RosterElf Product Update - July 2022


This month the Developer team at RosterElf team have been busy with a lot of behind-the-scenes work, including general fixes/improvements and a tonne of work in preparation for future UX improvements and feature releases. Whilst I know feature releases are way more exciting, it's the work we need to do so we can give you more.


So this month, we have three tips on getting more out of your existing RosterElf account.



Feature Spotlight


How to Copy a Roster from a Previous Week and Validate Staff Availability


When copying a roster from a previous week, you can click Publish without actually going live with the roster as a quick check to see if any staff are unavailable, on leave or overlapping on the roster with other shifts they have. This trick saves you from copying a roster, then updating it and clicking publish, only to find that the time you spent updating the roster needs to be done again as one of your key staff members is unavailable this week.


To learn how to copy a roster and validate it - Click here.





Auto Rounding Staff Clock In/Out Times


RosterElf allows you to pay your staff based on four different payroll methods. You can pay them based on their Rostered, Time Clock (clock in/out), Auto Rounding and Custom. 


Before we talk about Auto Rounding, I'll briefly cover the three other choices. 


Rostered - Choosing the rostered time will pay the staff precisely as rostered. Simple and effective.


Time Clock - Time Clock pays staff the exact times they clock in and out. It's a popular option that brings a level of time and attendance that you may not have previously had. However, some businesses may find paying staff precisely to the minute a bit cumbersome when every shift in payroll has a clock in/out and break time that is a minute or more off.


Custom - Custom allows you to pay your staff for hours you manually input into RosterElf. Great for when a staff member forgets to clock in/out to their shift's start, end or break time. We also find that many customers use the Custom choice instead of Auto Rounding because they either haven't set up Auto Rounding correctly for their business or are unaware of the option. Whilst this works fine, Auto Rounding can save you time manually editing each shift on your payroll.


Auto Rounding - Auto Rounding will round the payroll times to a time that is 'cleaner' than simply using the Time Clock times. They can be set up separately for start, end and break times, and each of those times has three choices in the workflow that allows you to have an initial rounding timeframe and another rule if staff clock outside of that initial timeframe. In other words, you could set RosterElf to give staff a 10-minute buffer to clock in and outside that 10-minute buffer, round to the nearest 5 minutes. So if you had three staff starting at 8 am who clocked in at 7.55 am, 8.08 am, and 8.13 am. The three clock-in times would be 8 am, 8 am, and 8.15 am, respectively.


Customers using this feature often tell us they save a lot of time by selecting Auto Rounding as the payroll time. Rather than have times all over the place, give Auto Rounding a go. Click here to find out more on how to set up Auto Rounding.





Creating Positions as Sites for Mobile Businesses


There are many different business models, whether a fixed location like a restaurant, a mobile business like a pet groomer, online businesses like RosterElf, franchises, boutiques and large corporates etc. When there are so many different types of businesses, there will never be a one-size-fits-all to how a business runs but sometimes, thinking outside the box can help you get the best out of your tools. That's why this month, we wanted to bring another point of view on how to get the most out of RosterElf that works incredibly well for any business that has regular clients that they visit and need to roster their staff to those locations.


Some examples of businesses that would benefit from this articles approach are:


  • Cleaning businesses
  • NDIS support service
  • In-home hairdressing and other personal care businesses
  • Pet grooming businesses
  • Regular food or other delivery services
  • Property management PCR inspections


You can utilise our Positions as Sites hack for these businesses and many others with a similar multiple location roster. You'll be able to create a position as a site and add a description that could include contact details, client preferences, tasks or anything else you want. You can also colour code each 'site' for help when you roster and pay a different pay rate for each site. Plus, for Xero-connected customers, you can add Xero Tracking Codes to help run Xero reports on different segments of your business.


What are you waiting for? Give our Positions as Sites trick a go.




Until Next Month


We hope you like the tips and tricks we've shared. If you have any cool RosterElf tricks that you would like to share, feel free to reach out to the team at customersupport@rosterelf.com.

Have Questions?

We Have The Answers

What behind-the-scenes improvements were made to RosterElf in July 2022?

In July 2022, RosterElf's development team focused on general fixes and improvements, as well as extensive groundwork for future user experience enhancements and new feature releases.

How can I copy a roster from a previous week and check staff availability in RosterElf?

To copy a roster from a previous week and validate staff availability, use the 'Publish' feature without going live. This allows you to check for any staff unavailability or overlapping shifts before finalising the roster.

What are the different payroll methods available in RosterElf?

RosterElf offers four payroll methods: Rostered, Time Clock, Auto Rounding, and Custom. Each method provides flexibility to match your business's payroll preferences, with Auto Rounding helping to streamline payroll times.

How does Auto Rounding work in RosterElf?

Auto Rounding in RosterElf adjusts clock-in/out times to more manageable increments. You can set initial rounding timeframes and secondary rules to ensure times are rounded efficiently, saving you from manually editing each shift.

Can RosterElf be used for mobile businesses with multiple locations?

Yes, RosterElf can be adapted for mobile businesses by using the 'Positions as Sites' feature. This allows you to create positions for each client location, add detailed descriptions, and manage staff assignments and pay rates effectively.

What types of businesses benefit from the 'Positions as Sites' feature in RosterElf?

The 'Positions as Sites' feature benefits businesses with multiple client locations, such as cleaning services, NDIS support, in-home personal care, pet grooming, delivery services, and property management inspections. This approach helps manage staff assignments and site-specific details efficiently.

Important Notice

The information contained in this article is general in nature and you should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs. Legal and other matters referred to in this article are of a general nature only and are based on RosterElf's interpretation of laws existing at the time and should not be relied on in place of professional advice.

RosterElf is not responsible for the content of any site owned by a third party that may be linked to this article and no warranty is made by us concerning the suitability, accuracy or timeliness of the content of any site that may be linked to this article.

RosterElf disclaims all liability (except for any liability which by law cannot be excluded) for any error, inaccuracy, or omission from the information contained in this article and any loss or damage suffered by any person directly or indirectly through relying on this information.