How to Create a Shift Plan & Configure Attendance Settings

1. Create and configure a shift plan
A shift plan is the rulebook for one group of employees. It brings together where they work, how shifts are arranged, how they clock in, who approves exceptions, and whether approved hours go to payroll.

Create a plan and enter a clear name, such as Ikeja Warehouse Weekday Team.

Select its workplace and duty location.

Choose Rostered or Flexible.

Set the plan’s start and end dates.

Keep the plan in draft until the full setup has been reviewed.

Important: The plan type cannot be safely changed after creation. If the scheduling method changes, create a new plan.

2. Configure attendance settings
Attendance settings determine how employees record their time and what happens when they are late, away from the work site, or miss a clock-in. Set them to match the company’s written attendance policy.

Before configuring the plan, confirm whether employees can enter missed attendance and whether they need to provide a reason; the grace period; how attendance will be recorded; whether clock-in location should be checked; and whether employees can swap or hand over shifts.

Company practice	Time & Attendance setting
Employees enter missed attendance	Enable manual time entry and, if needed, require a reason.
Late arrival starts after a grace period	Set the buffer window to that duration.
Attendance comes from a device	Enable hardware clocking, then arrange an integration meeting with PaidHR. The setting can be turned on, but hardware clocking will not work until the client-specific integration is complete.
Clock-in location must be checked	Enable location checking and set the allowed distance.
Employees exchange or hand over shifts	Enable swaps and transfers, then choose whether administrator approval is required.
Attendance comes from another system	Confirm whether the company will use a direct API integration or a timesheet upload.

Check your settings: Confirm that each setting matches company policy and the employee experience. For example, with a 10-minute grace period, an 8:10 a.m. clock-in is treated as on time; a later clock-in is flagged. A clock-in outside the allowed area is recorded but marked for review.

Next is to Create shift periods and tables