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 will not show
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 |