Shift Categories

Purpose

The Shift Categories screen allows administrators to create and manage reusable shift templates that define employee working schedules.

A shift category contains the standard working hours, break periods, and scheduling information that can later be assigned to employees through the Work Shift Table.

By creating shift categories, organizations can standardize work schedules across departments, teams, and employee groups while ensuring accurate attendance calculations and working hour tracking.

Examples of shift categories include:

• Morning Shift

• Evening Shift

• Night Shift

• Rotational Shift

• 24-Hour Shift

• On-Call Shift

Shift categories are used throughout attendance management, shift scheduling, overtime calculations, and attendance reporting.

Create

To create a new shift category:

Step 1: Open Shift Categories

1. Navigate to Timesheets & Leave from the left sidebar.

2. Select Shift Categories.

Step 2: Create a New Shift Category

1. Click the Add button.

2. The New Shift Category window will appear.

Step 3: Enter Shift Details

1. Enter the Name of the shift category.

2. Select a Color for visual identification.

3. Enter the Shift Start Time.

4. Enter the Shift End Time.

5. Enter the Lunch Start time.

6. Enter the Lunch End time.

7. Enter an optional Description.

Step 4: Save

1. Click Save.

The shift category will become available for employee shift scheduling.

View

The Shift Categories list displays all configured shift templates available within the organization.

Administrators can review shift schedules, working hours, break periods, and shift definitions before assigning them to employees.

Edit

To modify an existing shift category:

Step 1: Open Shift Categories

1. Navigate to Timesheets & Leave → Shift Categories.

Step 2: Select a Shift Category

1. Locate the shift category you want to update.

2. Click Edit.

Step 3: Update Information

1. Modify the required fields.

2. Review the changes.

Step 4: Save Changes

1. Click Save.

The updated shift category will be available for future scheduling and attendance calculations.

Delete

To remove a shift category:

Step 1: Open Shift Categories

1. Navigate to Timesheets & Leave → Shift Categories.

Step 2: Select a Shift Category

1. Locate the shift category you want to remove.

2. Click Delete.

Step 3: Confirm Deletion

1. Review the confirmation message.

2. Confirm the deletion.

The selected shift category will be deleted from the system.

Field Descriptions

Workflow Rules

Shift Category Rules

• Shift categories serve as reusable scheduling templates.

• A shift category must be created before it can be assigned to employees.

• Multiple employees can be assigned to the same shift category.

Shift Assignment Logic

• Shift categories are assigned through the Work Shift Table.

• Employees inherit the working hours and break periods defined within the assigned shift category.

• Attendance calculations use the shift category assigned to the employee.

Working Hour Calculation Rules

The system calculates scheduled working hours using:

• Shift Start Time

• Shift End Time

• Lunch Break Duration

Calculation Logic

• Working time begins at the configured Shift Start Time.

• Working time pauses at Lunch Start.

• Lunch break duration is excluded from working hour calculations.

• Working time resumes at Lunch End.

• Working time ends at the configured Shift End Time.

Attendance Processing Rules

• Attendance records are evaluated against the assigned shift category.

• Shift start and end times are used to determine attendance compliance.

• Scheduled shift hours are referenced for attendance reporting and workforce planning.

Break Management Rules

• The period between Lunch Start and Lunch End is treated as a non-working period.

• Lunch break time is excluded from scheduled working hour calculations.

• Attendance duration calculations may consider configured break periods when evaluating working time.

Special Shift Rules

Full-Day Shift

For full-day schedules:

• Shift Start Time can be configured as 12:00 AM.

• Shift End Time can be configured according to organizational requirements.

24-Hour Shift

For 24-hour schedules:

• Shift Start Time = 12:00 AM

• Shift End Time = 12:00 AM

This configuration represents a continuous 24-hour shift schedule.

Overtime Calculation Rules

• Shift categories provide the baseline schedule used when calculating overtime.

• Any overtime calculations are evaluated against the employee's assigned shift schedule.

Reporting Rules

• Attendance reports reference shift category information when calculating attendance metrics.

• Shift categories are displayed in employee schedules, attendance summaries, and workforce reports.

Synchronization

Data created in this screen is synchronized with:

• Work Shift Table

• Employee Shift Assignments

• Attendance Management

• Check-In and Check-Out Processing

• Attendance Reports

• Overtime Management

• Workforce Scheduling

• Employee Attendance History

• Payroll Processing

Changes to shift categories are reflected throughout all related attendance and scheduling functions.

Important Notes

• Shift categories are templates and do not assign schedules to employees automatically.

• Employees must be assigned to a shift category through the Work Shift Table before the schedule becomes active.

• Lunch break periods are excluded from scheduled working hour calculations.

• The Color field is used for visual identification only and does not affect attendance calculations.

• Modifying a shift category may affect future attendance evaluations and shift schedules that use the category.

• Administrators should carefully review shift times before assigning them to employees.

• Deleting a shift category may affect employee schedules and attendance calculations if the category is currently in use.

• Shift categories should be standardized across the organization to ensure consistent attendance tracking and reporting.