Overview
This article explains how to configure the core scheduling settings in Shiftlab. These settings define work-week structure, auto-assignment behavior, schedule approvals, store assignment permissions, shift options, real-time punch visibility, reporting thresholds, budgeting, and scheduling metrics.
View the six part video series for the Administrator Setup, and this is video 1 found below.
When to Use This
Use this configuration process when:
You have just created a new Shiftlab account.
You need to establish how schedules function across your organization.
You want to automate employee assignment, approvals, or reporting.
You are preparing Shiftlab for active scheduling and forecasting.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Video
1. Set the First Day of the Work Week
Select Edit in the top-right corner of the Work Week section.
Choose the day your organization uses as the start of the work week.
Select Save Changes.
2. Configure Auto Assign to Store
Select Edit in the Auto Assign to Store section.
Select the employee roles that should be auto-assigned or auto-removed.
Define the number of days of recent activity (sales or time punches) required for auto-assignment.
Define the number of days without activity that should trigger auto-removal.
Toggle Auto Assign and Auto Remove on.
Select Save.
3. Enable the Schedule Approval Process
Select Edit in the Schedule Approval section.
Toggle the approval process on.
Select the security role that is allowed to approve schedules (e.g., Company Administrator).
Choose whether approved schedules become locked.
Choose whether non-managers can see schedule status.
Select Save Changes.
4. Configure Store Assignment Permissions
Select Edit in the Store Assignments section.
Choose which security roles can manually add or remove employees from store rosters.
Select Save Changes.
5. Enable Split Shifts
Select Edit in the Split Shifts section.
Toggle Split Shifts on.
Select Save Changes.
6. Enable Real-Time Punch Data
Select Edit in the Real-Time Punch Data section.
Toggle real-time visibility on.
Select Save Changes.
7. Set Shiftlab Thresholds for Reporting
Select Edit in the Thresholds section.
Enter values for:
Clocked In Early (minutes)
Clocked In Late (minutes)
Clocked Out Early (minutes)
Clocked Out Late (minutes)
Store Overtime Threshold (hours)
District Overtime Threshold (hours)
Select Save.
8. Configure Budget Setup
Select Edit in the Budget section.
Toggle budgeting on.
Download the sample budget file.
Complete the file:
Store Name must match the name in Shiftlab.
Period Start and Period End define the budget period.
Spread KPI indicates the metric used to distribute hours (Traffic, Gross Profit, Boxes, etc.).
Budget Hours is the number of hours allotted for the period.
Save the completed file.
Upload the file to Shiftlab.
9. Select Default Scheduling Metrics
Select Edit in the Default Scheduling Metrics section.
Choose the metric used to generate scheduling demand (e.g., Traffic, Gross Profit, Budget).
Choose the metric used for employee ranking on the scheduling page.
Select Save Changes.
Key Details & Definitions
Auto Assign to Store: Automatically adds employees to store schedules based on recent punches or sales activity.
Auto Remove: Removes employees from store schedules when they have no recent activity.
Schedule Approval Process: A workflow requiring schedules to move from Draft → In Review → Approved.
Split Shifts: Allows an employee to have two shifts in one day at the same or different locations.
Real-Time Punch Data: Displays which employees are currently clocked in.
Thresholds: Reporting rules that identify early/late punches and overtime conditions.
Budget File: A spreadsheet defining store-level labor hours for a specific time period.
Default Scheduling Metrics: The data source used to forecast labor demand and rank employees.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Employees are not being auto-assigned.
Verify that Auto Assign is toggled on and that the activity window (days) is set correctly.
Employees are not being removed from store schedules.
Ensure the Auto Remove toggle is on and that the inactivity threshold matches your expectations.
My managers cannot approve schedules.
Check the selected approval role in the Schedule Approval section.
Why did my Budget upload fail?
Confirm that store names exactly match names in Shiftlab and that the date formats are valid.
Real-time punch data does not appear.
Ensure time clock functionality is active and that real-time punch tracking is enabled.
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