This solution ensures compliance with Modern Award rostering requirements, including MA000002 and MA000022, by automatically identifying when employees exceed maximum shift limits. It supports flexible configuration across daily, weekly, or pay-cycle periods and seamlessly routes excess shifts to appropriate overtime pay items. Backward compatibility is preserved through migration of existing award policies, while shift grouping functionality ensures multiple related entries are accurately counted as a single shift.
Getting Started
Prerequisites
Before you can use Maximum Shift Count enforcement, your system administrator must configure the appropriate award policy rules. This feature is configured at the award policy level and applies during pay run processing.
For System Administrators:
Access to Award Policy configuration.
Understanding of Award requirements for your organisation.
Knowledge of which Awards/EA’s require shift count limits.
For Payroll Officers:
No additional permissions required.
Maximum Shift Count rules are applied automatically when configured in the award policy.
Note: Maximum Shift Count enforcement is an optional feature that must be explicitly configured in your award policy. Existing calculations continue to work unchanged unless the feature is enabled.
If you currently use the Number of Shifts per Day award rule, your award rule has been automatically migrated to the new configuration and will not produce any backpay.
Understanding Maximum Shift Count Enforcement
The Business Requirement
Award policies require limits on the number of shifts an employee can work within a specified period. These limits vary by Award and apply to the maximum total shifts within a defined period.
Example Award Requirements:
MA000002 (Clerks - Private Sector Award) - Clause 26.3(a): A maximum of 6 shifts can be worked over the period of a week.
MA000022 (Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award) - Clause 10.2: Part-time employees can work up to 5 days per week without overtime.
How Shift Counting Works
A shift is defined by time attendance records passed into the Award Interpreters, including:
Timesheets (Start/End Times or Duration mode).
Work Schedules.
Leave entries (full day and part day).
Roster Shifts.
Important Considerations:
Leave for part of a shift counts as one shift (not multiple).
Multiple timesheet entries on the same day may count as separate shifts unless shift grouping is configured.
When shift grouping is enabled, entries within the grouping threshold are counted as a single shift.
Period Types
The system supports multiple period types for counting shifts:
Period Type | Description | Use Case |
Day | Counts shifts per calendar day | Daily shift limits |
Week Starting On | Counts shifts per calendar week with configurable start day | MA000002 weekly limits (Monday-Sunday) |
Week Aligned to Pay Cycle | Counts shifts per week aligned to pay period start date | MA000022 pay period aligned limits |
Rolling Period | Counts shifts over a configurable rolling number of days | Custom rolling period requirements |
Comparison Operators
The following comparison operators are available for shift count rules:
Operator | Description | Example |
Less Than | Shift count is less than threshold | < 6 shifts |
Less Than Or Equal To | Shift count is at or below threshold | <= 6 shifts |
Equal To | Shift count exactly matches threshold | = 6 shifts |
Greater Than | Shift count exceeds threshold | > 6 shifts |
Greater Than Or Equal To | Shift count is at or above threshold | > = 6 shifts |
Configuring Maximum Shift Count Rules
Enabling Maximum Shift Count in Award Policies
Maximum Shift Count rules are configured through the Award Policy configuration using the Number of Shifts Condition.
Navigate to Policies > Award Policies.
Select the award policy you wish to configure.
Edit the relevant rule where you want shift count enforcement to apply.
Add the Number of Shifts Condition to the rule.
Configure the condition parameters:
Comparison: Select the comparison operator.
Number of Shifts: Enter the maximum shift count threshold.
Per Period: Select Day, Week Starting On, Week Aligned to Pay Cycle, or Rolling Period.
Week Start Day: (Required for Week Starting On) Select the day the week starts.
Rolling Period Days: (Required for Rolling Period) Enter the number of days
Match Only Qualifying Shifts: Enable to pass only matching shifts to sub-rules
6. Add sub-rules to define what happens when the condition is met (e.g., Add Pay Item action).
7. Save the award policy.
Match Only Qualifying Shifts
The Match Only Qualifying Shifts option controls which shifts are passed down to sub-rules:
When disabled (default):
All shifts are evaluated against the condition.
If the condition matches, all shifts are passed to sub-rules.
When enabled:
Only the qualifying shifts based on the comparison are passed to sub-rules.
This enables routing specific shifts to different pay items (e.g., first 5 shifts to Ordinary Time, shifts 6+ to Overtime)
Important: The Match Only Qualifying Shifts option is disabled when using the "Equal To" comparison operator.
Example Configuration: MA000002 (6 shifts per week)
To enforce the MA000002 requirement of maximum 6 shifts per week:
Rule 1: Pay first 6 shifts as Ordinary Time
Rule 2: Pay shifts 7+ as Overtime
How Pay Runs Use Maximum Shift Count Rules
Automatic Application
Once Maximum Shift Count rules are configured in an award policy, they are automatically applied during pay run processing. No additional steps are required by payroll officers.
During pay run calculation:
The system identifies employees with shift count rules configured.
For each employee, shifts are counted within the configured period.
Shifts are evaluated against the comparison threshold.
Hours are passed to sub-rules based on the Match Only Qualifying Shifts setting.
Pay items are generated accordingly.
Viewing Results
When reviewing a pay run, you can verify the shift count enforcement by:
Opening the pay run.
Reviewing the employee's pay details.
Checking the pay items generated (e.g., Ordinary Time vs Overtime).
Verifying hours align with expected shift counts.
Scenario Examples
Scenario 1: Employee Works Within Limit (Compliant)
Given:
Award Policy rule: Maximum 6 shifts per week (Week Starting On Monday).
Employee works 5 shifts: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
Result:
No breach.
All 5 shifts paid as Ordinary Time.
Scenario 2: Employee Exceeds Limit (Breach)
Given:
Award Policy rule: Maximum 6 shifts per week (Week Starting On Monday).
Employee works 7 shifts: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun.
Result:
Breach identified (7 shifts > 6 allowed).
First 6 shifts paid as Ordinary Time.
7th shift paid as Overtime.
Scenario 3: Leave Counted as Shifts
Given:
Award Policy rule: Maximum 6 shifts per week.
Employee works 4 timesheet shifts + 2 full day leave entries.
Result:
Total shift count: 6 (4 timesheets + 2 leave days).
All 6 shifts paid as Ordinary Time (compliant).
Shift Grouping Integration
How Shift Grouping Affects Shift Counting
When shift grouping is enabled, multiple time attendance entries that fall within the grouping threshold are merged into a single shift for counting purposes.
Example:
Employee has two timesheet entries on the same day: 09:00-12:00 and 12:15-17:00.
With shift grouping configured (30-minute threshold), these are counted as 1 shift.
Without shift grouping, these would be counted as 2 shifts.
Part Day Leave with Shift Grouping
Part day leave creates multiple time attendance components (leave portion + remainder). When shift grouping is enabled, these components are grouped into a single shift.
Example:
Employee has 4 hours of part day leave on a scheduled 8-hour day
The leave creates two components: 4 hours leave + 4 hours scheduled work
With shift grouping, this counts as 1 shift (not 2)
Backward Compatibility
Existing Pay Policies
Implementation of Maximum Shift Count enforcement does not affect existing pay policies or calculations.
Key points:
Existing calculations continue to work unchanged.
Maximum Shift Count rules must be explicitly configured.
The "Day" period type maintains backward compatibility with existing shift count rules.
Existing rules using the Day period type will continue to function as before.
Migration Considerations
If you need to update existing policies to use weekly shift count limits:
Review your current award policies.
Identify which Modern Awards/Enterprise Agreements require weekly shift count limits.
Cease the current version of your award (Recommend ending to coincide with a pay period end date).
Create a new version of your award (Recommend starting to coincide with a pay period start date).
Update the relevant award policies to include the Number of Shifts Condition with the appropriate period type.
Test the updated policies in a non-production environment.
Deploy the changes during a suitable pay period transition.
Important: When transitioning to weekly shift count limits, be aware that pay calculations may differ from previous daily-based calculations. Review and communicate any changes to affected employees as required.
Troubleshooting
Shifts Not Being Counted Correctly
Problem: Shift count doesn't match expected value
Solution:
Verify the period type is configured correctly (Day, Week Starting On, Week Aligned to Pay Cycle).
For Week Starting On, confirm the correct week start day is selected.
Check if shift grouping is enabled and affecting the count.
Verify all time attendance records (timesheets, leave, schedules) are included in the period.
If utilising tagging, the rule is placed in the correct order.
Overtime Not Being Generated
Problem: Employee exceeds shift limit but no overtime is generated
Solution:
Verify both rules are configured (one for ordinary time, one for overtime).
Check that Match Only Qualifying Shifts is enabled on both rules.
Confirm the comparison operators are correct (LessThanOrEqualTo for ordinary, GreaterThan for overtime).
Ensure both rules use the same period type and settings.
If utilising tagging, the rule is placed in the correct order.
Leave Not Counting as Shifts
Problem: Leave entries are not being counted in the shift total
Solution:
Verify the award policy rule applies to all time attendance types (not just timesheets).
Check that leave applications are approved and within the pay period.
Confirm the work schedule is configured for the leave dates.
If utilising tagging, the rule is placed in the correct order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Maximum Shift Count apply to all employees automatically?
A: No, Maximum Shift Count rules must be explicitly configured in the award policy. Only employees assigned to award policies with these rules will have shift count enforcement applied.
Q: How are multiple shifts on the same day counted?
A: By default, each timesheet entry is counted as a separate shift. If shift grouping is configured, entries within the grouping threshold are merged and counted as a single shift.
Q: Does leave count towards the shift limit?
A: Yes, leave entries (both full day and part day) are counted as shifts. Part day leave counts as one shift, not multiple.
Q: Can I use different shift limits for different employee types?
A: Yes, you can configure different award policies with different shift count rules for different employee classifications.
Q: What happens if an employee works exactly at the limit?
A: If an employee works exactly at the limit (e.g., 6 shifts when the limit is 6), all shifts are paid as ordinary time. Only shifts exceeding the limit trigger overtime.
Q: Can I configure consecutive day limits instead of total shift counts?
A: Yes, the Number of Shifts Condition supports a "Consecutively" option for counting consecutive working days rather than total shifts in a period.
Q: How does the Week Aligned to Pay Cycle period work?
A: The week starts on the same day of the week as the pay period start date. For example, if your pay period starts on Tuesday, the shift count week runs Tuesday to Monday.
Q: What if I have multiple shift count rules for the same award?
A: Multiple rules are evaluated independently. For example, you can have both a daily maximum and a weekly maximum configured.
Getting Help
If you experience issues or have questions about Maximum Shift Count enforcement:
Review this guide for configuration and troubleshooting information
Contact your system administrator for award policy configuration questions
Refer to Modern Award documentation for official shift limit requirements
Check the online help within Definitiv for additional guidance
Contact support if you need assistance by raising a case online.