Shift planning

Rotas that are ready in minutes, not hours

Set up areas, staff pools and shift templates once, then plan by drag and drop. MetronHR checks absences, rest periods and qualifications automatically, and your people see their plan straight away.

No credit card required · Cancel monthly

  • A weekly plan by drag and drop, with conflicts detected automatically
  • Create a shift pattern once, apply it to whole periods
  • GDPR compliant, hosted in Germany
In the business today

An end to the rota in Excel and on the noticeboard

Who works when? Who is on holiday? Juggling rotas by hand costs nerves and time every week.

  • Problem

    Out-of-date Excel plans

    You change a shift and nobody knows. People work from out-of-date printouts, and the questions pile up.

  • Problem

    Conflicts only show up too late

    Someone is on holiday, has had no rest period or lacks the qualification: you cannot see that in Excel, but you can on the day of the shift.

  • Problem

    One absence throws the plan

    If someone drops out at short notice the phone chain starts: who can step in? That costs half a morning.

With MetronHR

Set it up once, then only plan

Create areas, staff pools and shift templates, then plan by drag and drop. With every assignment MetronHR checks absences, rest periods and qualifications.

A plan in 15 minutesInstead of half a working day: that is how quickly the weekly plan is ready for our customers in retail and hospitality.

Rota, weekly view
RosterWeek 45 · draft
MonTueWedThuFriSatSunSophie B.FFSSSTobias K.FFSSFMara W.NNSSJonas K.FNNNSLena H.FFUU
Statuspublished
Notified0 of 5
A plan in 15 minutes
Day planTuesday, 3 November
0810121416Dr. LindnerSPRSPRHBSPRSophie B.ANMANMANMANMAylin D.LABBEDOKLena H.TELANMANM

SPR consultation, HB home visit, ANM reception, LAB lab, BE blood test, DOK documentation, TEL phone.

Try it yourself

This is how shift planning works in MetronHR

From the guided setup to the published plan, in three steps.

  1. Set it up once

    The setup assistant asks about your industry and suggests fitting shifts, areas and staff pools, from two-shift retail to a 24/7 operation.

    Ready to go in a few minutes

    Setup assistant
    Setupabout 10 minutes
    Progress2 of 4 steps
    1. Company and sitePraxis Dr. Lindner, Hanover
    2. Working time modelsFull-time 40h, part-time 30h
    3. Public holidaysLower Saxony
    4. Invite the team12 people
  2. Build the plan

    Drag shifts onto days and people. You create a shift pattern once and carry it over to any period you like.

    Conflicts are flagged at once, before they become a problem

    Drag-and-drop weekly plan
    Day planWednesday, 4 November
    Open hour blocks2
    0810121416Sophie B.??ANMANMAylin D.LABLABDOKTobias K.WRTWRTSRVSRV
  3. Publish

    One click turns the draft into the valid plan. Your people see their shifts in the app and are reminded before a shift starts.

    Everyone knows when they are working, with no notice on the wall

    Published plan
    Day plan for Friday, 6 NovemberPublished on Thursday, 17:02
    0810121416Dr. LindnerSPRSPRSPRSophie B.ANMANMTELLena H.BELABDOK

    Reminder sent to all three the evening before.

What shift planning offers

Everything shift operations really need, without the frills.

  • Employee protection

    Automatic conflict checking

    Rest periods and absences are checked with every assignment

    The 11-hour rest period under the ArbZG, approved absences and overlapping times are detected and either blocked or flagged with a warning.

    RosterWeek 45 · before publishing
    MonTueWedThuFriTobias K.SSF!FSophie B.FFSSS
    Start Wednesday07:00
    Rest period before9:30h

    Tobias Krüger: late shift until 21:30, early shift from 07:00. That is less than 11 hours of rest.

  • Absences

    Cover when someone is off sick

    If someone drops out the system suggests a replacement

    A shift that opens up through illness is posted as open automatically, and the first application can be accepted directly if you want.

    CoverSophie Braun is out on 22 Oct
    Lena Hoffmannfree · reception · balance +2:30h
    Mara Wolffree · balance +13:45hmuch overtime
    Aylin Demirscheduled in the labbooked

    Lena Hoffmann is on reception on 22.10.; Sophie is entered as away.

  • Mobile

    The plan in your pocket

    Your people always have their rota with them

    In the mobile app people see their shifts, swap, apply and clock in, with a reminder before the shift starts.

    My rosterSophie Braun · week 45
    Monday · early shift06:00 – 14:00
    Wednesday · late shift14:00 – 22:00swap possible
    Friday · early shift06:00 – 14:00
  • Rotation

    Shift patterns and A/B weeks

    Create a recurring pattern once, apply it again and again

    Define patterns across 1 to 4 weeks and apply them to a period, with optional automatic assignment of people.

  • Qualification

    Staff pools and areas

    Only those who are qualified get planned in

    People are grouped into pools by qualification; per shift you set how many are needed from which group.

  • Self-service

    Shift swaps and a shift market

    Your people arrange swaps themselves, you only approve

    People swap shifts, hand them over or apply for open ones. Every change goes through your approval.

  • On call

    On-call duty

    Map on-call duty including the pay for it

    Configurable on-call profiles with an hourly rate and a call-out rate; people are notified when they are called in.

Shift planning for your whole team

Whether you are the owner, the shift lead or on the shift, everyone gets exactly what they need.

  • Owner or branch manager

    The plan is ready without costing half a day

    • The weekly plan for 8 to 12 people eats hours every week, and by Monday it is wrong already.
    • Apply a shift pattern, conflicts are flagged automatically, publish. Hours turn into minutes.
  • Shift lead

    Always an overview of who is in when

    • Who is stepping in today? Who already has too many hours? Nobody holds all of that in their head.
    • The weekly view shows staffing, weekly hours and conflicts at a glance, per area and per person.
  • Employee

    The rota always in your pocket

    • When do I have to work? Can I swap the Friday shift? The noticeboard is no help to me in the evening.
    • Your own shifts in the app, a reminder before the shift starts, swaps and applications for open shifts, all handled by you.
  • Personnel office or HR

    Shift data flows straight into payroll

    • Collecting planned and actual hours is dogsbody work: error-prone and thankless.
    • Target against actual per person, a clean comparison with the contracts and an export at the push of a button.
Trust Center

Security and data protection

Your data is safe: hosted in Germany, GDPR compliant and encrypted.

  • Rest periods and maximum working hours checked automatically under the ArbZG
  • Every change to the plan is documented traceably
  • GDPR compliant, hosted on German servers
GDPR compliant

Made in Germany, hosted on German servers

Trust Center

Frequent questions about shift planning

Everything you need to know about shift planning in MetronHR.

Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.

Send us a message
Which businesses is shift planning suited to?

Any business that works in shifts, for example retail, hospitality, care, manufacturing and logistics. The setup assistant ships fitting templates for these industries.

Can I create recurring shift patterns?

Yes. You define patterns across 1 to 4 weeks, including A and B weeks, and apply them to any period. People can optionally be assigned automatically as you do it.

Are absences and rest periods taken into account?

Yes. With every assignment MetronHR checks approved absences, overlapping times and the statutory 11-hour rest period. Conflicts are either blocked or shown with a warning.

How do people see their rota?

As soon as a plan is published, people see their shifts on the web and in the mobile app, including a reminder before a shift starts.

Can people swap shifts themselves?

Yes. People can swap shifts, hand them over or apply for open shifts. Every change is put to you for approval.

What happens if someone falls ill?

The shift that opens up can be posted automatically as an open shift. If you want, the system accepts the first suitable application directly, otherwise you approve it.

Is shift planning included in every plan?

Shift planning is part of the Professional plan. During the trial you can try it out with no obligation.

Ready to take the rota off the noticeboard?

Try MetronHR free for 14 days. No credit card, no tricks.

  • No credit card required
  • Ready quickly
  • Cancel monthly
  • Full access to every feature

Questions? Send us a message