Event-based services organization using SmartSuite for staffing, scheduling, and contractor management

Add Native Support for Calculating Time Difference Between Two Time Fields (with Midnight-Crossover Support)

Current Limitation:

SmartSuite's existing time tracking functions use a stopwatch-style toggle (Start / Stop) that logs total time, but:

• No native way to calculate hours between two static time fields (e.g., Start Time and End Time)

•Formula workarounds fail when crossing midnight, producing negative values

• Difficult to forecast labor costs or evaluate profitability based on accurate hourly tracking

• Manual workarounds involve exporting to Google Sheets, which introduces inefficiency and error-prone steps

Requested Feature:

Introduce a built-in formula or calculated field that:

• Accepts two Time fields (Start Time and End Time)

• Calculates the duration in hours and minutes

Properly accounts for overnight shifts (e.g., 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM = 5 hours)

• Allows optional rounding (e.g., nearest 15 minutes)

• Can be used with an Hourly Rate field to return a total labor cost

Primary Use Case:

Forecasting labor costs and analyzing profitability per event, where:

• Employees clock in/out at specific times (e.g., 4:00 PM – 12:00 AM)

• Hourly employees require a time x rate calculation

• Contractors work on flat rates, which are already managed effectively

Impact:

• Would eliminate manual reconciliation of time tracking via external spreadsheets

• Saves hours of admin time weekly for event operations and payroll

• Increases confidence in job profitability forecasting

• Bridges a gap for staffing, field service, and event-based industries

Use case aligns with broader Resource Management feature category