Employees - User Guide

Overview

The Employees section allows administrators to manage restaurant staff accounts. This section is only available to users with the Administrator role.

Use this section to:

Create staff accounts - Add new employees to the system
Manage employee access - Control who can use the system
Assign roles - Set permissions (Administrator or Staff)
Activate/Inactivate employees - Control active user accounts
Track changes - View complete audit history of employee changes

Important: Only administrators can access this section. Staff members cannot view or manage other employees.

Understanding Employee Management

Employee Roles

The system has two employee roles with different permission levels:

Administrator

✅ Full system access
✅ Can manage employees (create, edit, activate, inactivate)
✅ Can access all sections including Employees
✅ Can manage restaurant settings
📌 Has complete control over the restaurant system

Staff

✅ Access to operational sections (Orders, Reservations, Categories, Menus, Zones)
✅ Can manage daily restaurant operations
❌ Cannot access Employees section
❌ Cannot create or manage other users
📌 Focused on day-to-day restaurant tasks

Employee Statuses

Each employee has one of three statuses:

Pending (Yellow badge)

New employee account created but not yet activated
Employee hasn't set their password yet
Cannot sign in until activation link is used
Displayed with a yellow "Pending" badge

Active (Green badge)

Employee has activated their account and set password
Can sign in and use the system normally
Has full access according to their role
Displayed with a green "Active" badge

Inactivated (Red badge)

Employee account has been disabled by administrator
Cannot sign in to the system
Data and history are preserved
Can be reactivated by administrator
Displayed with a red "Inactivated" badge

How Employee Accounts Work

1. Administrator creates employee:

Enter name, username, phone, and role
System creates account with "Pending" status
No password is set yet

2. Administrator generates activation link:

One-time link valid for 1 hour
Send link to employee (email, message, etc.)
Link allows employee to set their password

3. Employee activates account:

Opens activation link
Sets their password (minimum 6 characters)
Account status changes to "Active"
Can now sign in normally

4. Ongoing management:

Administrator can edit employee details
Can temporarily inactivate accounts
Can reactivate when needed
All changes tracked in audit log

Accessing Employees Section

Prerequisites:

You must be signed in as an Administrator
Staff users will not see this section in navigation

To access:

Open the main navigation menu
Select Employees
You'll see a list of all employees (except yourself)

What you'll see:

List of all employees in the restaurant
Each showing name, role badge, and status badge
Add button (+) to create new employees
Action menu (⋮) for each employee

The Employees Interface

Main Components

Employees List:

Shows all employees except the current user
Each employee displays:
- Name - Full employee name
- Role badge - "Administrator" or "Staff"
- Status badge - "Active", "Pending", or "Inactivated" (color-coded)
- Action menu (⋮) - Edit or Activate/Inactivate options

Empty State:

If no employees exist: "No other employees yet..."
Prompts you to add first employee

Add Button (+):

Top of the page
Creates new employee account

Reading the Employee List

Status colors help you quickly identify account states:

🟢 Green "Active" - Ready to use, can sign in
🟡 Yellow "Pending" - Needs activation, waiting for password setup
🔴 Red "Inactivated" - Disabled, cannot sign in

Role badges show permission level:

Administrator - Full access
Staff - Operational access only

Creating a New Employee

Step-by-Step Process

1. Start creation:

Click the + Add button
You're taken to the New Employee form

2. Fill in employee details:

Name (required)

Full name of the employee
Used throughout the system
Examples: "John Smith", "Maria Garcia"

Username (required)

Login identifier unique to this restaurant
Automatically prefixed with your restaurant slug
Example: If restaurant slug is "lakeside", username "john" becomes "lakeside.john"
Employee uses this full username to sign in
Must be unique within your restaurant

Role (required)

Select from dropdown:
- Administrator - Full system access
- Staff - Operational access only
Choose based on employee's responsibilities
Can be changed later if needed

Phone (optional)

Contact phone number
Useful for communication
Not required for system access

3. Save the employee:

Click Save button
System creates employee with "Pending" status
You'll see: "Employee created"
Form updates to show activation section

4. Generate activation link:

After saving, an info box appears at the top
Explains that employee needs activation link
Click Generate button
System creates one-time activation link (valid for 1 hour)
Link appears in text field
Click the field to auto-select link for copying

5. Send link to employee:

Copy the generated link
Send to employee via:
- Email
- Text message
- Messaging app
- In person (they can open on their phone)
Employee must open link within 1 hour
After 1 hour, generate a new link if needed

What happens:

Employee account is created
Status is "Pending"
Employee appears in employees list
Waiting for employee to activate via link

Understanding Usernames

Username format: [restaurant-slug].[employee-username]

Your restaurant slug:

Visible before the username input field
Example: "lakeside."
Fixed, cannot be changed here

Examples:

You enter: "john" → Full username: "lakeside.john"
You enter: "maria" → Full username: "lakeside.maria"
You enter: "chef.tony" → Full username: "lakeside.chef.tony"

Best practices:

Use employee first name or nickname
Keep it simple and memorable
Use lowercase
Can use dots or hyphens for clarity
Must be unique among your restaurant's employees

Editing an Employee

To modify an existing employee:

Find the employee in the list
Click the ⋮ (menu) button on the right
Select Edit
The employee form opens with current data in two tabs, headed by the employee's name:
- Data tab - Employee information
- Audit tab - Change history (if employee has an ID)

Editing Employee Data

You can modify:

Name - Update full name
Username - Change login username
Role - Switch between Administrator and Staff
Phone - Update contact number

You cannot modify:

Status (use Activate/Inactivate action instead)
Password (employee manages their own password)

After making changes:

Click Save
You'll see: "Employee updated"
Changes take effect immediately
All changes recorded in audit log

To close without saving:

Click Close button
No changes will be applied

Special Case: Pending Employees

If employee status is "Pending":

The activation info box appears at the top
You can generate new activation links
Useful if:
- Original link expired (after 1 hour)
- Employee lost the link
- Link wasn't sent properly
Simply click Generate again to create a new link

Activating and Inactivating Employees

Understanding Activation vs. Inactivation

Activation (for new employees):

Employee follows activation link
Sets their password
Account automatically becomes "Active"
This is done by the employee, not administrator

Inactivation (by administrator):

Temporarily disabling an active employee account
Employee cannot sign in while inactivated
Can be reversed (reactivated) anytime
All data and history preserved

Inactivating an Active Employee

When to inactivate:

Employee temporarily not working (vacation, leave)
Employee left the company
Security concern (reset access)
Testing or troubleshooting

To inactivate:

Find the employee in the list
Click the ⋮ (menu) button
Select Inactivate Employee (shown in red)
Confirm the action
You'll see: "Employee inactivated"
Status changes to "Inactivated" (red badge)
Employee cannot sign in anymore

What happens:

Employee's active sessions are invalidated
Cannot sign in with existing credentials
All employee data preserved
Appears in employee list with red "Inactivated" badge
Action recorded in audit log

Reactivating an Inactivated Employee

To reactivate:

Find the inactivated employee in the list (red "Inactivated" badge)
Click the ⋮ (menu) button
Select Activate Employee
Confirm the action
You'll see: "Employee activated"
Status changes back to "Active" (green badge)
Employee can sign in again with existing password

What happens:

Employee account restored to active state
Can sign in immediately
Retains previous password (no need to reset)
All history and data intact
Action recorded in audit log

Viewing Employee Audit History

Accessing Audit Logs

To view employee change history:

Find the employee in the list
Click their row — or the ⋮ (menu) button, then Edit
Click the Audit tab (second tab)

What you'll see:

Chronological list of all changes to this employee
Each entry shows:
- Action type - What changed
- Date and time - When it happened
- Changed by - Which administrator made the change
- Details - Specific values that changed. Click an entry to expand it and see the before and after side by side
Longer histories are paged; the pager appears below the list only when there is more than one page

If the history cannot be loaded, the tab now says so, with a Retry button. It
used to show "No history yet" whether the record genuinely had no history or the
request had simply failed — which is a meaningful difference when you are trying to
find out who changed something.

Types of Audit Log Entries

Employee Created:

When employee account was first created
Shows who created it and initial values
Timestamp of creation

Employee Updated:

Any changes to employee data
Shows before/after values for changed fields
Examples:
- Name: "John Smith" → "John M. Smith"
- Role: "Staff" → "Administrator"
- Username: "john" → "jsmith"
- Phone: "" → "+1-234-567-8900"

Employee Activated:

When inactivated employee was reactivated
Shows who reactivated and when
Indicates account access restored

Employee Inactivated:

When active employee was inactivated
Shows who inactivated and when
Indicates account access removed

Using Audit Logs

Audit history is useful for:

Accountability - Track who made changes
Troubleshooting - Understand when issues started
Compliance - Maintain change records
Review - See employee progression (role changes, etc.)
Security - Monitor access changes

Best practices:

Review periodically for important employees
Check before making major changes
Use for training (understand change patterns)
Reference during employee reviews

Common Workflows

Onboarding a New Staff Member

Scenario: New waiter joining the team.

Click + Add button
Fill in details:
- Name: "Maria Garcia"
- Username: "maria"
- Role: "Staff"
- Phone: "+1-234-567-8900"
Click Save
Info box appears with activation instructions
Click Generate button
Copy the generated link
Send to Maria via text message:
- "Welcome! Use this link to set your password and access the system: [link]. Link expires in 1 hour."
Maria opens link and sets password
Her status automatically changes to "Active"
She can now sign in and start using the system

Time taken: 2-3 minutes

Promoting Staff to Administrator

Scenario: Senior staff member getting promoted to management.

Find employee in list
Click ⋮ → Edit
Change Role from "Staff" to "Administrator"
Click Save
You'll see: "Employee updated"
Change takes effect immediately
Next time they sign in, they'll have admin access
Inform employee of their new permissions

Note: Employee doesn't need to sign out/in if already logged in - may need to refresh page to see new sections.

Handling Employee Departure

Scenario: Employee left the company.

Option 1: Inactivate (Recommended)

Find employee in list
Click ⋮ → Inactivate Employee
Confirm action
Status changes to "Inactivated"
Account preserved for historical records
Can reactivate if employee returns

Option 2: Keep Active

Leave account as-is
Preserves complete audit trail
Employee shows in lists but won't sign in
Useful for historical reference

Don't:

Delete employees (not supported - preserves data integrity)
Change password (unnecessary, inactivation blocks access)

Resending Activation Link

Scenario: New employee lost activation link or it expired.

Find employee in list (has "Pending" status)
Click ⋮ → Edit
Activation section appears at top
Click Generate button
New link created (old one invalidated)
Copy and send new link to employee
Remind them: "Link expires in 1 hour"

Note: Each generation invalidates previous links. Only the latest link works.

Reviewing Recent Changes

Scenario: Check what changed with specific employee.

Find employee in list
Click ⋮ → Edit
Click Audit tab
Review chronological history:
- Who made changes
- When changes occurred
- What specifically changed
Scroll through complete timeline
Click Close when done

Tips and Best Practices

Creating Employees

Choosing usernames:

✅ Use employee's first name or common nickname
✅ Keep it short and memorable
✅ Use lowercase for consistency
✅ Avoid special characters except dots/hyphens
❌ Don't use spaces
❌ Don't use complex patterns

Examples of good usernames:

"john", "maria", "chef.tony", "manager.alice"

Examples of bad usernames:

"j0hn-sm1th_2024", "MARIA", "temp user", "mgr#1"

Assigning roles:

Start with Staff - Employees can be promoted later
Limit Administrators - Only management who needs full access
Review periodically - Ensure roles match current responsibilities
Document decisions - Keep track of why certain roles assigned

Phone numbers:

Include area code
Use consistent format
Verify before saving
Update when changed

Managing Activation Links

Generate link right before sending to employee
Don't generate far in advance (expires in 1 hour)
Generate during business hours when employee can respond
Allow time for employee to complete activation

Sending links:

✅ Use secure, private communication
✅ Provide context: "Welcome to the team, use this link to activate..."
✅ Mention expiration: "Link valid for 1 hour"
✅ Be available for questions during activation
❌ Don't post publicly
❌ Don't include in group messages

If activation fails:

Ask employee to try incognito/private browser window
Check if link was copied completely
Generate fresh link if needed
Verify employee has stable internet connection

Role Management

When to use Administrator:

Restaurant manager or owner
Person responsible for staff management
Someone who handles system configuration
Trusted employee with full responsibility

When to use Staff:

Waiters, servers, hostess
Kitchen staff who enter orders
Front-of-house team
Anyone focused on daily operations

Promoting employees:

Discuss with team before changing roles
Inform employee of new permissions
Provide brief training on new features
Monitor usage initially

Account Status Management

Inactivation best practices:

Use for temporary situations (vacation, leave)
Use when employee leaves company
Always explain reason (add note elsewhere if needed)
Can reactivate anytime if situation changes

When NOT to inactivate:

Employee on short break (lunch, day off)
Temporary system issue
As punishment (address issues directly instead)

Reactivation considerations:

Verify employee should have access
Confirm employee remembers their password
Update any outdated information first
Inform team of reactivation

Security Practices

Username security:

Don't share usernames publicly
Each employee has unique username
Track who uses which username
Change username if compromised

Monitoring access:

Review employee list periodically
Check for inactive accounts (pending too long)
Verify roles still appropriate
Inactivate departed employees promptly

Audit log usage:

Check regularly for unexpected changes
Review before making bulk changes
Use for training on proper procedures
Keep aware of who changed what

Validation and Error Messages

Common Errors

"Can't be blank"

Appears on: Name, Username
Solution: Fill in required fields

"Has already been taken"

Appears on: Username
Means: Another employee in your restaurant has this username
Solution: Choose different username (add number, middle initial, etc.)

Username already exists:

Another employee using this username
Try variations: "john2", "john.s", "jsmith"
Check existing employees list for conflicts

Password too short (during activation):

Employee must use at least 6 characters
Guide employee to create longer password
No maximum length limit

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I delete an employee?
A: No. The system doesn't support deletion to preserve data integrity and audit history. Instead, inactivate employees who leave. This maintains complete historical records while preventing system access.

Q: What happens to orders/reservations created by an inactivated employee?
A: All data remains intact. Orders, reservations, and other records created by the employee are preserved and fully functional. Only the employee's ability to sign in is blocked.

Q: Can an employee change their own role?
A: No. Only administrators can change roles. Employees cannot promote themselves or change other employees' roles.

Q: How many administrators can I have?
A: No limit, but best practice is to have 2-3 administrators maximum. Too many administrators increases security risk and makes accountability harder.

Q: Can I have an employee with no role?
A: No. Every employee must have either Staff or Administrator role.

Q: What if an employee forgets their password?
A: Currently, administrators need to generate a new activation link for the employee. This allows them to set a new password. The employee uses the link like during initial activation.

Q: Can I see which employees are currently signed in?
A: No. The system tracks last sign-in time but doesn't show real-time active sessions.

Q: Can staff members see other employees?
A: No. The Employees section is only visible to administrators. Staff members cannot see the employee list or manage accounts.

Q: How long does an activation link last?
A: 1 hour from generation. After that, generate a new link for the employee.

Q: Can I use the same username for employees at different restaurants?
A: Yes. Usernames are unique within each restaurant, not globally. "john" at Restaurant A is different from "john" at Restaurant B. Each employee's full username includes the restaurant slug.

Q: What's the difference between "Pending" and "Inactivated"?
A: "Pending" means the employee never activated their account (hasn't set password yet). "Inactivated" means an administrator disabled a previously active account. Pending employees need an activation link; inactivated employees can be reactivated by administrator without a link.

Q: Can an employee have multiple roles?
A: No. Each employee has exactly one role: either Administrator or Staff.

Need Help?

If you encounter issues or have questions:

Verify you're signed in as an Administrator
Check that employee usernames are unique within your restaurant
Ensure activation links are sent completely and haven't expired
Try generating a new activation link if employee can't activate
Review audit logs to understand unexpected changes

Before creating employees:

✅ Understand the difference between Administrator and Staff roles
✅ Have employee information ready (name, preferred username, phone)
✅ Plan how you'll send activation link securely
✅ Ensure employee is available to activate within 1 hour

Common scenarios:

Employee can't activate: Generate new link, verify link copied completely
Wrong role assigned: Edit employee and change role, takes effect immediately
Need to remove access: Inactivate employee instead of trying to delete
Lost activation link: Generate new one, old link becomes invalid

Remember: Employee management is administrator-only. Staff members will never see this section or be able to manage other users.

Last updated: November 2025