Setting up Shift Templates

Alasdair MacNeill
Alasdair MacNeill
  • Updated

Overview

Before you start to configure your shifts and populate the Working schedule, it is best to set up the shift templates. Shift templates are patterns of work for your employees.

Permissions

To make use of this you will need to have the Manage T&A settings permission. This needs to be set on global.

Setting up Shift Templates

Shift Templates can be created manually and using a bulk upload template. You can do this by following the steps below:

  1. Go to the Time & Attendance section, click on the Shift Templates tab and click +Add shift templates.
  2. The Shift Templates are made of many details, which are outlined below:
      • Business Unit - This is which Business Unit will make use of this Shift Template.

        When the Root Company is chosen, the Shift Template can be used across all Business Units.

      • Shift label - This is the name of the shift template.
      • Work location - A shift template is linked to a Work Location to reflect where the employee should punch in from.
      • Cost Centre - A Cost Centre added to the shift template will link the hours clocked against the shift to the relevant cost centre. This is then reflected in the Time & Attendance and Payroll reports.
      • Work Code - This is the Work Code that should be applied to the shift. 
      • Colour - This colour is used to differentiate the shifts within the Working Schedule after they have been generated.
      • Shift Types - Different types of shifts can be created as shown below:
        • Stand by -A Stand by shift means an employee is on-call and may need to report to work at short notice.

          Any hours linked to the Standby shift will be regarded as Overtime.

        • Flex time - Flex time shifts do not require employees to clock in and out at specific times, but simply to work the shift duration specified.


          Flex time shifts without specified hours are shifts where the amount of hours to be completed is up to the employee's discretion.


        • Fixed Time - Fixed Time shifts are created by specifying the Time from and Time to. When you would like to create an Overnight shift, the Time to would be set as an earlier hour than the Time to.
      • Unpaid break - The unpaid break can be added as an amount during the shift that can be taken at any time or can be allocated using the Specify unpaid break time toggle.
      • Scheduled basic shift - All the clocked hours linked to the shift will be counted as basic, even if the clocking duration exceeds the shift duration.
      • Scheduled overtime shift - All the clocked hours linked to the shift will be counted as overtime.
      • 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.

        The Enforce shift start time and Enforce shift end time toggles are only applicable to Fixed time shifts as set in the Shift Details.

      • Overtime Rules:
        • Overtime Limitation - The amount of time in this field must be met for the employee to be eligible for overtime for the 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.

          For example, if the minimum amount set is 15 minutes and the employee clocks 5 minutes of overtime, the employee will be given 15 minutes of 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.

          For example, if the maximum amount set is 30 minutes and the employee clocks 45 minutes of overtime, the employee will be given 30 minutes of overtime automatically in the Review & Approve process.

      • Rounding of clockings - You can force all clockings to round to the nearest interval.

        The rounding of clockings has an impact on Lateness Penalties. For example, if the clockings are rounded to the nearest 20-minute interval and an employee clocks 25 minutes after the shift start time, the clocking is rounded first to 20 minutes after the shift start time, after which the Lateness Penalty applies on 20 minutes lateness.

      • Lateness in minutes - This is the number of minutes of Lateness allowed before the Lateness penalty is applied.
      • Lateness penalty template - This is the penalty that will be applied to lateness according to the penalties already created. If you would like to create a new penalty, you can do this by clicking on the + icon next to this field.
      • Shift Allowances - Shift Allowance(s) can be added to the shift template. When Shift Allowances are approved for payroll and are included in employee payslips, you will see these reflected in the payslip. You can create a new Shift Allowance from the shift template by clicking on the +Add New Allowance button.
  3. With all the Shift Template details in place, click Create to save your template.
  1. Go to the Time & Attendance section, click on the Shift Templates tab, click on the 3-dot menu on the right-hand side and click Upload shift templates.
  2. Download the template from the dialog box. (You will upload the completed template from the same location)
  3. In the template, there are several columns to complete which are explained below:

    The dropdown options in the template are taken from the details already created in Talexio. If there is an option missing from your bulk upload template, confirm the detail is created in Talexio and then re-download the file as shown in Step 2.

    • Name - This is the name of the shift template.
    • WorkLocation - A shift template is linked to a Work Location to reflect where the employee should punch in from.
    • BusinessUnit - This is which Business Unit will make use of this Shift Template.

      When the Root Company is chosen, the Shift Template can be used across all Business Units.

    • CostCentre - A Cost Centre added to the shift template will link the hours clocked against the shift to the relevant cost centre.
    • WorkCode - This is the Work Code that should be applied to the shift.
    • From / To - Enter a time format (for example 08:00) if it is a Fixed Time shift.

      This field should be left empty if you are creating a Flex Time shift.

    • FlexHours - If the shift is Flex Time, then input the number of hours that the shift requires here.
    • UnpaidBreakInMinutes - If the shift includes an unpaid break period, input that amount in minutes here.

      If you want to specify when the unpaid break should be taken in the next day, this field should be left empty and you should complete the fields "UnpaidBreakStartTime" and "UnpaidBreakEndTime" instead.

    • UnpaidBreakForNextDayInMinutes - If the shift is an Overnight shift, you may enter the number of minutes of unpaid break applicable to the shift for the following calendar day. If this is left empty, there is no unpaid break for the next day.

      If you want to specify when the unpaid break should be taken, this field should be left empty and you should complete the fields "UnpaidBreakForNextDayStartTime" and "UnpaidBreakForNextDayEndTime" instead.

    • Color - If you would like the shift to be displayed in a particular colour, input the colour hex code here. For example: #FF0000
    • IsScheduledOvertimeShift - This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means all the clocked hours linked to the shift will be counted as overtime.

      If this is marked as YES, the next column (IsScheduledBasicShift) cannot also be marked as YES.

    • IsScheduledBasicShift - This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means all the clocked hours linked to the shift will be counted as basic.

      If this is marked as YES, the previous column (IsScheduledOvertimeShift) cannot also be marked as YES.

    • IsEnforceShiftStartTime - This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means that all hours clocked before the shift time will be disregarded for approval purposes.
    • IsEnforceShiftEndTime - This is a YES/NO field. Selecting Yes means that all hours clocked after the shift time will be disregarded for approval purposes
    • MinOvertimeLimitationMinutes - The amount of time in this field must be met for the employee to be eligible for overtime for the shift. If not met, the clocked overtime will be disregarded.
    • MinOvertimeInMinutes - 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.
    • MaxOvertimeInMinutes - 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.
    • Rounding - Select Half, Hour, Quarter, Sixth, or Third from the drop-down to set clockings under this shift to round to the nearest 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, or 20 minutes.
    • LatenessInMinutes - This is the number of minutes of Lateness allowed before the Lateness penalty is applied.
    • LatenessTemplate - This is the penalty that will be applied to lateness according to the penalties already created.
  4. Save the file and upload it from the same location in Step 2. Once uploaded, the Shift Templates will be added to the list.
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