Shift & Attendance Overview
Smooth HR Shift & Attendance tracks when employees work — through shift definitions, roster planning, check-ins, daily attendance records, timesheets, and overtime. Accurate attendance is the foundation for payroll payment days, compliance reporting, and workforce visibility.
Table of Contents
- What Shift & Attendance does
- The attendance lifecycle
- Navigating the module
- Phase 1: Shift setup
- Phase 2: Scheduling & roster
- Phase 3: Capture — check-ins & marking
- Phase 4: Requests & corrections
- Phase 5: Timesheets & overtime
- Phase 6: Payroll & reporting
- Key records
- HR Settings
- Tips
- Troubleshooting
- Related guides
What Shift & Attendance does
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Shift types | Define start/end, grace, working hours |
| Roster | Visual weekly schedule at /hr/roster |
| Employee check-in | Mobile/GPS clock in and out |
| Attendance records | Daily Present / Absent / On Leave / Half Day |
| Bulk tools | Mark attendance for groups; upload CSV |
| Shift requests | Employees request schedule changes |
| Attendance requests | Correct forgotten punches |
| Timesheets | Project/time billing hours |
| Overtime | Overtime types and slips |
| Dashboard | Attendance Count chart and shortcuts |
The workspace home includes shortcuts to Employee Checkin, Attendance, Shift Request, Dashboard, and Roster for fast daily operations.
The attendance lifecycle
Define shifts → Assign schedule/roster → Employees check in → Attendance marked → Exceptions via requests → Payroll consumes payment days
Daily rhythm:
- Employees clock in via Employee Checkin (or biometric integration if configured).
- Smooth HR auto-mark attendance from check-ins (when enabled) or supervisors use Employee Attendance Tool.
- Exceptions (missed punch, work from home) go through Attendance Request.
- At period end, HR runs Monthly Attendance Sheet before payroll.
Navigating the module
Open Shift & Attendance from the Smooth HR sidebar:
| Sidebar item | record / Page | Path |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Shift & Attendance workspace | /app/shift-&-attendance |
| Roster | Roster (web page) | /hr/roster |
| Dashboard | Attendance Dashboard | Attendance Dashboard |
| Employee Attendance Tool | Employee Attendance Tool | /app/employee-attendance-tool |
| Employee Checkin | Employee Checkin | /app/employee-checkin |
| Shift Request | Shift Request | /app/shift-request |
| Attendance Request | Attendance Request | /app/attendance-request |
| Overtime Type | Overtime Type | /app/overtime-type |
| Overtime Slip | Overtime Slip | /app/overtime-slip |
| Shift Type | Shift Type | /app/shift-type |
| Shift Location | Shift Location | /app/shift-location |
| Shift Schedule | Shift Schedule | /app/shift-schedule |
| Activity Type | Activity Type | /app/activity-type |
| Timesheet | Timesheet | /app/timesheet |
| Settings | HR Settings (Shift & Attendance tab) | /app/hr-settings |
Reports:
| Report | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Monthly Attendance Sheet | Grid view of month by employee |
| Shift Attendance | Attendance aligned to assigned shifts |
| Employee Hours Utilization Based On Timesheet | Billable vs. available hours |
| Project Profitability | Project costing from timesheets |
Phase 1: Shift setup
Shift Type
Create shift definitions at /app/shift-type — name, start time, end time, working hours, grace periods, and holiday list. See Shift Type guide.
Shift Location
Optional geofencing for check-ins at /app/shift-location — latitude, longitude, radius.
Shift Schedule & Assignment
Shift Schedule defines rotating patterns. Assign to employees via Shift Assignment or Shift Schedule Assignment. Use Shift Assignment Tool for bulk assignment.
Phase 2: Scheduling & roster
The Roster page at /hr/roster provides a visual calendar:
- View shifts by employee and week.
- Drag to assign or change shifts.
- Identify coverage gaps before they become attendance issues.
See Roster guide.
Roster complements Shift Assignment records — changes in roster update underlying assignments when saved.
Phase 3: Capture — check-ins & marking
Employee Checkin
Employees log IN and OUT at /app/employee-checkin or mobile app. Optional GPS coordinates validate against Shift Location. See Employee Checkin guide.
Auto Attendance
When enabled in HR Settings, check-ins auto-create or update Attendance records based on shift rules (late entry, early exit, half-day thresholds).
Manual / bulk marking
| Tool | Path | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Attendance Tool | /app/employee-attendance-tool |
Supervisor marks team for a date |
| Upload Attendance | /app/upload-attendance |
CSV import |
| Attendance list | /app/attendance |
Individual record create/edit |
See Attendance guide.
Phase 4: Requests & corrections
Shift Request — employee asks to change assigned shift; manager approves → updates assignment.
Attendance Request — employee explains missed punch or wrong status; on approval, attendance is corrected retroactively.
Both use standard submit/approve workflows. Pending Shift Request count appears on the workspace shortcut badge.
Phase 5: Timesheets & overtime
Timesheet (/app/timesheet) tracks hours by Activity Type and Project — useful for consulting, construction, or billable teams. Link timesheets to salary via Salary Structure formulas if needed.
Overtime Type and Overtime Slip manage extra hours beyond shift — overtime slips can feed payroll as Additional Salary or earning components.
Phase 6: Payroll & reporting
Payroll payment days often derive from attendance:
| Payroll Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Based on Attendance | Count Present / Half Day / Leave days from attendance records |
| Based on Leave | Working days minus LWP from leave applications |
Before Payroll Entry, run Monthly Attendance Sheet and resolve Absent days (leave application or mark present).
Shift Attendance report correlates check-ins with shift assignments for audit.
Key records
| Record type | Role |
|---|---|
| Shift Type | Shift definition |
| Shift Assignment | Employee shift for date range |
| Shift Schedule | Rotating pattern template |
| Employee Checkin | Raw punch events |
| Attendance | Daily status per employee |
| Attendance Request | Correction workflow |
| Shift Request | Schedule change workflow |
| Timesheet | Project hours |
| Overtime Slip | Extra hours compensation |
HR Settings
Open HR Settings → Shift and Attendance tab:
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Allow Multiple Shift Assignments | Same employee, multiple shifts per day |
| Process Attendance After | Delay auto-processing (hours) |
| Allow Employee Checkin from Mobile App | Enable mobile punches |
| Geolocation tracking | Require/check GPS on checkin |
| Auto attendance | Create attendance from checkins |
Tips
- Configure shifts before roster — roster pulls from Shift Type definitions.
- Set a payroll cutoff — communicate last day for attendance requests before payroll.
- Use Employee Attendance Tool daily — cheaper than fixing payroll retroactively.
- Review Shift Attendance report weekly — catch missing check-outs early.
- Link holiday list to shift type — automatic holiday handling.
- Train employees on check-in/out — double punches create duplicate checkins to clean up.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Auto attendance not created | Verify HR Settings; check shift assignment exists for date |
| Check-in rejected (location) | Confirm Shift Location radius; employee GPS enabled |
| Wrong Present/Absent status | Review shift grace settings; check half-day rules |
| Roster not loading | Clear cache; confirm Shift Type and assignments exist |
| Duplicate attendance | Cancel duplicate; enable uniqueness validation in HR Settings |
| Payment days zero in payroll | Mark attendance for period; check joining date and payroll basis |
| Overtime not in payslip | Submit Overtime Slip; map component in Salary Structure |
Related guides
Last updated: May 2026