The problem
A laborer, a flagger, a ramp agent, a line operator. Many have no company email. Some share a login because it was easier. Some use their own phone. Some use one tablet on the shop wall.
Each of those breaks a common assumption. No email breaks password reset. A personal phone raises privacy questions. A shared tablet breaks the idea that a login is one person.
- No company email, so email-based sign-in and reset links don't work.
- Personal phones, so the company doesn't control the device.
- Shared tablets, so one device sees many people in a day.
- Turnover and seasonal crews, so people come and go fast.
- Dead zones, so the sign-in itself may need to work with no signal.
The options and their trade-offs
There's no single best way in. Many companies end up with more than one, picked by who the person is and what device they use.
- Company single sign-on. Works well where the company already runs it for staff, like office roles, supervisors and admins. One identity, access ends when the account is turned off. It doesn't help crews who have no company account.
- Text message code. The person enters a phone number and gets a code. No password to forget, and no email needed. It needs a phone number on file and some signal to receive the code, and numbers change.
- Employee ID and PIN. Simple and familiar. Works on a shared device. PINs get shared, guessed or written on a hard hat, so set lockouts and let a lead reset them.
- QR badge on a shared device. Scan the badge, you're in. Fast with gloves on. A lost or lent badge means someone else can sign in as you, so pair it with a PIN where the work matters.
What to decide first
- 1
List who needs to sign in
Office staff, supervisors, crews, seasonal hires, subcontractors. Each group may need a different way in.
- 2
List the devices
Company phones, personal phones, shared tablets, a kiosk by the time clock. Be honest about what's in the truck.
- 3
Decide what each person can do
A laborer doing a checklist isn't an admin. Split roles before you pick a method.
- 4
Decide what must work offline
If the work happens with no signal, sign-in has to as well. Ask how long a signed-in session lasts and what happens when it ends in a dead zone.
- 5
Decide who can reset and who can remove
Name the person. If it's only IT, ask how fast IT answers at six in the morning.
Shared devices: record the person, not the device
On a shared tablet, the record has to say who did the work. "Tablet 3" is not a name. If an inspection, a signature or a safety sign-off is attached to the device, you can't tell who did it.
Make each person identify themselves before they act, and sign out or time out when they're done. Short timeouts matter on a tablet that sits on a wall.
- Each entry carries the person's name and the time, not just the device.
- Sessions end fast on shared screens.
- No standing group login, even for one crew.
- Keep a record of who signed in, so you can answer questions later.
Removing someone who leaves
This is where weak setups show. A person quits on Friday. Is their access gone by Monday?
- With company single sign-on and directory sync, turning off the account in the company directory can end access everywhere.
- With codes, PINs or badges, a lead or admin has to remove the person directly. Make that a step on the exit checklist.
- Check that a removed person's phone can't keep using a saved session.
- Keep their past records. Removing access shouldn't delete the inspections they did.
- Review the list of active people on a regular schedule and clear out the ones who left.
Privacy on personal phones
Many crews use their own phone. Respect that, and write it down.
- Say plainly what the app can see. Work records, yes. Photos, texts and location outside work, no.
- Don't track location unless the job needs it, and tell people when it's on.
- Keep work data in the app, not in the phone's photo roll.
- Make it clear that using a personal phone is optional, and give another way to do the task.
- Ask your counsel about rules where you operate. This guide isn't legal advice.
Side by side
- Company single sign-on. Best for: staff with company accounts. Watch for: crews without them.
- Text message code. Best for: personal phones, no email. Watch for: signal, changed numbers.
- Employee ID and PIN. Best for: shared devices, quick starts. Watch for: shared or guessed PINs.
- QR badge. Best for: gloved hands, busy shared tablets. Watch for: lent or lost badges.
- A mix. Single sign-on for office roles, a code or PIN for crews. Keep one record of who is who.