Early Check-in: Count Staff Who Arrive Before Their Shift Correctly
When shifts overlap, a worker who arrives early for the Night shift can be counted as very late for the Afternoon shift instead. Early Check-in fixes that by letting each business decide how early staff can check in and still be counted for the shift about to start.
Picture a pharmacy with an Afternoon shift from 1pm to 9pm and a Night shift from 8pm. A night pharmacist arrives at 7:50pm, ten minutes early. At 7:50pm the Afternoon shift is still running, so a simple system decides she is nearly seven hours late for Afternoon, and later closes her out at 9pm in the middle of her night. Early Check-in stops that.
How Early Check-in works
Early Check-in is a window before each shift starts. Anyone who checks in inside that window is counted for the shift that is about to start, and marked Early. The default is one hour.
| Shift starts | Early Check-in window (1 hour) | Marked |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00am | 7:00am to 7:59am | Early |
| 1:00pm | 12:00pm to 12:59pm | Early |
| 8:00pm | 7:00pm to 7:59pm | Early |
From the start time up to the end of your grace period the arrival is On Time, and after that it is Late.
Choose your own window
In Settings, Shifts, pick how early staff can check in: Off, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes or 2 hours. Businesses where staff come in early for handover usually keep 1 hour. Turning it off is only sensible when your shifts never overlap.
Why there is a two-hour limit
A very large window starts to swallow genuine late arrivals for the earlier shift. Two hours is the most that still keeps both shifts honest.
Questions people ask
If a shift starts at 8pm and a worker checks in at 7pm, are they early?
Yes, with the default one-hour Early Check-in window. Anyone who checks in between 7:00pm and 7:59pm is counted for the 8:00pm shift and marked Early.
Can I change how early staff can check in?
Yes. In Settings, Shifts, choose Off, 15, 30 or 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes or 2 hours.
What happens if I turn Early Check-in off?
Staff who arrive before their shift starts may be counted for the shift that is still running. Keep it on if your shifts overlap or staff arrive early.
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