The roster
The roster screen
The roster is where the plan lives: who works which shift, week by week, for one unit and one period.
At a glance
Across the top you see, from left to right: the title, the period picker, the week, the status chip, and on the right Undo, Ask, What if, the ⋯ menu (More roster actions) and, when there is something new to publish, Publish changes.
Periods and weeks
A roster covers one period, for example four weeks. When a unit has more than one period, a picker shows them, like 9 Nov – 6 Dec. Periods that aren't published yet say · draft.
You look at one week at a time. Use the arrows (Previous week, Next week) to move. The title reads like Week 46 · 9–15 Nov 2026. Weeks start on Monday. The arrows stop at the edges of the period.
The first period's length is chosen in setup: 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks. Each later period has the same length as the one before it. See Plan the next period.
The status chip
- DraftThis period has never been published.
- Unpublished changesIt was published, and it has changed since. The team hasn't been sent the changes yet.
- PublishedWhat the team has is the latest version.
Grid and Timeline
Switch between Grid and Timeline above the roster.
- Grid shows a table: people (or shift types, or roles) down the side and the days across. Each shift is a coloured tile. See Layouts and moving shifts.
- Timeline shows shifts as bars on a clock, so you see overlaps, breaks and gaps. Choose Day to see one day by the hour, or Week for the whole week. A red line marks the time now. Approved absences show as grey Sick, Holiday or Away bars. Open shifts get their own row at the bottom.
The grid, row by row
- Person column: initials, name and role. On phones it also shows the week's hours.
- Day columns: today's header is tinted green and says Today.
- Hours column: hours this week against contract hours, for example 30 / 37.5. It turns amber when someone is over their contract.
- Open shifts row: shifts nobody is on yet. Up to four show per day; the rest say +2 more.
- Coverage row: Covered, or a badge with the number still open. The badge is red when a must-cover shift is among them.
A grey dash means the person is off that day. A grey tile with Sick, Holiday or Away is an approved absence.
The Key
Press Key above the grid to see what the colours mean. For every symbol in eTime, see Symbols and colours.
The side panel
What shows beside (or, on phones, below) the roster depends on what you select.
- Nothing selected: This roster, with rule breaks, soft warnings and open shifts. People with pay access also see the estimated cost and the share of the budget.
- A filled shift: the person, the time and paid hours, any rule messages, and Pay for this shift. Editors can Take … off this shift or Report … sick. The person on the shift can Swap this shift.
- An open shift: Fill vacancy. It shows how many can take it, how many cannot, and swap ideas. Pick from Who can take it (the best is marked Best pick), then Confirm. Or offer it to everyone at once. See Sick calls, offers and swaps.
Candidates are ranked by extra cost, fairness and wishes. Every one of them is legal for that shift. When nobody can take it, eTime says why, for example Already working then or Missing a qualification on that date, and looks for a legal swap.
The status line
Under the header, one line tells you how the roster stands. It shows the first that applies: a must-cover shift is open, a legal rule is broken, the budget is exceeded, some shifts are open, or Every shift is filled and the roster is legal. When a must-cover shift is open, Fill it jumps straight to it.
What if: try changes first
Not sure about a change? Press What if (editors). You now work on a copy. The chip says What if · not saved, and the places you change get an amber dashed outline.
- Move, swap, fill and replace as usual. Undo steps back through what you tried.
- A bar shows Changes, and how Rule breaks, Open shifts and, with pay access, Cost would change.
- Apply N changes saves them all at once. Discard throws them away. If you tried anything, eTime asks first.
- If someone else changes the roster meanwhile, your changes stay on top.
This is not the same as What if scenarios on Insights, which plan the whole roster again for changes like hiring someone.
Expand, Full page and Full screen
Three small buttons at the right of the roster's toolbar change how much room it gets.
- Expand: the roster takes the full width and the side panel moves below it. eTime remembers this on your device.
- Full page: hides the menu on the left too. Press Esc to go back.
- Full screen: the roster fills the whole screen. Press Esc to go back.
In Full page and Full screen, the last message and an Undo link show in the roster's toolbar.
The ⋯ menu
| Item | What it does | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Set or see a cost cap for the period. | Owner, admin, manager |
| Generate and Generate again | Choose what to optimise for and fill the roster again. | Editors |
| Start the next period | Makes the next period with the same shifts. | Editors, on the latest period |
| Shift types | Add, rename or change shifts. | Editors |
| Rotations | Repeating patterns for people. | Editors |
| Versions | Earlier publishes, side by side. | Everyone |
| Share schedule | A read-only link to the published roster. | People who can publish |
| I'm sick | Report yourself sick. | Anyone with their own shifts |
Editors are the owner, admins, managers and schedulers. The menu works with the keyboard: arrow keys move, Esc closes.
Something unclear or missing? Email support@etime.my.