Define who has desk booking access & when

Use the Access management console to define who can book desks, and when, in one office or all offices. This helps you manage your hybrid workforce.

Before you start

Check the setup and permissions below before you configure access.

Required setup

Access configuration requires the following setup:

• Office maps converted, uploaded, and configured.

• Desks are set up on your office maps.

Required user permissions

You need one of these roles:

• Default admin or owner role with edit permissions. These roles can manage the Access page, including the Daily Roster.

• [Advanced authentication & user management] Custom roles with Access permission with edit rights. Users with this role can create and change user access.

Key terms

These terms describe how access works:

• Admins configure access with "allow" and "disallow" lists that control who can book desks in one or all office locations. Admins can also add schedules, such as rotational schedules or shifts for employees or teams.

• Pass management covers all the permissions and policies that affect employees and how they use the office. Admins configure the employee pass when they apply permissions, apply policies, or configure access.

• Office Pass is a core part of the employee experience. It lets people plan their office visits and book the resources they need while they are there. Every employee who uses the Robin web dashboard or mobile app uses Office Pass.

Configure office access

Everyone starts with default access

All existing and new employees start in a default access state. By default, this state lets users keep booking any desks available to them until they get custom access.

You can switch the default access state from "all-access" to "no access". Then, by default, existing and new employees cannot book desks at any office location until they get custom access.

When you add a user to a custom access list, Robin removes them from the default access state.

To change how the default access state works, select manage next to the default pass. Set the toggle to fit your office's strategy.

When the Default access pass is enabled, you can set up a Work Policy setting. It sets how many days your employees need to come to the office, and reminds them. Employees see this reminder when they plan their week on the Schedule page in the web dashboard and mobile app.

The Work Policy setting applies to the whole organization and to all access passes (default and custom). See the Work Policy setting.

Configure custom access

1. Configure access

   To create custom access, go to Manage > Access > Create new.

2. Give it a name

   Match the name to your company's back-to-office strategy, so it describes the type of employee access. Employees in the access list can see its name. For example:

   • Teams that use shifts might name the access “Red Pass” and “Blue Pass”.

   • Teams that bring employees back in phases might use “Phase 1” and “Phase 2".

   • Teams that split their workforce into in-office, remote, and hybrid groups might use “Boston - Full Time” and “Boston - Flex”.

3. Define where folks have access

   Choose where they have access to work: one or more buildings, a campus, or all locations.

4. Decide level of access

   Choose which days of the week the buildings are open to employees.

   Choose one of these:

   • Full access: Best for employees who may need the office any day of the week. Desks are available to users with permission, within any booking policies you set. No day-of-week limits apply.
   • Scheduled access: Best for employees in a hybrid work program who work in the office on set days and remotely on the other days. Users can book desks in the office only on their set days.
5. Add members

   Choose which employees get this access. You can add current Robin users and new users one by one, as groups, or in bulk with the CSV import option.

   

   If you use the CSV import:

   • You can review the imported list, and choose to send a Robin email invite to new users, before the import finishes.

   • The import tool supports 2 columns, name & email (required). Headers are case-sensitive, so check your capitalization before you upload.

   

6. Click save in the top left corner

Manage office access

The Access page lists all your access groups. For each one, you see the number of people with access to a location on a given day, and options to edit or delete the pass.

Use the daily roster to see who actually uses the office on a given day.