Setting up Shift Templates

Setting up Shift Templates

To set up the shift templates, follow the steps outlined here:

• STEP 1 OF 3
  
  Go to the Time & Attendance section and click on the Shift Templates tab
  
  

• STEP 2 OF 3
  
  Click Add shift templates and fill out the shift details. More information on the shift details can be found in this article.
  
  

• STEP 3 of 3
  
  Click Create and now your template is ready to be used. These templates can be edited and deleted from the same location.
  
  

A shift template should be set up for each unique pattern within the organisation. You can create as many as are necessary. The shift template has four different sections.

• 
  
  

  • Business Unit - If you have more than one business unit set up on your account, you will need to link the shift template to the business unit applicable.
  • Shift label - This is the name of the shift template. For example: Day, Night.
  • Work location - A shift template is linked to a work location which will then match to the location from which employees punch in. Work locations will need to be set up from the Schedule section first.
  • Cost Centre - A cost centre chosen on the shift template will allocate hours linked to this shift, when a schedule is generated, to the relevant cost centre, when these hours are passed on to payroll.
  • Colour - This colour is used to differentiate between the shifts within the monthly view of all the schedules generated.
  • Standby - Standby shift is a type of shift which can be added as a standalone shift or together with another shift on the day. This shift may be added to any other shift already added on the day, or else be added as the only shift on the day. Any hours linked to the Standby shift will be regarded as Overtime. 
    
    
    
    
  • Flex time - Flex time shifts will not require employees to clock in and out at specific times, but simply to work the shift duration if specified. Flex time with specified hours are shifts that have an hour requirement to be completed in this shift, but there is no set Start or End time.
    
    
    
    Flex time without specified hours are shifts where the amount of hours completed by the employee is up to the employee discretion. There is no set Start or End time and also no set shift duration.
    
    
    
    
  • Starts on/ends on - The duration/time in and time out, per shift template are determined here. Clicking on the icon at the end of the section determines whether it is a night shift or a day shift.
  • Unpaid break - The unpaid break is over and above the hours of the shift.

   

• 
  
  

  • Scheduled overtime shift - you may wish to pre-schedule overtime in a shift. 
  • Enforce shift start time - if the employees clock in before the shift start time (as set in the shift details), any excess time before the shift start time will be ignored and discarded automatically in the review process. 
  • Enforce shift end time - if the employees clock out after the shift end time (as set in the shift details), any excess time after the shift end time will be ignored and discarded automatically in the review process. 
  • Overtime rules
    • Overtime Limitation - The specified duration in this field must be met for the employee to be eligible for overtime for the particular shift. If not met, the clocked overtime will be disregarded.
    • Minimum Overtime - The amount added in this field will be the minimum amount of minutes granted to an employee for Overtime. This figure does not need to be met by the employee in their clocked hours. Example: If the minimum amount set is 15mins, and the employee clocks 5mins overtime, the employee will be granted 15mins overtime automatically in the Review & Approve process.
    • Maximum Overtime - The amount added in this field will be the maximum amount of minutes granted to an employee for Overtime. This figure will be granted even if the clocked hours exceed this amount. Example: If the maximum amount set is 30mins, and the employee clocks 1hr overtime, the employee will be granted 30mins automatically in the Review & Approve process.
  • Rounding of clockings - Rounding will impact lateness. If rounding is set, the employee may log in up to the identified time without this affecting their time log. Should they log in after the rounding time has elapsed, this time will be deducted from their time logged. The options for rounding are:
    
    • No rounding (clockings will remain the same as they were logged).
    • 10 minutes (for example: if an employee punches in at 7.55am, this will be rounded to 8.00am).
    • 15 minutes (for example: if an employee punches in at 7.49am, this will be rounded to 8.00am).
    • 20 minutes (clockings will be rounded to the nearest 20 minutes).
    • 30 minutes (clockings will be rounded to the nearest 30 minutes).
    • 60 minutes (clockings will be rounded to the nearest hour).

• 
  
  

  • Lateness - Enabling lateness will allow a grace period for employees to clock in. For example: shift starts at 8:00. Lateness enabled at 5mins. This means employees can clock in up to 8:05 without being penalized.
  • Lateness Penalty - If Lateness is enabled, you may also add a Lateness Penalty for all those who clock in later than the specified time.

• 
  
  

  • Shift Allowances - A specific shift allowance can be added to a shift template. These need to be set up first and then selected on shift templates.

Bulk upload

If you need to create multiple shift templates, you can also do so through the bulk upload function. To do this, you will need to download the bulk upload template by going to the Shift Templates tab in the Time and Attendance section and clicking on the 3 dots next to the +Add Shift Template button. Here, select Upload shift templates and select the option download template:

Open up the excel template and you will find the below columns:

• Here you will need to input the name of the shift template.

• Select a work location from the drop down. This is optional.

• Select a business unit to which the shift template will be associated. Selecting the root unit means that the shift template will be available for all other business units in the company.

• Select a cost centre from the drop down (if applicable). All hours worked in such a shift will be assigned to this cost centre. This is an optional field.

• If applicable, select a work code from the drop down menu.

• Enter a time format (for example: 08:00) if it is a fixed shift or else leave the field empty if the shift is flexible

• If the shift is not fixed, then input the number of hours that the shift requires here.

• If the shift includes an unpaid break period, input that amount in minutes here.

• If the shift is an overnight shift, you may enter the number of minutes of unpaid break applicable to the shift. Leave this empty there is no unpaid break.

• If you would like the shift to be displayed in a particular colour, input the colour hex code here. For example: #FF0000

• This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means that all hours clocked in under this shift will go to overtime. If this is marked as yes, the next option cannot be marked as Yes too.

• This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means that all hours clocked in under this shift will go to basic. If this is marked as yes, the above option cannot be marked as Yes too.

• This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means that all hours clocked before the shift time will be disregarded for approval purposes.

• This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means that all hours clocked after the shift time will be disregarded for approval purposes.

• If an employee's overtime is below the specified limit, this will be disregarded.

• If an employee's overtime is less than the specified minimum, they will be paid for this minimum amount.

• If an employee's overtime exceeds the specified maximum, they will only be paid for this maximum amount.

• Select Half, Hour, Quarter, Sixth, or Third from the drop down to set clockings under this shift to round to the nearest half hour, 60 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, or 20 minutes

• Input the number of minutes an employee must be late for before the lateness penalty in the next field kicks in

• Select a lateness penalty from the drop down. Once an employee is late for X number of minutes (as specified in the previous field), this template will kick in.

What's next?

After setting up your shift template(s), you may assign them to employees in the schedule generator and working schedule.