StaffMagic

Notifications Guide

Manage email notifications for schedule updates and shift changes.

This guide explains how email notifications work in StaffMagic and how to manage your notification preferences.

Overview

StaffMagic sends email notifications to keep employees informed about their schedules. Notifications are sent automatically when schedules are published or when shift assignments change.

Key Features

  • Automatic: Notifications are sent automatically when events occur
  • Customizable: Each user can control which notifications they receive
  • Rich Content: Emails include all relevant details (dates, times, positions)
  • Timezone-Aware: Shift times are displayed in your location's timezone

Types of Notifications

Schedule Published

When sent: When a manager publishes a schedule for the week

Who receives it: All employees who have shifts in that schedule

What it includes:

  • List of all your shifts for the week
  • Date and time for each shift
  • Position/role for each shift
  • Total hours for the week

Example subject line: "Your schedule for week of January 15, 2024 - Downtown Location"

Shift Assigned

When sent: When you are assigned to a new shift

Who receives it: The employee being assigned

What it includes:

  • Date of the shift
  • Start and end times
  • Position/role
  • Duration
  • Any notes from the manager

Example subject line: "New shift assigned: Monday, January 15, 2024"

Shift Updated

When sent: When details of your shift change (times, position)

Who receives it: The assigned employee

What it includes:

  • What changed (start time, end time, position)
  • New shift details
  • Date and location

Example subject line: "Shift updated: Monday, January 15, 2024"

Shift Cancelled

When sent: When one of your shifts is deleted

Who receives it: The employee who was assigned

What it includes:

  • Date and time of the cancelled shift
  • Position you were scheduled for
  • Location

Example subject line: "Shift cancelled: Monday, January 15, 2024"

Shift Reassigned

When sent: When you are removed from a shift (reassigned to someone else or made an open shift)

Who receives it: The employee being removed

What it includes:

  • Date and time of the shift
  • Position
  • Who the shift was reassigned to (if applicable)

Example subject line: "You've been removed from a shift: Monday, January 15, 2024"

Managing Your Notification Preferences

You can choose which email notifications you receive. By default, all notifications are enabled.

Accessing Notification Settings

  1. Click on Settings in the navigation menu
  2. Select the Notifications tab
  3. You'll see toggle switches for each notification type

Available Settings

| Setting | Description | Default | |---------|-------------|---------| | Schedule published | Receive weekly schedule emails | Enabled | | Shift assigned | Receive email when assigned to a shift | Enabled | | Shift updated | Receive email when shift details change | Enabled | | Shift cancelled | Receive email when a shift is cancelled or you're removed | Enabled |

Changing Your Preferences

  1. Go to Settings > Notifications
  2. Toggle the switches on or off for each notification type
  3. Click Save Preferences
  4. Your changes take effect immediately

Tips

  • Keep Schedule Published enabled: This is the most important notification - it tells you your shifts for the week
  • Consider keeping all enabled: Notifications help you stay informed about schedule changes
  • Check your spam folder: If you're not receiving emails, check your spam/junk folder

Email Format

All notification emails include:

  • Branded header: Shows your organization name
  • Clear subject line: Describes the notification type and date
  • Shift details: Times, positions, and other relevant info
  • Contact reminder: Suggests contacting your manager with questions
  • Plain text version: For email clients that don't support HTML

Timezone Handling

Shift times in emails are always displayed in your location's timezone, not your browser's timezone. This ensures consistency regardless of where you're reading the email.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm not receiving notification emails. What should I check?

  1. Check spam/junk folder: Emails may be filtered by your email provider
  2. Verify your email address: Ensure your account has the correct email
  3. Check notification preferences: Make sure the relevant notifications are enabled in Settings > Notifications
  4. Add to contacts: Add StaffMagic to your email contacts to prevent filtering

Can I receive notifications on my phone?

Currently, StaffMagic sends notifications via email only. Push notifications are planned for a future release.

Will I receive a notification for every small change?

Notifications are sent for significant events:

  • Schedule published (once per schedule publication)
  • Shift assigned (when initially assigned)
  • Shift updated (when times or position change)
  • Shift cancelled (when removed from schedule)

Minor changes like notes updates don't trigger notifications.

Can managers see my notification preferences?

No, notification preferences are private to each user. Managers cannot see or change your preferences.

What happens if I disable all notifications?

You won't receive any schedule-related emails. You'll need to check the app manually to see your shifts. This is not recommended as you may miss important schedule changes.

Are notifications sent for draft schedules?

No. Notifications are only sent when a schedule is published. Draft schedules are visible only to managers and don't trigger notifications.

Can I get a weekly summary instead of individual notifications?

Currently, each event triggers its own notification. A weekly digest option is planned for a future release.

For Managers

Understanding Notification Behavior

When you publish a schedule:

  • All employees with shifts receive a "Schedule Published" email
  • Each employee sees only their own shifts
  • Emails are sent immediately upon publishing
  • The publish operation completes even if some emails fail to send

Notifications for Shift Changes

Notifications are sent when:

  • You publish a schedule (all assigned employees notified)
  • Future: Individual shift changes in published schedules will trigger notifications

Currently, shifts can only be modified in draft schedules, so individual shift notifications (assigned, updated, cancelled) are triggered when those features are expanded in future releases.

Best Practices

  1. Publish at a consistent time: Employees will learn to expect schedule emails
  2. Publish early: Give employees time to review their shifts
  3. Review before publishing: Notifications are sent immediately - double-check the schedule
  4. Communicate changes: If you need to make changes after publishing, create a new draft and republish

Technical Details (For Administrators)

Email Delivery

StaffMagic supports two email delivery methods:

| Provider | Use Case | Configuration | |----------|----------|---------------| | SMTP | Local development, self-hosted | Set EMAIL_PROVIDER=smtp with SMTP server details | | Resend | Production | Set EMAIL_PROVIDER=resend with API key |

For production deployments, we recommend using Resend for reliable email delivery with excellent deliverability.

See the Go Live Guide for detailed configuration instructions.

Related Guides

Last updated: December 2024