Getting Started

Hopshift is an HR and payroll platform built for businesses in Southeast Asia. It handles employee management, shift scheduling, leave tracking, clock-in/out, and payroll compliance: all in one place.

This guide walks you through logging in, understanding the platform structure, and navigating the admin interface for the first time.

Platform Structure

Before diving into setup, it helps to understand how Hopshift organizes data.

Groups and Companies

Hopshift uses a two-level hierarchy:

Level	What it represents	Example
Group	The parent organization that owns one or more companies	"Sarnies Group"
Company	A legal entity or outlet within the group	"Sarnies CBD", "Sarnies Orchard"

Leave policies, public holidays, and compliance settings are configured at the Group level and inherited by all companies within the group. Payroll, employee assignments, and shift schedules are managed at the Company level.

If your business operates as a single company, you'll still have one Group containing one Company. The hierarchy exists to support multi-outlet operations.

Roles

Hopshift has four user roles, each with different access levels:

Role	What they can do
Group Admin	Full access across all companies in the group: employees, payroll, settings, compliance documents
Admin	Manages a single company: employees, payroll, scheduling, approvals
Manager	Approves leave and timesheets for their team; views team schedules
Employee	Self-service access: views own profile, submits leave, clocks in/out

Admins manage a specific company. Group Admins have visibility across the entire group: they are typically used for HR team members who need a cross-company view.

Logging In

Navigate to your Hopshift instance URL (e.g. app.hopshift.io).
Enter your email address and password on the login screen.
If this is your first login, you will have received a welcome email with a link to set your password.

Forgot Password

Click Forgot password? on the login page. Enter your email address and you will receive a reset link within a few minutes. The link expires after 24 hours.

Navigating the Interface

After logging in, you land on the Dashboard. The interface has two main areas:

The left sidebar contains all primary navigation. As an Admin, you will see:

Dashboard: Summary of pending approvals, attendance alerts, and upcoming shifts
Employees: Employee directory and profile management
Scheduling: Shift creation and the schedule calendar
Clock In: QR code setup and timesheet approvals
Time Off: Leave requests, balances, and the leave calendar
Payroll: Payroll runs and compliance documents
Settings: Company configuration, departments, positions, leave types

Switching Between Companies

If you manage multiple companies, a company switcher appears at the top of the sidebar. Click it to switch context to a different company. All data (employees, payroll, schedules) shown in the sidebar will change to reflect the selected company.

Group Admins see an additional Group section in the sidebar for cross-company configuration such as leave type definitions and group-wide settings.

Admin vs. Employee View

Admins can also access the employee-facing view of Hopshift: the same interface that your employees use to check their schedules, balances, and payslips. Look for the "Switch to employee view" option in the top-right user menu.

First-Time Setup Checklist

When setting up Hopshift for the first time, complete these steps in order:

Step 1: Configure Company Settings

Go to Settings and fill in:

Company name (English and Thai)
Country and timezone
Payroll currency

See the Settings guide for full details.

Step 2: Create Departments and Positions

Before adding employees, create the org structure they will belong to.

Go to Settings → Departments and add your departments (e.g. "Kitchen", "Front of House", "Finance").
Go to Settings → Positions and add job titles (e.g. "Barista", "Outlet Manager", "Chef").

Positions can be named in English, Thai, and Chinese for multilingual display.

Step 3: Configure Leave Types

Go to Settings → Leave Types and review the default leave types for your country. Adjust entitlements as needed for your organization's policy. See Time Off for details.

Step 4: Add Employees

Go to Employees → Add Employee and add your team members one by one. For bulk imports, contact your Hopshift onboarding representative.

At minimum, fill in:

Full name (English)
Employee ID
Department and position
Hire date
Employment type

For Thai payroll compliance, you must also provide:

National ID number (13 digits)
Date of birth
Gender

See the Employees guide for full profile field documentation.

Step 5: Set Up Shifts

Go to Scheduling and create the shift templates your employees work. Then assign employees to their regular shifts on the schedule calendar.

See the Scheduling guide for details.

Step 6: Set Up Clock-In QR Codes

Go to Clock In and generate QR codes for each outlet location. Print and display these at your clock-in stations so employees can scan in on arrival.

Understanding Pending Actions

The Dashboard shows items requiring your attention. Common items include:

Item	Where to action it
Leave requests awaiting approval	Time Off → Requests
Clock-in records awaiting approval	Clock In → Approvals
Employees missing compliance data (e.g. no national ID)	Employees → [employee profile]
Payroll runs ready to review	Payroll

Before running payroll for Thai employees, ensure every employee in the run has a national ID number, date of birth, and gender on their profile. Missing these fields will block payroll finalization.

Inviting Additional Admins

To add another admin or manager to your company:

Go to Settings → Team.
Click Invite User.
Enter their email address and select their role (Admin or Manager).
Click Send Invitation.

The invitee receives an email with a sign-up link. If they already have a Hopshift account, they will be added directly to your company. If not, they will be prompted to create a password first.

Group Admins can be invited from the Group Settings page. Group admin invitations work the same way: if the person has no account yet, they will create one when they follow the invitation link.

Getting Help

Documentation: You're here. Use the sidebar to explore guides by topic.
In-app support: Click the ? icon in the bottom-left of the app to open the help panel.
Email support: Reach out to your Hopshift account representative for setup help and payroll period support.

During payroll periods, prioritize any compliance or finalization issues. If you encounter a blocking error, contact support immediately: payroll delays can have statutory consequences.