Knowing how split shifts work and their benefits in business will help you decide if they work for you and your employees.
What is a split shift?
A split shift, also known as a broken shift, is when an employee works two shifts on the same day with a long break in the middle.
How do split shifts work?
Split shifts work by assigning employees two separate shifts in one day. They should be at least two hours each with a break of more than 60 minutes in between. You usually pay employees their regular rate for both shifts, but the break is unpaid.
In Australia, you may need to pay employees working split shifts an allowance. To find out the split shift allowances for your industry, check the pay guides for the award that applies to your business or use the Pay and Conditions Tool on the Fair Work website.
When are split shifts used?
Split shifts are used when they fit your business and your employees. Use them in your shift management if you have distinct busy and slow periods or remote teams in different time zones. Hospitality, health, social care and customer service call centres are some industries that frequently use split shifts.
Benefits of using split shifts
The benefits of using split shifts include:
Improved productivity and efficiency
Increased productivity and efficiency can come from split shifts because you schedule employees only when you need them. This arrangement means you have the staff to cover peak times and keep labour costs down. Further, employees may be able to re-charge and be more productive after a rest period.
Increased flexibility
Increased flexibility is another benefit of using split shifts. Flexible working hours let employees balance work with home life, so offering split shifts may help you to attract a wider talent pool. It may also help improve workplace productivity.
Better work-life balance
One of the biggest advantages of split shifts for employees is a better work-life balance. For example, having a long break in the middle of the day can let employees run errands, spend time with family or save on childcare.
Better employee retention
Better employee retention can be a long-term benefit of using split shifts. Allowing employees to create schedules that work for them is an effective employee retention strategy. Flexible schedules may help lessen workplace stress, improve job satisfaction and reduce staff turnover.
Split shift best practices
Split shift best practices are important to consider. Before implementing this shift pattern for your business, ensure that you:
Communicate clearly with employees
Communicate clearly with employees to make sure your expectations align with theirs. If you’re planning to use split shifts, make this clear in the job description, the interview and the employee onboarding process.
Use rostering software
Use rostering software to take the stress out of assigning and recording split shifts. You can roster staff effectively and integrate your rosters with your cloud payroll.
Tip: Use MYOB’s timesheeting and rostering software to ensure you’re accurately recording split shift hours and paying employees their correct entitlements.
Plus, with the MYOB Team app, you can easily create and share rosters and your employees can tap on and off to record their hours.
Understand employee/labour laws
Understand employee and labour laws to make sure you’re always complying with your employer obligations and what your people are entitled to.
In Australia, employees working split shifts may be entitled to allowances – bonus payments to compensate for the inconvenience of working two shifts in one day. How much allowance you should pay employees depends on your industry.
Keep accurate records
Keep accurate records of all employee hours including split shifts, rotating rosters, overtime and shift swaps. Your records will ensure you’re paying your employees correctly – an important part of payroll management.
Account for employee commute time
When considering split shift schedules, account for employee commute time. If an employee travels long distances to get to work, it’ll be more expensive and time-consuming to work two shifts in one day. Discuss the options with your employees to make sure a split shift will suit them.
Example of a split shift
A typical example of a split shift is in the hospitality industry. Imagine you run a busy restaurant that offers lunch and dinner, closing between meals. Using a split shift schedule, your team members work from 11 am to 3 pm and again from 5 pm to 9 pm. You can use the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay and conditions tool to work out the split shift allowance for the restaurant award.
Split shift FAQs
What’s the difference between a swing shift and a split shift?
The difference between a swing shift and a split shift is that a swing shift covers the transition between day and night shifts. A split shift involves working two periods with a break in between.
What’s the split shift allowance?
The split shift allowance is an extra payment employees get for working a broken shift. Allowance amounts vary between industries, so check the allowance for your industry award before scheduling split shifts.
Can casual employees work split shifts?
Casual employees can work split shifts in most industries. You must pay casual employees the split shift allowance. Check the pay guides on Fair Work’s website to find out the allowances for your industry award.
Simplify shift scheduling with cloud rostering software
As your business becomes more successful, managing your workforce gets more complicated. With employees working different shift patterns, handling rosters, timesheets and payroll can feel like a never-ending juggling act. What’s more, the consequences can be severe if you drop the ball. That’s where MYOB comes in.
With MYOB, you can manage timesheets, rosters and pay runs with ease. Use the MYOB Team app to share rosters and record clock-on and clock-off times. Syncing this employee data to MYOB Business or MYOB AccountRight also keeps pay records complete and up-to-date. Check out MYOB’s plans and latest offers – get started today.
Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is of a general nature and does not consider your personal situation. It does not constitute legal, financial, or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as a statement of law, policy or advice. You should consider whether this information is appropriate to your needs and, if necessary, seek independent advice. This information is only accurate at the time of publication. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information contained on this webpage, MYOB disclaims, to the extent permitted by law, all liability for the information contained on this webpage or any loss or damage suffered by any person directly or indirectly through relying on this information.