Help Centre

Creating a roster: bringing your workforce to life

Now that you’ve set up your account and added your employees, it’s time to put it all together and create your first roster.

Navigate to the roster calendar

1. Go to Menu>Rosters>Roster Calendar

This is your command center for all things roster-related. Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the layout - you’ll be spending a lot of time here.

Selecting the roster week and applying filters

Before we start adding shifts, we need to set the stage:

1. Choose the fiscal year and week for rostering. You’ll see the week’s start date highlighted, this helps you stay oriented. 
2. Now, let’s fine tune our view with some filters:
   
   1. Day: zero in on a specific day if needed.
   2. Display: choose between graphics and shift cost views.
   3. Shift type: filter by the type of shifts you want to see.
3. Here’s the important part - locations. You need to choose at least one location. This is mandatory, so don’t skip it!
4. Employees: by default, all employees are selected. But you can narrow it down if you’re focusing on specific team members.

These filters will help you focus exactly on what you need to see. 

Adding a shift: the building block

Now we’re getting to the heart of rostering. Here’s how to add a shift:

1. Select an employee (don’t worry, you can do this later if you are not sure yet).
2. Add a start time.
3. Add an end time. 
4. Add a break time (Microkeeper can add automatic breaks, click here to read more).
5. Select a job (this is optional).
6. Add a note (also optional, but great for any special instructions).

Understanding the graphical breakdown

Once you’ve added a shift, you’ll see a 24-hour graphical breakdown. This isn’t just pretty colours, it’s packed with useful information:

1. Weekly total: the employee’s total rostered hours for the week.
2. Unavailability: light red areas show when an employee isn’t available.
3. Clashes: highlighted if a shift overlaps with unavailable hours. 
4. Shift timeline: a 24-hour visual of the shift. 
5. Pay rate changes: colour changes indicate when pay rates shift (like for overtime).
6. Hour totals: hours for this specific shift. 
7. Cost totals: cost for this specific shift.
8. Location/role hour totals: total hours for all shifts in this location or role. 
9. Location/role cost totals: total cost for all shifts in this location or role. 

Remember, creating a roster is both an art and a science. It takes practice to balance employee preferences, business needs, and budget constraints. Don't be afraid to experiment and adjust as you go along.

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