How Certification Tracking Works
The Certifications app is a centralized registry of every credential your team holds. Each certification record includes the employee name, the type of certification, the issuing authority, the date obtained, the expiration date, and an optional document upload.
The system groups certifications by type — food handler, food manager, alcohol server, crowd manager, and any custom types you define. At a glance, you can see how many of each type are active, expiring soon, or expired across your organization.
Adding Certifications
There are two ways to add certifications to the system.
Managers and admins can add certifications on behalf of employees. This is useful during initial setup when you are digitizing existing paper records. Enter the employee, select the certification type, enter the issued and expiration dates, and optionally upload a photo or scan of the certificate.
Employees can also submit their own certifications for review. They upload their certificate and enter the details, and a manager approves the entry. This self-service approach scales well for organizations with many employees.
Renewal Reminders
The platform sends automated reminders as certifications approach their expiration dates. By default, reminders go out at 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before expiration.
Reminders go to the employee and to their manager. This dual notification ensures that both the person responsible for renewing the certification and the person responsible for compliance are aware.
Expired certifications are flagged prominently on the dashboard. The compliance status view shows a clear red/yellow/green breakdown for each location and the organization as a whole.
Jurisdiction Awareness
Certification requirements vary by state, county, and city. The Certifications app is jurisdiction-aware — you specify where each of your locations operates, and the system shows which certifications are required, recommended, or optional for that jurisdiction.
This is especially valuable for multi-location businesses operating across state lines. A restaurant group with locations in Ohio and Texas sees different certification requirements for each location, all managed from the same organizational dashboard.
The jurisdiction database is maintained by NOWAITN and updated as regulations change. You will be notified when a requirement change affects your organization.
Audit Readiness
When an inspector or auditor asks for proof of certification, the answer should take seconds, not hours.
The Certifications app provides exportable compliance reports by location, by certification type, and by employee. Each report shows current status, expiration dates, and links to uploaded documents.
For health department inspections, the food handler and food manager compliance report shows exactly who is certified, when their certifications expire, and provides immediate access to certificate images. No filing cabinets, no searching through email, no calling employees to bring in their cards.