Rules

Usage

Rules are HIGHLY complex and is advanced functionality. Please contact SMI to set up rules. Customers are advised not to set these up unaided.

This screen allows you to create new rules, as well as maintaining existing rules that are stored on the system.

Rules are used to apply constraints on a schedule during its creation.  Rules can be used to allow, for example, shifts against a specific staff member or group, to restrict shifts following other shifts, to ensure Working Time Directives are adhered to, to establish weekend working constraints and much more.

Read below to find out all the different rule type functionality contained within Staff.Care.

Global: Applies the rule to all Units.
Unit Specific: Applies the rule to only one specific Unit.
Rule - (Drop down): Presents a list of all current created rules available on the system.

Rule Types

Due to the complexity of rules, below is a list of the rule type functionality in Staff.Care. However there is no information here about setting rules up as this could have a profound impact on your system if set up incorrectly. Please contact SMI for assistance if you would like rules to be set up.

Allow/disallow shift types: Allows for the selection of a shift or shifts for which staff members can or cannot work. E.g. Do not allow Staff Member to work nights.

Cannot follow shifts:  Specifies which shifts cannot be scheduled succeeding another shift. E.g. An early shift cannot follow a night shift.

Fill stretch: Used for the automatic rota fill only and is used to put in minimum stretches of shifts when a need is filled.  This is a special type of rule that isn’t checked, it is used essentially to control how the automatic fill satisfies the schedules requirements.

Floating Block: Used during the autofill functionality only.  It is used to fill a MINIMUM shift fill stretch – i.e. If you choose your floating block shift to be E2, when autofill allocates E2 shifts it will fill to the minimum fill stretch set by the floating block rule, for example, if the stretch was 3 days, when Staff.Care autofills the rota when it puts the E1 on the rota, it will always put 3x E2 together. E.g. Staff Member must work 5 E2 shifts before having 2 days off.

Max. hours worked over rolling days: This rule is to enable the organisation to safeguard against breaches in working time directive. E.g. Maximum 40 hours over 7 rolling days.

Max. shifts in a row: Specifies the maximum number of single or multiple shifts that can be scheduled on consecutive days. E.g.  Staff member can only work 3 night shifts in a row.

Max. shifts over rolling days: This rule specifies the maximum number of single or multiple shifts that can be scheduled on consecutive days over a rolling duration. E.g. Staff member can only work 5 early shifts over 7 rolling days.

Min/max days worked over rolling block days: This rule relates to the minimum or the maximum number of days worked over a number of rolling or block days. Optional days of the week can be specified. E.g. 3 days maximum worked over 7 rolling days.

Staff combination:  Specifies which staff members should be scheduled together or scheduled apart.  Staff member can only work when another specific staff member is on duty.

Weekend: This rule specifies a minimum and maximum number of whole weekends allowed to be worked over a rolling or block number of weeks. This is a specialised rule that applies to Saturday and Sunday shifts only. NOTE: This rule ONLY applies if a weekend is actually worked.  If no Saturday or Sunday shift is worked then the minimum will not apply.  E.g. Staff Member must work a minimum of 1 weekend over 2 rolling weeks.