A shift type defines the times, target hours, breaks and calculation rules for a day, such as an early or night shift. The same type is used in shift planning and when calculating actual working time.
Open Settings → Working time → Shift types. In the office-work layout, the page is called Working hours.
Set the basic details and daily settings
Give the type a clear name, abbreviation and colour. You can provide names in Finnish, Swedish and English.
Daily settings include:
- start and end times and the working time target
- break deductions and paid coffee breaks
- flexitime and overtime thresholds
- clock entry rounding and automatic clock-out
- the default time entry type.
Start, end and target are required. Other settings can use the working time model’s defaults or values specific to this shift type. An empty field does not mean zero: it inherits the value from the working time model.
Make changes from the right date
Basic details, such as the name and colour, can be edited directly. Changes to times or calculation rules take effect from a date you choose and create a new version.
The version is selected by the date of the working day, not the date it is confirmed. Existing planned shifts keep their times, but the version used for their calculation rules may change. Confirmed days retain their recorded calculation results.
Show validity history opens past and future versions. Use the correction action rather than a new version when fixing an incorrectly entered value or effective date. Review the impact before saving.
A backdated change can affect the calculated balance even though confirmed days retain their recorded values. If confirmed days also need correcting, use the app’s separate correction actions. Changing settings alone does not change locked payroll data or invoiced records.
Handle clock entries
Under Punch, set:
- Punch rounding: how the first and last clock entries of the day are rounded for calculation.
- Grace at start (min) and Grace at end (min): how close a clock entry must be to the planned start or end to be calculated using the scheduled time.
- Open-punch auto-close: whether an open clock entry stays open or closes at the workday boundary or planned end.
Rounding affects the calculation, not the timestamp stored for the original clock entry.
Breaks
Break deduction decides what happens to a punched break:
- No deduction: the punched break stands as it is.
- At least: the break is at least the set length. With a 30-minute minimum, a punched 25 minutes counts as 30 minutes (5 minutes out of working time), 30 minutes stays 30 and 35 minutes stays 35. A longer punched break is not trimmed.
- Fixed: the fixed break is deducted on days without a measured break. Punched breaks follow the same rule as At least. To give every punched break the same length, set Extend short break to (min) and Shorten long break to (min) to the same number of minutes.
Extend short break to (min) and Shorten long break to (min) even a punched break out to the given length; the day span is kept. An empty field inherits the value from the model, otherwise the setting is off. Deducted break kind names the deducted break; left empty, the break is an unnamed gap. Only unpaid break kinds can be chosen.
Preparation and wrap-up work
Preparation and wrap-up work is off by default (caps at 0). Fixed credit (min) replaces the measured minutes with a flat number of minutes when the value is above 0.
How is the day’s shift type selected?
The day breakdown shows the selected type and its source. It normally comes from a published shift. An employee’s individual shift takes precedence over a group shift.
If there is no published shift, Kelomo can identify the type from the first entry’s start time using time ranges configured in the working time model. This works for both clock entries and manually recorded hours. Otherwise, the model’s date or weekday rules or default type are used.
A manual choice for the day takes precedence over automatic selection.
Change the type for one day
Open the day breakdown and use the Shift field. Select the correct type or restore automatic selection. The change applies only to that day and does not replace checking the recorded times.
The manual choice is also visible to the approver in the day details. It does not require a separate approval beyond the normal working day process.
In the recording policies, an admin chooses whether employees and supervisors, supervisors only, or neither can change the type. Staff groups can have different permissions. If the choice is missing, ask an admin to check your access.
Reopen a confirmed day for editing before changing its type, then confirm it again. If the chosen type has no version valid on that day, Kelomo tells you and uses automatic selection.
Night shifts and split shifts
Enter a night shift using ordinary times, such as 22:00–06:00. Kelomo treats an end time earlier than the start as falling on the following day.
For a split shift, enter the separate work blocks and their breaks. Time off between blocks is not a break within a work block. Check that the times and total working hours match the intended shift.
If only one planned shift needs different times, edit that shift. You do not need a new shift type for every one-off change.
See also Working time models and Enable the punch clock.