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Bustle Staffing - How to set up Bustle Shifts (Rosters/Rotas)

Set up your team’s shifts, keep everyone in the loop, and send your schedule out without the back-and-forth.

Written by Brent Wimmers

Key Points

  1. Build your week your way - copy last week, tweak another week, or start fresh

  2. Quickly create and duplicate shifts to save time

  3. Filter by staff or role to focus on what matters

  4. Add notes for the week, so your team knows what’s going on

  5. Publish your roster and send it out to the team in a couple of clicks


Detailed Steps

Head to Staff > Shifts to create or view your roster.


Starting your weekly shifts

First things first - select the week you want to work on.

Use the arrows to move between weeks, or jump ahead if you're planning early.

When you land on a fresh week, you’ve got three easy options:

  • Copy last week – perfect for your regular rhythm

  • Copy another week – great for matching similar patterns (events, holidays, chaos)

  • Start from scratch – clean slate, no baggage (First time setup? This will be your choice)


Using the Calendar + Filtering

The calendar is your control centre.

  • Switch between days to zoom in on what matters

  • Filter by role or staff member to cut through the noise

  • Start broad, then narrow it down as your roster takes shape


The Shift screen layout

Once you're in, here’s what you’re looking at:

  • Calendar and filters up top left

  • Buttons to delete the roster or add shifts top right

  • A quick snapshot of estimated wages vs revenue (this fills out over time)

  • A weekly breakdown of hours and costs (also fills out over time)

  • Your schedule laid out day by day

  • Notes section down the bottom for team comms


Creating a Shift

There are two ways to add a shift in:

  • Option 1: Hit the + Add Shift button

  • Option 2: Click and drag across a time slot in the day

  • Then:

    • Select the day

    • Set start and end times

    • Choose a role

    • Assign a team member

    Hit Save and you’re done - shift added.

  • For this example - Penny will be on shift for Mon 25th May, 8am-1:45pm.


How to duplicate a shift

Got a good shift you want to reuse? Easy.

  • Click into the shift

  • Select Duplicate

  • Adjust the day or details

  • Hit Save

Perfect for repeating patterns without redoing the work.


Roster Notes

Got something the team needs to know?

Drop it into the Notes section at the bottom of the page.

  • “Quiet Monday - one on bar”

  • “Big booking at 12 on Wednesday”

  • “Be nice to Dave, he’s learning ☕”

These notes go out with the roster, so everyone’s on the same page.


Week Breakdown

As you build your roster, below the notes section, you’ll see a live breakdown of:

  • Shifts per day

  • Total hours

  • Estimated wage costs

It’s your quick gut-check before you send things out, so there's no surprises later.


Publishing your Weekly Schedule

  • When everything’s looking good:

    • Hit Publish

    • Review your team list

    • Check who’s confirmed their email (or who needs a nudge and a manual reach out)

  • Then press Publish again and send it out.

  • Press Done on the success message.

  • Your team will:

    • Receive their shifts via email

    • See notes and schedules

    • Be ready to roll for the week

  • And your shifts will show up in the Till for the days they’re working.

  • There is a link to the Roster In the Published section, along with a quick copy.


Troubleshooting

  • My roster looks empty
    → Check you’re on the right week - easy one to miss

  • I can’t see any staff
    → Make sure shifts are created, or remove filters

  • Shifts aren’t showing for the team
    → Double check you’ve hit Publish (not just saved)

  • Someone didn’t get the roster
    → Check their email is confirmed in the publish screen and send them the direct link



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