Synchronising Shift Data — What You Need to Know

The Most Important Thing in One Sentence

The WILSON app works without an internet connection. Your changes are saved and automatically transferred as soon as you are back online — following clear rules that ensure no data is ever lost.

How Does the Offline Principle Work?

When you open the app with a network connection, WILSON fully downloads your shifts to your device — including all related information such as activities, locations, agreements and reports. This data stays on your device even when you go offline.

What you can do offline:

• View shifts and prepare yourself
• Confirm or decline shifts
• Start and complete activities
• Record check-ins and check-outs
• Write comments
• Submit shifts

What requires an internet connection:

• Manual refresh via pull-to-refresh
• Shift export
• Initial loading of shifts

As soon as you are back online, the app automatically synchronises your local data with the server — you don't need to trigger anything manually.

For Field Workers

What happens to my data when I was offline?

All actions you performed offline are automatically transferred to the server the next time a connection is established. This works exactly the same as actions performed online — it makes no difference whether you checked in at 14:00 online or offline. The timestamp of your actual action is what gets saved.

What happens if the dispatcher made changes while I was offline?

It depends on the stage your shift is in:

You haven't started working yet:
The dispatcher can make changes — for example adding or removing activities, adjusting times. These changes will appear on your device at the next sync. New activities that were added are visible to you and need to be handled.

You have already started an activity:
Your recorded data (check-ins, check-outs, timestamps) is protected and cannot be overwritten. The dispatcher can still add new activities to your shift — however, they can no longer remove already-started activities or reassign the shift while you are actively working.

You have already completed the shift:
All your work data is finalised and secured. If the dispatcher added a new activity after you finished, it will appear as skipped — you don't need to do anything.

What is the "sync status"?

In the app you can see whether a shift has already been successfully synchronised. As long as a shift has not yet been synchronised for the first time — for example because it was created offline — stricter protection rules apply: the server will not overwrite any local data until the first successful synchronisation has taken place.

What you can do: Make sure you have a connection at least briefly before the start of a shift so that it gets its initial sync. This avoids potential conflicts.

Can a submitted shift still be changed?

No — once you have submitted a shift, no further changes are possible. One exception: comments can be written at any time, even after submission.

If a shift needs to be reopened for editing, only a dispatcher or admin can do this. You will receive a notification in that case.

What happens if I cannot submit a shift myself?

If you are unavailable due to illness or other reasons and a shift has not yet been submitted, an admin with the appropriate permission can prepare and submit the shift on your behalf for payroll processing. This action is logged in the system and clearly marked as "on behalf of" — your original data is preserved throughout.

For Dispatchers

What can I change on a shift — and when?

It depends on the stage the shift is in:

Why can't I reassign or delete a shift that is in progress?

Once a worker has started an activity, their recorded work data is legally and operationally relevant — it cannot simply be discarded. The system protects this data automatically. If a shift urgently needs to be reassigned while it is active, please contact an admin.

What happens if I remove an activity the worker has already started?

This is not possible — the system blocks this action. Activities that have already been started can only be marked as completed or skipped, never deleted.

What happens if I reassign a shift and the worker is offline?

As long as the worker has not yet started any activity, the shift will be removed from their device at the next sync and assigned to the new worker. However, if they have already started, reassignment is no longer possible — see above.

Can I record times on behalf of a worker?

No — this is reserved exclusively for admins with a special payroll permission and is only possible under specific conditions (e.g. illness, the worker leaving the company). Regular dispatchers do not have access to this function.

For Admins

Admins with payroll permission can, in exceptional cases, record reported times on behalf of a worker and submit a shift for payroll processing. This is only intended when:

• The worker is demonstrably unavailable (illness, resignation, unreachable)
• The shift is still needed for payroll or downstream accounting processes

Every change made under this permission is fully logged — with timestamp, the person who made the change, and the reason. The action is permanently marked in the system as "on behalf of" and is therefore clearly distinguishable from an original worker action.

The Key Principles at a Glance

🔒 Recorded work data is immutable. What a worker has recorded on their device is secured — regardless of connection status or later changes.

📵 Offline is just as valid as online. The point in time when the connection is restored does not change the validity of your actions.

🚦 Whoever is working has the say. Once a shift is active, the dispatcher can only add to it — not take it away.

💬 Comments are always open. Regardless of the stage a shift is in — comments can always be written and read.

🔔 No silent changes. If something could not be saved or a change creates a conflict, you will be informed — nothing disappears quietly.

For questions or unclear situations, please contact your dispatcher or WILSON support.