How do I Take or End a Break?

TimeForge Attendance is a powerful time tracking tool for businesses and staff members alike. Staff members can clock in and out using TimeForge, and can also track scheduled and unscheduled breaks such as those required by law in some states, lunch breaks, meal periods, and others. Taking breaks is easy with TimeForge!

Login to TimeForge

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If you are on a computer which allows employee clock ins with TimeForge Attendance, go to the Today Page and you will see a button to clock in.

Navigate to the Today Page to Take a Break

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If you are scheduled or allowed to take a break, and you have already clocked in, you can go to the Today Page and you will see a Take a Break button.

Click on the Take a Break button to actually take your break.

Choose the Break Type (if Configured)

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Depending on your employer’s TimeForge settings, you may be allowed to choose the type of break, and those options might include:
paid required
paid optional
unpaid required
unpaid optional

Click on the Break Type drop-down and choose the type of break you would like to take.

Please note: You may not be prompted to choose a break type, depending on how the breaks are configured at your location.

Click Take a Break or Cancel.

Ending Breaks is Also Easy

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When you are ready to end your break, go to the Today Page and you will see an End Break button.

Click on the End Break button to finish your break.

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What is on the Today Page?

The Today Page is a powerful labor management dashboard that is available in all TimeForge accounts.

Information about the employee work schedule, labor costs, and upcoming necessary management actions are all available on the Today Page.

Labor Management Dashboard – The Top of the Today Page

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The top of the Today Page shows the weather for today and tomorrow, as well as important information from TimeForge.

Labor Management Dashboard – The Upcoming Week

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The majority of the Today Page is occupied by the labor management dashboard, as seen above. This dashboard changes in real time to display shift confirmations, open shifts, shift swap requests, scheduled labor costs, actual labor costs, and other helpful information.

Labor Management Dashboard – Each Day (First 6 Rows)

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Each day of the labor management dashboard is broken down into several rows.

1. The first row of data shows how many employees are scheduled for the day (unique shifts). Click on this link to get a bar chart showing the day’s schedule.

2. The second row of data shows any unconfirmed shifts from your staff members, providing you with an idea of how many employees have confirmed receipt of their schedule through TimeForge. Clicking on this link will allow you to further examine which shifts have been confirmed, or have not been confirmed.

3. The third row of data displays how many Pending Shift Swaps need to be approved for that particular day. Clicking on this link will take you to a screen to approve or deny the pending shift swaps.

4. The fourth row of data displays how many Open Shifts occur on that day. An Open Shift is a shift that has been Given Up, but not yet Picked Up. Clicking on this link will take you to a page displaying more detail about the Open Shifts, as well as any Pending Shift Swaps.

5. The fifth row of data displays the number of Pending Bid Shifts that need to be approved. A bid shift is similar to a shift swap, however, multiple staff members can bid on the shift and management can then choose the best of the employees to work the shift.

6. The sixth row of data displays today’s schedule in a bar chart format, and is somewhat similar to the first row.

Labor Management Dashboard – Each Day (Last 7 Rows)

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1. The seventh row of data will provide the day’s schedule in a Horizontal or Vertical format, allowing you to print the schedule and place it your pocket.

2. The eighth row of data will allow you to quickly see how many staff members are clocked in, and clicking on the link will send you to the “Clocked In” Employees page.

3. The ninth row of data displays the number of Daily Log entries for the day, and clicking on this link will take you to the Daily Log.

4. The tenth row of data displays the day’s scheduled labor costs, if any labor costs have been entered for staff members.

5. The eleventh row of data displays the actual cost of employee’s whom have clocked in and out for the day, and is the total of your day’s labor.

6. The twelfth row of data displays the difference between the scheduled labor costs, and the actual attendance cost. If the number is in green, the actual labor costs for the day are less than what was scheduled (good job!), if they are in red, then the labor costs are higher than what was scheduled.

7. The last row of data displays the rolling labor cost for the day, and resets based on when your schedule starts. You can use this number to keep track of your labor costs for the week.

Labor Management Dashboard – The Bottom of the Today Page

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At the bottom of the Today Page is a list of employee mailboxes that seem to be bouncing, or are incorrectly entered in the software. These staff members may not be getting messages about the schedule.

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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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How do I clock out from the Today Page?

TimeForge Attendance is a powerful online time clock system, which tracks when you clock in and clock out to allow easy preparation and review of payroll hours by the management team. In addition to basic clock in / out information, TimeForge Attendance can also track declared tips and mileage (for delivery drivers). You can enter notes about each shift, which can be reviewed by your manager at a later date.

Use TimeForge Attendance to clock out at the end of your shift, or for mandatory breaks (such as lunch breaks).

Depending on your specific manager’s rules, clocking out with TimeForge may require manager approval (if you are too early or too late), your clock out time may be rounded, and you may only be able to clock out from specific computer systems.

Go to the Today Page

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TimeForge Attendance controls clocking in and out on the Today Page.

If you are not allowed to clock out from the computer you are currently logged in to, you will see a message explaining that you cannot clock out from the current computer.

Clock Out of TimeForge Attendance

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When you are ready to clock out of TimeForge Attendance, enter any declared tips, mileage, or notes which are relevant to the shift.

Then click on the Clock Out button.

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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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Suite G
Lubbock, TX 79423

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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