Recent updates
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Track or enforce employee breaks
Updated onArticleIn TimeForge, the employee breaks module is a powerful and flexible part of the scheduling and attendance tracking in regards to scheduling employee breaks and meal periods. TimeForge breaks are controlled using the "Break Rules," and after you create an employee schedule, these "Break Rules" become scheduled employee breaks that can be controlled and monitored using TimeForge Attendance, or with a worksheet and signatures by staff members.
TimeForge "Break Rules" are designed to allow management to specify the language and requirements of paid, unpaid, optional, and required breaks, similar to how they might be specified by federal, state, or local authorities. For example, in some states, it may be required to provide a 15-minute optional and unpaid break to staff members who work at least 6 hours.
Setting up the "Break Rules" is easy, and here are the steps you need to take in order to schedule breaks for staff members.
Manager Guide Schedules
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Define your ShiftBuilder Rules
Updated onArticleIn TimeForge, the shiftbuilder can automatically generate coverage and build shifts for you based on sales rules and comparisons. For example, one rule could be set up in a way that for every $1,000 in sales, you need 2 staff members in the store. Rules can be based on sales, based on minimum and maximum staffing levels, and more. Setting up ShiftBuilder Rules is one of the first steps to configuring your account to be able to generate schedules based on your sales projections/forecasts.
You’ll also need to configure your sales categories so that you can start viewing things like Net/Gross sales and labor percentages.
Here is how to configure ShiftBuilder Rules. However, don't hesitate to contact us if you would like some extra help!
Manager Guide Schedules
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Create and assign shifts using the ShiftBuilder
Updated onArticleThere are many ways that you can build an employee schedule in TimeForge. Whether you want to build shifts yourself, use templates to expedite the scheduling process, have the AutoSchdeduler automatically assign shifts for you, or have the ShiftBuilder automatically create employee shifts, TimeForge will save you time and headaches when creating a work schedule.
One unique feature to the already powerful ShiftBuilder is the ability to generate shifts based on manager projections. Doing this is easy and will better control your labor costs by essentially putting your work schedule on a budget.
The first thing you'll need to do is set up some Manager Projections. Then, follow these steps to use the ShiftBuilder to generate shifts based on those projections.
Manager Guide Schedules
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Save or restore a schedule using snapshots
Updated onArticleTimeForge 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 weekly schedule of the schedule, 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 swaps prior to actually “doing it”.
- And other “What If?” scenarios with the employee work schedule and staff members.
Manager Guide Schedules
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Create a sales-driven schedule
Updated onArticleTimeForge gives you the flexibility to create an employee schedule several different ways. Part of this flexibility is the ability to create a schedule while using sales forecasts and projections. Depending on the specific needs of your business, you can compare your schedule to any key performance indicator (KPI) that you have set up.
After Manager Projections have been input into the TimeForge "Sales Module," the Manager Projections can be displayed on the labor schedules, providing instant feedback on how each day of the schedule will compare to the manager projections. System Generated Forecasts can also be displayed on the employee schedule.
Creating a schedule and comparing it to projected sales is easy. This overview explains how to use the daily and weekly views in TimeForge to stay within your thresholds.
Manager Guide Schedules
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Add a new schedule
Updated onArticleTimeForge is a complete labor management tool, and one of the most useful features of TimeForge is the ability to quickly and easily create employee schedules. 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 all staff members to view.
TimeForge allows you to build a labor schedule in different ways - depending on your exact scheduling needs. You could even choose to use the AutoScheduler and have accurate employee schedules created automatically for you. TimeForge includes a Daily View, which includes a bar/gantt chart to easily determine staffing levels, as well as a Weekly View, which resembles Microsoft Excel and allows you to work on an entire week at a time.
Manager Guide Schedules
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Create and use daily or weekly schedule templates
Updated onArticleIn TimeForge, work schedule templates are 24-hour periods of time that reflect a single day of a schedule. In some industries, these are called "Master Schedules," or "Master Work Schedules." You can use a work schedule template to organize your labor requirements in advance of the actual schedule, allowing you to easily anticipate upcoming staffing needs. This is also helpful if you use TimeForge Sales to project your weekly sales because it can further help you control your labor costs. In other words, creating an employee schedule template will allow you to rapidly create a work schedule, as long as you spend a little time in advance thinking about your labor needs.
Templates can be created for any number of scenarios, and there are no limits on the number of templates that you can create in your account. For example, you might create a schedule template for staff members needed Monday through Thursday, and then separate templates for Friday and Saturday since they require more labor. Or, you might create schedule templates for each day of the week, with templates for Monday night football, holidays, or other special occasions.
Here is how you can easily build employee schedule templates for multiple staff members, and then use those templates to build a schedule.
Manager Guide Schedules
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Edit your profile and choose which alerts to receive
Updated onArticleTimeForge is a powerful tool for employees, and it can send nightly email alerts about upcoming shifts that you are scheduled to work. Your management team may use your email address to contact you with important work messages. TimeForge can even allow you to view your schedules and attendance on your cell phone and on Facebook!
In addition to nightly email messages, TimeForge can send a reminder text message to your cell phone before your shift starts, so you always know when to work!
To enable notifications for your schedule, TimeForge needs to know your email address and cell phone number. The instructions below will help you set up your account to receive alerts.
Employee Guide Account Settings