Web Update: Locked Shifts, Custom Meal Breaks, Unavailability Comments & More

by Jake Shelley, 3 minutes read
HOME blog web update locked shifts custom meal breaks unavailability comments more

We’ve made a few improvements to Deputy recently based on all the great feedback we get from our users. Let’s go through them in a bit of detail.

ROSTER/SCHEDULE SHIFT LOCKING

Previously if you rostered your staff and they commenced a shift during the period they were rostered, that particular shift would become locked in the Roster/Schedule view. We originally built it like this so we could ensure that the original roster information could used by the worked timesheet after creation. This allowed us to provide you with the option to import rostered details when approving that shift. This however meant that if your employee arrived at work for a 9-5 shift and they started this shift, you couldn’t vary the roster dynamically, the roster would remain locked and static.

We have since realised that there are some cases in workplaces where companies roster their employees for an extended period of time and then adjust their roster on the day of employment so that they can placed where they are needed most. These dynamic rosters required us to change our logic slightly. We are now allowing your staff members to start their shifts and then have their rosters changed/varied within the same day. We will still lock these shifts, but not unless a whole day passes since that shift was worked.

Best Practice Tip/Example:
You roster your plumber for a 9am-5pm shift at your plumbing head office. When your plumber arrives at the head office you analyze your workday and determine where you need this plumber to work. You can then shorten his 9am-5pm shift to 9am-10am and then create another shift between 10.30am-5pm at a particular site where your plumber will be needed. When you create this new shift you will then republish. Your plumber can then end his shift at the head office, travel to this new location and then start his shift when he arrives. He will end his shift at the particular location when his shift is completed. Deputy’s new improved dynamic roster will allow for complete day-to-day roster customisation. You will then have 2 separate time sheets at the 2 different locations you rostered that employee to for that day.

CUSTOM MEAL BREAK LENGTHS

When rostering you can now add a custom meal break template. Within rostering you can add a new template meal break value when selecting the appropriate meal break. E.g. you can now roster a meal break of 24 minutes.

UNAVAILABILITY COMMENTS

When setting unavailability your staff can now submit a comment along side this record so you can see why they are unavailable.

This can be done via the smartphone application and from the desktop.

If you are unaware of how to set your availability, please refer to this article: https://www.deputy.com/gb/help/request-leave-set-unavailability/

CHANGES TO THE SUPERVISOR PERMISSION

Within this update of Deputy we have also adjusted the supervisor permission level. These changes are in response to the permission feedback we have received. The supervisor permission has been adjusted so that your supervisors can no longer view the costs associated against your staff, they can no longer edit your staff (adjust permissions, rates and details) and they can no longer access reports.

For further detail of what a supervisor can see and do, please refer to this article: http://help.deputy.com/customer/portal/articles/1369067-deputy-101—supervisor

If you wish to see a high level chart of what each role permission can do, please refer to this article: https://www.deputy.com/gb/help/access-levels/