Workforce management · Shifts
Shift scheduling software: rules are checked while you plan
A roster can be built in Excel too; but Excel does not notice a shift over 11 hours a day, or only 8 hours of rest between two shifts. This shift planner refuses a definition that breaks the rule and warns where the law allows an exception.
Where is the real risk in a roster?
When planning shifts everyone looks at people: who is on leave, who has nights this week. The legal limits are usually remembered only in a dispute or an inspection. Yet the cheapest moment to check a limit is when the plan is made — before the shift is worked.
In this system, the limits of Turkish Labour Law No. 4857 are measured when a shift definition is saved. Where the law allows no exception, the definition is not saved; where it does (e.g. night work in tourism, private security and healthcare), a warning is shown and the decision stays with the manager.
Rules checked while you plan
| Rule | Basis | What the system does |
|---|---|---|
| Daily work may not exceed 11 hours | Law 4857 art. 63 | The shift definition is not saved |
| Minimum rest break | Law 4857 art. 68 | A shift definition that falls short is not saved |
| Night work should not exceed 7.5 hours | Law 4857 art. 69 | Warning — the statutory exceptions and their condition are stated |
| 11 hours’ rest between two shifts | Regulation on work in shifts | Measured on shift changes; the earliest valid day is suggested |
| No overtime on a night shift | Law 4857 art. 41 | The overtime request is stopped at request stage |
Statutory calculations make recording and arithmetic easier; the legal obligation remains with the employer.
What happens after the roster is made?
A roster is not written once and pinned to the wall; it changes during the week. Changes are recorded too.
Rotating rosters
Day, evening and night shifts rotate; shift types are defined with their duration and planned break.
Shift swap requests
An employee wants to swap with a colleague; first the colleague, then the manager approves. Both see the request’s stage on their phones.
Open shift postings
A shift that cannot be filled is posted, staff apply, the manager chooses.
Future-dated changes
If someone’s shift changes from a given date, the plan is entered in advance and applied automatically on the day.
Planned breaks
Each shift’s break is defined in the plan; planned and actual breaks are kept apart and net working time is gross time minus breaks.
Linked to the timesheet
Night work, weekly rest days and overtime appear as separate lines; a shift left open shows up before month end.
Building your first roster
Write the shift types
With start, end and break: e.g. Day 08–17, Evening 15–23. A definition outside the rules is rejected at this stage.
Attach them to departments
Each department or branch uses its own shifts; a department lead sees only their own team.
Assign staff
Rotation pattern and weekly rest days are entered; staff see their own shifts on their phones.
Turn on change rules
You decide whether shift swap requests and open shift postings are used.
Questions about shift scheduling
Does the system block a night shift over 7.5 hours?
It warns rather than blocks. Art. 69 of Law 4857 says night work may not exceed 7.5 hours but allows an exception, with the employee’s written consent, in work such as tourism, private security and healthcare. Since the system does not know your sector or whether written consent exists, it does not block a lawful shift; the warning states the exception and its condition.
Which shift counts as a night shift?
A shift in which more than half of the working time falls between 20:00 and 06:00 is a night shift (regulation on work in shifts). What is measured is net working time, so the rest break is deducted. A shift exactly half at night does not count as a night shift.
Can employees swap shifts among themselves?
Yes, if the company enables it. The employee picks a colleague; the colleague accepts first, then the manager approves. On a swap the 11 hours’ rest between two shifts is measured; if it falls short, the earliest valid day is suggested.
Can we bring over our roster from Excel?
The staff list uploads in bulk from the panel as CSV. Shift types and rotation patterns are defined together during onboarding; we do this free, because entering the plan also surfaces definitions that fall outside the rules.
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