The pay for shift feature allows staff to be paid for a set period of time, rather than being paid per individual task or visit. This is useful when staff are required to be available for a defined shift, regardless of how many activities are completed during that period.
Shifts can be set up and managed within the system, with controls for products, rates, invoicing, payroll, and holiday entitlement. This provides flexibility in managing staffed time while maintaining accurate financial and operational records.
How shift pay works
Shift pay compensates a staff member for a specific period of time, regardless of the number of visits or tasks completed.
Things to be aware of:
There's currently no check‑in or check‑out for the shift itself.
Staff can still check in and out of visits that take place within a shift.
Shifts and associated visits are not currently included in the optimiser.
Configure products for shifts
Once shifts are enabled, you must configure which products can be used with the feature.
Click Setup, then click Products.
Use the Shifts column to select the products available for shifts.
📌 Note: If you create a new or unattached product, it automatically associates with the shifts feature.
Rate sheets and finance setup
Rate sheets
Ensure the selected product is listed on the required rate sheets for:
Charges.
Payments.
Finance defaults
Click Setup, then click Finance.
Click Shifts.
Configure default values for:
Booking staff to shifts.
Adding requirements to shifts.
These defaults apply when creating shifts and shift requirements.
Access shifts
A Shifts icon is available in the main navigation bar, located between Staff and Suppliers.
From here, you can:
Create new shifts.
View existing shifts.
Manage uncovered and unfilled shifts.
Create a shift
To create a shift, follow these steps:
Click the Shifts icon.
Click New.
Complete the shift details page.
The layout mirrors other core records, with:
A left‑hand navigation panel.
Quick actions such as: New Run, Uncovered Shifts, and Unfilled Shifts.
Shifts include the following tabs:
Details.
Orders.
Roster.
Timesheets.
Reports.
Shift details
The Details tab contains the main information for the shift, including:
Shift name and contact details.
Address and location information.
Area assignment for staff matching.
Linked customer information.
If the travel module is enabled, map functionality allows you to view and adjust the shift location.
Client contacts and locations
Additional contacts and locations can be added to the shift and used when creating requirements. This is useful when work takes place at a location other than the main shift address.
You can:
Add new contact locations.
Set priorities for contacts.
Search for and reuse existing addresses.
Shift orders
Shift orders control how work is charged and paid.
When creating an order, you can define:
References and payees.
Status and validity dates.
Rate sheets for charge, pay, and travel.
Discounts, fixed costs, and additional charges.
Only orders with an Active status allow new requirements to be added.
Order dates and status
Requirements can only be added within the order start and end dates.
Changing these dates removes any roster entries outside the new range.
Existing bookings remain if the order status changes, but no new requirements can be added.
Shift roster
The shift roster displays all requirements and bookings for the selected shift.
From the roster, you can:
Add, view, and edit requirements.
Book or replace staff and suppliers.
Manage shifts using a text view or map view (if enabled).
Colour indicators show booking and availability status at a glance.
Working with shift requirements
Creating a new requirement
Click New on the roster and complete the required fields across the following tabs.
Details
Includes:
Shift and location.
Order and product.
Start and end times.
Requirement type.
Recurrence settings.
Breaks
Use this to record breaks, such as lunch:
Set start and end times.
Choose whether breaks are chargeable and/or payable.
Expenses
Used for additional costs such as mileage:
Select expense type.
Enter quantities.
Optionally apply expenses to existing bookings.
Tasks
Specify tasks to be completed during the shift:
Task name and duration.
Notes and instructions.
Option to apply tasks to existing bookings.
Notes
Free‑text notes to capture additional information.
Options
Additional controls, including:
Timesheet creation.
Preventing time edits.
Email and SMS notifications.
Saving creates a shift requirement on the roster.
Book and manage staff
When booking staff to a shift, default rules apply based on finance setup. Once booked, shifts can be managed using:
Text‑based management tools.
Map‑based views (if enabled).
Visual indicators show availability and booking status.
Timesheets, invoicing, and payroll
Shift timesheets display differently from visit timesheets for clarity.
Invoicing is generated based on selected charge options.
Payroll is generated based on selected pay options.
Holiday entitlement
Holiday entitlement can be configured to include or exclude:
Hours worked in shifts.
Hours worked in associated requirements.
Defaults are set in Finance setup but can be overridden during booking.
Reports
The Reports tab includes:
Default shift reports.
User‑defined reporting options.
These reports support invoicing, payroll, and operational reviews.
Unfilled and uncovered shifts
Unfilled shifts: Show shifts that have no booked staff
Uncovered shifts: Highlight gaps based on search criteria.
These views help identify resourcing issues quickly.
Known limitations
Shifts are not currently shown in the monthly view.
Shift‑related visits are not included in optimisation jobs.
Travel expenses for shifts must be added manually.
Data extract and optimiser
Shift data is included in data extracts, with the shift name shown under the client last name field.
Visits allocated to shifts are not included in optimiser runs.