How the Alert System Works
The SCHADS Alert System continuously monitors shifts on your roster and checks them against award requirements. When a potential issue is detected, warnings appear in two places:
On individual shift blocks in the calendar
In the SCHADS Alerts Panel accessible from the scheduler header
The system aggregates warnings by staff member and week, making it easy to see which staff members may have compliance issues during a given period.
Accessing the SCHADS Alerts Panel
The SCHADS Alerts Panel is located in the scheduler header. The button displays one of two states:
When There Are No Issues
The button shows "Compliant" in green
Clicking the button opens the panel showing "All Staff Compliant"
When Issues Are Detected
The button shows the number of alerts (e.g., "3 Alerts")
The button background turns orange to draw attention
Clicking the button opens the panel with details of all detected issues
Note: The SCHADS Alerts Panel is a Premium feature. Free plan users will see an upgrade prompt when clicking the button.
Types of Warnings
The SCHADS Alert System detects several types of potential compliance issues:
1. Overtime Exceeded
What it means: A staff member's total hours for the week exceed the maximum allowed ordinary hours.
Default threshold: 38 hours per week (standard full-time hours)
Severity: Critical (shown in red)
Details shown:
Total hours worked in the week
Maximum allowed hours
Number of overtime hours
Example: "Worked 42.5 hours (max 38 hours/week)" with "4.5 hours over limit"
2. Shifts Under Minimum Engagement (Less Than 2 Hours)
What it means: A staff member has been rostered for a shift that is shorter than the minimum engagement period required by the award.
Default threshold: 2 hours minimum per shift
Severity: Warning (shown in orange)
Details shown:
Number of short shifts detected
Average duration of the short shifts
Example: "2 Less than 2 hrs warnings" with "Average duration: 1.5 hours (min 2.0 hours)"
3. Broken Shifts
What it means: A staff member has a break of more than 3 hours between work periods on the same day, which constitutes a "broken shift" under the award.
Default threshold: Break exceeding 3 hours between shifts on the same day
Severity: Warning (shown in orange)
Details shown:
Number of broken shift occurrences
Description of what constitutes a broken shift
Example: "2 Broken Shifts" with "Shifts with breaks exceeding 3 hours between work periods"
4. Daily Maximum Hours Exceeded
What it means: A staff member has been rostered to work more than the maximum allowed hours in a single day.
Default threshold: 10 hours per day
Severity: Critical (shown in red)
Details shown:
Number of days where the maximum was exceeded
Maximum allowed daily hours
Example: "2 Days Exceeding Daily Maximum" with "Maximum allowed: 10 hours per day"
5. Insufficient Hours
What it means: A part-time or full-time staff member has fewer scheduled hours than their contracted weekly hours.
Severity: Warning (shown in orange)
Details shown:
Scheduled hours for the week
Expected hours based on contract
Shortfall amount
Example: "Scheduled: 25.0h / Expected: 30.0h" with "Shortfall: 5.0 hours below expected"
Warning Severity Levels
Warnings are categorised into three severity levels:
Severity | Colour | Description |
Critical | Red | Serious compliance issues that may result in penalty rates or award breaches (e.g., overtime exceeded, daily maximum exceeded) |
Warning | Orange | Potential issues that should be reviewed (e.g., short shifts, broken shifts) |
Info | Yellow | Minor issues or approaching thresholds |
Understanding the Alerts Panel
When you open the SCHADS Alerts Panel, you will see:
Summary Cards
At the top, two cards provide an overview:
Staff Members – Total number of unique staff with shifts in the current view
Staff-Weeks with Issues – Number of staff-week combinations that have at least one warning
Warning Summary
A grid showing the breakdown of warnings by type:
Overtime Weeks – Staff-weeks where overtime was exceeded
Less than 2 hrs warnings – Staff-weeks with short shift violations
Broken Shifts – Staff-weeks with broken shift violations
Daily Max Exceeded – Staff-weeks where daily maximum hours were exceeded
Critical Weeks – Staff-weeks with critical severity issues
Alerts by Staff & Week
The main section lists each staff member and week that has warnings. Each entry shows:
Staff member name (clickable to view their profile)
Severity badge – "Critical" badge if the week contains critical issues
Week label – The week being reported (e.g., "Week of Jan 6, 2026")
Total shifts – Number of shifts scheduled for that staff member in that week
Warning badges – Quick summary badges showing:
Hours worked vs maximum (e.g., "42.5h/38h")
Number of short shifts (e.g., "2 < 2hr")
Number of broken shifts (e.g., "1 broken")
Hours shortfall (e.g., "-5.0h short")
Days exceeding daily max (e.g., "1 day max exceeded")
Expanding an Alert
Click on any alert to expand it and see detailed information:
Full description of each issue
Specific numbers and thresholds
Number of affected shifts
View in Calendar
Each expanded alert has a "View in Calendar" button that:
Sets the calendar to show the week in question
Filters the view to show only the affected staff member
Closes the alerts panel so you can see the shifts directly
Warnings on Shift Blocks
In addition to the alerts panel, individual shift blocks on the calendar display warning badges when issues are detected.
Single Staff Shifts
If a shift has a SCHADS warning, a small coloured badge appears in the top right corner of the shift block:
Red badge – Critical issue (e.g., this shift causes overtime to be exceeded)
Orange badge – Warning issue (e.g., this shift is under 2 hours)
Group Shifts (Multiple Staff)
For shifts with multiple staff assigned, each staff member's warnings are tracked individually. When viewing the shift details, each staff member's card will show their specific warning badge if they have compliance issues.
Viewing Warning Details
Hover over (or tap on mobile) a warning badge to see a tooltip with the specific warnings:
List of all warnings affecting this shift
The warning message for each issue
Colour-coded bullets indicating severity
Excluding Staff from SCHADS Alerts
Some staff members may not need to be included in SCHADS compliance monitoring. For example:
Contractors or subcontractors not covered by the award
Staff on different employment arrangements
Casual staff with specific exemptions
How to Exclude a Staff Member
Go to Staff and select the staff member
Open the Finance tab
Click the three-dot menu to open the Edit Finance dialog
Find the checkbox labelled "Include for SCHADS alerts"
Uncheck the box to exclude this staff member from SCHADS monitoring
Save the changes
When a staff member is excluded:
Their shifts will no longer trigger SCHADS warnings
They will not appear in the SCHADS Alerts Panel
Warning badges will not show on their shift blocks
Note: The "Include for SCHADS alerts" checkbox may be disabled for certain employment types (such as full-time employees who cannot be excluded from monitoring).
Best Practices for Managing Compliance
Check Alerts Regularly
Make it a habit to check the SCHADS Alerts Panel before finalising your weekly roster. Address any warnings before the shifts occur.
Adjust Shifts Early
When you see a warning about overtime approaching or daily maximum being close, adjust the roster before it becomes a problem. It's easier to move a shift before it's worked than to deal with compliance issues afterward.
Use the "View in Calendar" Feature
When investigating an alert, use the "View in Calendar" button to jump directly to the affected shifts. This helps you quickly identify which specific shifts are causing the issue.
Review After Roster Changes
After making changes to the roster, refresh the alerts panel to see if your changes resolved the issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why am I seeing "Compliant" when I know there are issues?
A: The alert system only analyses shifts that are visible in the current calendar view. Make sure you are viewing the correct date range. You can also click the "Refresh Alerts" button at the bottom of the panel.
Q: Can I customise the thresholds (e.g., change maximum hours from 38)?
A: The SCHADS configuration is based on the award requirements. Custom thresholds are managed at the system level. Contact support if you need specific adjustments for your organisation.
Q: Do warnings affect payroll calculations?
A: The warnings are informational only. They help you identify potential issues but do not automatically adjust payroll. You will still need to ensure overtime and penalty rates are applied correctly in your payroll system.
Q: What happens if I ignore a warning?
A: Ignoring warnings does not prevent shifts from being created or completed. However, you may be non-compliant with award requirements, which could result in underpayment of staff or penalties during an audit.
Q: Are casual staff monitored differently?
A: Yes. Casual staff have a minimum engagement of 2 hours per shift (same as permanent staff), but they are not subject to the same weekly maximum hour calculations as permanent employees unless they consistently work full-time hours.
Q: Why does a staff member not appear in the alerts even though they have warnings on their shifts?
A: Check if the staff member has been excluded from SCHADS alerts in their Finance settings. If the "Include for SCHADS alerts" checkbox is unchecked, their shifts will not generate warnings.