Setting Up Your First Employee on ManagePH

Getting your first team member set up in ManagePH is straightforward, but there are a few key decisions you’ll need to make upfront that will affect how payments work down the road. This guide walks you through the entire process step-by-step.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

An active ManagePH subscription
A clear idea of whether this employee will be hourly or salaried

Step 1: Navigate to User Management

From your ManagePH dashboard:

Click User Management in the left sidebar
Click the Add User button in the top right corner

Step 2: Employee Basic Information

Required Fields:

Full Name: Enter the employee’s complete name as it should appear in the system
Email Address: This will be their login username (must be unique)
Password Setup: You have two options:
Manual Password: Create a password yourself and share it securely
Auto-Generated: Check Generate a secure random password and ManagePH will create one automatically

Important Note on Passwords
If you choose auto-generated passwords, they’ll be included in the welcome email. This is more secure than creating simple passwords yourself.

Step 3: Payment Classification (Critical Decision)

This is where many employers get confused, but it’s actually straightforward:

Choose “Hourly” When:

You pay based on time worked
Employee submits invoices for actual hours
Payment varies each period based on work done
Example: $25/hour for a virtual assistant

Choose “Salaried” When:

You pay a fixed amount regardless of hours
Same payment every period
No hourly tracking for payment purposes
Example: $3,000/month for a full-time developer

Setting the Rate/Amount:

For Hourly: Enter the per-hour rate (e.g., 25 for $25/hour)
For Salaried: Enter the monthly amount (e.g., 3000 for $3,000/month)

Step 4: Account Settings

Status:

Active: Employee can log in and use the system immediately
Inactive: Account is created but employee cannot log in yet

Welcome Email Options:

✅ Send welcome email with login credentials: Recommended for immediate onboarding
⬜ Unchecked: You’ll need to share login details manually

Step 5: Review and Create

Double-check all information, especially:

Email address (they’ll use this to log in)
Salary type and amount (harder to change later)
Welcome email setting

Click Add User to create the account.

What Happens Next?

For the Employee:

If welcome email enabled: They receive login credentials and getting-started instructions
First login: They’ll be prompted to set up their payment information (PayPal, Wise, etc.)
Profile completion: They can add their photo and personal details

For You (the Employer):

Employee appears in your User Management dashboard
You can view their profile and make edits if needed
They can start tracking time immediately (if hourly)
Payment requests will flow to your Invoices section

Pro Tips for Success

Payment Setup Recommendations:

Start with hourly if you’re unsure – it’s more flexible
Set competitive rates – remember this affects their payment calculations
Document your decision – keep notes on why you chose hourly vs salaried

Onboarding Best Practices:

Always send the welcome email – it includes important setup instructions
Follow up personally – check that they received the email and can log in
Set clear expectations – explain your time tracking and payment schedule

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Wrong salary type: Switching later affects historical payment calculations
Unclear email addresses: Use their primary business email, not personal
Forgetting the welcome email: Manual credential sharing is error-prone

Next Steps After Employee Creation

Help them set up payment information: Guide them to Employee Settings > Payment Information
Explain your time tracking expectations: Show them how to clock in/out if hourly
Set up teams and projects: Organize their work using ManagePH’s team structure
Review your payment schedule: Let them know when you process invoices

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“Employee can’t log in”

Check if status is set to Active
Verify they’re using the correct email address
Check if welcome email went to spam

“Payment calculations seem wrong”

Review the salary type (hourly vs salaried)
Check the rate/amount you entered
Remember: hourly rates auto-calculate based on time tracked

“No welcome email received”

Check if the option was enabled when creating the account
Look in spam/promotions folders
Resend manually from the employee’s profile page

Understanding the Dashboard

After adding employees, your User Management dashboard shows:

Online Now: Currently active employees
Hourly Staff: Employees with hourly payment types
Salaried Staff: Employees with fixed monthly payments
Total Users: All active and inactive accounts

You can toggle salary visibility on/off to protect sensitive information when screen sharing.

⚠️ Remember: The salary type decision (hourly vs salaried) is the most important choice you’ll make during employee setup. When in doubt, start with hourly – it gives you more flexibility as you figure out your payment workflows.

Got questions about employee setup? Check our other guides or contact support at [email protected].