How to use shift flags to track employee attendance
Shift Flags in 7shifts allow you to track when employees call in Sick, No-show, Late, get Called in, or Called off for their shift.
Update: Shift Flags have been updated. The striped flagging on the web app and the corner sash on mobile have been replaced with a flag icon for better scheduling visibility.
See the examples below of a shift marked as Sick:
After:
Before:
After:
Hovering over the flag on the web app will display the shift flag type:
Things to Know
Important: Managers and Assistant Managers required the "Can manage schedules" permissions in order to apply shift flags and create/edit/delete custom shift flags.
- Shift flags are represented by a flag icon on the schedule; the striped flagging and corner sashes have been replaced for better visibility.
- Admins and Managers with scheduling permissions can create up to 200 custom shift flags.
- Hovering over a flag icon on the web app will display the specific flag type.
- Shift flags must be updated manually. Adding or backfilling missing punches will not automatically add or remove a flag from the schedule.
- 7shifts offers five standard, non-editable system flag types: Sick, No-show, Late, Called off, and Called in.
⚠️ Important: Custom flags are created at the Company level. Adding, editing, or deleting a flag will affect all locations within your account.
Shift flag definitions
Each shift flag represents a specific attendance status to help you track reliability and preserve schedule history.
- Sick: Use this flag when an employee notifies you they cannot work their scheduled shift due to illness.
- No-show: Use this flag when an employee does not arrive for their scheduled shift and fails to contact management.
- Late: Use this flag when an employee arrives and punches in after their scheduled start time.
- Called in: Use this flag when an employee is called in to work a shift last minute that they were not originally scheduled for.
- Called off: Use this flag when a manager calls off an employee early from their schedule shift. This preserves the schedule history and employee attendance record rather than deleting the shift entirely. Note: the shift will still appear on the schedule, but will be flagged with the 'Called off' flag indicator.
- Custom: Use these flags to create tailored reasons (up to 30 characters) that match your unique restaurant operations when default categories don't apply.
Custom Shift Flags
Beyond the standard system flags, you can create up to 200 custom shift flags with names up to 30 characters long, allowing you to tailor attendance tracking to your business needs.
Note: System flags (Sick, Late, etc.) will always appear at the top of your list. Custom flags are displayed chronologically based on when they were created.
To manage custom flags on mobile:
- In the Schedule, tap on a shift to open the shift details.
- Tap the More options icon (three dots) and select Add shift flag.
-
Tap + Create custom flag.
- Enter a unique name and select a color from the 20-color palette.
- Tap Save. To edit or delete a flag, tap the more menu (three dots) next to the flag name in the shift flag list on the shift modal.
To manage custom flags on the web app:
- Navigate to the Schedule and click on a shift.
- Click the Flag icon in the bottom-left corner.
- Select Manage Flags from the dropdown menu.
-
Click Create Custom Flag. You must provide a unique name and choose a color.
Tip: You can also right-click any shift on the grid to quickly access the flag menu.
- Click Save. To edit or delete a flag, click the more menu (three dots) next to the flag name in the shift flag list on the shift modal.
Important: Deleting a custom flag is not retroactive. The flag will remain on past shifts but will no longer be available for future schedules.
Manually add or remove shift flags
You can manually apply or update shift flag indicators directly from the schedule to track employee attendance.
On the mobile app:
- Log in to the mobile app and head to the Schedule.
- Select a shift to expand the shift details.
- Tap on the More options icon (three dots).
- Select Change Shift Flag.
- Choose the appropriate flag or None and tap Done.
On the web app:
-
Navigate to the Schedule and select the specific shift you wish to flag.
Tip: Right-click on a shift cell to access a shortcut menu where you can instantly add shift flags.
- Click the Flag icon in the bottom-left corner of the shift window.
- Choose the appropriate status or select None to remove a flag.
- Click Save.
Important: Shift flags are not automatically removed if a punch is edited; you must update them manually on the schedule.
Automate shift flags with 7punches or POS Integration
Admin users can enable the system to automatically flag late arrivals and no-shows based on 7punches or POS punch data.
Important: To use this feature, you must use 7punches or a POS integration that supports Actual Labor.
⚠️ The following POS systems do not support Shift Flags:
To enable Auto-Shift Flags:
- Log in to the web app as an Admin.
- Navigate Time Clocking > Settings.
- Enable Auto shift flags and set a Late tolerance (set your own grace period, which will determine when a punch is considered late).
- A shift will be auto-flagged as No-show if there is no punch-in within the scheduled shift time. In addition, a shift will be auto-flagged as No-show if there is no punch-in less than 2 hours before/after the shift’s scheduled start time.
- Be sure to scroll down and click Save to complete these changes.
The Allow punch without shift 7punches setting will also need to be enabled in order for them to be able to punch in 10 hours after their shift was scheduled to start.
Where shift flags appear
When a shift is flagged, the data populates across different areas of the platform depending on the flag type:
| Location / Report | System Flags (Sick, Late, etc.) | Custom Shift Flags |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule Page | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Worked Hours & Wages Report | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Scheduled Hours & Wages Report | ✅ Yes |
✅ Yes |
| Attendance Report | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Engage Page (Attendance Counts) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Time Clocking Page | ⚠️ Late flags only (Requires Auto-Shift Flags enabled) |
❌ No |
Important: Manually removing a No-show flag from the Schedule does not currently remove it from the Engage page.