Best Practices

Tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your time and attendance.

Cock Templates and Shifts

Please use the following as a guideline when configuring your shifts and clock templates:

Legal Guidelines for Working Hours

Always refer to section 9 in the BCEA and consult your labour lawyer when setting up shifts for your employees.

Disclaimer: The following information is an example for configuring shifts on Agrigistics. Please refer to the applicable labour laws before implementation.

1. Maximum Weekly Hours: No more than 45 hours per week.

2. Daily Working Hours:

   • Up to 9 hours if working 5 days or less a week.

   • Maximum of 8 hours if working more than 5 days a week.

3. Compressed Work Week: Up to 12 hours daily without paid overtime under a written agreement.

4. Averaging Hours: A collective agreement can average hours over 4 months, capped at an average of 45 hours weekly and 5 hours of overtime.

5. Overtime Regulations: Limited to 10 hours weekly, extendable to 15 hours for up to 2 months annually under a collective agreement.

6. Meal Breaks and Rest Periods: At least 30 minutes break after 5 hours' work, with mandatory rest periods.

7. Sunday Work: Additional pay for working on Sundays.

8. Night Work: Additional compensation or reduced hours for work between 18:00 and 06:00.

Examples of Clock Template Setups

Example 1: 5-Day Work Week

Day of Week	Work Hours	Shift Type	Optional Hours	Flex Period
Monday	9 hours	08:00 - 17:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Tuesday	9 hours	08:00 - 17:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Wednesday	9 hours	08:00 - 17:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Thursday	9 hours	08:00 - 17:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Friday	9 hours	08:00 - 17:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Saturday	5 hours	08:00 - 13:00	✅	15 min
Sunday	5 hours	08:00 - 13:00	✅	15 min

Compliance Summary: This setup aligns with the 45-hour weekly limit as per the Basic Employment Act. The optional hours on Saturday and Sunday do not contribute to the budgeted hours.

Example 2: 6-Day Work Week

Day of Week	Work Hours	Shift Type	Optional Hours	Flex Period
Monday	8 hours	08:00 - 16:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Tuesday	8 hours	08:00 - 16:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Wednesday	8 hours	08:00 - 16:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Thursday	8 hours	08:00 - 16:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Friday	8 hours	08:00 - 16:00 (1-hour break)	❌	15 min
Saturday	5 hours	08:00 - 13:00	❌	15 min
Sunday	5 hours	08:00 - 13:00	✅	15 min

Compliance Summary: Meets the requirement of not exceeding 45 hours per week for a worker working more than 5 days a week, as per the Basic Employment Act. Work on the optional day (Sunday) does not count towards the weekly budgeted hours.

Start & End Times vs Fixed Duration Shifts

Start & End Times Shifts

As the name suggests, Start & End Times shifts have fixed times during the day. They start at a predefined time, end at a predefined time, and include predefined breaks. This type of shift is advisable when employees are expected to work the same hours each day of the week.

Benefits:

• Consistency in Clocking: It's easy to determine if employees clocked in at the correct times since they are expected to start and end at the same times each day.

• Flex Times: Flex times can be configured at the start and end of the shift. This allows for strict control over overtime in the morning and leniency in the evening. Read more here on how flex is calculated: Flex for Start & End times Shifts

• Accurate Hour Calculations: Flex times are applied to the clocks and not as a rounding mechanism on the total hours. For instance, if the shift starts at 07:00 and the overtime flex is 30 minutes, clock-ins from 06:30 to 06:59 will be adjusted to 07:00, ensuring more accurate hour calculations.

• Fixed Breaks: Employees are required to take breaks at specific times, and they cannot be clocked in during scheduled breaks.

Limitations:

• Night Shifts: For sporadic night shifts, you lose all deducted breaks and flex times because these are only applied to the start and end of the shift, and breaks are only deducted if employees are clocked in during the scheduled break.

• Flexible Shifts: If external factors, such as weather, affect the start of an employee's shift, the start flex times will not apply if they start at different times during the day.

Fixed Duration Shifts

Fixed Duration Shifts are more flexible regarding when employees start their workday but come with certain limitations.

Benefits:

• Flexible Start Times: Employees can start work at any time during the day, with no defined start or end times for their shift.

• Dynamic Breaks: Employees can take breaks at different times of the day. They can either clock out for breaks, or you can schedule a break duration to be automatically deducted. This is ideal for employees using turnstiles to clock in and out or those who take breaks at varying times without clocking out.

• Day/Night Shifts: For employees alternating between day and night shifts, hours are consistently calculated according to the defined duration and break times.

Limitations:

• Flex Times: Flex is only applied after the daily hours are calculated. This is less flexible than providing flex times at the start and end of the shift. Read more here on how flex is calculated: Flex for Fixed Duration Shifts

• Discipline in Clocking: Since employees can start work at any time, it becomes more challenging to manage trends and enforce clocking discipline.

By understanding the benefits and limitations of each shift type, you can choose the most appropriate configuration for your workforce, ensuring efficient and accurate time and attendance management.