Timesheets Overview

A reference guide to the core entities in the Timesheets, Rostering, and Scheduling modules.

This page defines the key entities across StaffSync’s timesheets, rostering, and scheduling modules. These concepts are closely related — a roster creates the planned schedule, and timesheets record what was actually worked.

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Entities

Roster

The planned schedule for a department over a given period. A roster is built by assigning staff members to shifts across days and roles. Once published, StaffSync notifies affected staff of their upcoming shifts. Rosters can be built from scratch, copied from a previous week, or generated from contracted hours.

Shift

A single block of rostered time assigned to a staff member within a department and role. A shift has a start time, end time, and a set of activities. It is the building block of the roster and generates a corresponding timesheet entry once the period has passed.

Job

A shift published to casual staff to fill an open position. Instead of assigning a specific person, a job notification is sent to eligible casuals who can accept or decline. Once a casual is assigned, the job becomes a shift on the roster. Jobs can also be published to find a replacement for an absent rostered staff member.

Timesheet

A record of the hours a staff member actually worked during a shift. Timesheets are generated automatically from the roster and updated when staff clock in and out. They go through a two-tier approval process — first by a manager, then by payroll — before being exported to the payroll provider.

Activity

A labelled segment of time within a timesheet that describes what type of work or event occurred (e.g. Ordinary Time, Overtime, Unpaid Break, Lieu Earned). Each activity maps to a payroll code so it is correctly processed by the payroll provider. Multiple activities can exist within a single shift.

Break

A pause within a shift that can be paid or unpaid. Breaks are configured at the role level and may be automatically inserted into timesheets based on shift length. Unpaid breaks reduce the total payable hours for that shift. Some roles support break replacements, which allow an unpaid break to be converted to a paid one if taken at a specific time.

Pay Period

The recurring time window (e.g. weekly, fortnightly) that timesheets are grouped into for payroll processing. At the end of a pay period, approved timesheets are batched and exported to the payroll provider. Pay periods are configured per organisation and aligned to the payroll provider’s calendar.

Clock-In Method

The mechanism a staff member uses to record their attendance at the start and end of a shift. StaffSync supports multiple clock-in methods: the mobile app, a browser, a tablet, a Kiosk (a shared device running the Simplifi Kiosk app), or a Beacon (a Bluetooth device that automatically clocks staff in when they are in proximity). The clock-in method is recorded on the timesheet for reporting purposes.

Shift Swap

A request submitted by a rostered staff member to swap their shift with another staff member or have it replaced by a casual. Shift swap requests are reviewed and approved or declined by a manager. The outcome is reflected in the roster and the respective timesheets.

Contracted Hours

The regular, pre-agreed hours a staff member is scheduled to work each week, as defined in their profile. Contracted hours can be used to automatically generate a base roster and timesheet activities for that staff member, reducing manual roster entry.