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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-03-13
Set Up Time Shift Options

Set Up Time Shift Options

  • Create a time entry template.
  • Security:
    Set Up: Time Tracking
     domain in the Time Tracking functional area.
You can configure how Workday assigns dates to time blocks and calculated time offs that are part of a time shift. You can also control how Workday handles time blocks and calculated time offs that cross the day breaker. Configuring time shift options enables you to comply with commonly negotiated overtime and premium pay policies.
You can split time blocks and calculated time offs at the day breaker or group them into shifts. When you group time blocks and calculated time offs, Workday adds a shift date to each block based on the dates for the:
  • Beginning of a shift.
  • End of a shift.
  • Majority of a shift.
You can use the shift date on the time block and calculated time off when you create these types of time calculations:
  • Consecutive day.
  • Minimum daily hours.
  • Minimum weekly hours.
  • Standard overtime.
  • Time block conditional.
  • Time block create.
  1. Access the
    Create Time Entry Template
     or
    Edit Time Entry Template
     task.
  2. On the
    Effective-Dated
     tab, expand the
    Time Shift
     section
  3. Select a time shift option:
    Option
    Description
    Workday Defined
    Workday defines a time shift as a grouping of time blocks and calculated time offs that can each last up to 24 hours. You can separate time blocks within a shift using meals and breaks, which can be up to 24 hours long.
    Custom
    You can create your own shift definition by customizing the separations for the time block and calculated time off that count toward time shifts.
  4. Select an option from the
    Group Time Blocks for Shift Based On
     prompt to define a shift date for shifts that cross the day breaker:
    Option
    Description
    Begin of Shift
    End of Shift
    Select to set the shift date to the beginning or end date for the shift.
    Example: You configure a worker's time entry template to have a 1-hour maximum meal duration. They work on Monday from 20:00 to midnight and then take a 1-hour meal break. They check in again at 01:00 on Tuesday and check out at 05:00. The meal break is within the 1-hour maximum, so Workday groups both time blocks into the same shift.
    When you group time blocks based on:
    • Begin of Shift
      : Workday sets the shift date of each time block to the date for Monday.
    • End of Shift
      : Workday sets the shift date of each time block to the date for Tuesday.
    Majority of Shift
    Select to set the shift date to the day on which the worker works the most hours in the shift.
    Workday determines the shift date by comparing the duration between the calculated In time of the first time block in the shift to the day breaker and the duration between the day breaker to the calculated Out time of the last time block in the shift. If there’s more time before the day breaker, Workday will assign the date of the first part of the shift. If there’s more time after the day breaker, Workday will assign the date of the last part of the shift. When there’s an equal amount of time before and after the day breaker, Workday will assign the date of the first part of the shift.
    Example: You configure a worker's time entry template to have a 2-hour maximum meal duration. They work on Wednesday from 22:00 to midnight and then take a 1-hour meal break. They check in again at 01:00 on Thursday and check out at 06:00. Workday groups the 2 hours worked on Wednesday and the 5 hours worked on Thursday into the same shift. The majority of the shift is on Thursday, so Workday sets the shift date of both time blocks to the date for Thursday.
    Split by Day Breaker
    Select to use a calculated date for time blocks.
    Example: A worker has a calendar with a 02:00 day breaker. They work a 4-hour shift from 01:00 to 05:00. Workday doesn't add a shift date to the time block. Workday tags the hour before the day breaker and the 3 hours after with different calculated dates.
    Calculated time offs follow the same grouping rules as time blocks, based on the selection in the
    Group Time Blocks for Shift Based On
     prompt. Shifts can be entirely made up of calculated time offs.
  5. (Optional) To group time blocks into shifts by position, select
    Position Based Shifts
    . We recommend that you only configure this setting for workers who have position-based time calculations that are based on a shift date.
You want to configure time shift options for shifts that cross a week breaker.
On the time entry template, you group time blocks for a shift based on the beginning of the shift. The week begins on Monday.
Scenario
: A worker checks in at 20:00 on Sunday and checks out at 04:00 on Monday. Workday creates these time blocks based on the day breaker:
Day Breaker
Reported Time Block
Calculated Time Block
Shift Date
Midnight
20:00 - 00:00
Sunday
20:00 - 00:00
Sunday
Sunday
00:00 - 04:00
Monday
00:00 - 04:00
Monday
Sunday
Non-midnight
01:00
20:00 - 04:00
Sunday
20:00 - 00:00
Sunday
Sunday
00:00 - 01:00
Sunday
01:00 - 04:00
Monday
Workday includes the hours worked on Monday and tagged with a Sunday shift date in the total for Sunday. When the worker submits hours for the week ending on Sunday, Workday includes the Monday hours tagged with the Sunday shift date.
Calculations based on the shift date include the hours from 00:00 to 04:00 on Monday in the totals for the previous week.
Scenario
: When the same worker, who's scheduled shift is from Sunday at 20:00 to Monday at 04:00, calls in sick, a calculated time off is created. For calculated time offs, the reported time block isn't split by the day breaker when crossing weeks:
Day Breaker
Reported Time Off Block
Calculated Time Off Block
Shift Date
Midnight
20:00 - 04:00
Sunday
20:00 - 00:00
Sunday
Sunday
00:00 - 04:00
Monday
Sunday
Non-midnight
01:00
20:00 - 04:00
Sunday
20:00 - 00:00
Sunday
Sunday
00:00 - 01:00
Sunday
01:00 - 04:00
Monday
On the
Create Time Calculation
 or
Edit Time Calculation
 tasks, configure any calculations that evaluate shifts for Workday to calculate time according to the shift date.