Create and edit shifts

Create clear shift definitions for the work your team needs to cover.

Shifts describe working times and help planners and employees distinguish work, days off and unavailability. Start with the distinct shift times your roster needs, using a roster where you have configuration access.

If you want to refer to several shifts together in rules or preferences, create the individual shifts first, then add them to a shift group.

Whole-screen orientation: open Shift/Shift Groups using the sidebar highlighted for step 1. The location selector and surrounding navigation remain visible.

1. Open Shift/Shift Groups in the left sidebar.

2. In the Shifts section, use the + add control at the top right; the adjacent dropdown contains additional add options.

Screenshot of the Shifts section with Shift/Shift Groups highlighted for step 1 and the Shifts add control for step 2.

3. Enter a unique name. Short names, ideally five characters or fewer, are easier to read in roster cells. Use a name that is not already used by another shift, shift group, task or on-call duty.

4. Enter the start and end times.

5. Add a description where planners need more context. Shift descriptions are visible to administrators.

6. Review whether the shift fulfils demand, can be assigned by AI and needs a skill requirement.

Screenshot of the Shifts table showing shift start times, finish times and durations.

Fulfils Demand indicates whether the shift can count toward roster staffing requirements.
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​AI Assigned indicates whether the AI may choose it in a solution. Both are normally selected for ordinary working shifts; paid training may need different treatment. Choose the settings that match your model rather than copying another shift without checking. Record leave using a leave type, rather than creating a working shift for it.

Use the choice that reflects the intended situation, especially when planning fixed allocations.

When editing an existing shift definition, review affected roster allocations before publishing changes.

For standby coverage, use an on-call duty, either on its own or alongside a working shift. If someone cannot work a shift, check their allowed shifts or shift groups and any skill requirement. Keep NA for genuine unavailability rather than changing it to off to silence a warning.

For archiving and restoring shift definitions, including the effects on dependent setup, see Archive and restore roster setup.