How to choose how your crew record hours in Foreman
Entering hours in the diary, or checking in and out of site. One setting for the whole business, and switching never changes past entries.
Your crew can record their hours in Foreman one of two ways: entering them in the site diary, or checking in and out of the site. An Admin picks one for the whole business under Settings > Business > Features. Entering hours in the diary is the default, and changing it never alters entries already made.
Only an Admin can change this setting. Site Managers and Site Crew don't see it.
The two options
Entering them in the site diary. Crew log a diary entry with the hours they worked, using a slider that moves in 15-minute steps up to 12 hours. Quick to set up, and it suits crews who already log their day at knock-off. This is how every new business starts.
Checking in and out of the site. Crew tap Check in when they arrive and Check out when they leave. Checking out saves the diary entry for that shift, with the exact time on site as its hours. Nobody types a number. If you pay or invoice from these hours and want them backed by a time and a location, this is the one to pick. See how check in and check out works.
How to change it
- Sign in as an Admin and go to Settings > Business.
- Scroll to Features.
- Under How crew record their hours, choose Entering them in the site diary or Checking in and out of the site.
- The choice saves as soon as you tap it. There's no Save button. You'll see a confirmation such as "Crew now record hours by checking in and out".
What changes for your crew
With checking in and out chosen, Site Crew and Site Managers see a check-in card at the top of their Home screen. The Log site diary button comes off Home, because checking out creates the entry. Upload photo stays. On each project page, the Log diary entry shortcut on the Site diary card is hidden too.
Crew can still log a day by hand if they forgot to check in. They open Site diaries and tap Log site diary. Those entries are marked No check-in, so you can see which hours weren't backed by a shift.
With entering them in the site diary chosen, nobody sees Check in or Check out anywhere. A logged-in crew member who scans a site's QR code goes to their Home screen, with no check-in and no induction to sign, so your own crew don't appear in the induction register in this mode.
How it works with Geolocation
The Geolocation switch sits just above this choice and works separately. It controls whether Foreman reads the phone's location when crew log a diary entry or check in and out. Changing one never changes the other.
| How crew record hours | Geolocation | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Checking in and out | On | Check-ins, check-outs and diary entries show On site, Off site or Missing geolocation |
| Checking in and out | Off | Times only. Foreman shows a note: "Geolocation is off, so check-ins can't be verified as on site." |
| Entering them in the site diary | On | Diary entries show On site, Off site or Missing geolocation |
| Entering them in the site diary | Off | Diary entries carry no location |
If you're going to check in and out, leave Geolocation on. Without it, a check-in is just a tap with a time on it.
Good to know
- Switching keeps your history. Existing diary entries keep their hours and how they were recorded. The new setting applies from the moment you change it.
- Someone checked in when you switch back? Their shift stays open. They can still check out, or it closes automatically after 12 hours like any other shift.
- Admins can't check in. The check-in card shows for Site Crew and Site Managers only. If you're an owner who also works on the tools, log your hours by hand from Site diaries for now.
- Every site asks for its induction before a crew member's first check-in there, so make sure your sites are set up. See setting up a site induction.
- It's one setting for the whole business, not per project.
Not sure who counts as an Admin or a Site Manager? See user roles in Foreman. Either way, the hours end up in Foreman's site diary.