Daily Log Simplifies Record Keeping

Posted on Sep 23, 2010 by marketing in TimeForge Features

If you aren’t using the TimeForge Daily Log feature to help manage your store, you should be!   The TimeForge Daily Log makes quick work of tedious tasks related to the day-to-day operations of your business.

Use the TimeForge Daily Log to store information you want staff or managers to be able to access anytime.

The Daily Log is actually three different log books, or store manuals, which can store handy notes in different formats.

1. The Manager Log stores information that is only relevant to management at your business. This could include information about inventory deliveries, staff problems, upcoming employee reviews, daily sales information, or anything else that your business needs to track.   All the notes and details about your business are in one easy to find, read, and search location that is only accessible by managers, and approved supervisors.

You can use the Manager Log to update management on issues like sales figures.


2. The Staff Log records information that is sent by management to all of the staff at a location.   This could include notes about upcoming events, changes to work policies, new documents, or anything else that the general staff need to know about. You can upload files (like employee handbooks, restaurant menus, or training policies) directly to the staff log for employees to review at home.

You can use the Staff Log to provide employees with reference materials.

3. The Audit Log is a proprietary TimeForge logging system that records specific information about your business activities.   For example, a record is created if the schedule is altered after it’s published, payroll records are changed, or time off is approved.   Each action could have repercussions for the profitability of your business, so it’s important to track these actions.   Additionally, the weather for the day is recorded.

The Audit Log automatically records weather information, schedule changes, and any other information that might affect your profitability.

With the “Categories” feature, you can create different categories for logs and notes to be filed. For example, you can create a “Reference material” category in the Staff Log for store policy information, etc.

You can add your own categories in the Daily Log.

You can upload files to the Daily Log, so important reference material is stored directly with TimeForge for staff or managers’ easy access. TimeForge and all uploaded paperwork is accessible 24/7 online by management, making paperwork less chaotic in labor management.

TimeForge‘s Daily Log feature also makes accident reports more manageable. When an employee injured on the job, or equipment breaks down, the paperwork that must be filled out winds up stuffed in a file somewhere or buried under a stack of invoices, often never to be seen again. Thanks to TimeForge’s unique uploading capability to the Daily Log, you can also scan (or take pictures) accident reports, jot down any need-to-know information, and even “tag” an employee in the entry for automatic integration into that employee’s HR file.

TimeForge’s new Daily Log update is available for immediate use for TimeForge customers!

Sign up for a free trial and let TimeForge simplify labor management for your business today!

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Building a Labor Schedule is Complicated. Use Tools to Keep Managers and Employees Happy.

Posted on Aug 01, 2008 by apresley in Articles

Although employee work schedules sometimes appear simple to create, building a “good” labor schedule is extremely difficult using traditional methods such as Microsoft Excel or pen-and-paper.   Managers must build a schedule so that qualified employees are available to meet the forecasted demand for service or goods.   And a good schedule accurately reflects projected sales for the upcoming week or month, providing adequate work hours for employees.

Labor Schedules Take Time to Create

The employee schedule informs employees when to arrive at work, and in some cases, when to leave.   In other cases, employees are “cut” from the schedule based on demand (or volume) at the business.   In almost every case, the labor schedule is created by management staff in the back-office or at home after hours , a point of discontent for most managers who must work longer hours and weekend hours to build schedules.

The steps to create a labor schedule reads like a long list of tasks, occupying several hours of management time every week:

  1. First review the manager’s log book and estimate or forecast upcoming sales and the demand for labor.
  2. Next check the employee request log and availability sheets as well as individual work preferences while remembering which employees are minors or restricted in working.
  3. Look-up required employee certifications; for example, an ABC license is required to serve alcohol at a restaurant or necessary certifications to dispense medications.
  4. Identify trustworthy and experienced personnel to open or close the business.
  5. Try to fairly distribute shifts while meeting employee minimum hour works, but do not exceed a maximum number of hours.
  6. Make sure that employees are not likely to receive overtime if someone fails to show up on the schedule.
  7. Identify convenient times to provide break and meal periods for staff members who are required to receive breaks.
  8. Calculate the likely cost of payroll, being mindful of budgetary constraints , if the cost is too high, start over.

Juggling all of these factors to create a good schedule for the workforce is a complicated task that can consume more than ten-percent of a manager’s time throughout the week.   In many cases, especially in owner-operator businesses, this schedule is posted late in the week for the upcoming week.   Posting the schedule late causes problems with employees and creates higher turnover and reduces tenure at the business , reducing overall profits!

The final version of the labor schedule, which the manager has likely spent hours creating, may be bulk-emailed out to the employees (if the manager used a tool such as Microsoft Excel and a schedule template to build the schedule), or more commonly, printed and posted on a wall in the back of the business (inside the management office, store room, or kitchen).

Example: At a nightclub, management juggles the work preferences and needs of more than ninety individuals including bartenders, servers (waiters and waitresses), cooks, dancers, security, disc jockeys, paid performers and management staff. After the business closes on Thursday night, the manager spends three hours building the schedule and trying to meet every employee’s needs , as well as the business’s needs. There is always some give-and-take when building a schedule, and after finishing the schedule, it is posted on a wall in the management office so that employees know when to work. A second copy of the schedule is saved in a folder for later comparison with the employee clock-in and clock-out times to identify schedule irregularities or areas of improvement.

Theoretical Labor Schedules are Important for Staff

This posted work schedule is the “theoretical labor schedule” – it is the necessary labor needed to operate the business and meet expected customer demand.   The posted work schedule will change throughout the week as employees fail to show up, swap shifts with other staff members, arrive early or late, or business requirements change and employees are cut or added to the schedule.   The posted schedule should be saved and archived (as it was created by management) for later comparison to worked hours, and for issues arriving from Labor & Industries audits, availability conflicts, labor disputes, or even lawsuits.

Example: If the manager of the nightclub receives $60,000 per year in salary, the schedule process at this nightclub costs more than $90 per week, $360 per month, and $4,320 per year , just to make an employee schedule! With a tool such as TimeForge, building a schedule could cost less than $8 per week, $32 per month, and $382 per year.
Using TimeForge creates an extra $3,936 in profit , every year!

Is your scheduling complex?   Are you making the best possible schedule?   How many thousands of dollars do you spend making schedules every year?   Did you know that TimeForge can reduce turnover, increase retention and increase profits through employee scheduling at your business? Sign up today for a free trial!

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Labor and Industries Audits Made Easy

Posted on Dec 02, 2007 by apresley in TimeForge Features

In many states, the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) performs routine audits of retail, grocery, contracting, and food-service businesses to determine if the establishment is following all federal, state, and local laws governing overtime, underage workers, and workers compensation. Like any audit, failing an L&I audit may result in heavy fines and significantly reduce profits. L&I audits may also be performed by your insurance company rather than a state agency.

Labor & Industries auditors will review your payroll, accounting, and schedules for compliance – a daunting task if your employee schedule records are kept in request books, various availability sheets, sticky-notes, scraps of paper, and Excel spreadsheets. However, with TimeForge.com, an L&I audit is simple. Historical records are always available and can be recalled by simply logging into TimeForge and running the appropriate report on any past, present or future schedule. Schedules are archived forever. Requests are stored forever. Audits are now simple!

How long does it take to make an employee schedule? It should take less than 5 minutes! Did you know that labor costs could be as much as 30% of your expenses? TimeForge can help streamline and minimize labor costs through effective labor scheduling at your restaurant, bar, or club.

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