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Shift Rotations

Control how shifts are assigned and rotated within each roster.

Each roster in Upstat defines its own shift pattern. You control how users are rotated, how long each shift lasts, and what scheduling logic is used. These settings determine how coverage is spread across your team.

How Shift Rotations Work

Once a roster is saved, Upstat generates shifts based on:

  • The selected rotation type
  • Shift duration in hours
  • The order of users in the roster
  • Coverage mode (Fill Gaps or Single Shift)

Shifts are generated dynamically based on these rules and displayed in the roster calendar view.

Rotation Types

Sequential

Users take shifts one after another in roster order. Once the last person is assigned, rotation returns to the first user.

Best for: Small teams with predictable schedules where order doesn’t need to vary.

Day User
Monday User A
Tuesday User B
Wednesday User C
Thursday User A
Friday User B

Weekly Rotation

Each user’s position in the rotation advances by one each week. This ensures users don’t always get the same days of the week.

Best for: Teams that want variety in which days each person is on-call.

Week 1:

Day User
Mon A
Tue B
Wed C

Week 2:

Day User
Mon B
Tue C
Wed A

Even Distribution (Fair Distribution)

Shifts are spread evenly across the scheduling window to balance load among all users. The algorithm maximizes time between each user’s shifts.

Best for: Larger teams where fair distribution matters more than predictable patterns.

Shift Duration

Shift duration controls how long each shift lasts, in hours (1-24).

Duration Shifts Per Day (Fill Gaps) Use Case
24 hours 1 shift Simple daily rotation
12 hours 2 shifts Day/night split
8 hours 3 shifts Standard work shift coverage
6 hours 4 shifts High-frequency rotation

Coverage Mode Interaction

Rotation type works with coverage mode:

Fill Gaps + 8-hour duration: Creates 3 shifts per day, each assigned according to rotation rules.

Single Shift + 8-hour duration: Creates 1 shift per scheduled day, duration is 8 hours but no additional shifts fill the remaining 16 hours.

Best Practices

For Small Teams (2-4 users)

  • Sequential rotation works well for predictability
  • Everyone knows their pattern quickly
  • Easy to mentally calculate who’s on-call

For Larger Teams (5+ users)

  • Weekly Rotation or Even Distribution prevents the same person always getting weekends
  • Reduces on-call fatigue over time
  • Better perceived fairness

For Follow-the-Sun

  • Create separate rosters per region, each with its own timezone
  • Use Single Shift mode with business-hours duration
  • Coordinate handoffs through overlapping hours if needed

Summary

Rotation Type Pattern Best For
Sequential A → B → C → A Small teams, simple schedules
Weekly Rotation Position advances weekly Varying day coverage
Even Distribution Maximizes gaps between shifts Fair workload distribution