Staff Roles & Permissions
Overview
Section titled “Overview”When you create a staff member in Resources > Staff, you assign them a Role. That single field controls their entire permission scope: which screens they can access, what data they can view, and which actions they can perform.
Bloowatch has five roles, from most access to least:
- Owner — Full access, including Settings and billing
- Manager — Full operational access (everything except billing)
- Assistant — Broad access with some restrictions on sensitive data
- Instructor — Limited to their own agenda and sessions
- Pilot — Specialized role for boat/vehicle operators (dive and boat trips only)
The Owner role is assigned to the account creator automatically. All other roles are set via the Role dropdown on the staff creation or edit form.
Role descriptions
Section titled “Role descriptions”The Owner is the account holder — the person who created the Bloowatch account. There is one Owner per account.
- Full access to every screen and feature
- Sole access to Settings (Organization, Integrations, Staff Fees, eCommerce, Rules, Emails, etc.)
- Can create, edit, and delete all staff members
- Can manage billing and subscription
Watch out: The Owner role cannot be reassigned from within the app. If you need to transfer account ownership, contact Bloowatch support.
Manager
Section titled “Manager”Managers have full operational access to the back-office. They can do everything the Owner can, except access billing and certain global settings.
- Full access to Planning, Manifests, Sales, Clients, Reports, Resources, and POS
- Can create and edit staff members
- Can view all staff members’ agendas and schedules
- Can assign instructors to sessions
- Can access Settings (shared with Owner)
Best for: school managers, operations leads, front-desk staff who need to manage everything day-to-day.
Assistant
Section titled “Assistant”Assistants have broad access to most operational areas, but with restrictions on sensitive data like financial details and certain admin functions.
- Access to Planning, Manifests, Sales, and Clients
- Can view all staff agendas (not limited to their own)
- Can create and edit bookings
- Limited access to financial reports and settings
Best for: senior instructors, front-desk helpers, or team leads who need more access than an Instructor but don’t manage the full operation.
Instructor
Section titled “Instructor”Instructors have the most restricted access. They see only what’s relevant to their own work.
- Access to Planning/Agenda only — and only their own row
- Cannot see other instructors’ schedules
- Cannot view client contact details (restricted by design)
- Cannot access Sales, Reports, Settings, or Resources
- Limited session editing ability
Best for: freelance instructors, coaches, and guides who only need to check their own schedule and session details.
Good to know: If an instructor says “I can’t see bookings” or “I can’t see other people’s schedules,” that’s working as intended. To grant them more access, change their role to Assistant or Manager.
Pilot is a specialized role for boat captains and vehicle operators. It’s only relevant for schools that run dive trips or boat-based activities.
- Similar access level to Instructor
- Appears on Trip manifests and boat rosters
- Typically used for dive centers and sailing schools
Best for: boat captains, van drivers, or other transport operators in dive and boat operations.
Permission matrix
Section titled “Permission matrix”This table shows which app sections each role can access:
| App section | Owner | Manager | Assistant | Instructor | Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning > Agenda (all views) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Own row only | Own row only |
| Planning > Rental | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Planning > Accommodation | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Manifests | Yes | Yes | Yes | Own sessions | Own trips |
| Sales > Bookings | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Sales > Invoices | Yes | Yes | Limited | — | — |
| Sales > Payments | Yes | Yes | Limited | — | — |
| Clients | Yes | Yes | Yes | Restricted | — |
| POS | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Reports | Yes | Yes | Limited | — | — |
| Resources > Staff | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Resources > Products | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Resources > Gears | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Resources > Accommodations | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Settings | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Action Logs | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
Watch out: “Own row only” for Instructor means that in the Staff agenda views (Staff - 7D Vertical or Horizontal), they see only their own sessions. They cannot see colleagues’ rows or drag-and-drop sessions between staff.
Agenda visibility by role
Section titled “Agenda visibility by role”The Planning > Activities views behave differently depending on role:
| View | Owner / Manager / Assistant | Instructor / Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Activities view | All activity calendars, all sessions | Only sessions they’re assigned to |
| Staff - 7D Vertical | All staff rows | Own row only |
| Staff - 7D Horizontal | All staff rows | Own row only |
| Details & Trips | All trips and sessions | Own trips only |
How to assign a role
Section titled “How to assign a role”- Go to Resources > Staff
- Click + Create Staff (new member) or the pencil icon on an existing row
- In the staff form, find the Role dropdown
- Select the role: Instructor, Manager, Assistant, or Pilot
- Click Save
The role takes effect immediately. The staff member will see only the screens and data their role allows the next time they log in.
Watch out: When changing a role from Instructor to Manager (or vice versa), the staff member needs to refresh their browser or log out and back in for the new permissions to take full effect.
Key fields that affect what staff can do
Section titled “Key fields that affect what staff can do”Beyond the Role dropdown, two other fields on the staff profile significantly affect how a staff member appears and functions in the system:
| Field | What it controls | Common issue |
|---|---|---|
| Activity Calendars | Which activity types the staff member can be assigned to. If a calendar isn’t linked here, the system won’t allow assigning this person to sessions of that type. | ”Instructor doesn’t appear in session dropdown” — check this field first. |
| Show Staff in Agenda | Whether the staff member appears on the Planning agenda views. If set to No, they’re invisible on the calendar. | ”Staff member is missing from the agenda” — check this toggle. |
| Used as both contact info AND login credentials. If empty or wrong, the staff member can’t receive their access email or log in. | ”Staff didn’t receive access email” — verify this field, then re-send via the envelope icon on the Staff list. |
Staff limits by plan
Section titled “Staff limits by plan”The number of staff members you can create depends on your plan:
| Plan | Staff limit |
|---|---|
| Start | 3 |
| Pro | 12 |
| Gold | Unlimited |
When you hit the limit, you’ll be blocked from adding more staff until you upgrade. All roles count toward the limit equally.
Q: Can I create custom roles or fine-tune permissions? A: Not yet. Bloowatch currently offers the five preset roles described above. Advanced permission control with fine-grained access per feature is on the roadmap (F033). For now, use the existing roles and contact support if you need a specific access configuration.
Q: How many Owners can an account have? A: One. The Owner is the person who created the account. If you need to transfer ownership, contact Bloowatch support.
Q: Can an Instructor create bookings? A: No. Instructors can only view their own agenda and session details. To create bookings, a staff member needs at least an Assistant or Manager role.
Q: What’s the difference between Assistant and Manager? A: Managers have full operational access including staff management, reports, and settings. Assistants have broad access to daily operations (planning, bookings, clients) but with restrictions on financial data and administrative functions.
Q: What role should I use for front-desk staff? A: Manager if they need to handle everything (bookings, payments, staff scheduling, reports). Assistant if they mostly take bookings and manage the daily schedule but don’t need access to financial reports or settings.
Related workflows
Section titled “Related workflows”- Plan Comparison: Start vs Pro vs Gold — Compare what each plan includes, including staff limits
