Location user permissions for managers

Managers (i.e. restricted users) can be assigned user permissions against specific locations, in addition to employee groups.

The limitation with employee groups is that it only defines the employee/s that a manager can see. It does not restrict location specific data that a manager has access to. This is particularly highlighted when it comes to rostering and timesheets.

To provide greater flexibility in setting user permissions for managers, we have added the option of providing restricted users with location access. The user permissions afforded to employee group access are also provided to location access.

NB: If you want to exclude a restricted user from being able to approve their own leave/expenses/timesheets, you will need to use employee groups in addition to location access. You can set this up via 'Employee groups'. 

An example scenario

The head chef, Fabiola, is responsible for managing the kitchen roster as well as approving the timesheets of all employees working in the kitchen. Due to the nature of the business there are employees who, whilst primarily employed to work in the kitchen, also perform ad hoc jobs in other areas. On the other hand, employees who are primarily employed in other areas may be required to help out in the kitchen from time to time.

Using employee group access

Fabiola has access to an employee group called 'Kitchen', set up as follows:

Her permissions for Kitchen are:

Based on Fabiola's current user permission, her roster view is:

Although Fabiola has no responsibility for managing shifts performed in Administration, these shifts still appear. The only way these can be removed is through filtering the roster to only display the Kitchen location. Furthermore, when assigning shifts, Fabiola cannot assign a shift to an employee who can work in the kitchen shift if their primary location is not set up as Kitchen.

From a timesheet perspective, Fabiola also has access to some Administration timesheets as they have been worked by staff whose primary location is Kitchen:

Again, to remove timesheets for locations other than Kitchen, she will need to use the location filter. Fabiola does not have the permission to create timesheets for staff who worked in the Kitchen if their primary location is not Kitchen.

The above user permission scenario creates the potential for managers to:

• accidentally publish shifts for locations they are not responsible for; and/or
• accidentally approve timesheets for locations they are not responsible for.

The above user permission hinders the ability to properly manage a location because:

• managers are unable to effectively create and manage their roster unless they are given more user access;
• timesheets for support staff cannot be created by the manager unless they are given specific access to those staff.

Using location access

Fabiola is provided with timesheet and rostering permissions to the location 'Kitchen':

When Fabiola views the roster, she can:

• only view the Kitchen location; and
• assign shifts to fill-in staff (i.e. whose primary location is not Kitchen).

Similarly, with timesheets, she is only able to view timesheets for Kitchen and can also create/approve timesheets for fill-in staff:

This type of user permission setup makes it easier for managers to focus on the location(s) they are responsible for, as that's the only data they are able to view!

For more information on managing users, see this article.

If you have any feedback or questions, you can send an email to support@yourpayroll.co.uk.