1. Home
  2. Get Started
  3. User Access
  4. User Access Privileges (User Roles)

User Access Privileges (User Roles)

From your

Applies to , , ,

Overview

Users within the workplace account can be given employee, supervisor, manager, or admin access privileges. Also called “user roles”, these levels of access determine what users can see and do in When I Work.

This page outlines the default permissions of users. Want more control over what managers and supervisors can do? Check out Advanced Role Permissions.

User roles can be changed by an Admin or Manager user from within the specific user profile.

  • Admin users can assign any role level, but Manager users can only change roles of users that are also at Manager role or lower.

Employee

New users are set up as employees by default. Set a user’s role as employee if you would like the user to check the schedule without the ability to edit it.

Employee level access allow users to view their personal schedules, create time off requests, swap and drop shiftscommunicate with their coworkers and add their availability preferences. Management can also allow employees to view their coworkers’ schedules.

Supervisor

The supervisor user role is especially helpful if your account uses multiple schedules. Supervisors are able to manage certain schedules they are assigned to and the employees assigned to those same schedules.

Users with supervisor level access can manage schedules they are assigned to in their user profile. Supervisors can assign shifts, respond to time off requests and shift requests, and manage employees that belong to the same schedule. A supervisor can add new employees but cannot adjust any user’s role. Supervisors also cannot edit other Supervisor assignments or profiles.

Supervisors can only edit employees’ profile information that match their exact Schedule assignments. For example, Supervisor is assigned to the “Downtown” schedule and the Employee is assigned to both the “Downtown” and the “Midtown” schedules. The Supervisor can manage shifts and request for the Employee, however they will not be able to edit that Employee’s information in their user profile such as position or tag assignments. Instead, a Manager or Admin user will need to make the changes if necessary.

By default, users with supervisor access do not have access to view employee wages. However, the admin can allow supervisors to view employee wages.

Manager

Users with manager level access privileges have full management capabilities for the entire account, except for the account’s plan and billing.

Managers can manage every schedule in the system regardless of their assigned schedules. Managers can add users, schedules, shifts, positions, and job sites. They can also manage the General Settings and Attendance Settings that sets up the “rules” of the account. Managers can also edit any other user level assignments and profiles except Admin users.

If your account is using Time Clock & Attendance, “Can Manage Timesheets and Pay Periods” can be enabled by the account holder to allow the manager to close pay periods.

Admin

Admins (also known as owners or Account Holders) can do everything a manager can plus the responsibility of managing the Account & Billing of the account.

Admin level access can be assigned to up to three users. This is limited to prevent over-access to your billing information. Users of any role can be promoted to the admin role. You can assign your primary contact to be any one of the three admins in your account.

Comparing the access privilege levels

What can each access privilege actually do?

View personal schedule
Print the Schedule
Submit and review personal time off requests
Swap and drop shifts
Add availability preferences
Clock in and out for shifts
 
Create, edit, and delete timesheet entries
– Only if allowed by account settings
  – Only for Employees on their same schedule*
  – For all users regardless of assignments
  – For all users regardless of assignments
Add and Edit shifts
– For the schedules they are assigned to
– On all schedules regardless of assignments
– On all schedules regardless of assignments
Respond to  requests such as time off and shift swap/drops
– only for employees assigned to their same schedule(s)
– All Supervisor and Employee users
– All Supervisor and Employee users
Submit time off requests on behalf of other users
  – only for employees assigned to their same schedule(s)
  – Any user in the account
– Any user in the account
Add and manage employees
– Can create a user, but only assign them to the schedule(s) the Supervisor is assigned to
– Can create and assign users to any schedule
– Can create and assign users to any schedule
Add and manage job sites
– Can add/edit job sites only on schedule(s) that match the Supervisor assignments
– can add/edit all job sites in the account
– can add/edit all job sites in the account
Create, edit and delete shift templates for  schedules
– Only for schedules they are assigned to
  – For all schedules in the account
  – For all schedules in the account
Create, edit, and delete tags
Set up fixed time clock terminals
– For schedule(s) they are assigned to
– For any schedule within the account
– For any schedule within the account
Clock employees in and out
– Only on schedules the Supervisor and Employee are both assigned to
  – For any schedule within the account
– For any schedule within the account
Create, edit, and delete shift task lists
Create, edit, and delete team task lists
– Only for schedules they are assigned to
– For any schedule within the account
– For any schedule within the account
Export the Schedule
– Only for schedules they are assigned to
– For any schedule within the account
– For any schedule within the account
Export Timesheets
– will only show entries for employees on the schedule the Supervisor is assigned to
– Will show all entries across all schedules regardless of assignments
– Will show all entries across all schedules regardless of assignments
Create, edit, and delete schedules in the account
Create, edit, and delete documents in the account
Approve pending users
Change a user’s role
Add and manage positions for the account
Manage Settings
Close, export, and re-open pay periods for payroll
– only with special permissions in their profile settings
Manage account plan and billing
Change advanced role permissions for Managers and Supervisors
Allow a supervisor to view employee wages
Allow a manager to manage timesheets and pay periods

 

Action employee supervisor manager admin
View personal schedule
Print the Schedule
Submit and review personal time off requests
Swap and drop shifts
Add availability preferences
Clock in and out for shifts  
Create, edit, and delete timesheet entries – Only if allowed by account settings   – Only for Employees on their same schedule*   – For all users regardless of assignments   – For all users regardless of assignments
Add and Edit shifts – For the schedules they are assigned to – On all schedules regardless of assignments – On all schedules regardless of assignments
Respond to  requests such as time off and shift swap/drops – only for employees assigned to their same schedule(s) – All Supervisor and Employee users – All Supervisor and Employee users
Submit time off requests on behalf of other users   – only for employees assigned to their same schedule(s)   – Any user in the account – Any user in the account
Add and manage employees – Can create a user, but only assign them to the schedule(s) the Supervisor is assigned to – Can create and assign users to any schedule – Can create and assign users to any schedule
Add and manage job sites – Can add/edit job sites only on schedule(s) that match the Supervisor assignments – can add/edit all job sites in the account – can add/edit all job sites in the account
Create, edit and delete shift templates for  schedules – Only for schedules they are assigned to   – For all schedules in the account   – For all schedules in the account
Create, edit, and delete tags
Set up fixed time clock terminals – For schedule(s) they are assigned to – For any schedule within the account – For any schedule within the account
Clock employees in and out – Only on schedules the Supervisor and Employee are both assigned to   – For any schedule within the account – For any schedule within the account
Create, edit, and delete shift task lists
Create, edit, and delete team task lists – Only for schedules they are assigned to – For any schedule within the account – For any schedule within the account
Export the Schedule – Only for schedules they are assigned to – For any schedule within the account – For any schedule within the account
Export Timesheets – will only show entries for employees on the schedule the Supervisor is assigned to – Will show all entries across all schedules regardless of assignments – Will show all entries across all schedules regardless of assignments
Create, edit, and delete schedules in the account
Create, edit, and delete documents in the account
Approve pending users
Change a user’s role
Add and manage positions for the account
Manage Settings
Close, export, and re-open pay periods for payroll – only with special permissions in their profile settings
Manage account plan and billing
Change advanced role permissions for Managers and Supervisors
Allow a supervisor to view employee wages
Allow a manager to manage timesheets and pay periods

 

* Can view, but not edit other Supervisor timesheets. Not able to view Manager or Admin timesheets.

 

Changing a user’s role

  1. Hover over , then select Users.

  2. Click the icon that correspond’s with the user’s profile.
  3. Select a role from the User Role menu.
  4. When you’re finished, click Save User.
Updated on January 12, 2026

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket with our customer care team.

Submit a Ticket