Warehouse Labor / Proof of Work
How Do You Share Proof of Work With Warehouse Customers?
Most proof-of-work problems are one of two things: the customer can't get the photo they need, or they got one they shouldn't have. The fix is the same for both.
October 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Give the customer one place to see the files for their jobs, and decide file by file what goes there. Everything the floor captures stays on the job; only what you choose reaches the customer.
Most proof-of-work trouble comes in one of two shapes. Either the customer cannot get the signed BOL they need for their own records, or they were sent a photo of something that was meant to stay internal. Email produces both.
Capture everything. Share deliberately.
Why email doesn't work for this
- Photos live on phones. By the time the customer asks, the picture is in a supervisor's camera roll or an old text thread.
- Attachments lose their job. A file called IMG_4471.jpg proves nothing unless someone remembers which container it belongs to.
- Sending is permanent. Once an email goes to the wrong contact, or carries the wrong photo, there is no taking it back.
- Every request is work. Each “can you send the paperwork for last Tuesday?” is somebody searching, attaching and replying.
Two audiences for the same photos
The files on a job serve two readers. Some are for the customer: the signed BOL, the seal photo, the condition of the freight on arrival. Others are for you: a crew issue, a near-miss, a photo taken to protect yourself in a dispute you may never have.
Both belong on the job. They do not both belong in front of the customer — which is why sharing has to be a decision about each file, not a setting on the whole job. Why documentation should stay with the job at all is covered in what should happen to signed warehouse paperwork and what a damage claim costs without proof.
How it works in FOREMAN
Captured on the job. Supervisors add photos, videos and documents to the load from their phone; the office can add them from the web. Every file is attached to the job it belongs to.
Private by default. Every file starts private, floor uploads included. Nothing reaches the customer by accident.
Shared, file by file. An administrator shares individual files with that load's customer, and can stop sharing any of them later. The load's attachments have a Shared tab listing the files that are shared, and every share and unshare is recorded on the job's timeline.
Customer portal. The customer sees the shared files on that load's page in their own portal, and can open or download them. They do not see who uploaded a file or any internal description of it, and the links are temporary, not public URLs.
The details that make it safe
- Late requests are fine. Files can be shared on closed, cancelled and invoiced jobs, because a customer asking for paperwork after the invoice is the normal case.
- Archiving wins. An archived file is never shown to the customer, even if it was shared; restoring it shows it again.
- Only administrators share. Supervisors capture; the decision to show a customer something stays with the office.
- No surprise emails. Sharing does not email anybody. The customer sees the file when they open the job in their portal.
The customer gets the proof they need, on the job it proves, without anyone attaching anything.
The portal itself — completed work, volumes and invoice status — is covered in showing customers completed work.
Common questions
How should a warehouse labor company send job photos to customers?
Not by email, ideally. Keep every photo and document on the job record, and give the customer a place to see the ones you choose to share for their jobs. That keeps the file attached to the work it proves, avoids sending it to the wrong contact, and means nobody has to dig it out again next month.
Does every photo from the floor become visible to the customer?
No. In FOREMAN every file starts private, including uploads from a supervisor's phone. Nothing becomes visible to the customer until an administrator shares that specific file.
Can you share paperwork after a job has been invoiced?
Yes. Sharing a file changes no operational or billing data, so FOREMAN allows it on closed, cancelled and invoiced jobs — which is when customers most often ask for paperwork.
Are shared files public links?
No. The customer opens them from their own signed-in portal, and each file link is a temporary signed link that expires after about an hour. Archiving a file hides it from the customer again, even if it had been shared.
Keep the proof on the job, and share it on purpose
FOREMAN keeps every photo and document attached to the work it proves, and lets you decide which ones each customer sees. The history of every share is part of the job's audit trail.