From free sign up to your first live company

What this guide covers

This is the best place to start if you are setting up the product for the first time. The goal is simple: create a clean company workspace so every later step, from onboarding to payroll, sits on solid foundations.

Step 1: Create the account and confirm who owns setup

1. Sign up with the email address that should own the company workspace.
2. Log in and confirm that you are using the correct company account before adding any employee records.
3. Decide who will own day one configuration. In most teams this is an admin, founder, HR lead, or operations manager.

Step 2: Decide your initial rollout scope

Do not try to model the whole business in one session. Start with one live location, one or two departments, and one payroll cycle. That makes testing faster and reduces cleanup work later.

• Choose the first location to launch.
• Choose the first departments or teams to include.
• Choose whether payroll is in scope now or after rota and attendance are working.

Step 3: Gather the inputs you will need

• Company name and primary contact details.
• Default working timezone.
• Break, attendance, and shift rules.
• Departments, teams, and reporting lines.
• Employee starter list with names, emails, roles, and start dates.
• Any compliance or certification requirements.

Screenshot placeholder: add a screenshot of the sign-up or first-login flow that shows the clean starting point for a new account. Recommended image size: 1600 x 1000.

Recommended first-week rollout order

1. Create the company and account settings.
2. Configure locations, departments, and teams.
3. Set permissions and manager scope.
4. Add employees and send invites.
5. Complete onboarding and contracts.
6. Build shifts and publish the first rota.
7. Test attendance, timesheets, and payroll preview.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding all employees before defining departments and managers.
• Running payroll setup before contracts and tax details are ready.
• Giving too many users admin access instead of using scoped manager roles.

Once the account exists, move straight to company settings and policies so the system behaves correctly before live scheduling begins.