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Get Started: Schedules and Rotas

A quick introduction to creating and managing schedules / rotas in Workforce.com.

What's covered in this guide?

Create a Shift

To create a shift:

  1. Navigate to Time & Attendance > Schedules.

  2. Click any cell on the schedule to open the new shift panel.

  3. Enter the shift details.

  4. Click Save.

Assign an Employee and Team

Employees and teams can be assigned to a shift in any order.

If you select a team first, the employee dropdown will only show employees assigned to that team. If you select an employee first, the team dropdown will only show teams the employee belongs to.

💡 Tip: Use Vacant as a placeholder when you do not know who will work the shift. Vacant shifts are useful when creating schedule templates or planning future schedules.

Enter Shift Times

Times can be entered in a variety of formats. For example, Workforce.com will recognise all of the following as 8:00 am:

  • 8a

  • 0800

  • 08:00 am

  • 8:00

Schedule Breaks

Unpaid breaks can be added manually or automatically.

Option 1: Add breaks manually

Enter the break start and finish time directly on the shift.

Option 2: Use automatic break rules

Configure break rules that automatically apply based on shift duration.

📝 Important to note: Automatic break rules are configured in your account settings.

Publish the Schedule

Publishing a schedule makes it visible to employees.

To publish a schedule:

  1. Filter the schedule to the date range you want to publish.

  2. Click Review & Publish.

  3. Select how staff should be notified:

    • Mobile App

    • Email

    • SMS

  4. Select the employees or teams you want to notify.

  5. Click Confirm.

📝 Important to note: The Mobile App option must always be selected when publishing schedules.

💡 Tip: You can also publish an individual shift directly from the schedule.

Publish Vacant Shifts

Vacant shifts can be published so employees can claim them.

When publishing a schedule containing vacant shifts, ensure both of the following options are selected:

  • Publish All Shifts

  • Publish Vacant Shifts (Shift Claiming)

📝 Important to note: If both options are not selected, employees will not receive notifications about available vacant shifts.

Add Vacant Shifts to an Already Published Schedule

If you have already published a schedule and need to add additional vacant shifts:

  1. Add the new vacant shifts to the schedule.

  2. Click Review & Publish.

  3. Under Staff receiving Schedules, click Deselect All.

  4. Ensure Publish All Shifts and Publish Vacant Shifts (Shift Claiming) are selected.

  5. Click Confirm.

This prevents employees from receiving duplicate schedule notifications while still notifying them about newly available vacant shifts.

Customise Your Schedule View

Use the date range selector or the Day, Week, Fortnight, and Month options to customise the schedule view.

View Options

Use the controls above the schedule to customise how information is displayed.

You can:

  • Change how the schedule is grouped by selecting No Grouping, Team, Shift Group, or Position.

  • Use Spotlight to highlight overtime, vacant shifts, validation errors, and shift statuses.

  • Sort employees by first name, surname, or other available options.

  • View schedule statistics such as labour costs, hours, and shift totals.

  • Collapse multiple shifts into a single card to simplify the schedule view.

  • Hide employees who do not have shifts scheduled.

  • Show approved leave alongside scheduled shifts.

  • Display employee ratings.

Events & Comments

Use Events & Comments to record important information on the schedule.

To access Events & Comments:

  1. Open the schedule.

  2. Click Events & Comments in the left sidebar.

Events

Events are used to mark important dates on the schedule, such as:

  • Public holidays

  • Major sporting events

  • Promotional campaigns

  • Busy trading periods

Events are visible to both managers and employees.

Comments

Comments allow managers to leave notes for other managers.

Comments are only visible to managers and are not visible to employees.

Custom Events

Custom Events help managers plan for periods that may affect staffing requirements.

To create a Custom Event:

  1. Navigate to Time & Attendance > Schedules.

  2. Click Events & Comments.

  3. Click + Add New Event.

  4. Enter the event details.

  5. Select the locations and teams the event applies to.

  6. Choose whether leave requests or unavailability submissions should be discouraged or blocked during the event period.

  7. Click Save.

📝 Important to note: You can also add instructions for the Roster Agent to influence rota generation during the event period. Learn more in [Get Started: Roster Agent].

Import Custom Events in Bulk

If you need to create multiple Custom Events at once, you can upload them using a CSV file.

This is useful for importing public holidays, school holidays, major sporting events, promotional campaigns, or other recurring events across multiple locations.

To import Custom Events:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Customise & Extend Workforce > Import & Export.

  2. Click Import next to Custom Events.

  3. Click Download Template.

  4. Enter the details for each event in the template.

  5. Save the file as a CSV (.csv).

  6. Upload the completed file.

  7. Review the field mapping and import preview.

  8. Resolve any validation errors.

  9. Click Confirm Import.

💡 Tip: Downloading the template ensures your CSV contains the correct column headings and formatting.

Custom Event CSV Requirements

The CSV template supports the following fields:

  • Name (required)

  • Start date (required)

  • Finish date (required)

  • Leave restriction

  • Unavailability restriction

  • Max leave requests

  • Max unavailabilities

  • Locations

  • Roster Agent instructions

📝 Important to note: Dates should be entered using the format YYYY-MM-DD.

Location names must exactly match the location names configured in Workforce.com.

Leave the Locations field blank to apply the event to all locations.

Restriction Settings

The Leave restriction and Unavailability restriction fields support the following values:

Value

Effect

none

Employees can submit requests as normal

discourage

Employees receive a warning but can still submit requests

blackout

Requests are blocked during the event period

FAQs and Troubleshooting

Can employees see schedule changes?

No. Employees only see schedule changes after they have been published.

Why can't I see costs on my schedule?

Schedule cost visibility is controlled by user permissions. Contact your administrator if you require access.

Can I switch between 12-hour and 24-hour time?

Yes. Each user can select their preferred time format in their personal profile settings.

What are the red and orange flags?

Red and orange flags highlight potential issues that may require attention, such as shift clashes or validation errors. Click a flag to view more details about the issue.

Can I dismiss schedule flags?

Flags are controlled by your account settings. While they highlight potential issues, they will not prevent shift creation or publishing unless publishing blocks have been configured.

Can I add events to influence scheduling decisions?

Yes. Use Events & Comments to create a Custom Event. You can also discourage or block leave and unavailability requests during the event period.

Can I create multiple Custom Events at once?

Yes. Custom Events can be imported in bulk using a CSV file from Settings > Customise & Extend Workforce > Import & Export.

What do the icons on a shift mean?

Hover over any icon on a shift card to view a tooltip explaining its meaning. Additional information is available within the shift details panel.

Schedule faster with templates
Create + edit shifts faster using keyboard shortcuts
Customize your schedule
Automatically Build Rosters with the Roster Agent

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