Shift patterns
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Shift patterns let you schedule when your team members work. You can create one-off shifts or recurring patterns that repeat on a schedule you define.
Stage 1: Shift pattern details
Creating a shift pattern is a two-stage process. First you define the pattern details (name, team, date and recurrence), then you add individual shifts for employees.
This stage is where you will provide the details of the shift pattern like name and frequency.
- Go to the Shifts tab (the clock icon)
- Tap the blue menu button when it appears
- Tap Create shift pattern
- The Create shift pattern screen opens with the following fields:
- Pattern Name (text input, required) -- choose a descriptive name for the shift pattern
- Team (dropdown, required) -- select which team the shift pattern belongs to
- Start Date (date picker, required) -- select the first date you want the shift pattern to run
- Recurrence (selector, required) -- choose the frequency you want the shift pattern to run
The Recurrence selector offers flexible scheduling options. On both mobile and web, the selector is a dropdown with the following frequency values:
- Does not repeat:
A single shift that occurs only on the selected date.
- Daily
The shift repeats daily. Configure:
Repeat every X day(s): -- set a numeric daily interval
- Weekly
When you first select weekly recurrence, the start date's day of the week is automatically selected.
Days of the week -- select which days using circle checkboxes in a grid layout: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
- Monthly
The shift repeats monthly. First set the interval with Repeat every X month(s), then choose between two radio options:
Monthly on day X -- repeats on a specific date number (e.g. the 15th of each month)
Monthly on the Xth weekday -- repeats on a position and day using two dropdowns:
- Yearly
The shift repeats on the same date every X years. Set the interval with Repeat every X year(s).
- End conditions
For recurring shifts (any frequency other than "Does not repeat"), an End section appears with three radio options:
Never end -- continues indefinitely
End after X occurrences -- stops after a set number of shifts (defaults to 10)
End on -- stops on a specific date, chosen via a date picker
Tap Next in the top-right corner of the header to continue to Stage 2
Stage 2: Add Shifts
This stage is where you will add shifts for one or more users to the shift pattern. You can can as many shifts to a shift pattern as you want and each shift card includes the below details
- The Add shifts screen opens with one empty shift card
- Each shift card contains the following fields:
- Employee (dropdown, required) -- placeholder text reads "Select employee". Lists team members assigned to the team you selected in Stage 1
- Start Time (time picker, required) -- the start time of the shifts
- End Time (time picker, required) -- the end time of the shifts
- Paid Break (mins) (numeric input, optional) -- defaults to "0". Paid break time counts towards the employee's working hours. Enter the number of minutes.
- Unpaid Break (mins) (numeric input, optional) -- defaults to "0". Unpaid break time is deducted from the employee's working hours. Enter the number of minutes.
- Tap Add Another Shift at the bottom of the screen to add more employees
- Tap Create in the top-right corner of the header to save and create the shift pattern
Each employee can have different start times, end times and break configurations within the same pattern.
To remove a shift card, tap or click the X button in the top-right corner of the card. The remove button is only visible when there is more than one shift card.
The employee selector automatically excludes employees already selected in other shift cards on the same form.
After a shift pattern is created, the form resets so you can immediately create another if you want to. The title changes to Add another on mobile or Add Another on web to indicate that a pattern was already created.
Adding a shift to an existing pattern
You can add a new shift to a pattern that has already been created.
- Tap a shift pattern card on the Shifts tab to open the pattern detail screen
- Tap the + floating action button or use the pattern menu to add a shift
- The Add shift screen opens with the team name shown as a subtitle
- Fill in:
- Employee (dropdown, required) -- employees already in the pattern are excluded
- Start Time (time picker, required) -- pre-filled if a default exists
- End Time (time picker, required) -- pre-filled if a default exists
- Paid Break (mins) (numeric input, optional) -- defaults to "0"
- Unpaid Break (mins) (numeric input, optional) -- defaults to "0"
- Shift length -- displayed once both times are set
- Tap Add in the top-right corner of the header
If all team members already have shifts in the pattern, a message reads "All team members already have shifts in this pattern."
If there is a schedule conflict (the employee already has a shift at that time), a Schedule Conflict alert is shown.
Tips
- After creating a shift pattern, the form resets automatically so you can quickly add another
- The employee selector only shows team members from the team selected in Stage 1 -- if someone is missing, check their team assignments
- Use the Next occurrences preview to verify your recurrence settings before creating
- Select a past start date when you need to add historical shift records (these are locked to one-off only)
Shift pattern examples
Understanding how shift patterns work helps you set them up efficiently. The key concept is: the pattern itself recurs, and every shift inside it repeats identically each time it fires. This means the same people work the same times every occurrence. To schedule different people on different days, or different times on different days, you create separate patterns.
Below are real-world examples showing how to structure your patterns for common scheduling scenarios.
A small team working the same days every week
A cleaning company has three cleaners who all work Monday to Friday, 7am--3pm.
Create one pattern:
- Pattern name: Weekday Cleaning Team
- Team: Cleaners
- Start date: the next Monday
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
- End: Never
Add three shifts inside the pattern, one per employee, all set to 07:00--15:00. Every weekday, all three people are scheduled automatically.
Different people on different days
A retail store needs Alice and Bob on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and Carol and Dave on Tuesday/Thursday.
Create two patterns:
Pattern 1:
- Pattern name: Mon/Wed/Fri Team
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon, Wed, Fri
- Shifts: Alice 09:00--17:00, Bob 09:00--17:00
Pattern 2:
- Pattern name: Tue/Thu Team
- Recurrence: Weekly on Tue, Thu
- Shifts: Carol 09:00--17:00, Dave 09:00--17:00
Because the pattern recurs as a whole, you cannot put all four people in one pattern and assign them to different days. Each day-group needs its own pattern.
Weekend-only staff
A gym has a weekend crew that only works Saturdays and Sundays.
Create one pattern:
- Pattern name: Weekend Crew
- Recurrence: Weekly on Sat, Sun
- Shifts: add each weekend employee with their start/end times
If the weekend team works different hours on Saturday vs Sunday, you need two patterns instead -- one for Saturday and one for Sunday -- so each can have its own times.
Staggered start times within one pattern
A warehouse opens at 6am for goods-in but the packing team starts at 8am. Everyone is on the same team and works the same days.
Create one pattern:
- Pattern name: Daily Warehouse Shift
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
- Shifts:
- Goods-In Lead: 06:00--14:00, 30 min unpaid break
- Forklift Operator: 06:00--14:00, 30 min unpaid break
- Packer 1: 08:00--16:00, 30 min unpaid break
- Packer 2: 08:00--16:00, 30 min unpaid break
- Dispatch Driver: 10:00--18:00, 30 min unpaid break
Each person has their own start time, end time and break settings, but they all share the same recurring days.
Alternating week rotas
A care home runs a two-week rota. Team A works week one, Team B works week two.
Create two patterns with a fortnightly interval:
Pattern 1:
- Pattern name: Week A Rota
- Start date: the Monday of week A
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri (every 2 weeks)
- Shifts: add all Team A staff
Pattern 2:
- Pattern name: Week B Rota
- Start date: the Monday of week B (one week after Pattern 1's start date)
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri (every 2 weeks)
- Shifts: add all Team B staff
The start dates stagger the two patterns so they alternate weeks. Set the repeat interval to 2 in the recurrence settings.
Multiple teams on the same site
A construction site has a Groundworks team and an Electricals team, each with their own schedules.
Create separate patterns per team:
Pattern 1:
- Pattern name: Groundworks Weekdays
- Team: Groundworks
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon--Fri
- Shifts: all groundworks staff with their times
Pattern 2:
- Pattern name: Electricals Weekdays
- Team: Electricals
- Recurrence: Weekly on Mon--Fri
- Shifts: all electricals staff with their times
You can create as many patterns per team as needed. The employee selector only shows members of the team you selected in Stage 1, so make sure staff are assigned to the correct team first.
Part-time employees alongside full-timers
A veterinary practice has two full-time nurses who work Monday--Friday and one part-timer who only works Wednesday and Thursday.
You have two options:
Option A -- one pattern, part-timer included: Create one pattern for Mon--Fri and add all three staff. The part-timer will be scheduled on all five days, so you would need to cancel their shifts on Mon, Tue and Fri each week using shift exceptions. This creates extra admin.
Option B -- two patterns (recommended): Split into a Mon/Tue/Fri pattern for the full-timers and a Wed/Thu pattern with all three staff:
- Pattern 1: Mon, Tue, Fri -- full-timers only
- Pattern 2: Wed, Thu -- full-timers and part-timer
This avoids manual cancellations each week.
One-off events
A logistics company has a large delivery arriving on Saturday 15th March and needs to schedule a team to unload it.
Create one pattern:
- Pattern name: Stock Delivery -- 15 March
- Start date: 15 March
- Recurrence: Does not repeat
- Shifts: add each staff member working that day with their specific times
One-off patterns are useful for special deliveries, training days, site visits or any shift that does not follow a regular schedule.
Seasonal or fixed-term patterns
A garden centre takes on summer staff from May through September.
Create one pattern:
- Pattern name: Summer Team
- Start date: 1 May
- Recurrence: Weekly on the days they work
- End: End on 30 September
The pattern stops generating shifts after the end date. You can also use "End after X occurrences" if you know the exact number of shifts needed rather than an end date.
Monthly recurring shifts
A salon does a deep-clean on the first Monday of every month, staffed by two senior stylists who arrive early.
Create one pattern:
- Pattern name: Monthly Deep Clean
- Recurrence: Monthly on the 1st Monday
- Shifts: Senior Stylist 1 06:00--10:00, Senior Stylist 2 06:00--10:00
Use the "Monthly on the Xth weekday" option to anchor the pattern to a specific day position rather than a fixed date number.
Building up gradually
You don't need to set up your entire rota in one go. A practical approach:
- Start with your most regular pattern -- the shifts that are the same every week for the most people
- Add patterns for days or groups that differ from the main schedule
- Use one-off patterns for anything irregular
- Review after a week or two and adjust
Each pattern you create runs independently, so adding a new one never affects your existing schedule. If your staffing changes, you can archive old patterns and create new ones without disrupting other active patterns.