Shared device and worker accounts

Most calf sheds we visit run on one tablet — usually wall-mounted near the mixing vat — that gets tapped on by two, four, sometimes a dozen workers through the day. If that tablet stays signed in as one person, every record ends up saying "the manager did everything", which kills accountability and breaks the audit trail. The fix is small but powerful: a shared login plus a PIN screen.

The two account types in Calfmate

Workers don't have their own login on the web. They appear on the shared device's PIN screen.

The shared-device login

This is a separate account from any admin. The tablet stays signed in to it all day. On its own it can only do worker-level things (no settings, no billing) — that's by design. To create one:

1. Team page → Shared device & workers section.
2. Set a shared login email and password. Use something non-personal: shed@yourfarm.com.au or similar.
3. Save.

That's the account you sign into the shed tablet with — once. From then on, workers tap themselves in with a PIN.

Adding workers

Same page, Workers section:

1. Tap Add worker.
2. Name — first name is usually enough ("Em", "Sam", "Dave").
3. 4-digit PIN — Calfmate generates one or you set your own.
4. Save.

Repeat for each worker. Five seconds per person. You can disable a worker who's left without losing the records that mention them.

Signing in on the shed tablet

Once a day, or once a month — depends on how often you sign out:

1. Open Calfmate on the tablet (app or web).
2. Sign in with the shared login.
3. The PIN screen appears.

From here on, when a worker walks up:

1. Tap their name.
2. Enter PIN.
3. They're in. The next action they record carries their name.

Switching workers takes three seconds — tap "Switch worker", next person taps in.

What gets logged per worker

Every action the worker takes carries their worker profile ID:

• Feeding (Mark fed, Drank less)
• Flagging (Watch, Health check, Electrolytes, notes)
• Treatment dosing
• Task completion

It shows up on the calf passport Activity timeline ("Em recorded AM feed at 06:14") and in the audit log.

Why this matters (beyond accountability)

• Training — spot if a new worker is flagging less than they should, or missing recording steps.
• Disputes — "I marked her flagged yesterday" can be verified in two seconds.
• Vet visits — "Em recorded the dose at 14:00" gives you a defensible audit trail.
• Compliance / chemical residue — every dose is traceable to a person, time, drug.

Four small tips from real sheds

• Use a generic email for the shared login (not a personal one). Keeps your personal account untouched if you ever reset the tablet.
• PINs aren't secrets. They're a name-picker confirmation. Don't lose sleep over 4-digit security in the shed.
• Add new workers on day one, not day three. Day-one records under their name set the standard.
• One tablet per shed area is fine. Big operation? Multiple tablets can all use the same shared login.

What's not there

• No granular worker permissions ("can record but not flag"). Either you're a worker or you're an admin.
• No shift rostering. Worker logins record what happened; Calfmate doesn't decide who's on shift.
• No private notes. All shed records are visible to all shed workers — by design.

One thing to take away

Set up shared device + worker PINs on day one. Ten minutes of admin. Years of clean records that tell you who did what, when. One of the highest-leverage decisions you'll make on day one of running Calfmate.