User Roles & Permissions

Control what users can see and do in HelloShift through roles and permissions. Assign users to departments, designate managers, and configure site-wide permission settings.

Overview

Role Types

HelloShift uses a three-tier role system:

Staff

Basic team member access.

Manager

Supervisory access within a department.

Admin

Full site access and management.

Assigning Roles

Setting a User's Role

1. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Find the user and click Edit

3. Configure role settings:

4. Click Save Changes

Role Hierarchy

Admin (site-level)
  └── Manager (department-level)
        └── Staff (basic access)

Notes:

• A user can be both Admin and Manager/Staff

• Admin status is independent of department role

• Manager role only applies within the assigned department

Departments

Users are assigned to departments (also called "Personas") that determine their team and communication channels.

Default Departments

Every site includes four default departments:

Department Capabilities

Each department has:

• A communication channel (wall) for team messages

• Ability to receive @mentions

• Task assignment routing

• Notification preferences

Creating Custom Departments

1. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Click the Departments tab

3. Click Add Department

4. Enter department name

5. Click Create

The new department appears in user assignment options.

See How To Use Tags (#) & Mentions (@) for @mentioning departments.

Permission Settings

By default, HelloShift is an open platform where everyone has all the information they need to provide the best guest service. However, you can enable role-based restrictions if needed.

Accessing Permission Settings

1. Go to Admin > Settings > Staff

2. Find the Enable role-based permissions checkbox

The Role-Based Permissions Toggle

Permission Matrix (When Enabled)

Staff Role:

• ✅ Can view their own department's content

• ✅ Can view their personal tasks and notes

• ❌ Cannot view guest details (unless Front Desk)

• ❌ Cannot assign rooms (unless Front Desk or Housekeeping Manager)

• ❌ Cannot see other departments

Manager Role:

• ✅ All Staff permissions

• ✅ Can view all departments

• ✅ Can assign rooms (if Housekeeping Manager)

• ✅ Enhanced department management capabilities

• ❌ Cannot perform admin functions (user management, site settings)

Admin Users:

• ✅ Full access to all actions regardless of department

• ✅ Can add users, create checklists, manage settings

• ✅ Admin status overrides all role-based restrictions

Department-Specific Permissions

Housekeeping:

• Staff: Room cleaning for assigned rooms only

• Manager: Full room assignments and updates

Front Desk (Cross-Department Access): Front Desk staff automatically receive enhanced access:

• ✅ Can view guest details

• ✅ Can view Housekeeping department activities

• ✅ Can manage room assignments and updates

• ✅ Can view Maintenance department tasks

Department-Based Access

What Users Can See

With "View All Departments" permission:

• All department walls and activity

• All team members' tasks and notes

Without "View All Departments" permission:

• Only their assigned department

• Front Desk staff also see Housekeeping and Maintenance (for operational needs)

Task and Note Visibility

Special Permissions

Guest Details Access

Controls who can see:

• Guest names (vs. anonymized)

• Phone numbers and emails

• Reservation details

• Conversation history

Who has access (when role-based is enabled):

• Admins: Always

• Front Desk: Always

• Managers: Always

• Other Staff: No

Room Assignment Access

Controls who can:

• Assign rooms to housekeepers

• Update room status

• View cleaning assignments

• Manage housekeeping board

Who has access (when role-based is enabled):

• Admins: Always

• Front Desk: Always

• Housekeeping Managers: Yes

• Housekeeping Staff: No (view only)

Creating and Managing Users

Adding a New User

1. Sign in with an Admin account

2. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

3. Click Invite User

4. Complete the invite form:

5. Click Send Invite

The user record is created instantly. If you included an email, they receive an invitation link to set a password and download the mobile app.

Adding Existing Users

If a staff member already exists at another property:

1. Choose Add Existing User instead of sending a fresh invite

2. Search for the user by name or email

3. Select the user to add them to this site

User Account Options

Finding the site code: Go to Admin > Users / Departments and look for the yellow banner at the top of the list showing your site's 3-digit code.

Invite Status

Users display as Invited until they complete sign-up. From the ⋮ menu next to their name, you can:

• Resend the invitation

• Cancel the invite

Editing User Settings

1. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Click Edit next to the user

3. Modify settings:

   • Department

   • Role (Staff/Manager)

   • Admin status

   • Notification preferences

   • Home page

4. Click Save Changes

Removing a User

1. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Click Remove from Site next to the user

3. Confirm removal

Notes:

• Cannot remove the last admin

• User's historical activity is preserved

• User can be re-added later

Notification Settings

Configure what alerts each user receives. After the invite is accepted, open the user profile to adjust alerts.

Per-User Notification Options

Pause All Notifications

Toggle the Notifications On / Off switch at the top of the user profile to pause everything for vacation or seasonal staff.

Setting User Notifications

1. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Click Edit next to the user

3. Configure notification toggles

4. Click Update

Users can also configure their own notifications in their profile.

Room Credits (Housekeeping)

For housekeeping staff, set how many rooms they can handle each day for workload balancing.

Setting Room Credits

1. Go to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Click Edit on a housekeeping user

3. Find the Room Credits section

4. Enter credits for each day of the week (e.g., Mon: 5, Tue: 6, Wed: 5...)

5. Click Update

HelloShift uses these values for auto-assignment and workload balancing. See Housekeeping Credit System for details.

Password Reset

User Has Email

1. User clicks Forgot password on the login page

2. They follow the emailed link to reset

User Has No Email

1. Admin goes to Admin > Users / Departments

2. Click Edit on the user

3. Enter a new password

4. Click Save

Best Practices

Role Assignment

1. Minimize Admins: Only grant admin to users who need it

2. Use Manager for Supervisors: Managers can oversee without full admin access

3. Match Departments: Assign users to their actual team

Permission Configuration

1. Start Permissive: Leave role-based permissions off initially

2. Enable as Needed: Turn on role-based restrictions if required

3. Test Changes: Verify users can still do their jobs after changes

User Management

1. Use Real Emails: Enables password reset and notifications

2. Clear Naming: Use full names for easy identification

3. Regular Audits: Review user list periodically for inactive accounts

Troubleshooting

User can't see guest information

Possible Causes:

• Role-based permissions enabled

• User is not Front Desk or Manager

• "View Guest Details" turned off

Solutions:

• Assign user to Front Desk

• Make user a Manager

• Enable "View Guest Details" site-wide

User can't assign rooms

Possible Causes:

• Role-based permissions enabled

• User is Housekeeping Staff (not Manager)

• "Manage Room Assignments" turned off

Solutions:

• Promote to Housekeeping Manager

• Make user Admin

• Enable "Manage Room Assignments" site-wide

User can't see other departments

Possible Causes:

• Role-based permissions enabled

• User is Staff (not Manager)

• "View All Departments" turned off

Solutions:

• Promote to Manager

• Enable "View All Departments" site-wide

• Make user Admin

Can't remove a user

Possible Causes:

• User is the last/only Admin

• You don't have Admin access

Solutions:

• Assign another admin first, then remove

• Have another admin perform the removal

Related Articles

• How To Use Tags (#) & Mentions (@) - @mentioning departments

• Multi-Site Management - Managing multiple properties

• Site Settings - Site-wide configuration