How to Create Rotas

By the end of this article you will be able to;

• Add personnel
• Create blocks
• Create a template master rota.
• Create rotas, both weekly and ad hoc
• Using the replicate button
• Transfer arrangements to another therapist

You should have already created your facility. If you have not then please see the article on Creating a Facility. As a reminder, you should have already set the rota password and the interval slot in mins for the rota choosing either 15 mins or 30 mins from the drop-down box.

To add a personnel

Navigate to  Configurations>Facilities > Spa and Fitness and then the Personnel tab, and this window will appear.

Righ-click to add a new entry.

• Active column: tick here to make the therapist/instructor active
• Colour: add a colour for the therapist/instructor
• First name: free-type the therapist/ instructor name
• Diary Name: free-type the name you wish to be displayed on the diary
• Surname: free-type the surname. This is for information purposes only
• Shift column: free type the number of hours in a shift
• Rota column: free type a number for the master rota template in weeks for example, if you have a 2-week rota put a 2 in here
• Email: free type an email if applicable. This is for information purposes only

Press save or F3

Ensure that the therapist/instructor is connected to the facility where you need them displayed on the rota. To do this right-click, add an entry in the bottom left-hand window, and choose the facility from the drop-down box.

• Selector: there are three choices to choose from the drop-down box; 
• All services: choose this if your therapist /instructor can do all services as above.
• Except: choose all services, and from the drop-down box choose which service(s) are exempt. The example below shows that the therapist can do all services except an Express Manicure or Express Pedicure

• Only: choose only on its own if the therapist/ instructor can only do certain treatments. The example below shows the therapist can only carry out Express Manicures and Express Pedicures.

Creating Manual Blocks 

If you wish to add blocks to your rota,  for example, lunches, navigate to the Blocks tab.

On the left-hand side, right-click and add an entry.

• Code: free type a code.
• Description: free type a description.
• Preserve: tick here if you wish the block to be preserved/retained when changing a rota.
• Productivity: tick here if the block needs to be excluded from productivity calculations.

These blocks will appear in the diary when you go to Diary > Add > Blocks under the reason field when adding block manually from the diary screen.

Creating blocks for use in the Master template rota

On the right-hand side of the block, screen right-click and add an entry by free typing in the block template.

If you wish the particular block to extend to all day you choose from the drop-down a single shift block, for example, it may be all-day training, if this is to be a certain amount of time.

You can then by highlighting the block template add in the times for the block in the bottom window

There are three options to enable you to create rotas.

Option One

Using a master template, which can be copied over to a chosen period. If you have rolling rotas this option allows you to copy the weeks altogether over a certain period.

Option two  

Using a weekly template, this option allows you to set up a template per week.

Option three

Adding ad hoc days and hours allows you to add to a rota per day per personnel.

Option One Creating a Master Rota template

Go to Configuration > facilities and choose your facility. With the facility in the top window press the rota button on the top right, add in the rota password and the below window appears.

On the left, you can see your personnel names, the shifts, and the rota weeks as set up under the personnel tab in the configuration.

For example, Therapist 2 has a 4-hour shift and a 2-week rota, which is also reflected in buttons 1 and 2 under the Week section on the right-hand side.

To create your template, highlight the personnel that you wish to create a rota for, and by ticking the boxes against each time and day in the middle window add in your start times. You will see that the system will automatically add in the end times plus 30 mins according to the shift hours that have been set up.

In the example above, Therapist 2 is working 13.00 till 17.30,  4 hours as determined in the shift column plus 30 mins.

Press the save button on the right-hand side.

If you have more than a one-week rota, click on the next week(s) button on the right-hand side to add the shifts. In this example, you would then click on the red 2 button under the week section and add the week 2 rota. Press the save button once completed.

The master rota will then appear on the right-hand side in the Master Rota Recap window.

Adding blocks

To add blocks to the master rota template at the bottom of the template you will see this grid.

Using the drop-down box choose the block you wish to add.

Remember to do this for each week if applicable as this will then be copied onto your rotas.

You have now created the Master template. Next, you need to create the rota.

To Create your Rota using Master Rota.

In the rota window highlight the therapist and click the copy button, this will bring up the Copy Rota window. 

Put in your start date and how many times you wish to copy the rota in the time's field. Next click in the leading to field to get the end date. 

 The below example is copying a two-week rota once so the leading to date is in 2 weeks’ time.

Press the check button and the system will tell you if there are any existing rotas already set up, which will appear in the existing Rota window along with the new rota in the new Rota window.

If you are happy with the rota that is under the new rota window press save. then press the exit button.

Repeat these steps for all the personnel.

Option two

Creating a weekly rota.

In the rota window press the week tab, select your date from the drop-down field on the right-hand side then add your times and days in the template grid.

Press the save button.

Your rota will be created for the week you have added in in the date field, again this must be a Monday regardless of when the rota starts. 

Option three

Adding ad hoc days 

In the rota window once again, highlight your therapist and click the rota tab

Click the add button and you can add bespoke dates and times. Pressing the delete button will delete the highlighted date and time or tick the select box.

You will notice you can also add blocks here under the Blocks window on the right-hand side.

Using the Replicate button 

The Replicate button is used if you wish to replicate a therapist master rota to another therapist.

To do this once in the rota window, select your therapist and the week that you wish to replicate and press the replicate button. Double click the therapist you wish to replicate to and press yes if you wish to proceed.

Double click

Transferring arrangements from one therapist to another. CURRENTLY UNDER REDEVELOPMENT 

Highlight the therapist that is leaving and click on the week tab on the right-hand side.

Here you will see a leave button, click on this button and this window appears, add in the date the therapist is leaving and who you wish to transfer the arrangements to.