Approve punches and manage the time clocking view - Getting Started for Managers
Reviewing and approving time punches confirms your team's hours are accurate for the pay period. Exporting your payroll report is what sends that confirmed data to your provider. Both steps happen here, in this order, before every payroll deadline.
Phase 3 - Manage time and attendance
- Approve punches and manage the time clocking view (you are here!)
- Monitor your shift in real time with Who's Working
Things to know
Important: Only Admins can enable Time Clocking and configure 7punches settings.
- Managers need the Can manage time punches permission to add or edit punches. If you can view Time Clocking but can't edit, ask your Admin to confirm your permissions.
- Only approved punches appear in payroll reports. Review and approve all punches for the pay period before your Admin runs payroll.
- If your restaurant uses a POS integration for time clocking, add missing punches in your POS system first. Punches added manually in 7shifts may not sync back to your POS time clock, unless 3rd Party Punches has been enabled for the account.
- If your restaurant uses 7shifts Payroll, payroll processing is handled by your Admin. The export section below applies to standard payroll integrations only.
Review and approve punches for a pay period
- In the left navigation bar, click Time Clocking.
- Locate the current pay period and click Review.
- Scan the punch list for each employee. Look for missing punches, unusually short or long shifts, and any shifts flagged with a warning indicator.
- The Warnings tab surfaces data issues that could affect payroll accuracy before you close the period. It flags unmapped employees, unmapped roles, and punches missing a role.
- Once the punches for an employee are accurate, click Approve next to their row to mark their hours as confirmed.
- Repeat for all employees in the pay period before your payroll deadline.
How to approve punches covers more details on getting a timesheet closed on web and mobile.
How to map roles and employees defines the universal setup rules and mapping logic for all supported integrations.
Add or edit a missing punch
If an employee forgot to clock in or out, add or edit the missing punch directly in 7shifts. Punches added manually are automatically approved.
Important: If your restaurant syncs time punches from an integrated POS, add missing punches in your POS system, not in 7shifts.
- In the left navigation bar, click Time Clocking.
- Click Review next to the appropriate pay period.
- To create a new punch, click + Add punch and enter the employee name, date, clock-in time, clock-out time, and role.
- To edit a punch, click the pencil icon beside an employee's punch.
- Click Save. The punch is added and automatically approved.
Note: If your restaurant uses a POS integration and the Edit POS time punches in 7shifts setting is not enabled, you must edit punches in your POS system. Changes made in 7shifts won't override POS data unless this setting is active. Check with your Admin if you're unsure which setup your restaurant uses.
Export your payroll report
Once all punches are approved, export your payroll report to send your team's confirmed hours to your payroll provider.
Note: Punches can only be exported once timesheets for all locations are closed for that pay period. Closing a pay period locks the data and prevents further edits to punches.
- In the left navigation bar, click Time Clocking, then select Pay Periods.
- Confirm all location timesheets are closed for the pay period you want to export.
- To download a file directly, click the More options icon next to the pay period and choose your preferred format: Excel or CSV.
- Alternatively, click Review next to the pay period, then click Export to download in your preferred format. If a payroll integration is connected, select your provider's format from the dropdown menu.
Export steps vary by provider. Click here to find your provider's setup guide.
Run labor reports
Labor reports give you a breakdown of your team's hours, wages, and attendance for any date range. They're useful for reviewing a closed pay period, spotting patterns, and preparing for conversations about labor costs.
Note: Running reports requires the Can run reports permission. If the Reports section isn't visible in your navigation, ask your Admin to confirm your access.
To access your reports, click Reports in the left navigation bar for a full overview of what's available. A popular starting point is the Worked Hours & Wages Report, which shows actual hours worked and wages paid per employee for any selected period. For the full list of available reports, see the Reports section of the 7shifts Help Center.
Troubleshooting
A punch synced from the POS is missing a role
This happens when an employee clocked in at the POS but wasn't scheduled in 7shifts for that shift, so 7shifts has no role to attach to the punch. Create and publish a shift for that employee in 7shifts for the relevant date. This gives 7shifts the role data it needs to process the punch correctly.
Time Clocking isn't visible in your navigation bar
Time Clocking must be enabled by an Admin. Contact your Admin to confirm Time Clocking is active for your location.
What's next
Your punches are approved and your payroll data is on its way to your provider.
Your next step is Monitor your shift in real time with Who's Working. See who's clocked in, who's approaching overtime, and whether your floor is covered during any active shift.