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    Maria Polanco
    • Updated

    New Release | Meal break Waiver, Restrict Rare Visibility and Multiple Assignments for HotSchedules | June 19th, 2025

    Release date: 19 June 2025

     

    Labor Main

    • Meal Break Waivers - Ability for Employees to Set and Change Status Daily
      Employees can now update their meal waiver status multiple times per day directly from the web, with effective timestamps and manager notification, improving transparency, flexibility, and compliance with labor law requirements.
    • Restrict Rate Visibility in Recent Rate Changes Table
      The Recent Rate Changes table now respects user permissions around wage data, hiding actual rates for users who do not have the "Use Average Wage" permission and aligning with the visibility rules already applied to hourly rates in Job Settings.
    • Multiple Assignments via EMS
      This suite of improvements supports EMS-integrated clients by enabling centralized control over multiple job assignments and pay rates across stores, ensuring consistency and automation across all HotSchedules locations.

     

    Release Note Info/Steps

    Meal Break Waivers - Ability for Employees to Set and Change Status Daily

    Employees can now easily view and update their Meal Break Waiver status from the Personal Settings page on the web. Whether opting in or out of the waiver, changes can be made at any time during the day and the most recent status will automatically be applied to scheduling and payroll.

    This feature brings more flexibility, better transparency, and greater control over how meal breaks are managed. Employees with proper permissions, can update their own waiver status and manger & admins can enable or adjust permissions as needed. 

    Configuration

    ASC Permissions to Enable: 

    This feature is enabled by default, but permissions must be set by your organization's Admin:

    • Managers:
      Staff tab > Edit Meal Waiver Status
    • Employees/Managers:
      Personal Settings tab > Edit Meal Waiver Status

    What’s New?

    • New Waiver Status Selector
      Employees can choose their waiver status as either Waiver or Non-Waiver using a simple dropdown.
      • Displays the employee’s current status.
      • Shows Exempt if the employee is marked as such (field is read-only in that case).
      • Tooltip included: “Consult with your manager when changing waiver status.”
    • Daily Updates Allowed
      Employees can update their status multiple times per business day.
      • The most recent change is used to evaluate compliance and pay rules.
      • Updates apply to the entire business day (e.g., 4 AM to 4 AM).
    • Manager Notifications
      When an employee changes their waiver status, managers with the correct permissions automatically receive an HS Message containing:
      • Employee name
      • New status
      • Time and date of the change
    • Updated Scheduler & Roster View
      • If an employee has waived their meal, a “W” badge now appears in the Scheduler and Daily Roster Report.
      • Hovering over the badge shows the timestamp of the most recent waiver status change.
    • Shift costs adjust automatically based on waiver status.
    • Permissions-Based Access
      Only employees with the correct permission will see the waiver status selector.
      • Admins can manage this via existing permission groups.
      • If not enabled, the waiver status field remains hidden to employees.

    Restrict Rate Visibility in Recent Rate Changes Table

     

    To strengthen data security and support compliance with wage visibility policies, users without the “Use Average Wage” permission will no longer see pay rate details in the Recent Rate Changes table.

    Instead, they will see:

    • Job title changes
    • Salary indicator only (without displaying specific pay rates)

    This ensures sensitive wage information is only visible to those with the appropriate permissions. This update applies to all users who do not have the “Use Average Wage” permission. No action is needed this change is applied automatically.

    Behavior Details
    • Users with permission see full rate information in the Recent Rate Changes table.
    • Users without permission see only:
      • Updated On
      • Rate as $0
      • Job
    • No hourly or salary amounts are visible to restricted users.
    • Follows existing hierarchy rules for data visibility.

    Multiple Assignments via EMS

     

    For EMS-integrated clients, a new feature is now available to keep employee job assignments and pay rates consistent across all locations. When enabled by an admin through the IMPORT_EMPLOYEE_ASSIGNMENTS_RATES_FROM_EMS setting—or by contacting Support—any changes made to an employee’s job or rate at their home store will automatically sync to all borrowing stores. This helps reduce manual updates, ensures accuracy across scheduling and payroll, and maintains consistency throughout the business. While not enabled by default, this enhancement is especially valuable for admins, store managers, and scheduling teams managing employees across multiple sites.

    🛠️ Key Functional Areas

    1. EMS Setting Control
    • A new company setting IMPORT_EMPLOYEE_ASSIGNMENTS_RATES_FROM_EMS activates all multi-assignment features.
    • When enabled, all job/rate modifications must flow through the EMS API, not manually.
    2. Job & Rate Propagation
    • Job unassignments and rate changes in the home store are instantly applied to all linked stores.
    • Applies both for real-time updates and effective-dated changes.
    • Ensures jobs/rates cannot be manually modified while setting is active.
    3. Borrowing Store Synchronization
    • Job end dates cause auto-unassignment at home and borrowing stores.
    • Propagated shifts are housed and no longer assignable after unassignment.
    4. POS ID Consistency (HRID Use)
    • HR ID is used as POS ID when the setting is enabled.
    • Applies to newly created employees or updates via EMS only.
    5. UI Restrictions & Indicators
    • Staff List components are restricted when setting is active:
      • Edit schedule
      • Change salary
      • Edit pay type
      • Modify user status
    • Manual edits to job codes or rates are disabled.

    General Improvements

    • Enhanced Save Button Functionality: The Save button on the Employee POS ID page now automatically grays out once edits are saved, clearly indicating that no new changes have been made.
    • Accurate Labor Volume Reporting: The Labor Volume Chart now correctly displays forecasted labor for 3/9 from 11:00 PM to 12:00 AM, ensuring accurate data even during daylight saving time (DST) transitions.
    • Refined Messaging Lists: Inactive employees no longer appear in the recipient list of messages on mobile applications, streamlining communication and ensuring relevant recipients.
    • Precise Overtime Reporting: The Employee Hours Report now accurately counts shifts exceeding the 12-hour overtime rule with double time, providing correct overtime hours and associated labor costs.

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