Shift types

Updated by Daniel Sjögren

There are different ways of creating a schedule in Quinyx. However you create a schedule, there have to be shift types, which are essentially the building blocks for creating a schedule. Each shift type comes with several options, enabling you to carry out your scheduling smoothly and efficiently.

Shift types

You'll find the list of shift types under the Shift type menu in account settings and group settings (only visible in group settings when you are on unit level).

The view below displays a list of existing shift types. The shift type's name often relates to where and when the employees' work or to the task being carried out. 

  • You can search the list of shift types by typing something in the search field at the top of the page.
  • If the list contains more than 50 items it will split into several pages. Navigate between the pages by clicking the arrows in the top right corner.
  • To see inactive shift types, click on display and check Inactive shift types.

Examples of shift types:

  • Kitchen
  • Reception
  • Early shift
  • Late shift
  • Cashier
  • Admin
  • Driver
  • Training
  • Doctor
  • Nurse
  • Spa
  • Union meeting
  • Workshop

You can associate a specific color with a shift type. This provides the scheduler with an excellent overview in the schedule. General start and end times are displayed for the shift type, if they have been set, along with linked skills.

Create a shift type

There are two different ways to create shift types in Quinyx:

  • Shared: Created under account settings and visible under account settings and group settings for all units.
  • Local: Created under group settings (on unit level) and only visible under group settings for the group (unit) where they were created.

All shared shift types are marked with a blue label that indicates the shift is shared.

If a shift type is created under group settings on the main unit, it will also be considered as a shared shift type

Click Add to create a new shift type:

  • Name: The name of the shift type. This is what the manager and employee see in the schedule.
  • Color: Select a color from a set of predefined colors.
  • Comment: The comment field is an additional field for entering further information about the shift. The comment will appear as a bubble icon on the Schedule view. The comment is visible to all employees.
    The maximum character length in the comment field is 50 characters.
  • Time: It's not mandatory to add start and end times to a shift type, but it can save you a great deal of time when scheduling if the shift type is normally used for the same periods in the schedule. The shift type times are suggested by default during scheduling, but they can of course be adjusted.
    • You can set the default time on a shift type to 00:00 - 00:00.
    • You can set the default time on a shift type to be over midnight (i.e 22:00 - 06:00).
  • Breaks: Press the plus sign to add one or more breaks to the shift type.
    • You can set the default time on a break within a shift type to be over midnight (i.e 22:00 - 06:00).
    • You can limit the number of breaks when configuring shift type. This setting can be reached via Account settings ->Group management → Advanced unit settings → Misc. Break/Shifts.
  • Show breaks in mobile app: Check to make break start time and break end time visible when viewing the shift in the mobile app. If left unchecked, only the break duration will be displayed in the mobile app.
Note, however, that for manager portal users logging into the mobile app, break start and end times will display regardless of this checkbox.
  • Category: Select whether the shift type belongs to a category. The categories are created under Shift type categories in account settings or group settings. It's not possible to filter on category in schedule or base schedule.
  • Cost center: Select whether the shift type is to be connected to a specific cost center. This will ensure that time worked on this shift is also assigned to the selected cost center, so that it will be posted accordingly in payroll files and reports.
  • Project: Select whether the shift type is to be posted to a specific project.
  • Salary type rules: It's possible to define rules for extra salary types to be generated when an employee punches time on a shift. Salary type ID is displayed next to the name of the salary type. Read more about shift type rules further down in this article.
  • Cost: It's not necessary to insert the hourly cost, but this is useful if staff costs need to be tracked in Quinyx. This cost set for the shift type defines a standard cost for unassigned shifts which is shown in schedule view summaries etc. As soon as the shift is assigned, the cost is recalculated according to the assigned employee's agreement.
  • Skills: You can add skills relevant to shifts so a scheduler can determine easily who has a skill necessary for a particular shift. If a skill is required and the scheduler attempts to schedule someone who doesn't have it, a warning will be displayed to the scheduler. Employees will be prevented from automatically being assigned to a shift if they don't have the necessary skills for that shift
  • Task: You can add tasks and specific times for them to be performed during a shift. A task isn't counted as productive time.
    • You can set the default time on a task within a shift type to 00:00 - 00:00.
  • Tags (only visible if you are using our tags module): A tag is a container of properties that you can connect to shift types, shifts, or punches. Tags are similar to cost center codes, project codes, and account codes that you can connect to a shift type, but they can carry more properties.
  • Productive hours: It's possible for shifts that aren't counted as scheduled hours to be counted as productive time and so be included in the Headcount summary that can be seen in the Daily schedule and Scheduled staff views, if you use the Forecast module. If a shift is tagged as productive time, it will be included in all Headcount summaries in scheduled views and Forecast:
    • No: This option can be selected if the shift type is used for tasks that don't contribute to sales and should never be included in the headcount, which is compared to optimal staffing figures, e.g. administration or training.
    • Yes, for scheduled hours: Hours will be calculated as productive only if the shift has Count as scheduled hours checked and is selected by default.
    • Yes, always: The value Count as scheduled hours is ignored; the shift will always be counted as productive time.
  • On-call shift: Enabled if the shift is an on-call shift. When this is enabled, the shift isn't checked against the employee's time rules in the case of staffing. This is because on-call shifts aren't covered by the same collective agreement rules as regular shifts.
    • None
    • Ordinary 
    • Qualified 
    • Extra
  • Stand by shift: Selected if the shift is a standby shift. Standby shifts work similarly to on-call shifts.
  • Overtime shift: Works like other shifts and is included in agreed hours but will be totaled separately from the standard time.
  • Count as scheduled hours: Checked by default and means that the shift type's hours are included in the time summaries and calculations against set time rules.
  • Count as worked hours: Checked by default and determines whether time punches, linked to the shift type, are to be included in time summaries.
  • Free day: Day off shifts can be used to schedule days off for employees, which allows employees to swap days off with one another via the shift switching function. Days off aren't counted as scheduled hours.
  • Available in Webpunch: Check this to make the shift type selectable in Webpunch.
To add a shift type, you need write access on the shift type permission.

Edit shift type

  1. Navigate to group settings or account settings and click on Shift types in the menu on the left-hand side.
  2. Click the Edit button next to the shift type you want to edit.
  3. A side panel will open on the right-hand side.
  4. Update the information you wish to change.
  5. Click Save when you're finished.
  6. Your changes will now be saved, and the changes will be visible in the schedule next time you use the shift type.
To edit a shift type, you need write access on the shift type permission. Note that it isn't possible to edit a shared shift type under group settings.

Delete shift type

  1. Navigate to group settings or account settings and click on Shift types in the menu on the left-hand side.
  2. Click on the Delete button next to the shift type you want to delete.
  3. A modal will show up asking for you confirmation to delete it.
  4. Once the shift type is deleted, the modal will close and the shift type will disappear from the shift type list.
 To delete a shift type, you need write access on the shift type permission. It isn't possible to delete a shift type that is being used or has been used in the past. If this happens, you will get an error message saying that the shift type can't be deleted. Remove the shift type from where it has been used in the schedule and try again.

Disable a shift type

A shift type can't be deleted if it has been used in the schedule, but it's possible to render shift types inactive by unchecking Active if you no longer wish to use it. Then it won't be possible to select them during scheduling.

It's fine to disable a shift type that is used in the current schedule. This won't affect the rolled out schedule. The only thing affected is that it won't be possible to select the shift type in future.

You can disable as follows:

  1. Open the shift type.
  2. Uncheck Active.
  3. Click Save.

Copy shift types

When configuring shift types, it is possible to copy an already existing shift type to make an identical clone of the configuration quickly. Click the copy-icon on the right side an existing shift to perform a quick-copy.

Update a shift type

It's possible to change settings in a shift type simultaneously choose to update the shifts in base schedules and shifts in the schedule with the changes:

Changing shift time is one example.

  1. Click Edit to update shift type information.
  2. Change relevant information (e.g., start time).
  3. Click Save. 

After you have made updates to a shift type, click on the action menu in the top right corner and select update shifts.  A new pop-up will open:

  1. Select the shift type that you just made a change to.
  2. Select the period you want the shifts to be updated.
  3. Select what you want to update.

You will then see the affected base schedules and the number of affected shifts that will be updated. Select whether you want to update everything (select all) or only specific base schedules and/or the rolled out shifts in the schedule, then select update. When the update is finished, the pop-up will close and a text will appear to indicate if the update was successful or not.

When a shift type is updated with a cost center and/or a project, the update will be reflected not only in the GUI but also in reports containing this information the Salary details report, for instance). Note that this will be applied when you choose to Update shifts in the Actions tab in Shift types and not by only saving the edited shift type.
Some changes (for example a change in the shift type name or associated costs) are immediate and affect historical shifts as well, and others require an update to take effect.
When updating shifts through group management, you need write access on the shift type permission.

Manual rules on shifts

Salary type rules allow you to define rules for extra salary types to be generated when an employee punches time on a specific shift type. In the salary type overview, you’re able to identify salary types added as a result of these rules. They are denoted by an orange square.

To add a salary type rule to a shift type, click on Add in the Salary type rule section of the Edit shift form:

Then you'll see the following form:

Begin by selecting outcome salary type, which we’ll refer to as “salary type X” for the remainder of this article. You have three options here:

  • No salary type: The rule will only be applied if the punch doesn’t have any salary type outcome.
  • Multiple salary types: The rule will only be applied if a salary type in the selected group of salary types occurs on the punch. Click here for a list of which standard salary types are part of which categories.
  • Specific salary type: The rule will only be applied if that salary type occurs on the punch. Note that for a salary type to be visible in this drop-down on an assigned shift requires for it to be selected on the assignee’s agreement template. For unassigned shifts, the salary type needs to be selected in global settings.

You may choose between the four following options:

  • Replace by: Removes salary type X and replaces it by salary type Y. 
  • Add: Salary type Y is generated in addition to salary type X.
  • Multiply by: When selecting this function, an additional field appears where you’re required to enter a multiplication factor. This factor multiplies the amount of salary type Y by that of salary type X. For instance, if there are 4 hours of Hourly salary on the punch, you select multiply by 1.5 and Extra on call compensation, then the punch will have 4 hours of Hourly salary and 8 hours of Extra on call compensation.
  • Replaced completely: This function removes the salary type X from the punch altogether regardless of the time interval set below, but adds salary type Y only to that specific time interval.

You then select the salary type that this function should be applied to. We’ll refer to this salary type as “salary type Y” for the remainder of this article. You have two options here:

  • No salary type: No salary type
  • Specific salary type: Note that for a salary type to be visible in this drop-down it needs to be selected on the assignee’s agreement template for assigned shifts and in global settings for unassigned shifts.

The next step is to set which time interval the rule should be applied to. You have five options here:

  • Specified time period: The rule should only be applied within the specified time period. Selecting this option adds two additional fields allowing you to specify From and To time of the time period.
  • Within schedule: The rule should only be applied for hours on the punch worked within the scheduled shift.
  • Outside schedule: The rule should only be applied for hours on the punch worked outside the scheduled shift.
  • Generated hours: The rule should be applied for all hours on the punch generating salary type X.
Punched hours: The rule should only apply if the amount of hours punched hours is within a specific span there is limited support for this option at the moment as the minimum and maximum fields used to set the span for this will be added in a soon-to-be-release.

Next up is defining the amount of hours of salary type Y that should be generated by the rule in question. The following options are available:

  • Working hours: Salary type Y should be generated by the same amount as the number of punched hours on this shift and as defined in the Time interval section.
  • Exactly: An exact amount of salary type Y should be created. An additional field allowing to specify that amount appears if you select this option.
  • Minimum: Salary type Y should be generated for the same amount of hours that has been worked and as defined in the Time interval section, but a minimum amount will be generated if the amount of worked hours are less than that. That minimum amount is specified in an additional field that appears if I select this option.
  • Maximum: Salary type Y should be generated for the same amount of hours that has been worked and as defined in the Time interval section, but a maximum amount will be generated if the amount of worked hours are less than that. That maximum amount is specified in an additional field that appears if I select this option.

When setting up a salary type rule, you may also make use of an if-statement that allows you to specify an additional criteria that needs to be met in order for the rule to apply in the first place:

This if-statement, too, checks whether a certain salary type exists on the punch in question. Just as for salary type X on the rule itself, you have three options here:

  • No salary type: The rule will only be applied if the punch doesn’t have any salary type outcome.
  • Multiple salary types: The rule will only be applied if a salary type in the selected group of salary types occurs on the punch. Click here for a list of which standard salary types are part of which categories.
  • Specific salary type: The rule will only be applied if that salary type occurs on the punch. Note that for a salary type to be visible in this drop-down on an assigned shift requires for it to be selected on the assignee’s agreement template. For unassigned shifts, the salary type needs to be selected in global settings.

The following criteria options are then available:

  • < : The salary type you select in this if statement has been generated for fewer hours on the punch than what’s been defined in the if statement’s Amount field.
  • > : The salary type you select in this if statement has been generated for more hours on the punch than what’s been defined in the if statement’s Amount field.
  • = : The salary type you select in this if statement has been generated for exactly as many hours on the punch as what’s been defined in the if statement’s Amount field.

Apply rules

It's possible to update salary type rules from shift types on historical shifts and update multiple different shift types in different units at the same time. After adding a salary type rule to an existing shift type you can choose to also apply that rule for shifts of that shift type in the schedule during a selected period.

When you have added the salary type rule to a shift type click on actions in the top right corner and select apply rules:

  1. Select for what period the rule should be added.
  2. Select if the rule should be added only to shifts that are missing a rule.
  3. Select if the rule should be applied to all units and shifts (all units that you have access to). If you don't mark this checkbox then select the specific units and shift types.
  4. Click Save

The rule that you added to the shift type will now also be added to the shifts (of that shift type) in the schedule for the selected period.

This feature is by default set to no access and has to be turned on under role management (edit roles). The permission is called apply rules and you will only see it in role management if you have write access on the shift type permission.
Click here to read more about shift type categories.


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