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Roster budgeting

Available for the following plans: Lite, Plus, Unlimited HR, Unlimited HR+Payroll
Time & Attendance Add-on
Available for the following user access level: Admin, Manager

⚠️ New Rostering System: This enhanced rostering feature is currently available to new customers only. Existing customers will be migrated to this system over the coming months.

The enhanced Roster Budgeting feature allows you to create and monitor budgets for each work site to help control labour costs and staffing needs. 

You can set both hour-based and wage-based budgets with clear visual warnings when approaching or exceeding limits.

The budgeting system is now aligned with your configured first day of the work week and provides real-time cost tracking to help make informed rostering decisions.

Setting up roster budgets

Access budget settings
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button in the main rostering interface.
Set up hour budgets
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button.
  5. Select Hour Budget.
  6. Choose your budget settings:
    • Work Site: Select the specific work site for this budget
    • Budget type: Choose daily or weekly hours limit
    • Budget period: Select the time frame for your budget
  7. Enter the budget amounts for each day or week as required.
  8. Click Save Budget.
Set up wage budgets
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button.
  5. Select Wage Budget.
  6. Choose your budget settings:
    • Work Site: Select the specific work site for this budget
    • Budget type: Choose daily or weekly cost limit
    • Budget period: Select the time frame for your budget
  7. Enter the wage budget amounts for each day or week as required.
  8. Click Save Budget.
Copy the wage budget to future weeks
  1. Log into your Employment Hero platform.
  2. Click the Time menu option.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button.
  5. Click on the Wage Budget tab.
  6. Select your location from the location dropdown menu
  7. Ensure your budget is correct for the week.
  8. Click on the Apply to future weeks button.
  9. In the Apply budget for future weeks pop-up, add in how many weeks you want to copy this budget for. 
    add how many weeks you want to copy this budget for in the top highlighted red box, then click on save and apply 
  10. Add your Weekly adjustment (optional):
    • None
    • Fixed
    • Growth.
  11. Click on Apply and Save.
Copy the hour budget to future weeks
  1. Log into your Employment Hero platform.
  2. Click the Time menu option.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button.
  5. Click on the Hour Budget tab.
  6. Select your location from the location dropdown menu. 
  7. Ensure your budget is correct for the week.
  8. Click on the Apply to future weeks button.
  9. In the Apply budget for future weeks pop-up, add in how many weeks you want to copy this budget for. 
    add how many weeks you want to copy this budget for in the top highlighted red box, then click on save and apply 
  10. Add your Weekly adjustment (optional):
    • None
    • Fixed
    • Growth.
  11. Click on Apply and Save.
Copy your budget from previous weeks
  1. Log into your Employment Hero platform.
  2. Click the Time menu option.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button.
  5. Select between Hour Budget and Wage Budget.
  6. Select your location from the location dropdown menu. 
  7. Click on the Copy from previous week button.
Clear your budget
  1. Log into your Employment Hero platform.
  2. Click the Time menu option.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button.
  5. Select between Hour Budget and Wage Budget.
  6. Select your location from the location dropdown menu. 
  7. Click on the Clear this budget button.

Understanding budget warnings

Monitor budget warning colours
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Review the budget warning indicators in both the roster view and shift panels:
    • Orange indicator: 85% of budget used (warning level)
    • Red indicator: Over budget (exceeded limit)
    • No colour: Within budget limits

Note: These warnings are informational and don't block publishing. They help you make informed decisions about roster costs.

View budget warnings in roster view
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Navigate to your roster in Work Site View.
  5. Look for coloured indicators on:
    • Work Site headers: Overall budget status for the work site
    • Daily columns: Budget status for specific days
    • Individual shifts: Cost impact of specific shifts
View budget warnings in shift panels
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click on any shift to open the shift panel.
  5. Review budget information displayed in the shift details:
    • Current budget usage: Shows percentage of budget used
    • Cost impact: Shows how this shift affects the budget
    • Warning indicators: Colour-coded alerts for budget status

Viewing and exporting budget vs actual costs

Access and review the budget overview
  1. Log in to your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Budget button. 
  5. View the budget for all work sites, or select the work site and week you want to review from the dropdown.  worksite-dropdown.png
  6. Click the Hours budget tab to compare budgeted vs actual hours. 
  7. Click the Wage budget tab to compare budgeted vs actual costs.
Export budget overview to CSV

Managers and admins can export budget overview performance data to a CSV format for offline reporting, filtering, and spreadsheet analysis.

  1. Click the Time > Rostering Management.
  2. Click the Budget button. 
  3. In the budget overview screen, review:
    1. Day-by-day breakdown: Budget vs costs for each day
    2. Weekly totals: Overall budget performance for the week
    3. Work site comparison: If the budget is shared across locations
  4. Use the dropdown to select individual work sites to see detailed cost breakdowns.
  5. Adjust your filters to the desired date range and work site scope.
  6. Click the Export CSV button. export-csv.png
  7. The file will download automatically to your device.
    • How your filters work: The downloaded file matches exactly what you see on your screen. If you filter by a specific work site, the file will only show data for that site. If you select "All Work Sites," the file will first show a combined summary for all sites, followed by a separate breakdown for each individual site you have permission to view.

    • How the file is organized: The file is designed to work perfectly with tools like Excel or Google Sheets. Hours are shown as standard decimals (for example, 8.50 instead of 8:30) and dollar amounts will not include currency symbols (like $), making it easy to run calculations and sort data. The file also includes a pre-calculated "Variance" column (Budgeted hours/wages minus Scheduled hours/wages). Blank spaces simply mean no budget was set for that timeframe. If a work site uses a weekly budget instead of daily, it will show up as a single summary row for that entire week.

Monitor real-time budget impact
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. As you create or edit shifts, monitor:
    • Immediate feedback: Budget warnings appear instantly when limits are approached
    • Cost calculations: Real-time updates to budget usage percentages
    • Visual indicators: Colour changes in the roster as budgets are affected
  5. Use this information to make informed decisions about shift assignments.

Further information

Work Site-specific budgeting benefits

The new Work Site-specific budgeting system provides several advantages:

  • Location accuracy: Budgets are tied to actual work locations rather than cost centres
  • Granular control: Set different budget limits for each physical work site
  • Work week alignment: Budgets align with your configured first day of the work week
  • Visual clarity: Easy identification of budget status through colour coding
  • Flexible periods: Choose daily or weekly budget periods to match your needs
  • Seamless reporting: Export structured tabular summaries directly to CSV with pre-calculated variance to evaluate performance data without manual data transcription.
Budget warning system

The budget warning system helps you stay informed without blocking operations:

  • 85% threshold: Orange warnings appear when 85% of budget is used
  • Over budget alerts: Red warnings when budget limits are exceeded
  • Non-blocking: Warnings are informational and don't prevent shift publishing
  • Real-time updates: Budget status updates immediately as shifts are created or modified
  • Multiple locations: Warnings appear in roster view, shift panels, and budget overview
Budget types and flexibility

The budgeting system offers flexibility to match your operational needs:

  • Hour budgets: Control the total hours worked at each work site
  • Wage budgets: Monitor and control labour costs at each location
  • Daily limits: Set specific budgets for individual days
  • Weekly limits: Establish broader weekly budget parameters
  • Mixed approach: Use different budget types for different work sites
  • Easy adjustments: Modify budgets as business needs change

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