How permissions work

What a person can do in Yes Chef comes from four things, in this order. Understand these and every “why can’t they see it?” question has an answer.

1. Their level

Everyone has one of four levels: Admin, Location Manager, Supervisor or Employee. For every permission, the level says whether the person can have it at all, and whether it starts switched on. A Supervisor, for example, starts with “Build and edit the rota” on and “Publish the rota” off but available. The full list is in What each level can do.

2. Their own switches

On top of the level, an Admin can switch single permissions on or off for one person, within what the level allows. Some permissions need another one to be any use: “Publish the rota” needs “Build and edit the rota”, and is off whenever that is off. See Give someone an extra permission.

3. Where they work

A person has a home location and any additional ones. Their permissions apply at those locations and nowhere else. Move someone to another location and what they can do moves with them. The exception is an Admin with “Access all locations” on, which is the default: their permissions apply everywhere. See Why someone cannot see a location.

4. What the location uses

Each location chooses which parts of the app it has, such as Rota & Team, Checks or Tasks. A permission that belongs to a part does nothing at a location where that part is switched off. See Turn parts of the app on or off.

What follows from that

• You are not shown what you cannot use. The web’s sidebar and the phone’s tabs list only your pages. See Why a page is missing or says “No access”.
• The rules are enforced by Yes Chef itself, not by the screen. Hiding a page is a courtesy. A request for something you may not see is refused whatever device it comes from.
• The web and the phone always agree. They read the same list.
• Pay is its own permission. “See and edit staff pay rates” decides who sees wages, on a person’s file and in the figures made from them.

Who can change permissions

• Only an Admin can change anyone’s level or switches.
• Nobody can change their own, Admins included.
• There always has to be at least one Admin. The last one cannot be moved down a level and cannot delete their own account.
• A Supervisor or Location Manager has to work at a location, or their level would apply nowhere.

To do it, see Change someone’s level. Every change of level or permission is kept in the event log.