Roster Cycles
A roster cycle is a pattern of worked and off days that repeats, such as 7 days on and 7 days off. You create the pattern once, assign it to a Group or an employee for a range of dates, then run it to add the shifts to the Roster Calendar.
| Required plan | Enterprise |
|---|---|
| Required access | Roster - Full Access |
Navigate to Menu > Rosters > Roster Cycle. On other plans, the menu item shows a lock and Requires Upgrade.
How a roster cycle works
Create the cycle
The pattern of days, with the start and end times of each worked day.
Assign it
Who it's for, at which Location and Role, and the first and last dates it applies.
Run it
Adds the shifts to the Roster Calendar, up to the date you choose. Run it again to add later weeks.
Editing or deleting a cycle or an assignment doesn't change shifts already on the roster. Run the assignment again to update future weeks.
Create a roster cycle
- Click Roster Cycle Template, then New Roster Cycle.
- To start from a common pattern, choose one under Common Cycle Templates, such as 7 On / 7 Off (2-week cycle).
- Enter the Cycle Title and the Cycle Length (days), from 1 to 50.
- Under Cycle Shift Data, turn on Worked for each worked day and enter its start and end times, and a note if you need one. Leave off days turned off.
- Turn on Active, then click Create Cycle. Leave Active off to save it as a draft for later.
Only active cycles can be assigned. To start a new cycle from an existing one, click Edit beside it, then Clone.
Assign a roster cycle to a Group or employee
- On the Roster Cycle Assignment page, click New Cycle Assignment.
- Choose the cycle under Cycle, and the first and last dates it applies under Project Length. The first date is day 1 of the cycle.
- Under Assign To, choose a Group or one Employee.
- Choose the Location, the Role if the Location uses Roles, and a Job if you need one.
- Check the list of employees it matches, turn on Active, then click Apply.
A Group assignment matches the Group's active staff who can work at that Location and Role. Once saved, the Project Length dates can't change, so every run lines up with day 1. For different dates, create a new assignment.
Run a roster cycle to add its shifts
- Click Run beside the assignment.
- Under Apply Cycle Until, choose how far ahead to add shifts. The last option, Project End, is the assignment's last date.
- Check the Cycle Days Preview, and any existing shifts it found. If a week is locked, click Open Roster, then Unlock and Confirm to unlock it first.
- Choose Top Up or Replace, then click Generate and confirm.
- Click View Roster to check the shifts, then lock the weeks and notify your staff. To lock all the cycle's weeks at once, show them on the Roster Calendar with a longer range, such as 4 Weeks, then click Lock and Confirm. See Roster Calendar.
| Method | What it does |
|---|---|
| Top Up | Keeps every existing shift for the matched staff, and adds cycle shifts only on days they have none. Use it to add later weeks or a new employee. |
| Replace | Deletes the matched staff's shifts in the range, then adds the cycle's shifts. |
Warning
Replace deletes shifts you added by hand or by any other way. Top Up adds back a cycle day you deleted on purpose, because that day has no shift. Check the preview before you click Generate.
A run only adds shifts from yesterday onwards. To fill past weeks, use Clone Week or Import CSV on the Roster Calendar instead.
Add a new employee to a Group's roster cycle
Adding someone to the Group doesn't add their shifts. Make sure they can work at the assignment's Location and Role, then click Run beside the assignment, check they're in the employee list, choose Top Up and click Generate. They follow the same days on and off as the rest of the Group.