How to Use the Manager's Tool

A step-by-step guide for shift members and managers, from exporting a monthly report to compiling the whole team.

Who this guide is for

This guide covers the full monthly process in two parts: what each shift member does in the app, and what the manager then does with the files that come in. Read Part A if you're a shift member submitting your hours; read Part B if you're the person compiling the team's reports.

Part A

For Every Shift Member

Repeated by each employee, every month (or at year-end for an annual report).

  1. 1 Install the Shift Show app. Every shift member needs the app installed on their own device before this process can begin.
  2. 2 At month-end, open the monthly report. In the app, go to Tracking → Monthly Report (or Annual Report at year-end).
  3. 3 Check the report settings, if needed. Under Settings → HR Reports, confirm your name, staff number, company name, and the counting rules your employer uses are set up correctly before you rely on the figures.
  4. 4 Export the report in whichever format(s) your employer needs. CSV, Print (PDF), and Excel each serve a different purpose — see "Which export format should I use?" just below if you're not sure which to pick.
  5. 5 Send the file to your manager — by email is usually easiest. Send it exactly as exported; don't rename, edit, or reformat it, since the Manager's Tool expects the file to look exactly as the app produced it.

Which export format should I use?

The app can export the same monthly report three different ways. They serve different purposes — check with your manager which one(s) your company actually needs before you export.

CSV

A machine-readable file, not meant to be opened and read directly. It's built for importing into payroll software, and it's the only format the Manager's Tool can read. If your employer compiles reports with the Manager's Tool, or imports hours straight into a payroll system, this is the file they need.

Print (PDF)

A formatted, human-readable report with signature lines for both employee and manager. Use this when a physical, signed paper copy is required — for a manual sign-off process, or as a paper record kept on file. The Manager's Tool can't read this format; it's for people, not for compiling.

Excel

The same report as the PDF, but as a spreadsheet. Useful if HR or payroll wants to open it on a computer to sort, filter, or manually check figures without going back into the app. Like the PDF, this isn't read by the Manager's Tool — it's for manual review, not compiling.

Companies vary in what they require: some only want the CSV for direct payroll import, some want a signed PDF for their records, and some want both, plus an Excel copy for manual review. Sending more formats than needed causes no harm — sending the wrong one, or missing one that's needed, can hold up processing. When in doubt, ask your manager which they need.

Part B

For the Manager

Once every shift member's file for the period has come in.

  1. 6 Save every CSV into one folder on your computer or laptop — one file per employee, all for the same pay period.
  2. 7 Open the Manager's Tool in a web browser. Nothing to install, and nothing you add is ever uploaded — it all runs on your own computer.
  3. 8 Add every employee's CSV file. Drag and drop them onto the page, or click the drop zone to browse and select them all at once.
  4. 9 Fill in the optional checks, if useful. Paste in your expected staff roster and the pay period's start and end dates. This lets the tool flag a missing employee, a duplicate submission, or dates outside the period, before you rely on the figures.
  5. 10 Click "Verify & Compile."
  6. 11 Review "Issues to check before sending to HR." Anything listed here should be followed up with the relevant employee — for example, asking them to re-export — before you proceed.
  7. 12 Review the compiled summary table. This gives you one overview of every employee's hours, overtime, Sunday time, public holiday time, and leave for the period.
  8. 13 Enter your name and tick the confirmation checkbox. This is required before you can download anything, and records who reviewed the figures.
  9. 14 Click "Download Full Detail CSV" to save the combined file to your computer. It has the same columns as each employee's original export, in the same order and with the same values, plus two extra columns at the end — Confirmed By and Disclaimer — which your payroll system's import tool can simply skip, the same as any other column it doesn't need.
  10. 15 Verify the figures before submitting to payroll. Check every total against each employee's contract or your official records. See our Payroll CSV Guide for help mapping the columns into your payroll system.
  11. 16 Close the browser tab once you're done. Nothing is saved by the tool itself — if you need to compile the same files again later, you'll need to re-add them.

Before you rely on any figure

The Manager's Tool and the CSV export are convenience features, not a certified payroll system. They cross-check what's mathematically possible to check, but everything ultimately depends on what each employee entered in the app. Always verify totals against contracts, official schedules, and payroll records before acting on them. Full detail is in our Terms of Use.