Setup Week-off Patterns
Available on: Desktop · Web · Phone
Navigate to Payroll Setups and click on "Setup Week-off Patterns".
A week-off pattern is a rule for which days are off — for example every Sunday, or Sunday plus the 2nd and 4th Saturday. Shifts, rotation steps and roster lines then point to a pattern instead of repeating the days.
The screen
The screen has three parts:
the patterns (top grid), each with an optional Remarks note,
the off-days of the selected pattern (bottom left; its heading shows the pattern's name),
a five-week preview (bottom right): 35 days with their Date, Day and whether the day is OFF — a WEEK-OFF or a HALF DAY.
Above them, Half-day off charged as (first, then) sets which leave a rostered half-day off is charged to — see the end of this page.
Pattern types
FIXED WEEKLY
The same days every week (6-day week = Sunday; 5-day week = Saturday and Sunday)
A Week Day per line
NTH WEEKDAY OF MONTH
Days that depend on the week of the month, such as the 2nd and 4th Saturday
A Week Day and its Week of Month: EVERY, 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, 4TH or LAST
ROTATING CYCLE
A cycle that ignores the calendar week, such as 6 days on, 1 off
Cycle Days on the pattern, then the Cycle Day numbers that are off
Tick Half Day on an off-day line where only half the day is off.
Create a pattern
Step 1: Name and type
On the blank last line of the top grid, type the Pattern Name and choose the Pattern Type.
For a rotating cycle, also enter Cycle Days — the length of one cycle (up to 366).
Press Enter through to the end of the line, or move to another line, to accept it.
Step 2: Off-days
In the off-days grid, add one line per off-day, as the table above shows. Only the cells the pattern type needs can be filled in.
Tick Half Day where only half the day is off.
Step 3: Preview
Preview From starts at today. The preview updates by itself as you edit; to look at other dates, change Preview From and press Preview.
The preview uses what is on the screen, including changes not saved yet.
Step 4: Save
Press Save and confirm.
If any rostered employees use a pattern you changed, a message says how many. Their roster changes only when it is generated again — see Generate Roster.
Example — A factory gives Sunday off, plus the 2nd and 4th Saturday.
Pattern Name SUN + 2ND/4TH SAT, Pattern Type NTH WEEKDAY OF MONTH.
Off-days: SUNDAY / EVERY · SATURDAY / 2ND · SATURDAY / 4TH.
Preview from 1 November: every Sunday is off, and so are the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.
Example — Security guards work 6 days, then have 1 day off, whatever the weekday.
Pattern Name 6 ON 1 OFF, Pattern Type ROTATING CYCLE, Cycle Days 7.
Off-days: Cycle Day 7.
Day 1 of the cycle is the roster line's anchor date (in the preview, the Preview From date). A guard whose line starts on 1 November is off on 7, 14, 21 November and so on.
Changing and deleting
To delete a pattern or an off-day, delete its line in the grid and answer Yes to Confirm Deletion; a deleted pattern goes when you Save.
A pattern used by a shift, a rotation step or a roster line cannot be deleted. Tick Inactive instead: it stays on the records that use it but is not offered for new ones.
Changing a pattern does not change rosters already generated. Generate again for the employees who use it.
Half-day off charged as
A half-day off in an employee's roster is half a working day. When attendance is saved for that day, the off half is charged to a leave, in the order set here:
first: CASUAL LEAVE (CL) or SICK LEAVE (SL),
then: (NONE), CASUAL LEAVE (CL) or SICK LEAVE (SL).
Until you set it, the order is CL, then SL. A leave is used only when the employee may take it (their balance and grade allow it).
works part of the day, less than the full shift
HC (half CL) or HS (half SL), by the order; HD when neither leave is allowed
is absent all day
AHC or AHS, by the order; LP when neither leave is allowed
works the full shift
FD — no leave is charged
is on leave or a holiday, or given a status without times
left as entered
The setting applies to the whole company. It can be changed only once your company has the attendance settings update; until then the CL, then SL order is used.
Example — Meera's roster gives her a half-day off on Saturday. She works 9:00 to 1:00, half her shift, and has casual leave left. Her Saturday is saved as HC: half a day of CL is charged for the half she did not work.
Messages you may see
Enter Pattern Name
The line has no name
Type the name
Pattern Name '…' Already Exists
Two patterns with one name (capitals are ignored)
Use another name
Choose the Pattern Type
No type chosen
Pick a type
Enter Cycle Days (1 to 366)
A rotating cycle with no length
Enter the cycle length
Choose the Week Day / Choose the Week of Month
An off-day line is incomplete
Fill in the line
Cycle Day must be from 1 to …
The day number is outside the cycle
Enter a day within the cycle
This off-day is already in the pattern
The same off-day twice
Remove the duplicate
Pattern '…' is used by a shift, a shift rotation or a roster. It cannot be deleted; mark it Inactive instead.
Something still points to the pattern
Tick Inactive
Choose the pattern type first / Enter the cycle days first / Enter a valid Preview From date
Preview was pressed with the pattern incomplete
Complete the pattern, set Preview From
Pattern '…': enter the pattern name / choose the pattern type / enter the cycle days / off-day N - …
On Save, a pattern no longer fits its type — for example its type or Cycle Days changed after its off-days were entered (off-day 2 - Cycle Day must be from 1 to 6)
Fix that pattern's line or off-days, then Save
… rostered employee(s) use the changed pattern(s). Re-run Generate Roster so their week-offs 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 Patterns, the Off-days or the Preview, one at a time.