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Analytics & Optimization

Labor Cost Analytics & Optimization

Track labor costs with 11 powerful visualizations. Monitor overtime hours, analyze cost per hour by employee, view role-based spending, detect cost patterns, and filter by location. Week-by-week breakdown with FLSA-based overtime tracking.

12 min read
11 Visualizations
Location Filtering

Enabling Workforce Insights

How to access labor cost tracking

How to Enable Workforce Insights

  • Step 1: Enable the Feature
  • • 1. Click "Settings" in the left sidebar
  • • 2. Scroll down to the "Workforce Insights" section
  • • 3. Toggle "Enable Workforce Insights" to ON
  • • 4. Click "Save Changes"

  • Step 2: What You'll See
  • - "Workforce Insights" menu item appears in the sidebar
  • - Icon looks like a bar chart with an upward trend
  • - Click it to open the labor cost tracking page

  • • Data Requirements:
  • - Employees must have pay information set (hourly rate or annual salary)
  • - Published shifts with employee assignments
  • - Pay type configured: HOURLY, SALARY, or NOT_TRACKED

  • If Feature Not Enabled Yet:
  • - You'll see: "Workforce Insights Not Enabled"
  • - Click "Go to Settings" button to enable it

Understanding the Interface

Two main tabs: Labor Costs and Visualizations

Tab Navigation

  • • Two main tabs at top of page:

  • TAB 1: Labor Costs
  • - Focus: Detailed employee-by-employee breakdown
  • - Shows: Summary metrics, employee table, cost breakdowns
  • - Drill-down: Click any employee to see week-by-week details
  • - Purpose: Identify which employees cost most and why

  • TAB 2: Visualizations
  • - Focus: Big-picture trends and patterns
  • - Shows: 11 different chart types
  • - Purpose: Spot patterns, compare groups, analyze distributions
  • - Best for: Executive summaries, trend analysis

  • • Both tabs share:
  • - Same week navigation controls
  • - Same location filter
  • - Same data source (published shifts only)
  • - Same overtime calculation rules

  • • Active tab highlighted:
  • - Indigo/purple underline
  • - Bold text
  • - Easy to switch between views

Week Navigation Controls

  • CRITICAL: Only week-based navigation (Sunday-Saturday)
  • • Reason: FLSA overtime calculated per week, not month/quarter

  • • Navigation bar shows:
  • - "← Previous Week" button (left)
  • - Current week date range (center)
  • - "Next Week →" button (right)

  • What week labels look like (examples):
  • - Current week shows: "This Week: Jan 28 - Feb 3"
  • - One week back shows: "Last Week: Jan 21 - Jan 27"
  • - One week forward shows: "Next Week: Feb 4 - Feb 10"
  • - Other weeks show just the date range: "Jan 14 - Jan 20"
  • - (Your actual dates will be different - these are just examples)

  • How it works:
  • - Starts from today's date
  • - Calculates Sunday of current week
  • - Each click moves 7 days forward/backward
  • - Always Sunday-Saturday (follows FLSA standard)

  • • Data updates automatically:
  • - Click Previous/Next Week
  • - Page fetches new data for that week
  • - All charts and tables update
  • - Loading spinner shows while fetching

Location Filter

  • • Filter labor costs by location using the dropdown at the top of the page.

  • • Dropdown options:
  • - "All Locations" - Shows organization-wide data
  • - Individual locations - Shows data for one specific location
  • - Example locations: Downtown, West Side, Airport, etc.

  • How filtering works:
  • - Select a location from the dropdown
  • - All data updates to show only that location
  • - Only counts shifts and employees at that location
  • - Excludes employees with zero hours at the selected location

  • What changes when you filter:
  • - All summary metrics update
  • - Employee breakdown table shows only relevant employees
  • - All 11 visualizations filter to selected location
  • - Employee drill-down modal shows filtered data

  • Use cases:
  • - Multi-location businesses: Compare costs per location
  • - Identify which locations have higher labor costs
  • - See which employees work at each location
  • - Track budget per location

  • Example:
  • - Select "Downtown" from dropdown
  • - Page shows only Downtown shifts
  • - Shows only employees who worked Downtown
  • - Labor cost shows total for Downtown only

  • • Note: Depending on your permissions, you may only see locations you manage. See "Manager Permissions & Access Control" at the bottom for details.

Summary Metrics (Labor Costs Tab)

Three key metrics at a glance

Total Labor Cost

  • Card 1: Green dollar icon
  • Shows: Total labor cost for selected week

  • What's included:
  • - Regular pay: Hours × hourly rate
  • - Overtime premium: OT hours × (rate × 0.5)
  • - All employees with HOURLY or SALARY pay type
  • - Only PUBLISHED shifts counted

  • Calculation by pay type:
  • - HOURLY employees:
  • * Uses hourlyRate field directly
  • * Example: $15/hour
  • - SALARY employees:
  • * Annual salary ÷ 2080 hours = hourly equivalent
  • * Example: $52,000/year = $25/hour
  • - NOT_TRACKED employees:
  • * Not included in labor cost
  • * Hours still tracked but $0 cost

  • • Currency format:
  • - US dollars with 2 decimal places
  • - Example: "$3,245.50"
  • - Thousands separator for readability

Total Scheduled Hours

  • Card 2: Blue clock icon
  • Shows: Total hours scheduled for selected week

  • • Includes:
  • - All employees (HOURLY, SALARY, NOT_TRACKED)
  • - Only PUBLISHED shifts
  • - Regular hours + overtime hours
  • - Sum across all employees

  • • Hour calculation:
  • - Shift duration = end time - start time
  • - Handles overnight shifts correctly
  • - Example: 11 PM - 3 AM = 4 hours (not -20)
  • - Displayed with 1 decimal place
  • - Example: "245.5 hrs"

  • Use cases:
  • - Total workforce capacity for the week
  • - Compare to previous weeks
  • - Identify slow vs busy weeks
  • - Staffing level trends

Average Cost Per Hour

  • Card 3: Indigo/purple user group icon
  • Shows: Average cost per hour across all employees

  • Calculation:
  • - Formula: Total Labor Cost ÷ Total Scheduled Hours
  • - Example: $3,245.50 ÷ 245.5 hrs = $13.22/hr
  • - Displayed as: "$13.22"

  • What this tells you:
  • - Average workforce cost per hour
  • - Blended rate (includes all pay types)
  • - Accounts for overtime premium
  • - Higher when more OT worked

  • • Comparison tips:
  • - Compare week-to-week for trends
  • - Compare locations (if multi-location)
  • - Industry benchmarks vary by sector
  • - Retail: typically $10-15/hr
  • - Healthcare: typically $20-35/hr
  • - Hospitality: typically $12-18/hr

  • If zero hours:
  • - Shows: "$0.00"
  • - No divide-by-zero error
  • - Means no scheduled hours for that week

Overtime Warning Alerts

Employees exceeding 40-hour weekly limit

Over 40 Hours Alert

  • • Red alert box appears when employees exceed 40 hours in any week
  • • Icon: Exclamation triangle
  • • Color: Red background, red border

  • • Alert shows:
  • - Count: "X Employee(s) Exceeded 40 Hours in a Week"
  • - List of employees over limit
  • - Each employee shows:
  • * Full name
  • * Total hours scheduled
  • * Overtime hours (if not exempt)
  • * "Overtime Exempt" badge (if exempt)

  • Example entry:
  • • "John Smith: 48.5 hours scheduled (8.5 hours over 40-hour limit)"
  • • "Sarah Johnson: 52.0 hours scheduled (Overtime Exempt)"

  • CRITICAL: Overtime calculated PER WEEK
  • - NOT cumulative for entire period
  • - Each week calculated separately
  • - Example: 48 hrs week 1 + 38 hrs week 2 = shows 1 employee over (week 1)
  • - NOT: 86 total hours ÷ 2 weeks = 43 avg

  • Overtime calculation rules:
  • - First 40 hours: Regular pay (rate × 1.0)
  • - Hours 41+: Overtime pay (rate × 1.5)
  • - Premium: Extra 0.5× for OT hours

  • • Exempt employees:
  • - Show in alert if over 40 hours (workload warning)
  • - NO overtime premium paid
  • - Badge: "Overtime Exempt"
  • - All hours paid at regular rate
  • - Common for managers, salaried professionals

  • If no employees over 40 hours:
  • - Alert box hidden
  • - Page shows only summary metrics
  • - Indicates good schedule balance

Employee Breakdown Table

Detailed cost data per employee

Table Columns

  • Column 1: Employee Name
  • - Full name (First Last)
  • - Blue text: "Click for detailed breakdown"
  • - Clickable to open drill-down modal

  • Column 2: Role
  • - Employee's assigned role
  • - Example: "Server", "Chef", "Manager"
  • - Shows "N/A" if no role assigned

  • Column 3: Pay Type
  • - Display format:
  • * "Hourly ($15.00/hr)"
  • * "Salary ($52,000/yr)"
  • * "Not Tracked"
  • - Shows rate/salary in parentheses

  • Column 4: Hours (right-aligned)
  • - Total hours scheduled this week
  • - Format: "48.5 hrs"
  • - Includes regular + overtime
  • - 1 decimal place

  • Column 5: Labor Cost (right-aligned)
  • - Total labor cost for this employee
  • - Format: "$732.50"
  • - Includes overtime premium
  • - If overtime premium > $0:
  • * Shows sub-text: "+$75.00 OT premium"
  • * Orange color for OT premium

  • Column 6: Status (right-aligned)
  • - Badge showing workload status
  • - "Over 40 hrs/week" (red badge):
  • * Employee had ANY week over 40 hours
  • * Warning about workload
  • - "Under 40 hrs/week" (green badge):
  • * All weeks under 40 hours
  • * Healthy workload

  • Table sorting:
  • - Sorted by total hours (descending)
  • - Highest hours at top
  • - Scroll to see all employees

  • • Empty state:
  • - Message: "No employees with tracked compensation for this week"
  • - Shown when no HOURLY or SALARY employees
  • - Or when no published shifts exist

Clicking an Employee (Drill-Down Modal)

  • • Click any employee row to open detailed breakdown modal

  • • Modal Header shows:
  • - Employee full name
  • - Role name
  • - Date range for data
  • - Pay type with rate
  • - Close button (×)

  • • Modal Content - Week-by-Week Breakdown:
  • - Each week shown as separate card
  • - Week date range (Sunday-Saturday)
  • - Number of shifts that week
  • - Total hours for that week
  • - Weekly cost

  • • Per-Week Card shows:
  • - List of all shifts worked that week
  • - Each shift displays:
  • * Day and date: "Mon, Jan 28"
  • * Shift title or "Shift"
  • * Time range: "9:00 AM - 5:00 PM"
  • * Duration: "8.0 hrs"

  • Week Cost Breakdown:
  • - Total Hours: Sum of all shifts
  • - Regular pay: (first 40 hrs) × hourly rate
  • - Overtime pay: (hours over 40) × (rate × 1.5)
  • - Week Total: Regular + Overtime

  • Example week breakdown:
  • - Total Hours: 48.0 hrs
  • - Regular (40.0 hrs × $15.00): $600.00
  • - Overtime (8.0 hrs × $22.50): $180.00
  • - Week Total: $780.00

  • • Grand Total Section:
  • - Shows totals across ALL weeks in period
  • - Total Hours: Sum of all weeks
  • - Regular Hours: Sum of regular hours
  • - Overtime Hours: Sum of overtime hours
  • - TOTAL COST: Sum of all weekly costs
  • - Indigo background with large text

  • Use cases:
  • - Verify individual employee costs
  • - Understand why certain employees cost more
  • - See shift-by-shift detail
  • - Identify patterns (always works weekends, etc.)
  • - Audit labor cost calculations

Visualizations Tab - 11 Chart Types

Comprehensive visual analytics

Chart 1: Total Labor Cost by Employee

  • Type: Horizontal Bar Chart
  • Shows: Top 10 employees by total labor cost
  • • 💰 Icon: Dollar sign emoji

  • What it shows:
  • - Employee name (Y-axis)
  • - Total cost including overtime premium (X-axis)
  • - Sorted: Highest cost at top
  • - Bar color: Primary brand color (indigo)

  • Purpose:
  • - Identify most expensive employees
  • - See cost distribution
  • - Compare relative costs

  • Example insights:
  • - "John costs 2× more than average"
  • - "Top 3 employees = 40% of total cost"
  • - "Sarah has highest labor cost ($850)"

  • If no data:
  • - Message: "No labor cost data for this week"
  • - Shown when no HOURLY or SALARY employees

Chart 2: Overtime Hours Breakdown

  • Type: Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart
  • Shows: Employees who exceeded 40 hours in ANY week
  • • ⏰ Icon: Clock emoji

  • • Two stacked segments:
  • - Green bar: Regular hours (up to 40)
  • - Orange bar: Overtime hours (over 40)
  • - Combined length = total hours

  • • Sorting: Highest overtime hours at top

  • Purpose:
  • - Visualize overtime distribution
  • - Compare regular vs OT hours
  • - Identify heavy OT workers

  • Example insights:
  • - "John worked 48 hours: 40 regular + 8 OT"
  • - "3 employees have significant overtime"
  • - "Most employees staying under 40 hours"

  • If no overtime:
  • - Message: "No employees exceeded 40 hours in any week"
  • - Indicates good schedule balance

Chart 3: Labor Cost Distribution

  • Type: Pie Chart
  • Shows: Top 8 employees as percentage of total cost
  • • 🥧 Icon: Pie emoji

  • Display:
  • - Each employee = colored slice
  • - Label shows: Name + percentage
  • - Example: "John Smith: 18%"
  • - 8 different colors for clarity

  • Purpose:
  • - See proportional cost distribution
  • - Identify if costs concentrated or distributed
  • - Visual comparison at a glance

  • Example insights:
  • - "Top 3 employees = 50% of costs"
  • - "Costs evenly distributed (no employee over 15%)"
  • - "John represents 20% of weekly labor cost"

  • • Interactive:
  • - Hover over slice: See exact cost amount
  • - Tooltip shows: "$482.50"

Chart 4: Total Hours by Pay Type

  • Type: Vertical Bar Chart
  • Shows: Hours grouped by pay type
  • • 📊 Icon: Bar chart emoji

  • • Three bars:
  • - "Hourly": Total hours for hourly employees
  • - "Salary": Total hours for salaried employees
  • - "Not Tracked": Hours for untracked employees

  • Purpose:
  • - See workforce composition by pay type
  • - Compare hourly vs salaried hours
  • - Identify which pay type works most

  • Example insights:
  • - "Hourly employees worked 180 hrs"
  • - "Salaried employees worked 65 hrs"
  • - "Most hours come from hourly staff"

Chart 5: Labor Cost by Pay Type

  • Type: Vertical Bar Chart
  • Shows: Cost grouped by pay type
  • • 💵 Icon: Dollar bills emoji

  • • Two bars (excludes NOT_TRACKED):
  • - "Hourly": Total cost for hourly employees
  • - "Salary": Total cost for salaried employees

  • Purpose:
  • - Compare cost structure
  • - See which pay type costs more
  • - Budget allocation insights

  • Example insights:
  • - "Hourly staff cost: $2,400"
  • - "Salaried staff cost: $1,800"
  • - "60% of costs from hourly employees"

Chart 6: Hours Distribution

  • Type: Vertical Bar Chart with Buckets
  • Shows: Employee count per hour range
  • • 📈 Icon: Chart increasing emoji

  • • Buckets (X-axis):
  • - "Not Scheduled": 0 hours
  • - "1-20 hrs": Part-time light
  • - "20-30 hrs": Part-time regular
  • - "30-40 hrs": Near full-time
  • - "40-50 hrs": Full-time + some OT
  • - "50-60 hrs": Heavy OT
  • - "60+ hrs": Extreme OT

  • • Y-axis: Number of employees in each bucket

  • Purpose:
  • - See scheduling patterns
  • - Identify part-time vs full-time distribution
  • - Spot potential issues (too many 50+ hour employees)

  • Example insights:
  • - "Most employees in 30-40 hour range"
  • - "5 employees not scheduled this week"
  • - "2 employees working 60+ hours"

Chart 7: Overtime Premium Costs

  • Type: Horizontal Bar Chart
  • Shows: Top 10 employees by overtime premium (extra cost)
  • • 💸 Icon: Money with wings emoji

  • What it shows:
  • - Overtime premium only (not total cost)
  • - Premium = OT hours × (rate × 0.5)
  • - Example: 8 OT hrs × ($15 × 0.5) = $60 premium
  • - Bar color: Red/danger color

  • Purpose:
  • - Identify where overtime costs most
  • - See extra cost beyond regular pay
  • - Target for cost reduction

  • Example insights:
  • - "John's OT costs extra $120 this week"
  • - "Total OT premium: $350"
  • - "Reducing John's hours saves $120/week"

  • If no overtime premium:
  • - Message: "No overtime premium costs this week"
  • - All employees under 40 hours or all exempt

Chart 8: Cost Per Hour by Employee

  • Type: Horizontal Bar Chart
  • Shows: Top 10 employees by base hourly rate
  • • ⚡ Icon: Lightning bolt emoji

  • What it shows:
  • - Base hourly rate (NO overtime premium)
  • - HOURLY: Shows hourlyRate field
  • - SALARY: Shows annualSalary ÷ 2080
  • - Example: $52,000/year = $25.00/hr

  • Purpose:
  • - Compare employee pay rates
  • - Identify highest-paid employees
  • - See pay rate distribution

  • Example insights:
  • - "Sarah has highest rate: $28/hr"
  • - "Average rate: $16.50/hr"
  • - "Pay range: $12-28/hr"

Chart 9: Exempt vs Non-Exempt Distribution

  • Type: Pie Chart
  • Shows: Employee count by overtime exempt status
  • • 👥 Icon: People emoji

  • • Two slices:
  • - "Non-Exempt": Eligible for overtime (1.5× pay)
  • - "Exempt": Not eligible for overtime premium

  • Purpose:
  • - See workforce overtime eligibility
  • - Compliance monitoring
  • - Understand pay structure

  • Example display:
  • - "Non-Exempt: 15 (75%)"
  • - "Exempt: 5 (25%)"

  • • Context:
  • - Exempt: Usually managers, professionals
  • - Non-Exempt: Usually hourly workers
  • - FLSA rules determine eligibility

Chart 10: Overtime Premium Impact

  • Type: Donut Chart (pie with hole)
  • Shows: OT premium as percentage of total cost
  • • 🍩 Icon: Donut emoji

  • • Two segments:
  • - Green: "Regular Pay" (base wages)
  • - Red: "OT Premium" (extra 0.5× cost)

  • • Labels show:
  • - Segment name
  • - Percentage of total
  • - Example: "Regular Pay: 92.5%"
  • - Example: "OT Premium: 7.5%"

  • Purpose:
  • - See overtime impact on total cost
  • - Quantify extra cost from OT
  • - Identify optimization opportunity

  • Example insights:
  • - "OT premium adds 7.5% to costs"
  • - "Reducing OT saves $250/week"
  • - "High OT premium (15%) suggests scheduling issues"

  • • Interactive:
  • - Hover: See exact dollar amounts
  • - Tooltip: "$350 OT Premium"

Chart 11: Top 10 Most Scheduled Employees

  • Type: Vertical Bar Chart
  • Shows: Employees ranked by total hours
  • • 🏆 Icon: Trophy emoji

  • Display:
  • - Employee names on X-axis (angled)
  • - Total hours on Y-axis
  • - Bar color: Secondary brand color
  • - Sorted: Highest hours left to right

  • Purpose:
  • - Identify busiest employees
  • - See workload distribution
  • - Compare relative hours

  • Example insights:
  • - "John worked most: 52 hours"
  • - "Top 5 employees average 48 hours"
  • - "Sarah consistently high hours"

  • Use case:
  • - Workload balancing
  • - Burnout prevention
  • - Fair distribution checks

Important Data Rules & Disclaimers

Critical information about labor cost tracking

Only Published Shifts Counted

  • CRITICAL: Only shifts with status = "published" are tracked

  • • Draft shifts NOT included:
  • - Draft status: Shifts not finalized
  • - Not counted in labor cost
  • - Not counted in hours
  • - Not included in any charts

  • • Why:
  • - Draft shifts may be deleted or changed
  • - Only committed shifts should count
  • - Prevents inaccurate cost projections

  • To include draft shifts:
  • - Publish them from schedule page
  • - Click "Publish Schedule" button
  • - Select shifts to publish
  • - After publishing: Immediately appear in labor costs

  • • Console logs show:
  • - "[Workforce Insights] Skipping shift {id} - status is draft"
  • - Helps debug if shifts missing from analytics

Overtime Calculation Rules

  • CRITICAL: Overtime calculated PER WEEK
  • - NOT per day
  • - NOT per pay period
  • - NOT cumulative over multiple weeks

  • • FLSA federal standard:
  • - Week = Sunday through Saturday
  • - First 40 hours: Regular pay (1.0× rate)
  • - Hours 41+: Overtime pay (1.5× rate)
  • - Overtime premium: Extra 0.5× paid for OT hours

  • Example calculation:
  • - Employee works 48 hours in one week
  • - Hourly rate: $15.00
  • - Regular pay: 40 hrs × $15 = $600
  • - Overtime pay: 8 hrs × ($15 × 1.5) = $180
  • - Total: $780
  • - Overtime premium: $60 (8 hrs × $7.50)

  • • Exempt employees:
  • - Marked as "isOvertimeExempt = true"
  • - ALL hours paid at regular rate
  • - NO overtime premium even if over 40 hours
  • - Still tracked for workload monitoring

  • • Multi-week periods:
  • - Each week calculated separately
  • - Week 1: 48 hrs → 8 hrs OT
  • - Week 2: 35 hrs → 0 hrs OT
  • - NOT: 83 total ÷ 2 = 41.5 avg (WRONG)

  • • Overnight shifts:
  • - Handled correctly (11 PM - 3 AM = 4 hours)
  • - Date assigned based on shift start time
  • - Week determined by shift date

Legal Disclaimer

  • • Prominent warning shown at top of page:
  • - Amber/yellow background
  • - Exclamation triangle icon
  • - Large text for visibility

  • • Key points in disclaimer:

  • • 1. "For informational purposes only"
  • - Not legal or financial advice
  • - System is a tool, not a compliance guarantee

  • • 2. "Standard FLSA federal rules"
  • - Based on 40-hour workweek
  • - Actual rules may vary by state
  • - Industry-specific rules may apply

  • • 3. "Employers are responsible"
  • - YOU must ensure compliance
  • - Consult labor department
  • - Seek legal advice for official determinations

  • State variations not included:
  • - California: Overtime after 8 hrs/day
  • - Alaska: Overtime after 8 hrs/day
  • - Colorado: Overtime after 12 hrs/day
  • - Nevada: Overtime after 8 hrs/day

  • Factors not considered:
  • - Employee classification (independent contractor)
  • - Union contracts
  • - Collective bargaining agreements
  • - Industry-specific rules
  • - State-specific exemptions

  • Always consult:
  • - U.S. Department of Labor
  • - State labor department
  • - Employment attorney
  • - HR compliance specialist

Pay Type Requirements

  • • Employees must have pay information configured:

  • Pay Type: HOURLY
  • - Requires: hourlyRate field set
  • - Example: $15.00
  • - Used directly in calculations

  • Pay Type: SALARY
  • - Requires: annualSalary field set
  • - Example: $52,000
  • - Converted to hourly: $52,000 ÷ 2080 = $25.00/hr
  • - 2080 = standard hours per year (40 hrs/week × 52 weeks)

  • Pay Type: NOT_TRACKED
  • - Hours tracked but $0 cost
  • - Appears in hour charts
  • - NOT in cost charts
  • - Use cases: Volunteers, owners, unpaid interns

  • If employee missing pay info:
  • - NOT included in labor cost
  • - NOT included in cost charts
  • - Still shows in hour-based charts

  • How to set pay info:
  • - Click "Employees" in the sidebar
  • - Click on the employee's name
  • - Click "Edit" to modify their information
  • - Set: Pay Type, Hourly Rate or Annual Salary
  • - Set: Overtime Exempt status (if applicable)
  • - Click "Save" to save changes

Manager Permissions & Access Control

Who can access Workforce Insights and how to grant permission

Head Manager vs Manager Access

  • • Head Manager (Full Access):
  • - Always has complete access to Workforce Insights
  • - Can see all locations across the entire organization
  • - Can enable or disable the feature
  • - Can grant or revoke access for other managers

  • • Manager (Permission-Based Access):
  • - Access is controlled by a specific permission
  • - Head Manager must grant the "Can view Workforce Insights" permission
  • - Location restrictions apply (can only see their assigned locations)
  • - If they manage 4 stores, they only see data for those 4 stores

  • • Why separate permissions?
  • - Labor costs include sensitive wage and salary information
  • - Not all managers need budget oversight access
  • - Gives you control over who sees employee compensation data

How to Grant Manager Permission

  • • Follow these steps to give a manager access:

  • • 1. Click "Settings" in the left sidebar
  • • 2. Click the "Manager Permissions" tab at the top
  • • 3. Find the manager you want to give access to
  • • 4. Click "Configure" button next to their name
  • • 5. Scroll down to find "Can view Workforce Insights (Labor Costs)"
  • • 6. Check the box to enable it
  • • 7. Click "Save Permissions" at the bottom

  • What happens after granting permission:
  • - That manager will see "Workforce Insights" in their sidebar
  • - They can click it to access the labor cost page
  • - They will only see data for their assigned locations

Location Restrictions for Managers

  • How location restrictions work:

  • If a manager is assigned to specific locations:
  • - They only see labor costs for those locations
  • - Location dropdown shows "All My Locations (4)" instead of "All Locations"
  • - They cannot view other locations even if they try
  • - The system automatically blocks unauthorized locations

  • Example:
  • - Your organization has 40 total locations
  • - Manager Sarah is assigned to 4 stores: Downtown, Airport, Mall, Westside
  • - Sarah only sees those 4 in her dropdown
  • - She can select "All My Locations (4)" or pick one store
  • - She cannot see the other 36 stores

  • If a manager has only 1 location:
  • - That location is automatically selected
  • - No dropdown needed since they only manage one store

Access Denied Scenarios

  • What managers see if they don't have permission:

  • If permission NOT granted:
  • - Page shows: "Access Denied"
  • - Message: "You do not have permission to view Workforce Insights"
  • - They need to contact Head Manager to request access

  • If feature NOT enabled:
  • - Page shows: "Workforce Insights Not Enabled"
  • - Message: "Enable Workforce Insights in Settings to track labor costs"
  • - Head Manager needs to enable it in Settings first

Best Practices & Tips

How to use labor cost analytics effectively

Regular Review Schedule

  • Weekly review:
  • - Check labor costs every Monday
  • - Review previous week performance
  • - Compare to budget
  • - Identify trends early

  • Monthly review:
  • - Navigate through 4-5 weeks
  • - Look at all 11 visualizations
  • - Identify patterns
  • - Calculate monthly totals
  • - Compare to previous months

  • Quarterly review:
  • - 12-13 weeks of data
  • - Seasonal pattern analysis
  • - Budget vs actual comparison
  • - Adjust staffing strategies

Optimization Strategies

  • Reduce overtime costs:
  • - Identify employees consistently over 40 hours
  • - Redistribute shifts to spread hours
  • - Hire additional part-time staff
  • - Use Visualizations → Chart 7 to target highest OT costs

  • Balance workload:
  • - Use Chart 6 (Hours Distribution)
  • - Aim for most employees in 30-40 hour range
  • - Avoid 50+ hour employees (burnout risk)
  • - Avoid too many 0-hour employees (underutilization)

  • Location cost comparison:
  • - Use location filter to compare
  • - Identify expensive vs efficient locations
  • - Share best practices across locations
  • - Consider location-specific pay rates

  • Pay structure analysis:
  • - Chart 5: Compare hourly vs salary costs
  • - Determine optimal mix for your business
  • - Consider converting high-OT hourly to salary
  • - Ensure proper exempt/non-exempt classification

Common Use Cases

  • Budget tracking:
  • - Set weekly labor budget (e.g., $3,000/week)
  • - Check "Total Labor Cost" metric
  • - Compare actual vs budget
  • - Adjust scheduling before publishing

  • Cost per employee audit:
  • - Review Employee Breakdown Table
  • - Click high-cost employees
  • - Verify shift details in modal
  • - Confirm overtime calculations

  • Overtime reduction initiative:
  • - Chart 2: See who has most OT
  • - Chart 7: Calculate potential savings
  • - Adjust next week's schedule
  • - Monitor improvement week-over-week

  • Workload balancing:
  • - Chart 11: See most-scheduled employees
  • - Over 40-hour alert: Identify overworked staff
  • - Redistribute shifts more evenly
  • - Improve employee satisfaction

  • Multi-location management:
  • - Filter by each location
  • - Compare labor costs per location
  • - Identify location-specific patterns
  • - Share efficiency strategies

Troubleshooting

  • Missing employees in labor costs:
  • - Check pay type: Must be HOURLY or SALARY
  • - Check hourlyRate or annualSalary: Must be set
  • - NOT_TRACKED employees not included in costs

  • Missing shifts in analytics:
  • - Check shift status: Must be "published"
  • - Draft shifts not counted
  • - Publish shifts to include them
  • - Console shows: "Skipping shift {id} - status is draft"

  • Unexpected overtime costs:
  • - Remember: Calculated PER WEEK
  • - Each week calculated separately
  • - Check individual weeks in employee drill-down
  • - Verify employee overtime exempt status

  • Zero labor cost showing:
  • - No published shifts for selected week
  • - No employees with pay information
  • - Location filter excluding all employees
  • - Try "All Locations" filter

  • Charts not loading:
  • - Check console for errors
  • - Refresh page
  • - Verify workforce insights enabled in settings
  • - Need at least 1 published shift with assigned employee

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Related Guides

Reports & Analytics
Hours, coverage, overtime reports
Organization Settings
Enable workforce insights
Labor Cost Analytics & Workforce Optimization | Track Overtime & Budget | XShift AI