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Reports Overview - Which Report Should I Use?

Updated over 3 weeks ago

Nowsta offers several report types designed for different use cases - payroll, attendance tracking, event staffing, performance, and planning. This guide explains what each report is best for so you can quickly choose the right one.

🧾 Payroll CSV

Payroll reports focus on hours, pay rates, and payouts. If you need anything related to payroll or compensation, start here.
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You can choose a report breakdown, apply filters such as worker or department, and download the data as a CSV.

The Report Breakdown option determines how payroll data is grouped (for example, by employee, position, or shift).
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Each breakdown serves a different purpose, depending on whether you need a high-level summary or detailed, shift-level payroll information.

🔍 Payroll CSV Report Breakdown Comparison Table

Report Breakdown

Best Used For

Shows Pay Rates

Shows Hours

Shift-Level Detail

Includes OT / Double OT

Notes

Employee Totals

High-level payroll summary

❌ No

✅ Yes

❌ No

✅ Yes

Best for quick totals by employee

Employee Totals by Position

Payroll by role/position

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

✅ Yes

Useful for FOH vs BOH analysis

Employee Totals by Shift

Detailed payroll auditing

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

Most detailed payroll report

Position Totals (by Pay Code)

Payroll totals by pay code

❌ No

✅ Yes

❌ No

✅ Yes

Good for accounting summaries

Event Department Totals

Payroll totals per department/event

❌ No

✅ Yes

❌ No

✅ Yes

Event-level department costs

👉 Tip:

  • Use Employee Totals for quick totals

  • Use Employee Totals by Shift for audits, rates, and payouts

⏱ Time & Attendance CSV

Use these reports to track schedules, clock-ins, punches, and attendance behavior.
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Best For:

  • Viewing clock-in / clock-out times
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  • Tracking no-shows, callouts, late starts
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  • Reviewing timekeeping (not pay rates)
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Includes:

  • Employee name
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  • Event/Shift date and time
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  • Event Scheduled Cost, Actual Cost and Bill Rate
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  • Department and position
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  • Clock-in / clock-out punches
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  • Status (approved, flagged, no show, etc.)
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❗ Does not include workers pay rates or audit trail of edits

🎟 Event Reports

Event Overview CSV

Best for understanding details of each event.

Use this when you need to see:
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  • Events by date, venue, or client
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  • Positions needed and assigned
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  • Staff names per shift
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Event Costing CSV

Best for budget and cost analysis of the event, not staffing.

Shows only:

  • Projected vs actual hours
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  • Projected vs actual labor cost
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  • Client billing totals
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  • Cost variance per event
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❌ Does not include staff names or positions

👥 Staff Performance & Statistics Reports

Staff Performance CSV

Use this to review worker ratings.

Includes:

  • Worker name
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  • Contact info
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  • Average rating
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  • Review
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Staff Stats CSV

Best for analyzing worker reliability and behavior.

Includes:

  • Total requests
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  • Accepted / Declined / Unresponded %
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  • Callouts and no-shows
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  • Average response time
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  • On Time within 15 minutes
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  • On Time within 5 minutes
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  • Clock ins later than 5 minutes
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  • Clock ins later than 15 minutes
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👉 This is where you’ll find acceptance rates.

👷 Worker Allocation Reports

Worker Allocation CSV

Best for staffing planning and gap analysis.
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Use this when you need to see:

  • How many workers were assigned and requested per event
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  • How many are confirmed
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  • How many declined
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  • How many slots are still open
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  • Staffing coverage by event and position
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❌ Does not list worker names (counts only)

📆 Worker Availability & Utilization Reports

Best for understanding:

  • How often workers are scheduled
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  • How often workers applied
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  • Schedule Summary
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  • Availability Summary
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🧠 Common Questions: Which Report Should I Use?

Need

Best Report

Total payroll hours

Employee Totals

Hourly pay rates

Employee Totals by Shift

Overtime & double OT

Employee Totals by Shift

Attendance & punches

Time & Attendance CSV

Daily event staff list

Event Overview (PDF/CSV)

Open/unfilled shifts

Worker Allocation CSV

Worker confirmation rate

Staff Stats CSV

Event labor cost

Event Costing CSV

Worker ratings

Staff Performance CSV

If you’re unsure which report fits your use case, feel free to reach out to Support—we’re happy to help you choose the right one!

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