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Employee Management

Add, edit, and manage your employees with role assignments, location access, pay rates, password resets, and complete employee lifecycle management.

Manager & Head Manager8 min read

What is Employee Management?

Employee Management is where you add new team members, update their information, assign roles and locations, set pay rates, and manage their access throughout their time with your organization. This is your central hub for all employee-related tasks.

From hiring to retirement, this feature handles the complete employee lifecycle: onboarding new hires, updating contact information, assigning job roles, restricting access to specific locations, resetting passwords, and deactivating employees when they leave.

Quick Overview

Employee Management lets you:

  • • Add new employees in seconds with email invitations
  • • Update employee info (name, email, phone, role)
  • • Assign job roles (Server, Cook, Manager, etc.)
  • • Control which locations each employee can access
  • • Set base pay rates for payroll tracking
  • • Reset employee passwords when they forget them
  • • Deactivate employees without deleting their history
  • • Bulk unassign all future shifts when someone leaves
  • • Reactivate former employees if they return

1. Add Employees

Adding new employees is quick and easy. They'll receive an email invitation to create their account and set up multi-factor authentication.

How to Add an Employee

  1. 1. Go to Employees page
  2. 2. Click "+ Add Employee" button
  3. 3. Fill out the employee information form
  4. 4. Click "Create Employee"
  5. 5. Employee receives email invitation to activate their account

Employee Information Form:

Display Name (required)

  • • Full name as it appears on the schedule
  • • Example: "Sarah Johnson" or "Mike Davis"

Email (required)

  • • Must be unique (one email per employee)
  • • Used for login and notifications
  • • Invitation sent to this email address

Phone (optional)

  • • Contact number for emergencies or schedule changes
  • • Format: (555) 123-4567

Password (required)

  • • Initial temporary password
  • • Employee can change after first login
  • • Minimum 8 characters recommended

User Role (required)

  • • Employee - Basic access (view own schedule, request time off, clock in/out)
  • • Manager - Can manage schedules and employees
  • • Head Manager - Full administrative access

Job Role (optional)

  • • Select from your custom roles (Server, Cook, Cashier, etc.)
  • • Required if using role-based staffing
  • • Can be assigned later if needed

Department (optional)

  • • Group employees by department
  • • Example: Front of House, Kitchen, Management

Position (optional)

  • • Job title or position name
  • • Example: "Assistant Manager" or "Lead Server"

Base Pay (optional)

  • • Hourly rate for this employee
  • • Used for labor cost calculations
  • • Example: 15.50 (for $15.50/hour)

Location Assignments (optional)

  • • Select which locations this employee can work at
  • • Leave empty to allow all locations
  • • Managers can be restricted to specific locations

Important Notes

  • • Employees must activate their account via email before they can login
  • • They'll be required to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) on first login
  • • Employees start as inactive until they complete account setup
  • • You can add employees in bulk if you have many to onboard

2. Edit Employee Info

Update employee information at any time as their details change or roles evolve.

How to Edit an Employee

  1. 1. Go to Employees page
  2. 2. Find the employee in the list (use search if needed)
  3. 3. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) next to their name
  4. 4. Update any fields you want to change
  5. 5. Click "Save Changes"

What You Can Edit

  • • Display name (first/last name)
  • • Email address (login email)
  • • Phone number
  • • User role (Employee, Manager, Head Manager)
  • • Job role (Server, Cook, etc.)
  • • Department assignment
  • • Position/title
  • • Base pay rate
  • • Location assignments
  • • Active/inactive status

Common Edit Scenarios

Promotion:

Change user role from Employee to Manager when promoting someone

Role Change:

Update job role when employee moves from Server to Lead Server

Pay Raise:

Increase base pay when giving annual raises

Contact Update:

Change email or phone when employee updates their contact info

3. Deactivate Employees

When an employee leaves, deactivate their account instead of deleting it. This preserves their work history while preventing future logins.

How to Deactivate an Employee

  1. 1. Go to Employees page
  2. 2. Find the employee who's leaving
  3. 3. Click the Edit button
  4. 4. Uncheck the "Active" checkbox or toggle to inactive
  5. 5. Click "Save Changes"
  6. 6. Optionally: Bulk unassign all their future shifts (see section below)

What Happens When You Deactivate

Account Access

Employee can no longer log in to their account

Existing Shifts

Future shift assignments remain unless you manually remove them

History Preserved

All past shifts, hours worked, and time records remain in the system

Reports & Analytics

Their historical data still appears in reports and analytics

New Assignments

Cannot be assigned to new shifts (hidden from assignment dropdowns)

Why Deactivate Instead of Delete?

  • • Keeps historical work records intact for payroll and compliance
  • • Preserves analytics and reports accuracy
  • • Allows easy reactivation if employee returns
  • • Maintains audit trail of who worked when
  • • Required for legal and tax reporting in many jurisdictions

4. Role Assignment

Assign job roles to employees so they can only work shifts that match their qualifications. Essential for role-based staffing.

User Roles vs Job Roles

User Roles (Permissions)

  • • Employee - Basic access
  • • Manager - Manage schedules
  • • Head Manager - Full admin

Controls what they can DO in the system

Job Roles (Positions)

  • • Server, Cook, Cashier
  • • Lifeguard, Manager
  • • Custom roles you create

Controls what shifts they can WORK

How to Assign a Job Role

  1. 1. Make sure you've created job roles first (Settings → Staffing Rules)
  2. 2. Edit the employee
  3. 3. Find the "Job Role" dropdown
  4. 4. Select the appropriate role (Server, Cook, etc.)
  5. 5. Save changes

Example Role Assignments:

Sarah Johnson

User Role: Employee | Job Role: Server

Can view own schedule, can work Server shifts

Mike Davis

User Role: Manager | Job Role: Kitchen Manager

Can manage schedules, can work Kitchen Manager shifts

Lisa Chen

User Role: Employee | Job Role: Lifeguard

Can view own schedule, can ONLY work Lifeguard shifts

When Role Assignment Matters

  • Role-Based Staffing: Ensures shifts get correct employee types
  • AI Schedule Generation: Only assigns employees with matching roles
  • Shift Swaps: Prevents unqualified employees from picking up specialized shifts
  • Compliance: Required for certifications (lifeguards, nurses, etc.)

5. Location Assignments

Control which locations each employee can access and work at. Especially useful for multi-location businesses.

How Location Assignments Work

No Locations Selected

  • • Employee can work at ALL locations
  • • Default setting for new employees
  • • Best for employees who float between locations

Specific Locations Selected

  • • Employee restricted to ONLY selected locations
  • • Cannot be assigned to other location shifts
  • • Useful for location-specific staff

How to Assign Locations

  1. 1. Edit the employee
  2. 2. Find the "Location Assignments" section
  3. 3. Check the boxes for locations they can work at
  4. 4. Leave all unchecked to allow all locations
  5. 5. Save changes

Example Scenarios:

Scenario 1: Downtown-Only Employee

Sarah only works at Downtown location

✓ Select: Downtown location only

Result: Can only be scheduled at Downtown

Scenario 2: Multi-Location Employee

Mike floats between all 3 locations

✓ Select: Leave all unchecked (or check all)

Result: Can work at any location

Scenario 3: Manager Restricted Access

Lisa manages East and West locations only

✓ Select: East location + West location

Result: Can only see/manage East and West schedules

Manager Location Restrictions

When you assign specific locations to a Manager or Head Manager, they can ONLY view and edit schedules for those locations. This is useful for franchises or chains where different managers oversee different locations. Head Managers with no location restrictions have access to all locations.

6. Base Pay Rates

Set hourly pay rates for each employee to calculate labor costs and estimate payroll expenses.

How to Set Base Pay

  1. 1. Edit the employee
  2. 2. Find the "Base Pay" field
  3. 3. Enter their hourly rate (e.g., 15.50 for $15.50/hour)
  4. 4. Save changes

How Base Pay is Used

  • • Labor cost calculations in analytics
  • • Estimated payroll costs in reports
  • • Cost optimization recommendations
  • • Budget planning and forecasting
  • • Manager visibility into labor expenses

Privacy Note

Employee pay rates are only visible to Head Managers. Regular Managers and Employees cannot see individual pay rates. Labor cost totals may be shown in analytics, but individual rates remain private.

7. Password Resets

Reset employee passwords when they forget their login credentials or need security updates.

How to Reset a Password

  1. 1. Edit the employee
  2. 2. Find the "New Password" field
  3. 3. Enter a new temporary password
  4. 4. Save changes
  5. 5. Tell the employee their new temporary password
  6. 6. Employee should change it after logging in

Security Best Practices

  • • Create a strong temporary password (mix of letters, numbers, symbols)
  • • Communicate the new password securely (in person or via phone, not email)
  • • Instruct employee to change password immediately after logging in
  • • Only reset passwords when absolutely necessary
  • • Keep a log of password reset requests for security audits

8. Bulk Unassign Shifts

When an employee leaves, quickly remove them from all future shifts in one action instead of manually editing each shift.

How Bulk Unassign Works

  1. 1. Go to Employees page
  2. 2. Find the employee who's leaving
  3. 3. Click the Delete/Deactivate button
  4. 4. System shows a list of their upcoming shifts
  5. 5. Confirm you want to unassign them from all future shifts
  6. 6. All future shift assignments are removed instantly

What Gets Removed:

  • • All shifts scheduled for today or later
  • • Only THIS employee's assignments (other employees unaffected)
  • • Shifts remain on the schedule (just need new employee assigned)

What Stays:

  • • All past shifts they worked (history preserved)
  • • Time records and clock-in data
  • • Performance analytics and attendance records

Use This Feature When

  • • Employee quits or is terminated
  • • Employee goes on extended leave
  • • Need to quickly clear someone's schedule
  • • Replacing someone who suddenly can't work future shifts

9. Employee Activation

Reactivate former employees who return to work, or manually activate employees who were added but haven't set up their accounts yet.

How to Activate/Reactivate

  1. 1. Go to Employees page
  2. 2. Use filters to show "Inactive" employees
  3. 3. Find the employee you want to reactivate
  4. 4. Click Edit
  5. 5. Check the "Active" checkbox or toggle to active
  6. 6. Save changes

What Happens When You Activate

Account Access

Employee can log in again with their existing credentials

Assignment Eligible

Appears in assignment dropdowns for new shifts

History Intact

All previous work history remains (no data loss)

Same Settings

Keeps same roles, locations, and pay rate as before

Common Reactivation Scenarios

  • • Seasonal employee returning for busy season
  • • Former employee rehired after leaving temporarily
  • • Employee returning from extended leave or sabbatical
  • • Correcting accidental deactivation

Best Practices

1. Keep Employee Info Current

Ask employees to update their contact information whenever it changes. Outdated emails or phone numbers can cause communication failures and missed shifts.

2. Assign Roles Immediately

Assign job roles when creating new employees, not later. This prevents accidentally scheduling unqualified employees or encountering errors with role-based staffing.

3. Deactivate, Don't Delete

Always deactivate employees instead of deleting them. You need their work history for payroll, taxes, compliance, and analytics. Deletion is permanent and creates gaps in your records.

4. Use Location Restrictions Wisely

Only restrict employees to specific locations if necessary. Leaving location assignments empty gives you maximum scheduling flexibility by allowing employees to float between locations.

5. Document Pay Rates Consistently

Enter base pay for all employees, even if approximate. This ensures labor cost analytics are accurate and helps with budget planning. Update rates immediately after raises.

6. Bulk Unassign Before Deactivating

When someone leaves, use bulk unassign to clear their future shifts BEFORE deactivating. This ensures those shifts get reassigned to other employees promptly.

7. Review Inactive Employees Quarterly

Every few months, review your inactive employee list. Remove test accounts or duplicates, but keep legitimate former employees for historical records.

Related Features

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Ready to streamline your employee management with role assignments, location control, and complete lifecycle tracking?

Employee Management | XShift AI