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Create your accountSet up your account: the Get started checklistChoose how your team clocks inGet the mobile appAdd more locations as you growLocation settings: every switch explainedAdd your employeesTeam member settings: every section of the profilePay rates and rate history — raises, back-dating, and rolesInvite your team to the appCollect SMS consent (TCPA)Build and publish a scheduleSort, filter, and read the gridEmployee availability changesSchedule templatesWork the Compliance pageMeal break waivers: request, sign, trackBreak lengths, reminders and ran-long flagsPaid sick leave: policies and balancesCustomize attestation questionsPay period review & certificationTraining: library, assignments, recordsCal/OSHA restaurant safety trainingGet ready for a Cal/OSHA or OSHA inspectionSet up the entrance tablet (PIN kiosk)Recommended hardware for the entrance tabletLock the tablet to the kiosk (manager passcode to exit)Photo at each punch (buddy-punching protection)PINs explained: punch PIN vs Manager PINLock punches to the scheduleRun Schedule Clock mode (the published schedule is the time record)Early clock-ins and late clock-outsClock Station: live time cards, manual entries and correctionsThe Time Entries report, column by columnEmployees can ask for a punch correction — you approve or denyEmployees confirm punches you entered or editedConnect DailyPay (earned wage access)Connect Toast POS to SafeShiftConnect Square to SafeShiftTip declarations at clock-outTip pooling & distribution: how tips get splitSet up the Attestation StationEmployees who work at multiple locationsDepartmentsApprove shift swapsSend announcementsTime off & PTOHR actions & AI-drafted noticesAccess levels: give someone manager accessOnboarding documents & the digital W-4Send a policy for everyone to sign (Policy Campaigns)Other documents on fileBilling, plans & seatsRun payroll with SafeShift: from pay period to paidEditing pay after a run is locked (pay instruction)Adding bonuses, commissions and corrections to a pay periodBonus True-Up tool — the California lookback, step by step

Departments

Group each location's team into crews — filters for you, focused views for shift leads, targeted announcements.

Departments split a location's team into working crews — Front of House, Back of House, Bar, whatever fits. Once a location has departments, filter chips appear on the Team page and the schedule grid, announcements can target a single crew, and a shift lead assigned to a department automatically manages just their crew instead of the whole roster.

  1. 1

    Create departments in Settings → Locations

    Each location card has a Departments row. Click + Department and name it anything, or one-tap the suggestions. Renaming and removing are right on the chips — removing releases its members and keeps history; nothing is deleted.

  2. 2

    Assign people on the Team page

    Open an employee's Edit modal — the Departments section sits right under their access level. Toggle the crews they belong to; changes save instantly. A server who also bartends can be in both — membership is many-to-many.

  3. 3

    Filter, everywhere

    The Team page grows Dept chips and the schedule grid gets an All departments selector as soon as the location has departments. Announcements composed with a location picked can target one or more crews — the recipient count updates live.

  4. 4

    What a department does to a shift lead

    A shift lead who belongs to a department sees their crew across Schedule, Clock Station, Compliance, time off, swaps, and availability — plus anyone not assigned to any department, and themselves. Leads in several departments manage the union of those crews. Managers, location admins, and owners always see everyone; for them departments are filters, never restrictions.

Good to know

  • No departments = nothing changes. Creating the first one is the on-switch; there's no toggle to manage.
  • Someone in no department stays visible to every shift lead on purpose — a person must never disappear from compliance monitoring because a chip was forgotten.
  • Don't make a “Management” department. Managers and owners already see everyone, and a lead sharing that department would inherit every member as their crew. Departments are working crews; access levels already say who is management.
  • Departments never affect punching or violation recording — anyone can punch at the kiosk, and every missed break is recorded no matter who's watching.

If something goes wrong

Can one person be in two departments?

Yes — toggle both chips in their Edit modal. If they're a shift lead, they'll manage both crews.

My shift lead says people are missing from their schedule — why?

That's the department scope working: they see their own crew plus anyone unassigned. If they should see more, add them to the other department or ask the owner to take them out of departments entirely (full-location view).

Do departments work across locations?

Departments belong to one location. A person working at two locations gets assigned per location. For messaging your managers across every site, use the announcement Send-to chips (Managers + Location admins on All Locations) instead.

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