---
title: "Create a Shift Pattern Rule"
slug: "create-a-shift-pattern-rule"
description: "Streamline employee scheduling with Shift Patterns, automating shifts based on rules, recurrence, and timing for efficient workforce management."
updated: 2026-04-29T00:41:36Z
published: 2026-04-29T00:41:36Z
canonical: "help.workeasysoftware.com/create-a-shift-pattern-rule"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.workeasysoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a Shift Pattern Rule

**Shift Patterns** automatically assign recurring shifts to employees in the **Scheduler** based on a defined schedule. They help standardize scheduling, reduce manual shift creation, and ensure employees receive the correct shifts based on timing, recurrence, and assignment rules.

This article explains how to create and manage **Shift Patterns** and provides descriptions of the available fields used during configuration.

### Accounts without rules

1. Select **Scheduling.**
2. Select the **Shift Patterns** tab.
3. Click **Create Rule**. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/88d7ebef-752e-45d9-95e1-ee13bd7279c5/Images/Documentation/image-F3Q58EF6.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T15%3A41%3A45Z&se=2026-11-01T16%3A41%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=oU9W9qOnCa%2BG1fLD7rlh%2BSHZLTVmnR66dWI9ah%2BySEM%3D)
4. Fill out the applicable rule details.
5. Click **Save**. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/88d7ebef-752e-45d9-95e1-ee13bd7279c5/Images/Documentation/image-0UQFCIDM.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T15%3A41%3A45Z&se=2026-11-01T16%3A41%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=oU9W9qOnCa%2BG1fLD7rlh%2BSHZLTVmnR66dWI9ah%2BySEM%3D)

## Accounts with existing rules

1. For accounts with existing rules, select **+ Create Rule** and follow the steps 4 & 5 above. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/88d7ebef-752e-45d9-95e1-ee13bd7279c5/Images/Documentation/image-N1C73KQ2.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T15%3A41%3A45Z&se=2026-11-01T16%3A41%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=oU9W9qOnCa%2BG1fLD7rlh%2BSHZLTVmnR66dWI9ah%2BySEM%3D)

## Mandatory fields

These fields are required to create a shift pattern:

- **Name**
- **Starting on**
- **Audience**
- **Schedule Plan**
- **Start time**
- **End time**
- **Shift type**
- **Pattern starts on**
- **Recurrence type**
- **Time Zone**
- **Publish Behavior**

## Conditionally required fields

These fields depend on your setup or selection:

- **Specific group** or **Specific employee**, required if **Audience** is not set to **Everyone**
- **Location**, if your scheduling structure uses location-based assignments
- **Department**, if your scheduling structure uses department-based assignments
- **Pattern ends on**, required only if the pattern should not remain **Infinite**

## Optional fields

These fields can be configured as needed:

- **Color**
- **Est. Break (min.)**
- **Employee Shift Notes**
- **Is Critical?**
- **On Call?**
- **Pattern ends on**, when using a fixed end date instead of **Infinite**

## Best practice recommendation

Even when optional, it is helpful to complete:

- **Color**, for faster visual recognition in the scheduler
- **Est. Break (min.)**, for accurate labor planning
- **Employee Shift Notes**, for instructions such as uniform requirements, opening duties, or call expectations

## Field descriptions

Use the following descriptions to complete the shift pattern details.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Name** | Enter a clear name for the shift pattern. Use a name that identifies the purpose, team, location, or shift timing. |
| **Starting on** | Select when the shift pattern becomes available. Use **Immediate** to make the pattern available right away, or select a future date if the pattern should start later. |
| **Audience** | Select who the shift pattern applies to. Options include **Everyone**, **Specific group**, or **Specific employee**. |
| **Schedule Plan** | Displays the schedule plan used for the shift pattern. |
| **Location** | Select a location if the shift pattern should apply only to employees assigned to a specific location. |
| **Department** | Select a department if the shift pattern should apply only to employees assigned to a specific department. |
| **Color** | Select the color used to display the shift in the scheduler. |
| **Start time** | Enter the time the shift starts. |
| **End time** | Enter the time the shift ends. |
| **Shift Type** | Select how the shift spans calendar days. - **Same Day:** The shift starts and ends on the same calendar day. - **Overnight:** The shift starts on one day and ends after midnight on the next day. - **Two Days:** The shift spans two calendar days. - **Three Days:** The shift spans three calendar days. |
| **Duration** | Displays the total shift duration based on the selected start time, end time, and shift type. |
| **Est. Break (min.)** | Enter the estimated break duration in minutes. |
| **Employee Shift Notes** | Add notes that employees can view in the shift details. |
| **Is Critical?** | Select this option to mark the shift as critical for scheduling or staffing purposes. |
| **On Call?** | Select this option when the employee must be available to work if needed but is not necessarily scheduled to be on-site. |
| **Pattern starts on** | Select the date when the shift pattern begins assigning shifts. |
| **Pattern ends on** | Select when the shift pattern stops assigning shifts. Use **Infinite** when the pattern should continue without an end date. |

## Pattern Selector

Use the **Pattern Selector** section to define how the shift pattern repeats and how shifts are published.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Recurrence type | Select how the shift pattern repeats. - **Daily:** Assigns the shift pattern every day. - **Weekly:** Assigns the shift pattern on selected days of the week. - **Monthly:** Assigns the shift pattern on selected days of the month. - **Days ON and Days OFF:** Assigns shifts based on a repeating cycle of consecutive workdays and days off. - **Custom Cycle:** Assigns shifts based on a custom cycle using scheduled and off days. - **Advanced:** Assigns shifts using a more detailed custom pattern. |
| Time Zone | Select the time zone used for the shift pattern. |
| **Publish Behavio**r | Select how shifts created from the pattern are published. - **None:** Creates shifts without automatically publishing them. - **Publish With Workflow:** Publishes shifts using the scheduling workflow and sends applicable notifications. - **Publish Without Workflow:** Publishes shifts without triggering the scheduling workflow. |

## Shift creation for newly activated employees

When an employee is reactivated and their status changes from **Inactive** or **Terminated** to **Active**, the system creates shifts based on the employee’s assigned shift pattern.

- Shifts begin the day after the effective date of activation.
- This helps newly activated employees appear in the schedule after reactivation.
- If the activation date is in the past, shifts are created starting the day after the effective date. The system does not backfill missed days unless otherwise configured.
- If the activation date is in the future, shifts begin the day after that future date.

> [!WARNING]
> If an employee is already assigned to a different schedule plan, shifts may not be added if there is a conflict or overlap with the new schedule.