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2025 Roubler Permissions, Primary Locations, and Reporting Hierarchy

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Carly Harvey
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Overview

This article provides a clear, step-by-step explanation of how permissions, primary locations, and reporting hierarchy work in Roubler. It is designed for users of all experience levels, you’ll learn:

  • What permissions and primary locations are, and how they interact
  • How to set up and manage permissions and location access
  • How the reporting hierarchy is structured and how notifications work
  • Common troubleshooting tips and best practices

 

1. Understanding Permissions in Roubler

Permissions in Roubler control what each user can see and do. Every employee is assigned a Permission Group (such as Employee, Manager, Manager with Payroll, or Administrator) for each location they have access to. These groups determine their level of access and responsibilities.

Default Permission Groups

Custom Permission Groups can also be created for more granular control. 

To create a custom permission, it’s best to start with the default permission that’s closest to what you need and then add or remove specific access as required.

You can do this by going to Settings > Manage Permissions > Add.

Permission matrix by category

Checkmarks indicate which bundle includes each permission. Dependencies capture “must be enabled” notes and UI context.

Self-service (own)

Leave and people scheduling

Documents and knowledge

Expenses

Onboarding (Hire)

Employee information and records

Reporting, analytics and BI

Time & Attendance and Timesheets

Settings and administration

Dependency cheat‑sheet

Use this to avoid “why can’t I do X?” escalations.

  • Create/Update Templates requires View Templates.
  • Approve Timesheets: Create & Update Timesheets must be enabled to unapprove.
  • Authorize Timesheets for Payroll: requires Create & Update Timesheets; requires Approve Timesheets to unauthorize; requires Payroll Management to commit/submit.
  • View Roster & Timesheet Costings: requires View Roster and View Time & Attendance.
  • Create & Update Employees: requires either View Basic Employee Information or View Full Employee Information.
  • Approve Expense Requests: in Payroll bundle, Creating & Updating Expense Requests must be enabled.
  • Payroll Management tab edits: require View Basic or Full Employee Information plus Create & Update Employees.

Assignment guidance and guardrails

  • Start with the bundle: Employee → Manager → Manager with Finance → Manager with Payroll. Add only the smallest extra permission needed.
  • For managers who need to see labor costs but not run payroll, prefer Manager with Finance (BI, costings, timesheet authorization) instead of Manager with Payroll.
  • Only grant Payroll Management to roles that actually commit/submit payroll or edit payroll tabs. Time‑bound access for backfills.
  • If managers must create expenses on behalf of staff, add Create & Update Expense Requests; otherwise keep approval‑only.
  • Protect sensitive records: View/Upload Sensitive Employee Documents and Archive Employees should be limited to HR/Payroll managers.
  • Keep change control: Template changes, document library updates, and settings access should follow a lightweight change/peer review.

Assigning Permissions

Permissions in Roubler are location-based, meaning you can assign different permission levels to an employee across multiple locations.

To assign or edit permissions:

  1. Go to Management > Employees.

  2. Select the employee and open the Location Access tab.

  3. Add or edit the required locations, then assign the appropriate Permission Group for each.

You can also assign permissions in bulk by going to Settings > Employee Access.

2. Primary Locations: The Foundation of Access

Every employee in Roubler has a Primary Location—their main workplace or “home base.” This is critical because:

  • The primary location determines which managers can see and manage the employee
  • It affects where their shifts, rosters, and approvals are assigned by default
  • Many system features (like reporting hierarchy and notifications) are driven by primary location

Important: Employees must have both a primary location set and location access to that location. If either is missing, they may not be able to log in or access the system. 3

Changing Primary Location

  • To change an employee’s primary location, edit their profile under the Location Access tab.
  • If an employee moves to a new site, update both their primary location and their location access accordingly.

3. How Permissions and Locations Work Together

  • Permissions in Roubler are location-based.
    Managers and employees can only see and manage data for the locations where they have been granted access.

  • Managers can only view and manage employees whose primary location matches a location where the manager has manager-level access.

  • If a manager is assigned to multiple locations, they can manage employees at all those locations.

  • Access also extends to any sub-locations that sit under a location the manager has access to.
    However, managers will not be able to access locations above their assigned level.

  • Admins automatically have access to all locations and employees.

  • Example:
    If a manager has manager access to Store A, they can view and approve leave for employees whose primary location is Store A or any sub-location under Store A.
    If an employee’s primary location changes to Store B, the manager will lose access to that employee unless they are also granted access to Store B.

4. Reporting Hierarchy: Structure and Notifications

What is the Reporting Hierarchy?

The Reporting Hierarchy in Roubler determines who is listed as a manager for each employee and who receives notifications for approvals (leave, expenses, etc.).

How Managers Are Assigned

  • Location-based: Anyone with manager-level access to an employee’s primary location will appear in that employee’s Managers list and may receive related notifications.
  • Direct Reports: You can manually assign direct reports to a manager for exceptions (e.g., if a manager needs to approve leave for an employee outside their location).

How Notifications Work

  • Leave and expense notifications are sent to all managers of the employee’s primary location, unless notification settings are adjusted.
  • Admins receive notifications for all locations unless they turn them off.
  • Direct Reports: If a manager is manually assigned as a direct report, they will receive notifications for that employee, even if they don’t have location access.

Editing the Reporting Hierarchy

  • To remove a manager from an employee’s reporting hierarchy, you must remove the employee from the manager’s direct reports list (not from the employee’s own profile).
  • Some entries (such as those based on location access) cannot be removed unless you change the manager’s access to that location.

Common Issues

  • Too many managers receiving notifications: This usually means too many people have manager-level access to the location, or notification settings are not configured.
  • Terminated managers still appearing: Ensure the terminated manager’s access is removed from all locations.
  • Direct reports receiving manager notifications: This can happen if direct reports are set up incorrectly; only managers should receive notifications for their reports.

5. Best Practices and Troubleshooting

  • Keep location access up to date: When employees or managers move locations, update both their primary location and their access.
  • Review permission groups regularly: Remove unnecessary manager-level access to prevent excess notifications and privacy issues.
  • Use direct reports for exceptions only: The default structure should be location-based; use direct reports for special cases.
  • Check notification settings: Managers can turn off notifications for locations they don’t need to manage.
  • For privacy: Move terminated employees to a dedicated “HR – Archived” location to restrict manager access to their records.

6. Reporting Hierarchy and Notifications

How Managers and Admins Appear in the Managers List:

  • Primary Location Assignment: All managers linked to an employee’s primary location are automatically added to their Managers list.
  • Direct Reporting Relationships: If an employee is explicitly assigned a Reporting Manager, that person will appear in the list.
  • Role Permissions: Users with manager-level permissions for the employee’s location (e.g., Location Manager, Payroll Manager) will also show in the list.
  • Admin Visibility: All Admin users automatically have visibility across the business, so they appear by default in the Managers list for every employee.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I assign a manager to approve leave for just one employee?
A: No, permissions are location-based. To give a manager access to approve leave for a specific employee, that employee’s primary location must match a location where the manager has manager-level access. Use direct reports for exceptions, but this is not the default workflow. 

Q: Why is a terminated manager still receiving notifications?
A: Check that their location access has been removed and their permission group is no longer set to manager for any location. 

Q: How do I stop a manager from receiving notifications for locations they don’t manage?
A: Edit their notification settings and turn off notifications for those locations. 

Q: Why are employees receiving notifications for their manager’s leave?
A: This usually means the direct reports are set up incorrectly. Only managers should receive notifications for their direct reports, not the other way around. 

Summary Table: Permissions, Locations, and Reporting Hierarchy

Key Takeaways

  • Roubler’s permissions and reporting hierarchy are location-driven.
  • Always keep primary locations and location access up to date.
  • Use direct reports for exceptions, not as the default.
  • Regularly review permissions and notification settings to ensure privacy and correct workflow.
  • For privacy, move terminated employees to a dedicated HR location.

 

If you have a specific scenario or need help with a complex hierarchy, reach out to your Roubler administrator or support team for tailored advice.

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