Setup Shift Rotations
Available on: Desktop · Web · Phone
Navigate to Payroll Setups and click on "Setup Shift Rotations".
A shift rotation is a repeating sequence of shifts — for example one week on the day shift, then one week on the night shift. Employees on a rotation move through its steps in order, again and again. Skip this screen if every employee stays on one shift.
The screen
The screen has three parts:
the rotations (top grid): Rotation Name, Cycle Days, Inactive and an optional Remarks note,
the steps of the selected rotation (bottom left; its heading shows the rotation's name), in the order they run,
a five-week preview (bottom right): 35 days with their Date, Day, Shift and whether the day is OFF — a WEEK-OFF or a HALF DAY.
Create a rotation
Step 1: Name the rotation
On the blank last line of the top grid, type the Rotation Name, then press Enter to the end of the line (or move to another line).
Step 2: Add the steps
In the steps grid, add one line per step, in the order they run, and press Enter past Days (or move to another line):
Shift — the shift worked in this step,
Week-off Pattern — the week-offs in this step; it starts as (SHIFT'S OWN), which uses the shift's own pattern,
Days — how many days the step lasts.
Only active shifts and week-off patterns are offered.
Cycle Days in the top grid fills itself: it adds up the steps' days, the length of one turn of the rotation.
Step 3: Preview
Step 1 On starts at today. Set it to the date step 1 should run and press Preview: the next 35 days are shown with their shift and off-days.
The preview also refreshes by itself each time you accept or delete a step, or select another rotation.
Step 4: Save
Press Save and confirm.
If any rostered employees use a rotation you changed, a message says how many. Their roster changes only when it is generated again — see Generate Roster.
Example — A plant runs a two-week rotation.
Rotation Name DAY-NIGHT 2 WEEKS.
Steps: DAY SHIFT · (SHIFT'S OWN) · 7 days, then NIGHT SHIFT · (SHIFT'S OWN) · 7 days.
Cycle Days shows 14.
Step 1 On 3 November: the preview shows DAY SHIFT from 3 to 9 November and NIGHT SHIFT from 10 to 16 November, then DAY SHIFT again.
Starting employees part-way through
Each employee starts the rotation on their roster line in Allocate Roster: the Anchor Date (the line's Date From when blank) and the Anchor Step that runs on that date. This lets two teams share one rotation but stay a step apart.
Example — Team A's lines have Anchor Step 1 and Team B's Anchor Step 2, both from 3 November. In the first week Team A is on DAY SHIFT and Team B on NIGHT SHIFT; the next week they swap.
Changing and deleting
To delete a rotation or a step, delete its line in the grid and answer Yes to Confirm Deletion; a deleted rotation or step goes when you Save.
A rotation used by a roster line cannot be deleted. Tick Inactive instead: it stays on the lines that use it, but it is not offered — and cannot be chosen — on new or changed roster lines.
Changing a rotation does not change rosters already generated. Generate again for the employees on it.
Messages you may see
Enter Rotation Name
The line has no name
Type the name
Rotation Name '…' Already Exists
Two rotations with one name
Use another name
Choose the Shift
A step has no shift
Pick the shift
Enter Days (1 to 366)
A step has no length, or too long a one
Enter the step's days
Rotation '…': enter the rotation name / enter at least one step / step N - …
On Save, a rotation is incomplete
Fix that rotation, then Save
Rotation '…' is used by a roster. It cannot be deleted; mark it Inactive instead.
A roster line still uses the rotation
Tick Inactive
Enter at least one step with a shift and its days first / Enter a valid Preview From date
Preview was pressed with the rotation incomplete
Add a step, set Step 1 On
… shift … does not exist / Week-off pattern … does not exist
Preview: a shift or pattern a step uses can no longer be found
Pick it again on that step
… rostered employee(s) use the changed rotation(s). Re-run Generate Roster so their shifts follow the changes.
Saved changes affect rostered employees
Run Generate Roster for them
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On the web
The same screen is on the web. On a phone, a switch shows the Rotations, the Steps or the Preview, one at a time.