This article explains how automatic and internal notifications work, how to view them in FastTrack360 Time and Attendance, and how to send and reply to general notifications about specific timesheets.
⚠ Important: Your access to view, send, or receive notifications depends on your role in the timesheet workflow (for example, initiator or approver) and how your administrator has configured Time and Attendance.
Understand Timesheet Notifications
Timesheet notifications help you stay informed about the status of timesheets in workflows where you are a participant or a monitor. There are two main notification types:
Automatic notifications that the system sends based on workflow events.
General notifications that users send to each other about a specific timesheet.
Automatic notifications can be delivered in any combination of these methods, depending on your configuration:
As an email to your registered email address.
As an SMS message to your mobile number.
As an internal notification within Time and Attendance.
📌 Note: Internal notifications appear inside FastTrack360 and are not dependent on your external email or SMS.
Automatic notifications can have different purposes depending on your role in the workflow.
Notification Type | Description |
Reminder | Notifies you that a timesheet you initiated is due to be submitted for approval, or that a timesheet submitted to you as an approver has not yet been actioned. |
Escalation | Notifies you that a timesheet has not been actioned by an initiator or approver within a set time and has been escalated for your attention. |
Approved | Notifies you that a timesheet you submitted for approval has been approved. |
Rejected | Notifies you that a timesheet you submitted for approval has been rejected. |
Recalled | Notifies you that a timesheet that was submitted for approval has been recalled by the initiator. |
Submitted | Notifies you that a timesheet has been submitted for approval. |
If you act as a timesheet approver for many payees, the system can group notifications so that you receive a summary instead of individual notifications for each submitted timesheet.
For example, you may receive one email or SMS per configured period with a list of all timesheets submitted for your approval during that period.
General notifications are internal messages related to an individual timesheet and are visible only to workflow participants for that timesheet. You can use general notifications to:
Ask questions about information entered on a timesheet.
Clarify details with the initiator or another approver.
Respond to questions sent to you by other workflow participants.
📌 Note: You cannot send general notifications for bulk timesheets because these do not have distinct initiator and approver roles.
View Your Internal Notifications
Use the Activities & Notifications icon to view internal notifications that the system sends to you.
Go to FastTrack360 and click Activities & Notifications on the top toolbar.
Review the number displayed on the Activities & Notifications icon, then look at the Notifications tab to see how many unread notifications you have today.
In the Notifications tab, check the default list of unread notifications received today, then scroll if needed to see all messages.
To open a notification, click the relevant notification row. The full message content displays in the notification pane.
To open the timesheet related to a notification, click Go to linked timesheet within the open notification.
📌 Note: By default, the Notifications tab lists only unread internal notifications that were sent to you today.
Search for Older Notifications
Use the search options to find notifications you received in the past.
In the Notifications tab, open the search section at the top of the pane, then review the available filters (for example, date or status).
Enter or select as much information as you know about the notification (such as date range or keyword), then click Search.
Review the updated list of notifications in the Notifications pane, then scroll to find the notification you need.
Click the notification row to view the full message, then use Go to linked timesheet if you need to open the associated timesheet.
Send a General Notification
Send a general notification when you want to communicate with other workflow participants about a specific timesheet (for example, to ask the initiator to clarify hours worked).
Go to the relevant timesheet list, such as Available Timesheets, Incomplete Timesheets, Rejected Timesheets, or Submitted Timesheets, then search or filter to find the timesheet you want.
In the timesheet list, locate the correct timesheet row, then click the envelope icon in that row.
In the Recipient field, choose the workflow participant you want to notify (for example, Initiator or another role), then confirm that the selected participant is correct for the message you are sending.
In the Subject field, enter a clear subject for your message, then move to the Message field and type the body of your notification with all necessary details.
Review the Recipient, Subject, and Message content, then click Send. The Send Message screen closes and the general notification is sent to the selected recipient as an internal message.
📌 Note: The options in the Recipient field depend on whether you are a participant in the workflow for the timesheet and on your role in that workflow.
⚠ Important: You cannot send general notifications for bulk timesheets because these timesheets do not have separate initiator and approver roles.
Reply to a General Notification
You can reply directly to a general notification you have received so that the response remains linked to the original timesheet.
Click Activities & Notifications on the top toolbar, then go to the Notifications tab to see your received notifications.
If the notification you want is not visible, open the search section, enter relevant criteria such as date or keyword, then click Search to list matching notifications.
In the Notifications pane, locate the general notification you want, then click Action in the same row and select Reply. The Reply Message screen opens with the To field pre-filled.
In the Message field, type your reply above the dotted line, then review the original notification text that appears below the dotted line for context.
Confirm that your reply is accurate and complete, then click Send.
The Reply Message screen closes and your reply is delivered to the recipient as an internal notification.
🤓 Tip: Keep your reply focused on a single timesheet issue to make it easier for other users to understand and action your message quickly.
💡 Best Practices
Use clear, descriptive subjects for general notifications so recipients can quickly understand the purpose of the message.
Keep all communication about a specific timesheet within internal notifications so that the discussion stays linked to the timesheet record.
Check your internal notifications regularly to avoid escalations caused by un-actioned timesheets.
Use grouped notifications (where configured) to manage high volumes of timesheets efficiently instead of relying on individual emails or SMS messages.
Avoid sending multiple separate notifications about the same issue; update your original conversation thread instead when practical.
🤔 FAQs
Q1: What is the difference between automatic notifications and general notifications?
Answer: Automatic notifications are system-generated messages triggered by workflow events such as submission, approval, or escalation, while general notifications are internal messages that users send to other workflow participants about a specific timesheet.
Q2: Why do I receive one grouped notification instead of individual messages for each timesheet?
Answer: If you approve a large number of timesheets, your system may be configured to send grouped notifications so that you receive a single email or SMS summarising all timesheets submitted for your approval during a defined period instead of an individual notification for each submission.
Q3: Why can I not send a general notification for a bulk timesheet?
Answer: General notifications are only available for timesheets that have distinct initiator and approver roles, so you cannot send general notifications for bulk timesheets because they do not have separate initiator and approver participants.
Q4: Why do some users not appear in the Recipient list when I send a general notification?
Answer: The Recipient list only includes users who are participants in the workflow for that specific timesheet and are allowed by configuration to receive notifications, so users who are not part of the workflow will not appear.