Settings
The Settings page is where you tell Staff Dog how your company operates. Work hours, screenshot frequency, AFK thresholds and per-employee custom schedules are all configured here.
Why Getting Settings Right Matters
Every report, overtime calculation and attendance statistic in Staff Dog is based on the values you set here. If working days are entered incorrectly, weekends might be flagged as absences; if shift hours are wrong, "missing time" calculations will be inaccurate. That's why filling in this page carefully during initial setup is critical.
Core Work Settings
| Setting | Description | Possible Values |
|---|---|---|
| Working Days | Specifies which days are counted as working days. Each day can be toggled on or off individually. | Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| Shift Start Time | The time employees are expected to clock in. Late-arrival calculations are based on this. | 5-minute steps, 00:00–23:55 |
| Shift End Time | The time the regular shift is expected to end. Early-departure calculations are based on this. | 5-minute steps, 00:00–23:55 |
| Time Zone | The organisation's default time zone. All reports are calculated in this zone. | World time zones (default: Europe/Istanbul) |
Screenshot Settings
Regular Hours Screenshots
Controls whether screenshots are captured during regular shift hours. When enabled, choose the interval (5–120 seconds).
Overtime Screenshots
A separate interval is configured for screenshots taken after the regular shift ends. Often set to a higher frequency (3–60 seconds) for overtime monitoring.
AFK and System Thresholds
| Parameter | What It Does | Range |
|---|---|---|
| AFK Threshold | If there is no mouse or keyboard activity for this long, the employee is marked AFK and the idle timer starts. | 30 s – 10 min |
| AFK Dialog Threshold | Once the AFK duration exceeds this value, the employee's desktop shows a reason prompt. Cannot be smaller than the AFK threshold. | 1 min – 60 min |
| Activity Batch Interval | How often the desktop app batches and sends app/URL activity data to the server. | 10 s – 120 s |
Per-Employee Custom Schedules
Some employees may work different hours from the company default: part-time staff, shift workers or remote employees in other time zones are the most common examples. You can define a custom schedule for each such person.
Enable the Custom Schedule
Go to the 'Per-Employee Custom Schedule' section of the Settings page. Select the employee from the list or click the Add button.
Set Days and Hours
In the modal that opens, enter the working days and shift start/end times for that person. The time zone can also be configured per person.
Save
After clicking Save, all of that employee's reports will be calculated against their own schedule rather than the company default.
To Remove
Click the Remove button next to the person in the custom schedule list. Once removed, the employee reverts to the company-wide schedule.
Custom Time Zone for Remote Employee Selin
The Istanbul office works from 09:00 to 18:00. However, developer Selin works remotely from Berlin. There is a 2-hour difference between Berlin and Istanbul, so Selin actually starts at 07:00 Berlin time (equivalent to 09:00 Istanbul time).
Selin's manager Mark opens the Settings page and creates a custom schedule for her: working days Mon–Fri, shift 09:00–18:00 — but with the time zone set to Europe/Berlin. After saving, all of Selin's reports will be calculated in Berlin time.
Now Selin doesn't appear as a "late arrival" relative to Istanbul time. According to her own schedule she is on time. Her monthly report shows zero late days.
⚠️Common Configuration Mistakes
- •AFK dialog threshold smaller than AFK threshold: When you save, the system silently increases the dialog threshold to match the AFK threshold. This is a quiet auto-correction, not a warning — always verify both values before saving.
- •Changed working days but reports didn't update: Settings changes are not applied retroactively. Old reports reflect the settings that were active at the time they were recorded.
- •Screenshot toggles appear greyed out: Your current plan doesn't support this feature. Upgrade your plan from the Billing page to unlock it.