User guide and help

Where to start

Employees use an approved shared kiosk at https://time.forlink.com.au. Managers sign in at https://time.forlink.com.au/manager/login using their own account. Do not share a manager password or leave a manager account signed in on a public tablet.

Complete an invitation or password reset

1. Open the newest setup email and select its link.
2. On Set up manager access, select Continue securely. Merely opening this page does not use the one-time token.
3. Enter a password of at least 10 characters, enter it again and select Complete setup.
4. Check that the expected organisation and branch are displayed before making changes.

Use the newest setup link promptly. Links are single-use and may expire or be replaced. If a link is invalid or expired, request a new setup link or ask an organisation administrator to use Resend setup link. Do not forward setup emails to another person.

Choose the right view

Use the branch selector to select a branch you can access. Overview shows current attendance; Employees shows active staff; Exceptions and Timesheets support review. Organisation administrators also have branch, manager, report and kiosk setup controls. If a branch is missing, ask your administrator to check your active role and branch assignment.

Sign out

Use Log out when you finish. For shared clocking devices, use the approved kiosk setup flow; it removes the manager session before opening the kiosk.

Record the working day

1. Check the kiosk’s branch name. Select your own name.
2. Enter your private PIN. Select Start work when you begin.
3. When taking a break, select your name, enter your PIN and select Start break. Select End break when you return.
4. At the end of the shift, select your name, enter your PIN and select Finish work.
5. Wait for the recorded confirmation and time, then select Done. If you do not see a confirmation, check your status before trying again.

Set your private PIN

PINs contain 4 to 6 digits. A new employee or a PIN reset receives a temporary PIN, which expires after seven days. On first use, enter that temporary PIN, choose a new private PIN and confirm it when prompted. Complete the clocking action and wait for confirmation that the new PIN is active.

Protect your account

Keep your PIN private and clock only for yourself. A manager can issue a new temporary PIN but cannot look up your current private PIN. A reset stops the previous PIN working immediately. Repeated incorrect attempts can cause a temporary lock; stop guessing and contact your manager.

If your name is missing

Confirm the branch first. If you are visiting another branch, use Other staff as described on the next page. Otherwise ask your manager to check your active employee record and branch assignment. Do not use a colleague’s name.

Arrive at another branch

1. If you are on a break, end it at the previous branch before transferring.
2. At the destination kiosk, check the branch name and select Other staff.
3. Enter your employee number and private PIN. If prompted, replace your temporary PIN.
4. Select Record arrival and wait for confirmation. Your name should then be available on the destination kiosk.
5. Continue breaks and Finish work at the destination using your own name and PIN.

If this is your first clock-in that day, Record arrival starts work at the arrival time. If you have already started work, it keeps the original clock-in and records the new location. Do not clock out solely to move between branches, and do not create a second employee record.

How the time is allocated

The current allocation keeps time at the origin until arrival at the destination. Clocked unpaid breaks reduce worked time. Your organisation must confirm its travel-time treatment with payroll. Report a missing or incorrect arrival to your manager before payroll is finalised.

When the connection fails

Do not assume a tap was saved without its recorded confirmation. The kiosk needs a connection to verify and record attendance; do not rely on offline backfilling. Record the actual time, branch and intended action, tell your manager, then recheck the screen when the connection returns to avoid a duplicate action.

Tablet screen and status updates

Approved kiosks request that the screen stay awake while the kiosk is visible. Device policy and battery saver can override this. Keep the tablet powered and the kiosk page open. Multiple approved kiosks receive status updates, but if a status looks stale, reconnect or refresh and confirm with your manager.

Create and maintain employees

1. Open Employees, then Manage employees. Select Add employee.
2. Enter the employee details, employee number and correct branch. Confirm the employee number matches the External ID used for payroll.
3. Select Create employee. Save the temporary PIN before leaving the screen and share it privately with that employee.
4. Use Edit to maintain details and Reset PIN when a new temporary PIN is needed. Confirm that the employee knows the old PIN will stop working.

Import a CSV

1. Open the employee import dialog and select Download template.
2. Use the template’s column names and an active branch code. Use YYYY-MM-DD for start dates.
3. Choose a CSV spreadsheet and review the parsed rows before selecting Import.
4. After success, use Download PIN list if required. Store the list securely, share each PIN privately and remove unnecessary copies.

Import updates existing employee numbers within the organisation; new records receive temporary PINs. Existing PINs are normally kept for updated records. Check the result before importing again. Never create duplicate employee identities to move a person between branches.

Archive and restore

In Manage employees, use Archive for a departing employee. Archived staff are separated from the active list and historical records remain available. To reinstate someone, open Archived, search by name or employee number and select Restore. Return to Active, review their details and start date, issue a new temporary PIN and check the weekly schedule.

Payroll inclusion

In Manage employees, select Payroll inclusion. Owners and organisation administrators can choose Exclude from payroll exports, set an effective weekly pay-period start and give a reason. Branch managers can view the setting. Attendance, kiosk access and history remain available. Review CSVs retain and mark excluded time; Employment Hero exports omit it across every branch. Check attendance, excluded and payroll totals separately. Affected approvals require review and reapproval. Reopen a finalised period before changing its payroll inclusion.

Set an employee schedule

1. In Employees, select Set schedule or Edit schedule for the active employee.
2. Choose the working days and enter start time, finish time and unpaid break minutes.
3. Choose the date from which the schedule applies.
4. Save the schedule and check the saved schedule summary.

Each selected working day needs a finish later than its start. The editor accepts unpaid breaks from 0 to 480 minutes. A weekly schedule supports attendance checks; it does not replace employees clocking their actual start, finish and breaks.

Copy a schedule to several employees

1. Select Bulk edit schedules.
2. Choose the employee under Copy schedule from. Check that this source has the intended weekly schedule.
3. Choose the effective date and only the employees who should receive it.
4. Review the selection and select Copy schedule to the selected employees.
5. Check the resulting summaries for a sample of recipients and any exceptions.

Copying replaces the recipients’ applicable schedules from the effective date; earlier schedule history is retained. Review individual differences before copying, particularly part-time arrangements, break lengths and branch assignments.

Attendance rules

Organisation administrators can maintain attendance rules in Settings, including the late-start grace period and long-shift threshold. Changes affect exception generation. Confirm the business rules before changing them; a flag is a prompt to review the facts, not an automatic decision about pay.

Find the item

1. Open Exceptions and select the relevant branch.
2. Use All open periods to find unresolved items regardless of age, or use the previous/next arrows and Current period for a particular week in your organisation’s payroll calendar.
3. Choose Open, Resolved, Dismissed or All statuses as needed. A Timesheets exception warning can take you to the matching period.
4. Check the employee, date, branch, message and actual attendance before acting.

Correct a time

1. Where available, select Correct entry.
2. Choose the corrected action/time. A break correction can require both its start and finish.
3. Enter a factual Reason for correction and select Save correction.
4. Check the resulting time and Correction audit history. Revisit the timesheet totals before approval.

The original event remains in the audit history with the manager, time and reason for correction. Resolve records that review is complete; Dismiss records that a flag is not applicable. These decisions do not themselves change an incorrect clock time. Use Correct entry when a time needs correction.

When there is no correction control

Some exception types, including branch transfers, do not have the standard time correction editor. Record the facts and escalate to an organisation administrator. Do not resolve a warning simply to clear the payroll screen when the underlying hours or branch allocation are still wrong.

After approval

Attendance or location changes can reopen an approved period. A finalised period is locked and must be deliberately reopened before a permitted correction. Coordinate this with payroll if a file has already been imported.

Choose the week before clocking begins

During new organisation setup, choose Payroll week starts. The finish day is derived automatically, six days later: Monday–Sunday, Wednesday–Tuesday or Saturday–Friday, for example. The current pilot supports weekly processing. Fortnightly and monthly processing are not available.

Review or adjust the initial calendar

1. Open Manager → Settings → Weekly payroll calendar.
2. Check the start day, finish day and displayed organisation timezone.
3. Before attendance or payroll history exists, choose the start day and select Save payroll calendar. Only the organisation owner or an organisation administrator can do this.
4. Check the header, Current period and both dates in Timesheets before reviewing payroll.

When the calendar is locked

Once attendance, a branch arrival, an approval or an export exists, the calendar is locked. It cannot be changed through Settings. Contact ForLink to discuss a planned transition; historical calendar changes are not part of this pilot release. Do not create another employee record or alter historical clock times to work around the lock.

Period dates and close

Previous and next move one configured week. The finish is always start plus six days. Finalisation waits until the last day has closed in the selected branch’s local timezone; a combined export waits for every branch to close. Daily attendance reports use their displayed report timezone and are separate from the weekly payroll period.

Existing organisations

Organisations already using Saturday–Friday keep those dates. If payroll uses another cycle, confirm that ForLink’s supported weekly calendar suits the customer before onboarding.

Review the correct week

1. Open Timesheets and select the branch.
2. Use the arrows or Current period to select the correct configured payroll week. Check both dates.
3. Review each employee’s daily and weekly time, open exceptions and incomplete shifts.
4. Open the exception warning to correct missing clock-outs, breaks or other issues. Return to the same period and recheck the totals.
5. Use Review CSV for checking. It does not finalise or lock the period.

Approve then finalise

1. Add an optional Approval note and select Approve pay period or Reapprove pay period.
2. After the configured final day closes in the branch’s timezone, check that the period is ready to finalise and contains completed shifts.
3. Select Finalise & export. Confirm that the Employment Hero CSV downloaded and the screen shows Locked for payroll.
4. Import the agreed file into Employment Hero using the organisation’s approved mapping, then reconcile the imported totals.

Finalisation is blocked while the period is still open, while open exceptions remain, or when a suitable export is unavailable. Approval alone is not an Employment Hero upload. Do not clear genuine exceptions simply to enable a button.

Copies and corrections

Use Download recorded copy only to recover or replace a file; check with payroll before importing it. To correct a locked period, enter a Reason to reopen of 10 to 500 characters and select Reopen period. Make the permitted correction, review, reapprove and finalise again. Agree how the earlier import will be replaced; do not add the corrected file as an extra payrun.

Review all branches together

1. In Timesheets, select All branches and confirm the configured payroll-week dates.
2. Review each branch’s employee count, net time, CSV rows, exceptions and status. Open a branch review where necessary.
3. Download Review CSV to reconcile the combined detail. Resolve the source issues before approval.
4. Select Approve all branches when the branch reviews are complete.
5. After the period closes, select Finalise all & export and check that one combined Employment Hero CSV downloads.

If some branches are already finalised, inspect their individual status before attempting another combined export. An empty branch can be locked without creating a fabricated employee row. Download recorded copy is for recovery, not an extra import.

Check the payroll mapping

The export uses Employee External ID, Date, Start Time, End Time, Units and Comments. Employee External ID comes from the ForLink employee number. Units represents net worked hours; confirm your Employment Hero importer uses the intended fields. Branch context is included in the export comments. This is not proof that Employment Hero has automatically assigned a costing location.

Reconcile roving hours

A roving employee may have multiple legitimate rows on one date. Add Units across the branch rows and compare with the employee’s actual net shift. For example, 09:00 to 12:00 at the origin and 12:00 to 17:00 at the destination is 3 plus 5 hours; a 30-minute destination break reduces the second part to 4.5 hours. Do not import separate branch files as well as the combined file for the same hours.

Before importing a complete pay period, reconcile each roving employee’s net hours and worked-branch allocation against the actual shift. Pause the payroll handover if these checks do not agree.

Maintain branches

Use Branches to maintain the branch name, code, timezone and active status, within your role. Move affected employees before deactivating a branch. Confirm device, schedule and payroll implications before moving an employee’s primary branch; a mid-day visit normally uses Other staff instead.

Approve a shared kiosk

1. On the intended tablet/browser, sign in as an owner, organisation administrator or branch manager assigned to that branch.
2. Open Kiosks and Branch kiosk setup. Select an assigned branch and enter a recognisable device name.
3. Select Approve this device and open kiosk. The manager session is removed before the kiosk opens.
4. Check the displayed branch and roster. Register each additional kiosk separately.

Recover an existing kiosk remotely

1. On the unregistered tablet, select Get recovery code and keep that page open.
2. An authorised manager opens Kiosks in their own browser and selects the intended approved device.
3. Enter the tablet’s recovery code and approve the recovery. Codes expire after ten minutes and are single-use.
4. Check that the tablet opens the correct branch. Recovery rotates the device credential, so the old registration stops working.

Remove a device

Organisation administrators can review Approved kiosks in Settings and de-register a replaced or unused device. Use the correct device name and branch. Revocation removes clocking and roster access. Clearing browser storage or using another browser can lose the registration; recover or reapprove it through the authorised workflow.

Keep the tablet powered, connected and secured. If the screen locks, review battery saver, browser/device settings and the foreground kiosk page. Device approval does not make the tablet a manager account.

Manage manager access

Only owners and organisation administrators can manage manager access in Settings. Invite each person with their own email, select the least access they need and assign branches for branch-scoped roles. Use Resend setup link for a pending account. Archive access when it is no longer needed; restore only after checking the role and assignments. You cannot archive the organisation owner or change your own access through these controls.

Daily attendance reports

1. Open Reports and Daily attendance summary.
2. Choose Report scope, recipients and Send each day at. Confirm the displayed timezone, currently Australia/Sydney. The report is an email summary with a detailed CSV attachment.
3. Select Activate daily report or Save report schedule. Scheduled delivery can be paused without deleting the settings.
4. Check the delivery history and provider status. Use Refresh for updated history and the offered retry control only after checking the failure.

Sent or accepted by the provider is not evidence that the recipient read the email. If it has not arrived, check the recorded recipients, timezone, active schedule, spam folder and failure/bounce information before retrying. Confirm receipt rather than repeatedly sending duplicates.

Quick troubleshooting

1. Missing employee or branch: check the selected branch, active employee/manager status and assigned branches.
2. Invalid setup link: use the newest email; request a fresh link if it was used or expired.
3. PIN failure: stop guessing, check your own employee identity and ask for a temporary PIN reset if needed.
4. Disabled payroll export: check the period has closed, approval, open exceptions, completed shifts and branch finalisation status.
5. Wrong hours or location: record the employee, date, expected time and branch; ask the authorised reviewer to correct the source before payroll.

Employees escalate to their branch manager; managers escalate to the organisation owner/administrator and their appointed ForLink support contact. Include the page, branch, period, exact error and approximate time. Never send private PINs, passwords, setup links or kiosk credentials in a support request.