Automate Staff Input with T.M.A.S. Staff Scheduler | A T.M.A.S. Guide

Learn how to create staff hour records in the T.M.A.S. Staff Scheduler to enable accurate labor-based KPIs like Customer to Staff Ratio in your reports.

Table of Contents

    Introduction to Staff Scheduler

    The Staff Scheduler is a new tool in T.M.A.S. that helps businesses align staffing levels with traffic patterns, even when accurate staff data isn’t available through integrated sources. Whether staffing is managed through third-party software, Excel, or POS systems with incomplete data, this tool offers a reliable alternative by enabling schedules based on weekly business hours.

    By automating staff input, the Staff Scheduler improves the accuracy of key performance indicators like customer-to-staff ratios, transactions per staff hour, and sales per staff hour. This integration of scheduling and reporting empowers businesses to optimize workforce planning, reduce manual tasks, and drive smarter operational decisions.

    Access Restrictions – Staff Scheduler

    The Staff Scheduler feature is available exclusively to users with access to the Retail Plan subscription and is role-restricted within T.M.A.S. Only specific user roles have permission to use this tool.

    ✅ Roles with Access:

    • Chain & Users Manager
    • Chain Manager
    • District Manager
    • Region Manager
    • Store Manager

    ❌ Roles Without Access:

    • Marketing User
    • Human Resources User
    • Mall Explorer
    • Report Viewer

     

    📝 Note: If a user’s role is not listed under those with access or their subscription plan does not include the Retail tier, they will not be able to view or use the Staff Scheduler.

    How to Access the Staff Scheduler in TMAS

    ⚠️ Important: The Staff Scheduler cannot be accessed at the chain level. A specific location must be selected first.

    ✅ Steps:
    1. Select a Location (Not a the TOP LEVEL Chain)
      • In the Location Options panel at the top left of the screen, open the location dropdown.
      • Select a specific location (e.g., a single store) rather than a chain or group.
    2. Navigate to the Staff Scheduler
      • In the left-hand side menu, under the Manage section, click on Staff Scheduler (as shown in the screenshot).
      • The tool will load the schedule view for the selected location.

    🛑 If You Select a Chain

    The Staff Scheduler menu may still appear, but the feature won’t be functional or accessible until you switch to a specific location.

    Overview of the Staff Scheduler Screen

    The Staff Scheduler screen in T.M.A.S. provides a centralized interface for managing your team's shifts, time off, and recurring schedules. This section gives a guided tour of what you can find and interact with on this page.

    📅 Calendar View

    The top portion of the screen shows a weekly calendar, with the selected date range clearly indicated at the top (e.g., May 11 – May 17, 2025). Days of the week are displayed horizontally across the top, and staff roles are listed vertically along the left-hand side.

    Each row corresponds to a different employee or employee category (e.g., Manager, Assistant, Sales Associate and temps). This layout makes it easy to visualize who's scheduled and when.

    ➕ Add Button

    Located in the top-right corner, the “+ Add” button gives you three main options:

    • Add Shift: Assign a work shift to a specific employee or role.
    • Add Time Off: Mark time off with reasons (e.g., vacation, sick day).
    • Clone Shift(s): Duplicate an existing shift across multiple days or users to save time.

    🔁 Shift Categories

    Each employee’s shift falls into one of the following categories:

    		 Recurring (automated based on defined patterns)
    		Weekly (set week-by-week, manual entry)
    		Time Off (e.g., Used to balance Recurring Schedules for Vacation or Sick / Holidays)

    This categorization is shown on the left side of each row and can help separate temporary staff schedules from recurring roles.

    🧰 Filter Panel

    The “Filters” panel lets you toggle the visibility of:
    • Deleted items (if enabled)
    • Show Sick day schedule(s)
    • Vacation schedule(s)
    • Holiday schedule(s)
    • Weekly shift(s)
    • Recurring shift(s)

    This feature is useful for decluttering your view to focus on specific shift types during planning.

    Tips & Tricks: Navigating the Staff Scheduler

    Understanding the visual elements and icons will help you manage the schedule more efficiently. Below is a breakdown of commonly used features and icons you’ll see in the scheduler:

    🔍 Icon Breakdown

    Icon Description
    🗨️ Speech bubble Indicates a comment or note has been added to the shift or time-off entry. Useful for adding context like “Doctor Appointment” or “Working remotely.”
    ✏️ Pencil (Edit) Click this icon to edit the time, label, or other shift details directly.
    🗑️ Trash can (Delete) Use this to remove a shift or time-off block from the calendar. You’ll be prompted to confirm deletion.
    🟨 Yellow Flag Indicates the shift is unpublished. Once ready, click Publish Schedules to finalize it.
    📅 Calendar picker Located near the top, this lets you change the week displayed or jump to a specific date range.
    📘 Add Schedule button (left column) Opens the editor to add a new shift for that employee or role.

    🧭 Useful Tips

    Hover to reveal options: When you hover over a shift, additional actions like Edit and Delete become visible.

    Recurring vs Weekly: Use the Recurring tab to avoid having to recreate the same shift every week. Weekly shifts are best for one-off or temporary adjustments.

    Clone function: Great for replicating a standard shift across multiple days or people with minimal effort.

    Filters save time: Use the filter toggles to focus on a specific type of scheduling (like only recurring or only vacation days), especially useful when working with large teams.

    How to Change the Starting day of the week

    1. Navigate to the Correct Location Context
      • At the top left, under Location Options, select the appropriate location or chain using the dropdown (marked as ①).
      • Set the date range if needed (though not required for this setting).
    2. Open the Administration Section
      • In the left-hand side menu, click on Administration (②).
    3. Go to Manage Locations
      • Under the Administration submenu, select Manage Locations (③).
    4. Access Advanced Settings
      • In the “Manage Locations” view on the right, select the Advanced tab (④) under the location settings.
    5. Set Start of the Week
      • In the Scheduling tool settings section, you’ll see the “Start of the week” options. 
      • Choose Saturday, Sunday, or Monday by selecting the corresponding radio button (⑤).
      • This selection determines the order of days shown in the Staff Scheduler and aligns it with your business’s accounting or scheduling practices.
    6. Save Changes

    Scroll if necessary and click the Save button (not visible in the screenshot but usually at the bottom).

    Effect of This Setting

    The “Start of the week” defines how the Staff Scheduler displays and calculates weekly schedules.

    Creating a Shift

    The Staff Scheduler allows you to define and manage work shifts for individuals or groups based on weekly schedules. A shift typically represents a person or a group of people working the same hours in a given week.

    You can create either:

    Recurring shifts: Repeat weekly from a start date to an optional end date.

    By the week shifts: One-time shifts that only apply to the currently selected week.

    Accessing the Staff Scheduler

    You can access the Staff Scheduler in two ways:

    From the Retail Equation dashboard, click on the Staff Scheduler button.

    Or, from the left-hand navigation menu, expand the Manage section and select Staff Scheduler.

    Understanding Shift Types

     

    Key Behavior of Recurring Shifts

    • Recurring shifts are persistent and automatically repeat week to week.
    • They remain in effect for the defined start and end date range — or indefinitely if no end date is set.
    • Ideal for regular, ongoing staffing patterns like store openers, closers, or consistent daily coverage.

    🗓️ Tip: If a shift needs to remain consistent over time, use a recurring shift to avoid re-creating it each week.

     

    Key Behavior of Weekly Shifts

    • Weekly shifts are temporary and apply only to the current week.
    • They do not carry over into other weeks.
    • Useful for covering special projects, seasonal adjustments, or temporary staffing needs.

    🔄 Tip: If you need the same shift to repeat across multiple weeks, consider creating a recurring shift instead.

    Steps to create a new shift

    1. Open the Shift Creation Menu

    In the scheduler view, click the “+ Add” button at the top right.

    From the dropdown menu, select “Add Shift”.

    2. Choose the Shift Type

    You'll be presented with two options:

    Recurring: This shift will repeat weekly starting from the selected Start Date and ending at the End Date (if specified).

    The End Date is optional. If left blank, the shift continues indefinitely.

    By the week: This will create the shift for the currently selected week only. It will not repeat.

    3. Set the Shift Period

    Start Date: Required. Select the first day the shift should be scheduled.

    End Date: Optional. Used only for recurring shifts.

    4. Configure the Shift Details

    Shift Label: Give your shift a clear name, such as “Manager” or “Sales Associate”.

    Hourly Staff Value: This is a key field. Enter the number of people who will work this shift at the same time.

    For example, if two people are required for the shift each day, enter 2.

    Wage: Optional. Enter an hourly wage if needed for reporting purposes.

    5. Assign a Staff Member (Optional)

    Enter the email address of the staff member.

    Or, if available, select from a user list using the Select a user checkbox.

    6. Save the Shift

    Choose from the following save options:

    Save: Simply saves the shift.

    Save and Create Schedule: Saves the shift and proceeds to the scheduling interface.

    Save and Create Shift: (Icon option) Ideal for entering multiple shifts consecutively.

    Example: Manager, Assistant Manager and 2 Sales associates shifts created

    How to Draft a Schedule for a Shift

    You can easily create work schedules for your shifts using one of the following methods:

    🔘 Ways to Access the Schedule Creation

    You can start creating a schedule in any of the following ways:

    Add Schedule Button: Click the “Add Schedule” button directly within an existing shift card.

    After Creating a New Shift: When saving a newly created shift, you’ll have the option to immediately add a schedule.

    Calendar Icon: Click the calendar icon (📅) on a shift row to initiate schedule creation.

    ✍️ Filling Out the Schedule Details

    Once you initiate schedule creation, you will see the schedule editor screen.

    1. Schedule Label

    Give your schedule a meaningful name (e.g.: Regular Hours, OT, Opening, Closing)

    This helps you and others understand the purpose of the schedule block at a glance.

     

    2. Schedule Time Range

    Set the start and end times for the shift.

    If the shift crosses midnight (e.g. 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM), make sure to check the “Next Day” box.

     

    3. Apply to Specific Days

    Select the days of the week that this time block should apply to. For example, if the hours are the same for Monday and Tuesday, click both days.

    💾 Saving the Schedule

    You have two save options:

    • Save and Create Another Schedule: Use this if you need to add additional time blocks for the same shift (e.g. another time range for different days, or additional coverage later in the same day).
    • Save: Finalize and save the schedule entry for this shift.

    Once completed, your schedule block(s) will appear under the selected shift in the weekly staff schedule. Once a schedule is saved for a shift, it will appear in the calendar view as a draft.

    Viewing and Publishing Your Draft Schedules

    🔍 Identifying Draft Schedules

    Draft schedules are visually distinct:

    • A yellow flag icon appears in the top-left corner of each block.
    • The schedule block itself is greyed out to indicate it hasn’t been finalized.

    These visual indicators help you differentiate between what’s been tentatively created and what’s been officially published.

     

    ✅ Publishing the Schedule

    Once you’ve added all desired schedule blocks and are satisfied with the weekly planning :

    1. Click the green "Publish Schedules" button at the top right.
    2. Publishing will: 
      • Finalize the draft entries.
      • Push the data into reporting modules.
      • Allow staff hours to be calculated for analytics and reporting at their designated time slots.

    ⚠️ Important : Until the schedule is published, it will not count towards any staffing reports or hour calculations.

    ✅ What a Published Schedule Looks Like

    After clicking Publish Schedules, your weekly plan is finalized and visibly updated in the calendar view.

    🎨 Visual Indicators of a Published Schedule

    Published schedules are easy to spot:

    • Color-coded Blocks: Once published, draft (greyed-out) schedule blocks become vibrant with green or blue tones.
    • No Yellow Flags: The yellow draft icons are removed.
    • Solid Design: The blocks are no longer transparent, clearly indicating they're active and finalized.

    This confirms the schedule is live and operational for reporting.

     

    📅 Important: Each Week Must Be Published Separately

    If you are working across multiple weeks (e.g., viewing a different date range in the calendar):

    • You must publish each week individually.
    • Publishing only affects the currently displayed week.
    • To move to the next week, adjust the date range using the calendar picker at the top, then repeat the publishing process.

    🟢 Only published weeks will reflect in staffing reports and hour calculations.

    📊 Why Publishing Matters

    Publishing does the following:

    • Finalizes the staff schedule for that week.
    • Pushes all scheduled hours into the analytics and reporting engines.
    • Ensures that the assigned hours are recognized in business planning tools.

    Editing a Recurring Shift

    Recurring shifts let you maintain consistent scheduling for key roles. While editing them is straightforward, it’s important to understand how changes can impact both future and past scheduling data.

    🪄 Steps to Edit a Recurring Shift

    1. Open the Scheduler
      Go to the Staff Scheduler and locate the role (e.g., Assistant Manager) for the shift you want to edit.
    2. Click the Six-Dot Menu Icon
      On the role header, click the six-dot handle (⋮⋮) to open the shift options menu. Then, select Edit.
    3. Edit the Shift Details
      In the Update Shift screen:
      • Start Date: Locked and not editable for recurring shifts
      • End Date: Optional, but will deactivate the shift
      • You may update:
        • Shift Label
        • Hourly Staff Value
        • Wage
        • Assigned User
        • Notes
    4. Click “Update” to save your changes.

    ⚠️ Key Limitations and Considerations

     

    🛑 Past-Ended Shifts Are Locked

    If a recurring shift already has an End Date in the past, it is locked and cannot be edited. You’ll need to create a new shift for future scheduling needs.

     

    📅 Adding an End Date Stops the Shift

    Entering an End Date removes the shift from the calendar moving forward and disables the “Add Schedule” button for that role.

     

    🔁 Changing the Hourly Staff Value Retroactively Affects All History

    Any change to the Hourly Staff Value is applied retroactively. This means every past scheduled instance of the shift will reflect the new value—even for dates that were already worked or reported.

    💡 Best Practice: If you need to change the staff value going forward only (without affecting historical data), create a new shift with the new value and leave the old one untouched.

    Editing a Weekly Shift

    Weekly shifts are specific to the currently selected week in the scheduler and differ from recurring shifts in that they do not have a Start or End Date field. These are typically used for ad-hoc or flexible weekly planning.

    🪄 Steps to Edit a Weekly Shift

    1. Open the Scheduler
      Make sure you are viewing the correct week in the Staff Scheduler, then locate the weekly shift you want to modify (e.g., Assistant Manager by Week).
    2. Click the Six-Dot Menu Icon
      On the role section, click the six-dot icon (⋮⋮) to open the shift menu. Then select Edit.
    3. Make Your Changes
      The Update Shift screen will appear:
      • You will not see Start or End Dates, since weekly shifts are only valid for the week you’re viewing.
      • You may update:
        • Shift Label
        • Hourly Staff Value
        • Wage
        • Assigned User
        • Notes
    4. Click “Update” to save changes.

    ✅ Key Behavior of Weekly Shifts

    Weekly shifts are temporary and apply only to the current week.

    They do not carry over into other weeks.

    Useful for covering special projects, seasonal adjustments, or temporary staffing needs.

    🔄 Tip: If you need the same shift to repeat across multiple weeks, consider creating a recurring shift instead.
       

    Common Use Cases for Staff Scheduler

    The Staff Scheduler in T.M.A.S. is a manual data entry tool used to record actual staff hours worked at your location. This labor data is critical for powering key performance indicators (KPIs) in other reports, such as Sales per Labor Hour (SPLH) and Conversion Rate. Below are common scenarios in which users engage with the Staff Scheduler.

    🧾 1. Manually Recording Staff Hours by Day

    Store managers or designated users enter actual hours worked by each employee on a daily or weekly basis.

    Ensures downstream reports reflect accurate labor data.

    Inputs include employee name, date, and number of hours worked.

    Entries are made directly within the Staff Scheduler interface — no file upload is required or supported.

    Example: A store manager logs in each Monday to input the prior week's hours for all staff, ensuring the SPLH values in the Weekly Performance report are accurate.

    🔍 2. Reviewing and Updating Previously Entered Hours

    If hours were entered incorrectly or adjustments are needed due to last-minute changes (e.g., an employee worked longer than planned), users can easily edit or update entries.

    Prevents reporting inaccuracies caused by missing or incorrect data.

    Keeps historical records aligned with actual labor activity.

    Example: An associate worked an extra shift to cover a call-out. The manager updates the Staff Scheduler to reflect the additional 6 hours worked.

    📊 3. Supporting Accurate Labor-Based KPI Reporting

    While the Staff Scheduler itself does not generate analytics, the data entered is used across multiple T.M.A.S. reports to calculate key metrics such as:

    • Sales per Staff Hour (SPLH)
    • Traffic per Staff Hour
    • Conversion Rate 

    Example: After entering all staff hours for the previous month, a manager runs the Period Comparison report to evaluate labor efficiency across different weeks and determine if staffing levels need adjustment.

    🗂️ 4. Ensuring Consistency Across Multiple Locations

    For businesses with several stores or departments, the consistent use of the Staff Scheduler ensures reliable data comparisons.

    District managers can compare stores using standardized labor input.

    Stores can be evaluated fairly on metrics like labor efficiency and conversion.

    Example: A regional director reviews Conversion reports for all locations and uses the Staff Scheduler data to validate that labor hour differences are not skewing the comparison.

    Troubleshooting

    ❓ FAQ: Why am I seeing “Authentication is required to access this resource”?

    🔴 What does this message mean?

    This error indicates that your session has timed out due to inactivity or that your login credentials are no longer valid for the current page. It's a security measure to ensure that access to sensitive scheduling features is protected.

    🔁 How do I fix this?

    To resolve the issue:

    1. Refresh the page in your browser.
    2. You will be prompted to log back into your account.
    3. Once logged in, you can return to the Staff Scheduler and continue working.

    💡 Tip: Make sure to save your work frequently to avoid losing changes due to timeouts.

    ⏱️ Why did I get logged out?

    You may have been logged out because:

    • You were inactive for a period of time.
    • Your browser tab was left open too long without interaction.
    • There was a network interruption that ended your session.

    🔒 Is my data safe?

    Yes. The system uses timeouts to protect your information. Any unsaved work may need to be re-entered, but no unauthorized access to your data occurred.

    Best Practices for Accurate Staff Hour Data in TMAS

    To ensure reliable KPIs like Customer-to-Staff Ratio, Sales per Staff Hour, and Transactions per Staff Hour, follow these best practices:

    1. Keep Schedules Current

    Update staffing schedules regularly to reflect actual hours worked. Adjust for shift swaps or last-minute changes to ensure the data matches what occurred.

    2. Use the Absence Feature

    Log vacation, sick days, and holidays using the dedicated absence function to maintain data integrity and avoid misleading gaps in staff coverage.

    3. Avoid Blank Data

    Always enter hours worked—even if they’re zero—to prevent inaccurate or missing analytics.

    4. Match Time Zones

    Ensure schedules align with the correct local time zone for the location to avoid reporting discrepancies.

    5. Validate Weekly

    Review and validate staff hours weekly to catch errors early and maintain clean reporting for traffic and performance metrics.

    Feedback and Support

    Encourage users to provide feedback on their experience with the feature.
    Provide information on how users can seek further assistance or report issues, including links to relevant support resources.

     

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