Shifts and schedules

Build a multi-week rotating pattern by creating a Rotating schedule, filling each week with shifts, then setting the week one start date.

Step 1: Open the shifts and schedules area

1. Open Realtime and log in.
2. On the left-hand menu, under Time and Attendance, click Shifts and Schedules.

Step 2: Create a new rotating schedule

1. At the top of the page, find the drop-down labelled Schedule.
2. To the right of it, click New.
3. Give the schedule a name and select a schedule type.
4. From the schedule type drop-down, select Rotating.

Step 3: Configure week 1 of the rotation

1. A box will appear showing one week of the schedule.
2. Drag and drop shifts from the shift bank on the left onto each day.
3. To mark a day as a day off, right-click the day and select Day Off.

If the shift you need does not exist yet, create it first using the Creating a new shift guide.

Step 4: Add additional weeks

1. Above the week grid, click New again to add a second week.
2. Populate week 2 with the appropriate shifts, using right-click then Day Off where needed.

Step 5: Finalise the rotating schedule

1. Once your rotating pattern is complete, set the Week 1 Start Date.
2. Click Apply to save the rotating schedule.

Optional: you can assign weekly pay rates to a rotating schedule. See the Weekly rates guide for instructions.

Exception parameters set the timekeeping rules for a shift, the expected start and end and the limits around them, so Realtime can flag late arrivals, early finishes and missed clockings automatically.

Core parameters

• Start. The expected shift start time. A clock-in after this is flagged as late, and pay may be deducted unless a grace period is set.
• End. The expected shift end time. A clock-out before this is flagged as “Clock Out Before Shift Finished”, and pay may be deducted unless a grace period is set.

Optional time controls

• Earliest Start. The earliest an employee may clock in. If set to 06:30, a clock-in at 06:25 is not accepted for this shift.
• Flag Early Start. Alerts you when an employee clocks in too early. If the shift starts at 07:00 and this is set to 06:30, only clock-ins before 06:30 trigger an alert.
• Latest Start. The latest an employee may clock in. If set to 07:59, a clock-in after 07:59 is not accepted as a start. Realtime instead creates a “Not Clocked In” (NCI) exception and reads the clocking as a clock-out.
• Flag Late Finish. Alerts you when an employee stays beyond expected hours. If the shift ends at 17:00 and this is set to 17:30, a clock-out after 17:30 triggers an alert.
• Latest End. The cut-off for recording clock-outs. If the shift ends at 17:00 and this is set to 17:30, a clock-out after 17:30 is blocked and the employee is auto clocked out at the latest end time.
• Absence Check. Runs an absence check at the configured time to identify anyone who has not clocked in for their shift.

Setting these correctly keeps reporting accurate, helps prevent time theft, and alerts you to unusual attendance behaviour.

Switch a shift from daily to hourly rates, then add time bands so different parts of the shift pay at different rates, for example basic, overtime, then basic again.

Step 1: Open a shift

1. Go to the Shifts section.
2. Select an existing shift or create the one you want to configure.

Step 2: Go to the Rates tab

1. Inside the shift setup, click the Rates tab.

Step 3: Switch from daily to hourly rates

1. In the Rates section, find the Daily Rates checkbox.
2. Untick it to switch to hourly rates.

Step 4: Add rate periods

Define each time range and the rate that applies to it. For each period, click New, set the start and end time, choose the rate, then confirm. Using the example below:

1. Start 02:00, end 06:00, rate Basic.
2. Start 06:00, end 08:00, rate Overtime.
3. Start 08:00, end 18:00, rate Basic.

Step 5: Review your rate setup

You should now see three hourly bands:

02:00 to 06:00 Basic  |  06:00 to 08:00 Overtime  |  08:00 to 18:00 Basic

Step 6: Save the shift

1. Save all changes to apply the new hourly rate structure.

A rounding group sets how clock-in and clock-out times are rounded on a shift. Create the group, define one or more rules, then apply it to the shift.

Step 1: Open the shift settings

1. Open the shift where you want to apply a rounding group.
2. Go to the Rounding and Violation tab within the shift setup.

Step 2: Select or create a rounding group

1. To amend an existing group, click Edit.
2. To create a new group, click New.

Step 3: Define the rounding rule

Each rounding group needs at least one rule, and you can add several. For each rule, set:

• Time or interval. Round to a specific time (entering 08:00 rounds all clockings in that period to exactly 08:00), or round by an interval such as 15 minutes.
• Rounding direction. Choose to round In, Out, or Both.
• Rounding type. Choose to round Up, Down, or Up and Down depending on the requirement.

Example: rounding up by 15 minutes turns a clocking of 08:55 into 09:00. Rounding down by 15 minutes turns 08:55 into 08:45.

Step 4: Save the rounding group

1. Once the rules are configured, save the group. It is now available to use in shift setup.

Step 5: Apply the rounding group to a shift

1. Return to the shift configuration and open the Rounding and Violation tab.
2. Select the rounding group you want to apply.
3. Click Apply or Save and Close to confirm.

Breaks can be applied either by time of day or by hours worked, and can be paid, auto-deducted or unpaid. Choose a method and a type, then set the duration.

Break methods

There are two ways to trigger a break. The logic differs but the setup process is the same for both.

• Time span. The break applies if the employee works during a set time range. Example: a break set between 11:00 and 14:00 applies automatically if they work those hours.
• Worked hours. The break applies after a defined number of hours worked. Example: a 30-minute break triggered automatically after 6 hours.

Break types

Choose one of the following:

• Paid. The break is paid, as long as the employee does not exceed the set break duration.
• Auto deduct. The break is deducted automatically whether or not the employee clocks out.
• Unpaid. The break is deducted only if the employee clocks out.

With auto deduct, the system will not deduct break time twice if the employee clocks out, unless the break exceeds the allowed time or falls outside the specified time span.

Set the amount

1. Specify the break duration, in hours or minutes as your policy requires, for example 00:30 for a 30-minute break.

An OpenShift lets staff clock in and out at any time, as long as they complete the expected hours. Create it like any shift, set the shift type to OpenShift, then define the hours.

What is an OpenShift?

An OpenShift gives maximum flexibility, with no fixed start or end time. Its key features:

• No set start or end times.
• Employees must complete the required hours, for example 8.
• A maximum limit, for example 12 hours, can restrict overtime.
• Exceptions are flagged only for a missing clock-out or for not meeting expected hours.
• Lateness and early starts are not flagged.

Step 1: Open shifts and schedules

1. From the left-hand menu, go to Time and Attendance, then Shifts and Schedules.

Step 2: Create a new shift

1. In the shift list on the left, scroll to the bottom and click New.
2. Give the new shift a name.

Step 3: Select the shift type

1. Under Shift Type you will see Full Shift, Part Shift and OpenShift.
2. Select OpenShift.

Step 4: Define the hours

1. The start and end time fields will disappear once OpenShift is selected.
2. Enter the Expected Hours, for example 8.
3. Set the Maximum Hours, for example 12.

Step 5: Configure additional settings

You can set breaks, rounding and pay rates just like a standard shift.

• Set a basic rate. Click Rates, then New, assign a basic rate, set the amount up to 12 hours, and leave rounding off if you prefer.
• Configure paid absences. Under Paid Absences, choose how much time to pay for holidays. For a full shift, choose basic rate and enter 8 hours. For split shifts, assign 4 hours to each half.

Step 6: Save your OpenShift

1. Scroll to the bottom and click Apply. The OpenShift is now ready to use in employee schedules.

A FlexiShift lets an employee work a set number of hours within a flexible window, with mandatory core hours in the middle. Create a new FlexiShift and assign it to the schedule.

Important: do not convert a full shift to a flexi shift. Always create a new FlexiShift and assign it to the schedule.

Step 1: Open shifts and schedules

1. From the left-hand menu, go to Time and Attendance, then Shifts and Schedules.

Step 2: Create the shift and set the type

1. Select a shift on the left and click Edit, or double-click it.
2. In the pop-up window, set the Shift Type to FlexiShift.

If FlexiShift is not available, enable it first under Settings, General, Preferences and tick flexi schedules. See the flextime guide for more detail.

Step 3: Define the flexi window

1. Set the earliest start time, for example 8:00 am.
2. Set the latest finish time, for example 6:00 pm.

Step 4: Set the required work duration

1. Enter the number of hours the employee must work that day, for example 8 hours.

Step 5: Set the core hours

1. Set the mandatory time range the employee must be present, for example 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Lateness is only triggered if the employee clocks in after the core start time, 10:00 am in this example.

Step 6: Add additional settings

• Breaks. Add meal or rest breaks per your company policy.
• Rounding rules. Set how start and end times are rounded.
• Rates. Apply any relevant pay rates or multipliers.
• Paid absences. Add any applicable paid leave or absence types.

Step 7: Save the shift

1. Click Apply to save. You are now ready to drag this shift into a new schedule, or replace a shift in an existing schedule staff are already using.

Tips for managing flexi shifts

• Use flexi shifts to balance business needs with employee flexibility.
• Always define clear core hours to keep team collaboration working.
• Review and adjust shifts based on attendance trends or operational needs.

For an overnight shift, create a normal full shift but enter the finish time in 48-hour format, so 4:00 am becomes 2800. Reports and exceptions still display in standard 24-hour time.

Step 1: Open Realtime

1. Launch Realtime and log in with your credentials.

Step 2: Open shifts and schedules

1. On the left-hand menu, select Time and Attendance.
2. Click Shifts and Schedules.

Step 3: Create a new shift

1. In the bottom left, underneath the list of existing shifts, click New.
2. A pop-up window will appear to create your new shift.

Step 4: Enter the shift details

1. Shift name. Enter a name, for example Weekday Night Shift.
2. Shift type. Select Full Shift.
3. Start time. Enter 2200 for 10:00 pm.
4. Finish time. Because the shift runs past midnight, use the 48-hour clock. For a 4:00 am finish, enter 2800 rather than 0400.

The shift is entered in 48-hour format, but all reports and exceptions still display in standard 24-hour time.

Step 5: Add further settings

You can now set up breaks, grace periods, rounding rules and rates. See the How to set up a shift guide for detail on these.

Step 6: Apply the shift

1. Once everything is entered and reviewed, click Apply to save. Your overnight shift is now in the list and ready to use.