How do I manage working shifts and track absentee workers?

The Working Shift & Absentee Modules will help you track attendance daily and manage shifts from the field logs.

Overview

Users can create working shifts with defined start and stop times, rounding rules, and assigned workers. These shifts form the daily roster used for attendance tracking.

From there, the Absentee Module identifies which workers are missing from their scheduled shifts and prompts you to take action—ensuring no worker time is left untracked. Additionally, the system monitors tardiness, flagging late arrivals based on each worker’s shift start time.

Requirements

Check the feature requirements below

1.    Access to the feature from the project settings.

On the project, select the three dots in the right corner to display options and look for "Working Shifts".
This module will be visible only to Admin users and users with Manage Working Shift permission enabled. 

* If the feature isn't visible, contact SmartBarrel to enable it.*

2.    User permissions

Review the user permission list and verify that the option "Manage Working Shift" is selected. 



For the absentee module, verify that all options are selected


3.    Create a list of tardiness reasons for late shifts

Go to the Company settings, select General and add multiple reasons

 

4.    Create a list of "No show reasons"

There are three options under this category: 

• Justified: This category includes instances where a worker provides a valid reason for missing their shift (e.g., medical emergency, approved time off).
• Questionable: The reason provided is unclear and may require a follow-up to determine whether it can be justified.
• Unjustified: This applies when the absence lacks a valid reason or no explanation is provided.
  
  
  
  

 

Part 1.  Set up a Working Shift  

Step 1. Go to project settings, click on the top-right menu, and select "Working Shifts." 

Step 2. Create a shift

• Create and name the shift (e.g., “Morning Shift,” “Evening Shift" or "Main shift")
• Add code, description, and save changes

 

 

Part 2. Set up a Schedule for Working Shifts

Step 1. Select Shift Hours by Day

Specify for each day of the week the start and stop times of that shift's hours. If weekends follow different hours, then the hours should be adjusted accordingly.

Step 2. Set tardiness settings

Configure the "Mark Shift Late Based on" setting and decide whether to mark a shift late based on Raw Punch Time, Rounded Time, or Do Not Automark.

• Raw Punch Time: The system will mark the shift late based on the exact time the employee clocked in.

• Rounded Time: Late status is determined after applying any time rounding rules.

• Do Not Auto-Mark: The system will not automatically mark shifts as late.

For example, if you want lateness to be tracked based on when someone actually arrives, select "Raw Punch Time". 

 

Step 3. Set up rounding rules for the working shifts

Go to the project settings, select "Working Shifts," and scroll down to Round Up Rules.

 

Step 4. Review Field Logs in the Project Dashboard

Once your shift settings are set up, you can go back to the Project and open the Field Logs section. You’ll notice two new elements displayed on the dashboard:

• Absentee section: This highlights any workers who are assigned to a shift but do not have a punch for the day
• Clock Icon Column: A new column will appear with a clock icon next to each worker’s name. This icon indicates whether the worker was on time or late, and also indicates which shift they belong to.
  
  
  

 

Step 5. Assigning Workers to the Right Shift

The system automatically checks which shift a worker belongs to when they check in for the first time. If a worker hasn’t been assigned to any shift, they will be temporarily placed in a "No Working Shift" category. In this case, a supervisor or admin should review and manually assign workers to the correct shift they belong to. 

If you click on the clock icon next to a worker's name, you will have two options: 

• Unmark as Late: Change the status from late to not late.

• Remove Late Flag: Completely remove the late flag from the log.

For example, if a worker was late or couldn’t check in on time due to a valid reason (like being busy with a task), you can click the clock icon and remove the late mark.  Then, you’ll be prompted to add a reason for why the change was made. 

* The reason field is required to save changes.*

Filter Tardiness or working Shifts

There are two options:

• From the Project Filter Icon: This option sorts results directly from the project dashboard.

• From the Timesheet Tab: This option provides a detailed breakdown of attendance and shift data in all the projects.

 

Tracking Absentee Workers Module

Things to consider:

• Once a worker is added to a project and the Absentee Module is enabled, the system will automatically begin tracking their attendance. 
• For each worker marked as absent, you’ll need to choose one of the following actions: 
  – Create a manual shift
  – Mark as PTO 
  – Mark as No Show- You will be asked to provide a reason.
  – Stop Tracking- This removes workers from tracking until they check in again.

If you need to stop tracking attendance for a specific worker, there are two ways to do so:

• Project Workers Page: 
  Locate the "Stop Tracking" column and click on the ❌ icon next to the worker’s name to disable attendance tracking for that worker.

• Field Logs section within the project:
  Select the Absentee view option and click on the "Stop tracking" option

💡Tip:  To start tracking again, click ❌ next to the icon. This will reverse the action and resume attendance tracking for the worker selected.

 

Videos:

Working Shifts

 

Tracking Absentee Workers