To ensure that timesheets, invoicing, and allowances are captured correctly, a sleepover shift should not be created using a single continuous shift (e.g., a 16-hour block).
Instead, the period of care must be split into two or three separate shifts, with the sleepover allowance applied only to the sleeping portion.
Understanding the Shift Structure
To build a compliant sleepover schedule, you need to break the total time down into distinct time blocks.
Example Scenario:
A carer arrives for a shift at 5:00 PM on Monday, does a sleepover from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, and finishes their shift at 9:00 AM the next day (Tuesday).
In ShiftCare, this should be rostered as three separate shifts for the same client and staff member:
Shift 1: 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Standard face-to-face support)
Shift 2 (Sleepover): 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM (Sleepover allowance added here)
Shift 3: 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM (Standard face-to-face support)
Structuring the schedule as three separate shifts ensures your payroll software can accurately interpret Award rules and apply the correct penalty rates.
Rostering the Shifts
Using the same example of a carer with a shift from 5:00 PM (Monday) to 9:00 AM (Tuesday), you will need to create three separate shifts.
Create a new shift for the hours of 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Monday). Fill out the relevant details and click 'Save'.
Create another shift for 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Fill out the relevant details, tick 'Shift finishes the next day', and select 'Sleepover' from the Allowance dropdown menu. Click 'Save'.
Create a new shift for the hours of 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM (Tuesday). Fill out the relevant details and click 'Save'.
Please read this guide for information on handling awake hours during sleepover shifts.
This is how it will appear on the Scheduler:
By keeping the sleepover portion isolated as its own shift, you ensure the sleepover allowance is only attached to the correct hours, keeping your reporting and timesheets accurate.
Auto-Clocking for Sleepover Shifts
Because sleepovers are broken down into a 3-shift structure, remembering to manually clock in and out at the exact time of each shift (e.g., at exactly 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM) can be difficult for carers.
To solve this, ShiftCare can automatically clock carers in and out of the connecting shifts based on the scheduled shift times.
To use this feature, an Admin user must enable it for the account:
Navigate to Account > Settings and click 'Edit' in the Time and Attendance section.
Toggle the 'Auto clock in/out for sleepover shifts' setting to on.
When this setting is enabled, the system clocks in and out of the middle shifts automatically. Using the same example shift above, the carer only needs to perform two manual actions:
Shift 1 (5:00 PM to 10:00 PM): The carer must manually clock in when they arrive (5:00 PM). The system will auto-clock them out at the scheduled end time.
Shift 2 (Sleepover - 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM): The system will auto-clock them in and out at the exact scheduled start and end times.
Shift 3 (6:00 AM to 9:00 AM): The system will auto-clock them in at the scheduled start time. The carer must manually clock out when they finish their morning shift and leave (9:00 AM).
Important Rules
The system will not auto-clock the sleepover or morning shifts if the carer forgets to manually clock into Shift 1. The initial manual clock-in confirms their attendance.
If the carer's actual times differ from the schedule, they can still manually log their times via the mobile app or web. Any manual time recorded will instantly override the auto-clocked time and lock it in.
EVV: Once the final manual clock-out is recorded on Shift 3, the entire shift block will be processed for auto-approval. For live-in or EVV-enabled shifts, the auto-clocked times will successfully generate an EVV record.
For further assistance with Scheduling Sleepover Shifts and Auto Clock In/Out, please contact our Support team using online chat when you're logged into ShiftCare or email our Support team at support@shiftcare.com.