Employees' working time in All Hours is defined by two settings:
Time policy (schedule) – defines how many hours the employee must work per day, when the shift starts, the time window in which time counts as paid, and when the employee must be present.
Work plan – contains one or more time policies and is assigned to employees. You never assign a time policy directly; you assign the work plan that contains it.
The procedure has five steps:
create a time policy,
set it up with Quick setup,
adjust individual days if needed,
add the time policy to a work plan,
assign the work plan to employees.
You can also watch the procedure in the video:
Step 1: Create a time policy
Open Settings › Time Policies and click + Add.
In the New window, enter a name for the time policy. Choose a name that describes the schedule, for example Mon–Fri 7:00–15:00. The description is optional, and the color helps you tell time policies apart.
Tip: Select Create work plan with this policy added. A work plan containing this time policy is then created at the same time, and you can skip step 4.
Click Save. The time policy appears in the list. Click it to open it.
Step 2: Set up the time policy
The time policy page shows four settings: Shift plan, Paid time, Shift start and Required presence. Each of them shows »This rule is inherited«, which means that the company-wide settings apply until you change them.
For most time policies, Quick setup is enough, as it lets you set all four settings in one window. Click Start in the Quick setup section.
In the Quick setup window, fill in:
Working days – the days the time policy applies to. Selected days are highlighted in blue.
Daily plan – how many hours the employee must work per day, for example 8:00.
Paid time rule – use the slider to set the time window in which presence counts as paid time. The start of the window is also the shift start. Make the window wide enough to include possible overtime, as time outside it counts as unpaid.
Limit of paid time within a day – if needed, set the maximum number of hours per day recognised as paid time.
Required presence – if needed, select it and use the slider to set when the employee must be present.
Example: An employee works 8 hours a day from Monday to Friday and starts at 7:00. Select Monday to Friday, a daily plan of 8:00 and paid time from 7:00 to 19:00. The shift starts at 7:00, work until 19:00 counts as paid, and everything above 8 hours counts as overtime.
Click Save changes. If the Period selection window opens, select From the beginning of time for a new time policy.
Step 3 (optional): Adjust individual days
If the schedule differs between days, for example the employee has a shorter working day on Friday, click Edit next to the setting you want to change.
On the setting's page, click Edit again and, under Configuration type, select Override instead of Use settings from higher level. A table with values for each day of the week appears. For the shift plan, for example, enter the number of hours for each day.
Adjust paid time, shift start and required presence in the same way. If you enable the limit of paid time within a day, an additional Limit column appears.
Save the changes. In the Period selection window, choose from when the changes apply:
for a new time policy, select From the beginning of time,
for a time policy already in use, select Custom date so that past periods are not recalculated.
Step 4: Add the time policy to a work plan
If you selected Create work plan with this policy added in step 1, the work plan already exists and you can skip this step.
Otherwise, open Settings › Work Plans and click + Add.
Enter a name for the work plan, select the time policy in the Time policy list and click Add. Then click Save.
A work plan can also contain several time policies, for example for shift work. Learn more: Creating a work plan for shift work
Step 5: Assign the work plan to employees
In Users, select the employees, click Actions › Assign work plan, then select the work plan and the date from which it applies.
Settings explained
Shift plan
The plan is the number of hours an employee must work per day. The difference between the hours worked and the plan is added to the balance. Example: with an 8-hour plan, an employee who works 9 hours gets 1 hour of surplus, and one who works 7 hours gets 1 hour of deficit.
Paid time
Paid time is the time window in which presence counts as paid. Presence outside the window counts as unpaid. The window is defined by three values:
Duration – the length of the window from the shift start. Example: with a shift start at 9:00 and a duration of 10:00, work between 9:00 and 19:00 counts as paid.
Start offset – extends the window before the shift start. Example: with a shift start at 8:00 and an offset of 1:00, paid time starts at 7:00.
Limit – the maximum number of hours per day recognised as paid time. Example: with a limit of 8:00 and 8:30 hours worked, 30 minutes are unpaid. The administrator can convert them to paid time with an adjustment.
Shift start
The time at which the employee starts work. The paid time window is calculated from it, so an incorrect shift start affects the calculation of paid hours.
Required presence
The period in which the employee must be present. It does not affect the calculation of hours. If the employee is not present during this time, a required time violation is recorded, which is visible in the export.
Frequently asked questions
Why is an employee's arrival before the shift start not counted as working time?
Paid time starts with the shift start. To recognise earlier arrivals, set a Start offset.
Why are some hours counted as unpaid time?
The employee was present outside the paid time window or exceeded the Limit. Check the paid time settings in the time policy.
How do I change the shift time from a certain date onwards?
You do not need a new work plan. Edit the existing time policy and, when saving, select Custom date in the Period selection window. The changes do not affect the period before the lock date.
Learn more about work plans: Advanced use of work plans