What's covered in this guide?
What is the Rota Agent?
The Rota Agent is an AI-powered assistant that helps managers create and maintain rotas.
Instead of manually assigning every shift, the Rota Agent analyses your workforce data and generates a proposed rota for review.
When building a rota, the agent can consider information such as:
Regular Hours of Work
Existing rota templates
Previous rotas
Employee availability
Approved leave
Labour budgets
Public holidays
Custom events
Validation rules
Staffing requirements
The agent presents a proposed rota for approval before creating any shifts.
Once a proposal is generated, you can:
Approve the rota
Ask the agent to make changes
Continue chatting with the agent
Make manual edits yourself
📝 Important to note: No shifts are created until you approve the proposed rota.
Access the Rota Agent
To open the Rota Agent:
Navigate to Time & Attendance > Rotas
Select the location and week you want to rota
Click Rota Agent
From the Rota Agent panel you can:
Build a new rota
Continue a previous session
Chat about an existing rota
Build a Rota
Step 1: Review Pending Requests
Before starting, the Rota Agent displays any outstanding leave or availability requests for the selected week.
It's recommended that these requests are reviewed before building your rota to ensure the agent has the most accurate information available.
Step 2: Choose a Source
Select how you would like the rota to be generated.
Available options include:
Source | Description |
Regular Hours of Work | Uses each employee's regular hours as the starting point. |
Rota Template | Builds from one or more existing rota templates. |
Copy from Previous Week | Uses a past week's rota as the starting point. |
Rota Pattern | Uses configured rota patterns as the base rota |
You can also choose whether the agent should:
Clear existing shifts before building
Work around existing shifts
Step 3: Add Custom Instructions
Optionally, provide additional instructions for the agent.
Examples include:
"Keep labour costs below £3,000"
"Don't rota Sam on Mondays"
"Add extra coverage during lunch service"
These instructions apply only to the current build.
Step 4: Build the Rota
Click Build Rota.
The agent creates a proposed rota by:
Generating a baseline schedule using your selected source.
Reviewing availability, leave, budgets, events, and validations.
Making adjustments where required.
Presenting a proposed rota for review.
The proposal may include:
Staffing recommendations
Budget information
Validation outcomes
Potential scheduling issues
Step 5: Review and Approve the Build
Once you're satisfied with the proposal:
Click Approve
The agent creates the shifts
Validation checks are run automatically
A summary of the completed rota is displayed
Configure Rota Agent Settings
The Rota Agent can be customised using two types of settings:
Agent Instructions – guidance that influences how the agent builds and adjusts rotas.
Natural Language Validations – rules that the rota is checked against.
To access these settings:
Open the Rota Agent.
Click the Settings icon.
Choose either Agent Instructions or Natural Language Validations.
Configure Agent Instructions
Agent Instructions provide standing guidance that the Rota Agent follows whenever it builds or updates a rota.
Instructions can be configured:
Organisation-wide
For individual locations
Location instructions are added on top of organisation-wide instructions and do not replace them.
Standing Rules & Knowledge
Use this section to define general rostering preferences and operational knowledge.
Examples:
"Roster new starters with a senior employee."
"Stay under labour budget."
"Schedule additional staff during busy lunch periods."
The agent applies these instructions whenever they are relevant.
Session Kickoff Instructions
You can also provide instructions that run automatically at the start of a session.
Separate instructions can be configured for:
When you start a new build
Instructions applied before the agent generates a new rota.
Example: Review approved leave requests before creating shifts.
When you start a chat about a roster
Instructions applied when using the agent to review or modify an existing rota.
Example: Check for budget issues before making any changes.
💡 Tip: Use Agent Instructions for preferences and guidance. If something must be enforced, use a Validation Rule instead.
Configure Natural Language Validations
Natural Language Validations allow you to define rota rules using plain language.
The Rota Agent evaluates these rules whenever a rota is built or updated.
Validations can be configured:
Organisation-wide
For individual locations
Location-specific rules are added on top of organisation-wide rules.
Blocking Rules
Blocking Rules prevent a rota from being approved or published if they are breached.
Examples:
"Always schedule at least one manager on every opening shift."
"Never roster employees outside their approved availability."
"Require two qualified team members on each close."
The Rota Agent will attempt to resolve blocking rule breaches automatically before presenting a proposed rota.
Warning Rules
Warning Rules highlight potential issues but do not prevent the rota from being approved or published.
Examples:
"Highlight rosters that are more than 5% over budget."
"Warn when fewer than three team members are rostered during peak periods."
Warnings are displayed for review but do not block approval.
💡 Tip: Use Blocking Rules for requirements and compliance rules. Use Warning Rules for monitoring and recommendations.
Location-Specific Settings
Both Agent Instructions and Natural Language Validations can be customised for individual locations.
This allows each location to maintain its own operating requirements while still inheriting organisation-wide settings.
For example:
Organisation-wide instruction: "Roster new starters with experienced employees."
Location instruction: "Maintain two team members on close shifts."
Both instructions are considered when the Rota Agent builds a rota.
Import Custom Events via CSV
You can import a list of custom events in bulk using a CSV file. This is useful for planning ahead across a full season or calendar, for example, importing a complete Premier League fixture list, a World Cup schedule, or a festival calendar for the year.
Once imported, the Rota Agent automatically takes these events into account when building rotas for any week that overlaps with those dates.
Example use case: A hospitality venue imports the Premier League fixture list for the season and sets a Custom Event Instruction: "Schedule two additional front-of-house staff on match days." Every time the Rota Agent builds a rota for a match week, it applies that instruction automatically.
To import events:
Go to Settings > All Settings > Customise & Extend Workforce
Click Import & Export
Download the CSV template
Fill in your events - each row requires:
Event name
Date (or date range)
Location (or leave blank to apply to all locations)
Optional note
Upload the completed CSV
Your imported events will appear in the events list alongside any manually added events and public holidays.
💡 Tip: Combine imported events with Custom Event Instructions to get consistent, automatic staffing adjustments throughout the season.
What the Agent Considers
When generating a rota, the Rota Agent may review:
Factor | Description |
Regular Hours of Work | Standard working patterns |
Previous Rotas | Historical scheduling patterns |
Availability & Leave | Approved leave and availability requests |
Templates & Patterns | Existing scheduling templates |
Public Holidays | Public holiday dates |
Custom Events | Imported and configured events |
Labour Budgets | Budgeted labour targets |
Agent Instructions | Organisation and location guidance |
Natural Language Validations | Blocking and warning rules |
Workforce Data | Employee roles, skills, and staffing requirements |
Budget Awareness
If labour budgets have been configured, the Rota Agent considers those targets when generating a rota.
Where possible, the agent attempts to create a rota that remains within budget before presenting the proposal.
Budget-related warnings or issues are displayed during review.
You can also provide additional budget targets through Agent Instructions or Validation Rules.
Make Adjustments After the Build
Once a rota has been created, you can continue chatting with the Rota Agent to make changes.
Examples include:
"Move Tuesday's opening shift from Jordan to Alex"
"Add an additional close shift on Friday"
"How many hours are scheduled for the kitchen team?"
"Remove all casual shifts on Sunday"
The agent can also review and update rotas that were created manually.
FAQs and Troubleshooting
Will the Rota Agent publish my rota automatically?
Will the Rota Agent publish my rota automatically?
No. The Roster Agent only creates shifts after approval. Publishing remains a manual action.
Can the Rota Agent schedule any employee?
Can the Rota Agent schedule any employee?
The agent only rosters employees assigned to the selected location who are available to work and do not have conflicting leave requests.
What happens if a rota validation is breached?
What happens if a rota validation is breached?
The Rota Agent attempts to resolve validation issues automatically. Any unresolved issues are highlighted for review.
Can I cancel a build?
Can I cancel a build?
Yes. You can cancel the build at any point before approving the rotas.
Does the Rota Agent consider Working Time Regulations and compliance settings?
Does the Rota Agent consider Working Time Regulations and compliance settings?
Yes. The agent applies the same compliance rules, validations, and restrictions configured on your account.