Alkimii Blog

How Working Patterns in Alkimii Make Hospitality Rostering Easier 

Written by Ian Curran | 8, September, 2025

Managers can keep scheduling within contracted hours by setting a working pattern for each team member—their expected days and hours. In Alkimii People, Working Patterns flag any shift added outside the agreed schedule, auto-calculate holiday balances and accrual, and populate leave requests with the correct paid hours, reducing rota conflicts and compliance risk.

Why Do Hospitality Teams Need Working Patterns?

Without a defined working pattern, managers risk scheduling outside agreed hours or approving leave without the correct deductions.

Working Patterns prevents this by making expectations visible and enforceable inside your roster. If a shift is added outside the pattern, Alkimii flags it instantly - giving you the choice to adjust or override. 

 

What Are the Benefits of Working Patterns?

  • Roster with confidence: Avoid scheduling outside contracted days or hours 
  • Improve compliance: Keep to agreed contracts and labour regulations 
  • Accurate holiday balances: Leave requests auto-calculate based on working patterns 
  • Fewer last-minute changes: Spot issues before shifts are published 

  • Accurate Holiday Accrual: Accrual is based on days in working patterns  

 

Tip: Working Patterns can facilitate for team members who are regularly off on the same weekday, have sporadic days off, or only work certain hours depending on the day. 

 

How Do You Set a Working Pattern in Alkimii?

To set a working pattern in Alkimii People, open the team member's Staff Profile and go to the Contract section.

  • Open the team member’s Staff Profile 
  • Go to the Contract section 
  • Select + Working Pattern 
  • Choose one of three options:

    By Week – Select specific days and hours per day 
    By Number of Days – Let the system divide contracted hours across a set number of days 
    Days On/Off – Ideal for rolling schedules like 4 days on / 4 days off 


  • Adjust hours per day if needed, add an end date for temporary patterns, and save 

 

Once set, Working Patterns work in the background to: 

 

  • Highlight shifts that fall outside the agreed schedule with a clear orange warning 
  • Adjust holiday balances automatically when leave is taken 
  • Populate leave requests with the correct paid hours - no manual edits required 

 

Who are Working Patterns for? 

Working Patterns suit anyone with non-standard hours—part-time staff, students, four-day week roles, and rolling shift patterns.

Examples:

👨‍🍳 Part-time employees 
🎓 College students working around study schedules 
🏨 Four-day week roles 
📅 Rolling shift patterns in housekeeping, kitchens, or maintenance 

With Working Patterns, rosters become faster to build, easier to check, and more accurate for everyone involved - freeing up managers to focus less on fixing mistakes and more on running the operation. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is a working pattern in workforce scheduling?

A working pattern defines a team member's expected working days and hours, making contracted expectations visible and enforceable inside the roster.

How do you set a working pattern in Alkimii?

Open the Staff Profile, go to the Contract section, select + Working Pattern, then choose By Week, By Number of Days, or Days On/Off, and save.

How do working patterns improve compliance?

They flag any shift added outside the agreed days or hours with an orange warning, helping managers keep to contracts and labour regulations before shifts are published.

Do working patterns affect holiday calculations?

Yes. Leave requests auto-calculate against the pattern and holiday accrual is based on the days in the working pattern, removing manual edits.

Who are working patterns useful for?

Part-time employees, students working around study, four-day week roles, and rolling shift patterns in housekeeping, kitchens, or maintenance.

 

Working Patterns make contracted hours visible and enforceable inside the roster—flagging out-of-pattern shifts and auto-calculating holiday so schedules stay accurate and compliant.

 

Already using Alkimii People? 
  • Log in today and set up your first Working Pattern from the Staff Profile → Contract tab. 

 

Not yet an Alkimii customer? 
  • Book a demo and see how smarter rostering can transform your scheduling.