Every Job in Build a Haven

Jobs turn travelers into staff who keep your mountain lodge running while you build. Official developer shorts list four roles: coal miner, boiler worker, gardener, and receptionist. This guide explains what each job does, when to unlock the workplace, how to assign a worker, and how to avoid the idle-worker traps players hit most often.

Start from the Players Hub if you need the hiring mindset first. Spend order still follows the Tier List Hub and Early Game Priority List. Need unlocks are on Visitor Needs. Coal readiness checklists are on the Tools Hub.

How assignment works (all jobs)

Workplaces show a small assignment icon when you approach them. Select a traveler/worker and confirm they highlight as assignable (“assign here”). Once assigned, they path to the job and start producing—coal into a box, garden care on plots, auto-accepts at the desk, or coal-to-hot-water at the boiler.

If nobody works:

• Confirm you bought and placed the workplace (mine unlock, boiler, receptionist desk, garden post).
• Confirm a traveler is actually assigned and not stuck behind walls.
• Confirm inputs exist (boiler needs coal; gardens need planted plots).
• After recycling or moving items, re-assign; destroyed workplaces drop assignments.

Servers support up to four players, but job slots are tied to your plot’s stations, not to party size.

Job 1 — Coal miner

Role. The coal mine at the back of your plot is the only standard way to get coal. A miner automatically gathers coal into the collection box.

When to unlock. Before you depend on hot baths. Showers can bridge Haven level 4 hygiene; premium tubs need the coal chain. Unlocking the mine after buying a tub is a common reverse-order mistake—players then recycle and rebuild.

How to assign. Walk to the mine workplace, use the assign icon, pick a traveler, and confirm they begin mining. Watch the coal box fill.

Efficiency tips.

• Upgrade the mine when one worker can no longer keep boilers fed.
• Do not assign your last flexible traveler if you still need manual emergency help elsewhere.
• Keep a clear path from mine to boiler so you can see stock at a glance.
• Pair this job with the boiler worker; coal alone does not heat baths.

Coal underpins mid-game hygiene value on the tier list.

Job 2 — Boiler worker

Role. The boiler (shop item) converts coal into hot water for bathtubs and similar hygiene stations that require heat.

When to unlock. After the coal mine is producing. Buying boiler and tubs with zero coal income wastes coins. Official “how to use coal” guidance: mine first, assign miner, place boiler, assign boiler worker, then trust the bath.

How to assign. Place the boiler, approach its workplace prompt, assign a traveler, and verify coal is being consumed into hot water output.

Efficiency tips.

• One working boiler loop beats multiple unstaffed boilers.
• If baths stay cold, check miner first, then boiler assignment, then bath placement.
• Add extra boilers only when coal upgrades outpace a single converter.
• Place boilers where you can maintain them without blocking guest halls—utility corners work well.

Hot baths outclass basic showers once this job is stable; until then, showers remain the smarter hygiene buy on the Early Game Priority List.

Job 3 — Gardener

Role. Gardens can be worked manually, but the post beside the plots lets you assign gardeners who manage the farm for you. Crops progress from early wheat toward tomatoes as you develop the farm loop.

When to unlock. After warmth, hunger, and sleep are reliable and you are spending more time building than watering. Farm upgrades that raise yield should wait until a gardener (or consistent manual care) keeps plots alive.

How to assign. Use the garden post assignment prompt, select a traveler, and confirm they tend the plots.

Efficiency tips.

• Expand plot count only when current plots are maintained.
• Food production supports hunger needs alongside the coal cooker—do not treat gardens as a replacement for the cooker.
• Re-assign after rearranging farm layouts or selling posts.
• Combine gardener coverage with offline coin collection so food income and guest income stack while you are away.

Garden automation is A-tier quality of life on the hub rankings, not an opening purchase.

Job 4 — Receptionist

Role. The receptionist shop item automatically accepts travelers, freeing you from door duty.

When to unlock. When guest volume is high enough that missing accepts costs more than the desk. It is a mid-early luxury after campfires, cooker, and beds—not a substitute for them.

How to assign. Place the receptionist desk/item, assign a worker to it, and verify new arrivals are accepted without your click.

Efficiency tips.

• Put the desk on a logical entrance path so the fantasy and the function match.
• If accepts stop, confirm the worker is still assigned and the item was not deleted during a remodel.
• Use the freed time to fix pathing, add beds, or set up coal—not only to shop decorations.
• In busy sessions with friends (max four players), a receptionist keeps the plot productive while everyone builds.

Receptionist value climbs once your need stations can actually serve the guests being auto-accepted. Accepting into a lodge with no beds still fails the visit.

Suggested unlock order

1. Manual play through warmth → cooker → beds (Getting Started).
2. Showers for hygiene bridge (Visitor Needs).
3. Coal mine + miner.
4. Boiler + boiler worker + hot baths.
5. Receptionist when door duty slows building.
6. Gardener when farm upkeep competes with construction.
7. Mine/boiler upgrades and extra staff as income allows.

This order matches S/A sequencing on the Tier List Hub and avoids the “pretty tub, no coal” failure mode.

Common mistakes

• Hiring before workplaces exist. A traveler with no mine or desk cannot do those jobs.
• Overstaffing. Too many workers and too few paying guest visits starves the safe.
• Ignoring re-assign after recycle. Removal tools and recyclers clear placements; jobs must be set again.
• Assuming baths need only coal. Coal feeds the boiler; the boiler worker creates hot water; baths consume it.
• Buying stair crafts instead of a miner. Vertical builds can wait; hygiene progression often cannot.

Linking jobs to tools and updates

Use the Tools Hub checklists when bringing coal online. When patches add workplaces, wall shops, or new automation, skim Updates and adjust assignments. Official discovery still starts at the Links Hub game page and Crunchy Orc channels.

Quick reference

Job	Workplace	Input	Output / effect
Coal miner	Rear coal mine	Assigned worker	Coal in box
Boiler worker	Boiler item	Coal + worker	Hot water for baths
Gardener	Garden post	Plots + worker	Automated farm care
Receptionist	Reception desk item	Worker	Auto-accept travelers

Master these four and your Haven stops feeling like a second job. Then you can chase décor, multi-floor stairs, and reading rooms—the fun late goals—without guests freezing, starving, or staring at a cold bathtub.