SocialSchedules Overview
SocialSchedules is an employee scheduling tool designed to make scheduling easy for managers and employees. Features include schedule creation, time off management, labor compliance, private and group messaging, and payroll integration.
To get started with SocialSchedules, there are five key steps you’ll need to take:
Create positions
Add employees
Set-up department/s
Add workers to department/s
Create shifts
Accessing SocialSchedules
SocialSchedules can be accessed via https://app.socialschedules.com. Log in using the email address/phone number and password you set when you first created your account.
Did you know we also have a mobile app? Simply search for 'SocialSchedules' on the Play Store or App Store. You can log in using the same credentials you use on desktop.
Navigating SocialSchedules
The SocialSchedules application has four main sections, accessible from the top of the screen:
Scheduler: Create shifts and publish them to your workers
Timecards: View and edit timeclock data and export to payroll
Network: View and edit workers and their profiles (i.e. contact details, positions, availability)
Time off: View and approve time off requests
A separate, extended menu is available by clicking the company name in the top lefthand corner, next to the SocialSchedules logo:
From this menu, you can access key features including:
Departments: Each schedule you create is specific to a department - for example, you might have a Back of House department and a Front of House department.
Positions: These are the jobs your workers will work - for example, Bartender or Waitress.
Some features are only available to customers on a paid plan. These are marked with a star and include:
Overtime calculations: Automatically calculate employees earning due to daily and weekly overtime
Logbook: Communicate with fellow managers about issues or events
Certifications management: Keep track of which workers have what certifications and enforce compliance that only suitably qualified workers can be scheduled.
Before we get started
SocialSchedules supports a three-level hierarchy:
Company
Location
Department
A company is the overarching entity within SocialSchedules.
A location is the specific place where the work is taken out - for example, a restaurant address. By default your company will be set-up with a single location, bit you can add more if required.
Each location can then be broken down into departments. Think of a department as a group of people who would be on the same schedule and managed by the same manager. By default your location will be set-up with a single department, but you can add more if required.
For example, a restaurant may have two departments:
Front of House
Back of House
Employees need to be added to their respective departments so they can be scheduled. Employees can be added to as many departments as applicable.
Each department will also need at least one manager. Department managers are effectively those people who will create shifts, publish schedules, and make any changes that are applicable.
Each department's schedule can be viewed on the Scheduler.
SocialSchedules Quick Start
To get started with SocialSchedules, there are five key steps you’ll need to take:
Create your positions
Add your employees
Set-up your department/s
Add workers to department/s
Create shifts
1. Create positions
A position is a role performed by a worker - for example, Sous chef or Bartender.
Multiple workers can have the same position, and workers can have multiple positions.
Positions are managed at the company level, and each have their own hourly rates set against them.
When workers are scheduled for shifts, they will be scheduled for a specific position. For example, if Jane Smith has both the 'Bartender' and 'Waitstaff' positions, she might be scheduled as a Bartender for a shift on Monday night, then a shift as a Waitstaff on Tuesday night.
Positions can be accessed from the main company menu.
2. Add employees
Now that you've created your positions, it's time to add your workers.
Workers can be created within SocialSchedules from the Network page.
Simply click the +Add Worker button and enter their name and phone number. Workers will receive a text message inviting them to download the SocialSchedules app and connect with the company.
Have lots of workers to add? Check out how to perform a bulk import here.
Next, assign position/s to each worker. This can be done from Positions & Pay Rates, under the worker's profile.
If the pay rate for an individual worker differs from the standard position pay rate, you can update it here.
3. Setup department/s
A department maps to a schedule within SocialSchedules. You will want one department for each schedules.
If you have one schedule for all staff, then use one department.
If you treat and publish the schedules separately for say Back of House and Front of House, then create two departments.
A single department "Schedule" is set up by default when your SocialSchedules account is first created. To view it, navigate to Departments under the Company option on the top bar.
You can then choose to rename the department to be more relevant to your business (e.g. Back of House).
Create more departments by clicking on Add Department.
There are several settings you can define for your department, including enabling off-site addresses, creating sections, and defining shift swaps and drops.
Managers can be assigned from the Department Managers screen. Department managers are effectively those people who will create shifts, publish schedules, and make any changes that are applicable.
4. Add workers to departments
Once workers are added to relevant departments, they can to be scheduled for shifts and invited to shift opportunities.
Click Scheduler in the top bar.
Click on the + sign to bring up the Manage Workers screen.
Select Add a worker to [Department Name], and then select the employee/s you wish to add to the department
.
Hot tip! You can also create new workers from this screen by clicking on 'Create New Worker'.
With your departments created and employees invited, you’re now ready to start scheduling.
5. Create shifts
Shifts are created and managed from the Scheduler. Choose to schedule by day or week, depending on your preference.
Create a Shift
Chose Time
In weekly view: Select a Worker and a Day for the shift. Click in the intersecting cell.
In daily view: Position the cursor at the desired shift start time. Click and drag to the desired shift end time and release.
Create Shift screen > complete the required information > click Create Shift button
Draft Shifts have
Publish Schedule
Click Publish button (top right)
Confirm details,
Adding a Manager’s Note for workers if desired.
Click Publish & Notify to complete the publishing process.
Confirm publish by visually checking shifts are now displayed as solid colors, representing that they are published.
SocialSchedules Weekly Shift View
SocialSchedules Daily Shift View
Once you have created your schedule, you need to publish it to notify workers of the shifts they are working.
Draft shifts (not yet published) have a broken outline. Shifts are color-coded according to the color assigned to the Position.
Draft SocialSchedules Shifts
Publish Schedule for the Period
Congratulations! You're all set up and ready to start scheduling.