Overview


The Shift Log is an internal communication tool for management and staff -- think of it as an electronic logbook. Each Shift Log note is automatically stamped with the date, time, and name of the employee entering the note, making it easy for staff to communicate with each other across shifts.


Note: Click on the images to enlarge them. 


Table of Contents



Shift Log Settings



Certain settings regarding the Shift Log can be changed based on your building’s needs. To access those settings you must have Management or Security Officer authority in BuildingLink.

To view or change the Shift Log settings click on the Settings tab and select General Building Set-Up Options
In the General Building Set-Up Options “Jump To” Section (36) Shift Log.











The Shift Log will always display notes from the most recent 48 hours, but older notes can be accessed through the Search feature. The first setting allows you to determine which employees have the authority to search for older notes: all staff, or just users with Management-level authority.

If your building has separate locations using BuildingLink (for example, two separate front desks), the second setting allows you to record and filter notes by their location.

Then, decide if management should receive an email notification of Shift Log notes on a nightly basis. If so, include the email address(es) those notes should be sent to, along with which notes you’d like to send ("All" or just "High Priority.") Make sure to click Save All Changes.









Viewing and Entering Shift Log Notes



To access the Shift Log, click on the Dashboard tab, then on the orange tab marked Shift Log on the upper right side of the page. A clipboard will display all notes from the last 48 hours. To add a note, click in the white field, and start typing. When you are finished typing your note, click the green Add Note button on the bottom left. Your note will be saved in the Shift Log, and will be viewable by building staff and management.



 








More Options for Entering Shift Log Notes

  • You can bold your shift log note by setting the priority level to “High.”
  • You can tag your note to a specific unit or apartment by entering a unit number or name in the “Related to Unit” box. The note will not be viewable by the occupant; the Shift Log is completely internal. It will, however, enable you to sort shift log notes by related unit number.






The blue End of Shift Note button allows for clearer organization of notes by shift.  Clicking this button brings up a time-stamped dividing bar so you can easily see which notes were entered on each shift. (Note: This is primarily an organizational tool and will not log-out the staff member.)





Sorting Shift Log Notes and Searching the Shift Log


Depending on the
settings for your building, the Search button in the lower right hand side of the Shift Log may be accessible to building management only, or to all building staff. Clicking Search allows you to find notes written prior to 48 hours ago; in fact, you can search back to the first note ever recorded. You can also search and sort notes by priority level, employee, keyword, or unit number (for notes related to a specific unit -- see More Options for Entering Shift Log Notes). Your search results can be exported to Excel or PDF, and printed from there if needed.








Deleting/Editing Shift Log Notes


The Shift Log is a secure document; it even holds up in court! Non-management staff members cannot delete or edit any Shift Log notes. Management level staff do have the ability to delete notes, but BuildingLink maintains a record of all notes, including those which have been deleted. If you enter a note incorrectly and wish to correct it, simply add a new note (for example: “Please disregard the note entered at . . .”).






Using the Shift Log as an Incident Report


Many buildings use the Shift Log as an incident report, as all notes are name-, date-, and time-stamped and notes are easily linked to specific units. 
A good way to differentiate incident notes from others is by using the “Priority” level box. You can set all incident report notes to high priority, and even configure the system so that it emails only those high priority notes to a specific address or specific addresses nightly. (See Shift Log Settings at the top for more information).