accurately record any message that is read via the recipients email account, so the number listed in Viewed Messages is likely lower than the actual number of read messages.

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How do I pick up a shift (to pick up extra hours or shifts)?

You can Pick Up shifts that have been assigned to other employees, or you can contact other employees who are working shifts that you would like to pick up. Both of these shift pick up steps can be done on the Shift Swaps page.

Please note: You are not responsible for any picked up shift until the shift is approved by your management team, and your manager or TimeForge notifies you of the successful shift swap. You will see approved shift swaps on your Upcoming Schedules page.

Get to the Shift Swap Page on the Schedules Tab

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First, navigate to the “Schedules” tab, and then the “Shift Swaps” sub-tab.

From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Schedules tab, or click on the Shift Swaps Available button.

Review Available Shifts, or Find A Shift

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TimeForge provides two ways to look for shifts to pick up, if you would like to work extra hours.

1. Find Shifts. You can search for shifts on a certain date, which start at a time that you specify. The shifts that TimeForge locates may not be given up yet by the staff member that they are assigned to. For example, you can search for a shift that starts on Thursday, March 19, 2009 and starts after 9:00pm.

2. Pick Up an Available Shift. Qualifying shifts that have already been given up by other staff members are listed beneath the Find Shifts section. These shifts display the date, length of the shift, position, and the employee that is currently assigned to work the shift. If the shift swap is approved, you will be replacing the Assigned Employee.

Pick Up a Found Shift

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After searching for shifts using the Shift Swaps page, any found shifts are displayed directly beneath the Find Shifts screen, and are easily identified by the Request to Pick Up this shift link. This shift is currently assigned to another staff member, and that coworker has not yet Given Up the shift.

TimeForge will send a message to the employee (in this case “C Bartender“) on your behalf after you click on Request to Pick up this shift

If the employee agrees to allow you to pick up the shift, a manager must approve the shift swap. Once the shift swap is approved, TimeForge assigns the shift to your account, and will notify you that the shift is now your responsibility.

Pick Up an Available Shift

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Alternatively, instead of searching for a shift to pick up, you can simply click on the Pick Up link next to an already available shift.

After clicking on the Pick Up link, TimeForge will request that a manager approve the shift swap. If the shift swap is approved, you will be notified, and TimeForge will assign the shift to your account (visible on the Upcoming Schedules page).

If the shift swap is denied, you will not be notified (this reduces the amount of email that you might get from TimeForge).

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How do I Create an Employee Schedule?

Once your employees and positions are configured in the software, creating an employee schedule is easy!

In just a few clicks, a complete employee work schedule can be assembled and posted for other staff members to view.

TimeForge allows you to build a labor schedule in different ways – depending on your exact scheduling needs. TimeForge includes a Daily View, which includes a bar/gantt chart to easily determine staffing levels, as well as a Detail View, which resembles Microsoft Excel, and allows you to work on an entire week at a time.

Scheduling Employees: Create a Work Schedule

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Creating a schedule is very simple, using the “Add or Edit A Schedule” screen.

To begin scheduling employees, enter this information:

- Start and end dates for your work schedule (these are the begin and end dates for the schedule)

- A descriptive name to remember the schedule (the software will suggest a name for your schedule)

- If your account is configured for multiple Departments, you can choose an applicable Department

- If your account is configured with Sales Forecasting, you can choose an appropriate Sales Type

Schedule Employees with Different Views – Daily View

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TimeForge allows you to build a labor schedule in different ways – depending on your needs. TimeForge includes a Daily View, which includes a bar chart to easily determine staffing levels, as well as a Detail View, which resembles Microsoft Excel, and allows you to work on an entire week at a time.

Pictured above is the Schedule Daily View. Some of the powerful features and benefits of the Daily View include:

1. The schedule can be built by employee (Schedule By Employee), or by position (Schedule By Position). Switch back and forth with a single click.

2. Make a template from the shifts you have created, or use a previously created schedule template to make a schedule fast!

3. Choose Daily Labor Costs to review a graph of labor costs by position.

4. Important messages about the schedule, including scheduling rule problems and best practices are displayed at the top of the Daily View.

5. Adding a shift is easy – just pick the start and end times, then choose the employee or position from the drop-down. That’s it!

6. A graphical chart is shown next to each shift to allow you to easily staff your business.

Schedule Employees with Different Views – Schedule Detail

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TimeForge allows you to build a labor schedule in different ways – depending on your needs. TimeForge includes a Daily View, which includes a bar chart to easily determine staffing levels, as well as a Detail View, which resembles Microsoft Excel, and allows you to work on an entire week at a time.

Pictured above is the Schedule Detail View. Some of the powerful features and benefits of the Detail View include:

1. The schedule can be built by employee (Schedule By Employee), or by position (Schedule By Position). Switch back and forth with a single click.

2. Group summaries (such as the total hours, number of shifts, and labor costs) can be switched on and off by clicking on Hide Group Summaries or Show Group Summaries.

3. Clicking on Show Shift, Show Hours, or Show Cost to quickly display each shifts start and end times, hours of duration, or the cost of the shift. No more sorting through Excel for this data!

4. Important messages about the schedule, including broken scheduling rules and best practices are displayed at the top of the Detail View.

5. Click on the date header (such as Sat 08/08 or Sun 08/09) to view a pop-up window of additional actions, such as switching to the Daily View, creating a template, copying shifts from one day to another day, and much more!

6. The group summaries can be seen for the position or employee, as well as totals for the entire week and each individual employee, position, and day.

7. Click on Add Shift or the start and end time of the shift to add or edit a new shift for the employee.

Schedule Staff with the Add/Edit Shift Pop-Up in Detail View

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In the Detail View, clicking on Add Shift will show the above window.

This window allows you to quickly add a shift to an employee / position combination, and also shows any other shifts that the employee is already scheduled for, and requested time off. Shifts can also be copied to other days of the schedule with a single click!

Drag and Drop Shifts to Quickly Copy Schedules

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In the Detail View, select an employee (or position) and drag it to another employee (or position). Release your mouse button when you see a “check” icon, and then you will then see the window displayed above.

You can choose to copy (duplicate) or move the shifts from one employee to another. Copy the shifts to copy any upcoming shifts, leaving the original shifts intact. Move the shifts to move shifts from one staff member to another.

Use the Daily View to Add Shifts to a Day

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Instead of using the Detail View to add shifts and manage the schedule, many TimeForge users will use the Daily View.

To add shifts while using the Daily View:

- Pick the appropriate Start Time (when the employee should arrive) and End Time (when the employee will likely leave) for the shift. Instead of choosing from the drop-down box, you are free to enter your own start and end times (such as 2:12pm)

- Choose the position for this shift from the Position drop-down box. (Positions that do not have employees assigned will not be shown)

Use the Daily View to Schedule Employees

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After choosing start and end times on the Daily View, and a position for the shift, click on the Employee drop-down. TimeForge will display a listing of all possible employees that are available to fill this shift.

Information about each employee will be shown, including their name, skill level for this position, an approximate cost to have the employee work this shift, and any notes about employee availability or requests.

Additionally — the “AutoSchedule” option is available. When you choose the “AutoSchedule” option, TimeForge will automatically look for the employee that is a “best fit” for the schedule, based on available hours, employee constraints (such as their availability), cost of labor, and a number of scheduling best practices.

Scheduling Employees: Post the Employee Schedule to be Viewable by Employees

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When the schedule is complete, it should be Posted. Posted schedules can be seen by all other staff members that have access to TimeForge. Schedules that are not yet posted cannot be viewed by employees.

The schedule can only be posted from the Detail View, giving you one last chance to see the entire schedule before giving it to your employees.

If you would like to come back later and continue editing the schedule without allowing other employees to see the schedule, simply leave the page – all of the changes are already saved.

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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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