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Employee Guide

Employee Dashboard Complete Guide

Master your employee dashboard to view schedules, clock in/out, request time off, and stay updated with company announcements.

10 min read
Employee Features
Step-by-Step

Dashboard Overview

Your personal hub for shifts, hours, and company updates

How to Access Your Dashboard

  • • After logging in, you'll see the left sidebar navigation
  • • The "Dashboard" tab is the FIRST item in the sidebar (with home icon)
  • • Desktop: Sidebar always visible on left side (white background)
  • • Mobile: Tap hamburger menu (☰) in top-left to open sidebar
  • • Click "Dashboard" to view your main dashboard page
  • • Active tab highlighted in blue background
  • • Dashboard is your default landing page after login
  • Sidebar shows 10 navigation items:
  • • 1. Dashboard (home icon) - YOUR MAIN PAGE
  • • 2. Clock (clock icon)
  • • 3. My Schedule (calendar icon)
  • • 4. My Shifts (clock icon)
  • • 5. Messages (chat icon)
  • • 6. Time Off (calendar icon)
  • • 7. Shift Trades (clock icon)
  • • 8. My Requests (bell icon)
  • • 9. Work Preferences (clock icon)
  • • 10. Profile (user icon)
  • • Sign Out button at bottom of sidebar

Dashboard Header

  • • Personalized greeting: "Hello, [Your Name]! 👋"
  • • Welcome message showing organization name
  • • "Restart Tour" button (purple) to replay onboarding wizard
  • • Header always visible at top of dashboard
  • • Auto-refreshes every 5 minutes for new announcements

Quick Actions (4 Buttons)

  • 1. CLOCK IN (Green):
  • - Large clock icon with "Clock In" label
  • - "Start your shift" subtitle
  • - Disabled (gray) if already clocked in
  • - Shows "Already clocked in" when disabled
  • - Clicking calls clock-in API instantly
  • - Alert confirms "Clocked in successfully!"
  • 2. CLOCK OUT (Red):
  • - Large clock icon with "Clock Out" label
  • - "End your shift" subtitle
  • - Disabled (gray) if not clocked in
  • - Shows "Not clocked in" when disabled
  • - Clicking calls clock-out API instantly
  • - Alert confirms "Clocked out successfully!"
  • 3. REQUEST TIME OFF (Blue):
  • - Calendar icon with "Request Time Off" label
  • - "Submit request" subtitle
  • - Always enabled - navigates to time-off page
  • - Opens full time-off request form
  • 4. DROP/PICKUP SHIFTS (Orange):
  • - Warning triangle icon with "Drop/Pickup Shifts" label
  • - "Manage shifts" subtitle
  • - Navigates to shift trades page
  • - All buttons show arrow icon on right
  • - Responsive: 4 columns on desktop, 2 on tablet, 1 on mobile

Scheduled Hours Summary

  • • Section header: "Scheduled Hours Summary" with clock icon
  • • Badge: "Based on scheduled shifts" (gray)
  • 3 cards showing calculated hours from assigned shifts:
  • THIS WEEK card (blue background):
  • - Calculates hours from shifts in current week (Sunday-Saturday)
  • - Shows time in format: "8h 30m 00s" (hours, minutes, seconds)
  • - Updates automatically when shifts change
  • NEXT WEEK card (green background):
  • - Shows next 7 days (next Sunday-Saturday)
  • - Same time format as This Week
  • THIS MONTH card (purple background):
  • - Shows calendar month total (1st to last day)
  • - Same time format
  • • All hours precise to the second (not rounded)
  • • Calculates shift duration from start/end timestamps
  • • Only includes SCHEDULED and IN_PROGRESS shifts
  • • Responsive grid: 3 columns on desktop, 1 column on mobile

Company Announcements

  • • Section header: "Company Announcements (X)" with megaphone icon
  • • Shows count in parentheses (e.g., "Company Announcements (3)")
  • • Displays up to 3 most recent announcements
  • Each announcement card (blue background, blue left border):
  • - Title in bold
  • - Full content text
  • - Created date at bottom (formatted: MM/DD/YYYY)
  • If more than 3 announcements exist:
  • - "View all X announcements →" link shown at bottom
  • - Clicking navigates to full announcements page
  • Empty state (if no announcements):
  • - Megaphone icon (gray)
  • - "No announcements yet"
  • - "Your manager will post updates here"
  • • Auto-refreshes when manager posts new announcement
  • • Real-time updates via localStorage event listener

Upcoming Shifts This Week

  • • Section header: "Upcoming Shifts This Week"
  • • Shows only shifts for current week (today onward)
  • Each shift card (gray background) displays:
  • - Shift title in bold
  • - Status badge with color coding:
  • • * scheduled: Blue badge
  • • * dropped: Orange badge
  • • * in_progress: Green badge
  • • * completed: Gray badge
  • • * cancelled: Red badge
  • - Date and time: "Mon, Dec 8 • 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM"
  • - Location name (small gray text)
  • • Shifts sorted by date/time (earliest first)
  • • Empty state: "No upcoming shifts this week" if none scheduled
  • • Does NOT show past shifts (only future and today)
  • • Updates when manager publishes schedule changes

Pending Requests

  • • Section header: "Pending Requests"
  • • Shows ONLY requests with status = "pending"
  • Combines two request types:
  • 1. Time Off Requests (yellow background):
  • - Header: "Time Off Request"
  • - Status badge: "pending" (yellow)
  • - Date range: "01/25/2024 - 01/27/2024"
  • - Reason text shown below
  • 2. Shift Trade Requests (yellow background):
  • - Header: "Shift Trade Request"
  • - Status badge: "pending" (yellow)
  • - "Requested to: [Employee Name]"
  • - Reason text shown below
  • • Empty state: "No pending requests" if all approved/denied
  • Status badge colors:
  • - pending: Yellow
  • - approved: Green
  • - denied: Red
  • • Only pending requests shown (approved/denied hidden on dashboard)

Recent Activity

  • • Section header: "Recent Activity"
  • • Shows recent actions and events
  • Activity types displayed with color-coded cards:
  • - Shift completed: Green card with checkmark icon
  • - Clocked in: Blue card with clock icon
  • - Time off request submitted: Yellow card with warning icon
  • Each activity shows:
  • - Action description
  • - Timestamp (e.g., "Yesterday, 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM")
  • Empty state for new users:
  • - Large clock icon (gray)
  • - "No Recent Activity"
  • - "Your activity will appear here as you use the system"
  • • Demo users see sample activity for demonstration

Clock (Tab 2)

Track your work hours with clock in/out and view timesheet history

Time Clock Features

  • • Page title: "My Time Clock"
  • • Clock In button (green with play icon) - top right
  • • Clock Out button (red with stop icon) - replaces Clock In when clocked in
  • • Buttons show "Processing..." during API call
  • If currently clocked in: Green banner shows:
  • - "Currently Clocked In" status
  • - Clock-in time (e.g., "Since 9:00:15 AM")
  • - Current duration elapsed
  • - Pulsing green dot indicator
  • • Auto-refreshes every 30 seconds to update current session time
  • 3 summary stat cards:
  • - Total Hours (Last 30 Days) - shows HH:MM:SS format
  • - Days Worked - count of days with clock sessions
  • - Average Per Day - calculated average hours
  • Daily Hours Breakdown section:
  • - Lists each day worked
  • - Shows date, session count, total hours per day
  • - Format: "Mon, Dec 8 • 2 sessions • 8h 30m 00s"
  • Clock History section (at bottom):
  • - Lists all individual clock-in/out sessions
  • - Shows clock-in time, clock-out time, duration
  • • Empty state: "No clock history yet"

My Schedule (Tab 3)

View your published shifts in weekly calendar view

Schedule Features

  • • Page title: "My Schedule"
  • Week navigation controls:
  • - "Previous Week" button (left)
  • - Date range display (center): "Dec 8, 2024 - Dec 14, 2024"
  • - "Next Week" button (right)
  • • Filters to show only shifts for the selected week (Sunday-Saturday)
  • • Lists all your assigned shifts for the week
  • Each shift card shows:
  • - Shift title
  • - Status badge (scheduled/in_progress/completed/dropped/cancelled)
  • - Full date: "Monday, December 8, 2024"
  • - Time range: "9:00 AM - 5:00 PM"
  • - Location
  • - Description (if any)
  • Status badge colors:
  • - scheduled: Blue
  • - dropped: Orange
  • - in_progress: Green
  • - completed: Gray
  • - cancelled: Red
  • • Empty state: "No shifts scheduled this week"
  • • Shows ALL your shifts (fetched from employee/my-shifts API)

My Shifts (Tab 4)

View all your shifts with detailed status and history

My Shifts Features

  • • Page title: "My Shifts"
  • Filter tabs at top:
  • - All - shows all shifts
  • - Upcoming - only future/scheduled shifts
  • - Dropped - shifts you dropped
  • - Completed - finished shifts with clock times
  • - Cancelled - cancelled shifts
  • - Incomplete - shifts you were scheduled for but didn't complete
  • Each shift card displays:
  • - Shift title
  • - Status badge (scheduled/in_progress/completed/dropped/cancelled/incomplete)
  • - Date and time range
  • - Location
  • - Description (if any)
  • For completed shifts, also shows:
  • - Clock-in time
  • - Clock-out time
  • - Actual hours worked (e.g., "8.25 hours")
  • • Assignment status shown if applicable
  • • Shows ALL your shifts (past, present, future)
  • • Real-time data from employee/my-shifts API
  • • Empty state per filter: "No [filter type] shifts"

Messages (Tab 5)

Direct messages with coworkers and group chats

Messaging Features

  • • Page title: "Messages"
  • Two message types:
  • - Direct Messages - one-on-one with coworkers
  • - Group Messages - group chats
  • Message list shows:
  • - Contact/group name
  • - Last message preview
  • - Timestamp
  • - Unread indicator (if new messages)
  • • Click conversation to open chat window
  • Chat interface:
  • - Message history with timestamps
  • - Text input at bottom
  • - Send button
  • - Real-time message updates
  • • Can send messages to any employee in organization
  • • Create new group chats
  • • View group members

Time Off (Tab 6)

Submit and track vacation, sick, and personal time-off requests

Time-Off Request Features

  • • Page title: "Time Off Requests"
  • • "New Request" button (top right with + icon)
  • List of all your time-off requests showing:
  • - Request type (Vacation/Sick/Personal/Other)
  • - Date range: "Jan 25, 2024 - Jan 27, 2024"
  • - Status badge (pending/approved/denied)
  • - Reason/description
  • - Submitted date
  • - Manager comments (if reviewed)
  • Status badge colors:
  • - pending: Yellow with clock icon
  • - approved: Green with checkmark icon
  • - denied: Red with X icon
  • Click "New Request" to open submission form:
  • - Request type dropdown (vacation/sick/personal/other)
  • - Start date picker
  • - End date picker
  • - Reason text field (required)
  • - Submit button
  • • Auto-refreshes every 30 seconds to catch status updates
  • • Empty state: "No time-off requests yet"
  • • Shows both pending and historical requests

Shift Trades (Tab 7)

Drop your shifts or pick up shifts dropped by coworkers

Shift Trade Features

  • • Page title: "Shift Drops & Pickups"
  • 3 tabs to switch between:
  • • 1. MY SHIFTS - your upcoming shifts you can drop
  • • 2. AVAILABLE - shifts dropped by others you can pick up
  • • 3. HISTORY - your past drop/pickup activity
  • MY SHIFTS tab:
  • - Lists all your future assigned shifts
  • - Each shift shows date, time, location, role, status
  • - "Drop Shift" button on each shift
  • - Clicking opens drop form:
  • • * Reason text field (required)
  • • * Submit button
  • - Only shows shifts with date >= today
  • AVAILABLE tab:
  • - Lists shifts other employees dropped
  • - Shows original employee name, date, time, location, role
  • - Drop reason displayed
  • - Dropped timestamp
  • - "Pick Up Shift" button
  • - Click to claim the shift
  • HISTORY tab:
  • - Your drop/pickup history
  • - Shows action type (dropped/picked up)
  • - Date, time, location, reason
  • - Status (pending/approved/denied)
  • - Timestamp
  • Pending Trades section (if any):
  • - Incoming trade requests from other employees
  • - Shows requester name, shift details
  • - Accept/Decline buttons
  • Icons:
  • - Down arrow for dropped shifts
  • - Up arrow for picked up shifts

My Requests (Tab 8)

View all your submitted requests and their status

My Requests Features

  • • Page title: "My Requests"
  • • "New Request" button to submit additional requests
  • Shows all your submitted requests including:
  • - Time-off requests (vacation/sick/personal)
  • - Shift swap requests
  • - Other custom request types
  • Each request card displays:
  • - Request type
  • - Date range (start date - end date)
  • - Reason/description
  • - Status badge (PENDING/APPROVED/DENIED)
  • - Submitted date
  • Status badge colors:
  • - PENDING: Yellow
  • - APPROVED: Green
  • - DENIED: Red
  • New request form includes:
  • - Type dropdown (VACATION/SICK/PERSONAL/OTHER)
  • - Start date picker
  • - End date picker
  • - Reason text field
  • - Submit button
  • • Shows success alert: "Request submitted successfully!"
  • • Real-time data from employee/requests API
  • • Empty state: Shows when no requests submitted yet

Work Preferences (Tab 9)

Set your scheduling preferences and availability

Work Preferences Features

  • • Page title: "Work Preferences"
  • Preferred Days section:
  • - Checkboxes for all 7 days of week (Sun-Sat)
  • - Select which days you prefer to work
  • - Multiple selection allowed
  • Unavailable Days section:
  • - Checkboxes for all 7 days of week
  • - Mark days you absolutely cannot work
  • - Multiple selection allowed
  • Preferred Time section:
  • - Start time picker (e.g., 09:00)
  • - End time picker (e.g., 17:00)
  • - Indicates your preferred work hours
  • Maximum Hours Per Week:
  • - Number input field
  • - Default: 40 hours
  • - Sets your weekly hour limit
  • Overtime Willing:
  • - Yes/No toggle or checkbox
  • - Indicates if you're willing to work overtime
  • Additional Notes:
  • - Free-text field
  • - Add any special scheduling notes for manager
  • • "Save Preferences" button
  • • Success alert: "Preferences saved successfully! Your manager has been notified."
  • • Form auto-loads existing preferences if already set
  • • Empty defaults if no preferences exist yet

Profile (Tab 10)

View and update your personal information

Profile Features

  • • Page title: "My Profile"
  • Personal Information section (read-only):
  • - Display name
  • - Email address
  • - Phone number
  • - User role (EMPLOYEE/MANAGER/HEAD_MANAGER)
  • - Hire date
  • - Department (if assigned)
  • - Position/job title (if assigned)
  • Editable Information section:
  • - Phone number (can update)
  • - Emergency contact:
  • • * Name
  • • * Phone
  • • * Relationship (e.g., Spouse, Parent, Friend)
  • - Address:
  • • * Street
  • • * City
  • • * State
  • • * Zip code
  • • "Edit" button to enable editing mode
  • In edit mode:
  • - All editable fields become input fields
  • - "Save" button (green checkmark icon)
  • - "Cancel" button (red X icon)
  • • "Save" updates profile and shows success message
  • • Real-time data from employee/settings API
  • • Icons shown for each field type (user, envelope, phone, calendar, clock)

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