Shift Type

Shift Type defines the rules of a work shift — start time, end time, working hours, grace periods, and holiday handling. Shift types are assigned to employees via Shift Assignment, Roster, or Shift Schedule, and they govern how Employee Checkin punches convert to Attendance status.

Help URL: smoothhiring.com/help/hrms/attendance/shift-type

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Where to find it
3. Creating a shift type
4. Key fields
5. Grace, late entry, and early exit
6. Holiday and overnight shifts
7. Assigning shifts to employees
8. Shift schedules and rotation
9. Tips
10. Troubleshooting
11. Related guides

Overview

Examples: "General 9–6", "Night Warehouse 10pm–6am", "Retail Weekend 10–4".

Where to find it

Creating a shift type

Step 1: New shift type

1. Shift Type → Add Shift Type.
2. Name — clear label (e.g., "Office Day Shift").
3. Start Time — shift begin (09:00:00).
4. End Time — shift end (18:00:00).
5. Working Hours — expected hours (may auto-calculate).

Step 2: Rules

Configure attendance behavior:

1. Enable Auto Attendance — process check-ins for this shift.
2. Determine Check-in and Check-out — rules for first IN / last OUT.
3. Working Hours Threshold for Half Day — minimum hours for full day vs half.
4. Working Hours Threshold for Absent — below this → Absent.

Step 3: Holiday list

Link Holiday List — shifts on holidays flagged for comp-off or overtime policies.

Step 4: Save

Shift type is now available in Shift Assignment, Roster, and Shift Schedule.

Key fields

Grace, late entry, and early exit

Example: 9:00 AM start, 15-minute grace:

Early exit symmetric — leaving before End Time minus grace flags Early Exit.

Late/Early flags appear on Attendance and Shift Attendance report — use for discipline analytics, not automatic pay deduction unless payroll formula references them.

Holiday and overnight shifts

Holidays

Overnight shifts

When End Time < Start Time (crosses midnight):

• End time assigned to next calendar day automatically.
• Check-ins after midnight attributed correctly.
• Test thoroughly before rollout — common source of Absent false positives.

Assigning shifts to employees

Each assignment row: Employee, Shift Type, Start Date, End Date, optional Shift Location.

Shift schedules and rotation

Shift Schedule (/app/shift-schedule) defines repeating patterns:

Shift Schedule Assignment links employee to schedule template — system generates Shift Assignments per pattern.

Combine with Roster for overrides on specific dates.

Tips

• Name shifts by time + site — "HQ 9-6" vs "Warehouse Night".
• Start with generous grace — tighten after observing check-in data.
• One shift type per distinct rule set — avoid over-merging unlike schedules.
• Link correct holiday list — country/region specific.
• Test overnight shift with manual check-ins before go-live.
• Document half-day thresholds in employee handbook matching system config.

Troubleshooting

Example shift configurations

Standard office (9 AM – 6 PM)

Retail closing shift (2 PM – 10 PM)

Night shift (10 PM – 6 AM)

Document your site's values in an internal runbook so new HR admins replicate correctly.

Changing shift rules mid-year

When business hours change (e.g., summer schedule):

1. Do not edit Shift Type if hundreds of historical assignments exist — late/early analytics distort.
2. Prefer new Shift Type "Office 9-6 Summer" with new times.
3. Update Roster from effective date forward.
4. Communicate to employees — check-in grace changes affect Late Entry flags immediately.

Cancel obsolete shift types only when no active assignments reference them.

Related guides

• Shift & Attendance overview
• Roster
• Employee Checkin
• Attendance

Last updated: May 2026