As an Admin, managing schedules can be time-consuming, especially if employees have a fixed work pattern.
The Repeat Shift feature lets you quickly set up recurring shifts, so you don’t have to create them manually every time.
In this guide, you’ll learn five methods to create repeating shifts, with step-by-step instructions, practical examples, and real-life scenarios for when each method works best.
Scenario:
Emma is the Outlet Manager at a busy retail store. As an Admin, she needs to schedule the same morning shift for five cashiers for every weekday. Previously, Emma had to manually create the same shift for each day, one by one. Now with the Repeat Shift feature, she simply creates the shift once, sets it to repeat every weekday, and the system automatically fills the schedule for the next three months — saving her hours of repetitive work!
Repeat Shift Options
When setting a shift to repeat, you can choose from the following:
a. Does not repeat – The shift will only appear on the selected date once.
Scenario: Admin schedules a one-off Friday evening shift for Employee A to cover a corporate dinner event. Since this is a special occasion, she sets it to “Does not repeat.”
b. Daily – Repeats the shift every day for up to 3 months.
Scenario: Employee B, a security guard, works from 8 PM to 8 AM every single day. Admin sets his shift to “Daily” so she doesn’t need to re-enter it for the next 90 days.
c. Weekly on (day name) – Repeats the shift every week on the chosen day for 3 months.
Example: If you choose Monday, it will repeat every Monday for up to 3 months.
Scenario: Employee C only works every Saturday at the hotel’s front desk to cover peak weekend check-ins. Admin sets her shift to repeat weekly every Saturday.
d. Monthly on (specific date) – Repeats the shift every month on a specific date for 3 months.
Example: If you set 1 August, the shift will repeat on the 1st of each month until October.
Scenario: Every 1st of the month, the maintenance officer needs to inspect all fire safety equipment. Admin sets his shift to repeat monthly on the 1st.
e. Every weekday (Monday to Friday) – Repeats the shift on weekdays only for 3 months.
Scenario: Office assistant works from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday to Friday. Admin sets her schedule to “Every weekday” for the entire quarter.
f. Custom – Set your own recurrence (e.g. every 2 weeks, every 3 months), with an end date or number of repetitions.
Scenario: During a 6-week promotional campaign, the barista needs to cover a special late-night coffee service every Tuesday and Thursday. Admin uses the “Custom” option to repeat the shift twice a week until the campaign ends.
Note: If you create a non-custom repeated shift (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Every Weekday), the system will automatically generate it for the next 3 months.
Method 1: Editing After Drag & Drop from a Pre-Created Shift Template
If you have a pre-created shift template, you can drag and drop it, then adjust the repeat settings.
Steps:
Follow this guide to plan a shift using a pre-created template.
Click Edit on the shift you just placed.
In the Repeat Shift section, choose your desired recurrence.
Click Update.
Scenario: Admin uses a template for “Evening Kitchen Shift” and drags it onto the Employee A’s schedule. She realises Employee A works this shift every Tuesday, so she edits it to repeat weekly until the end of the season.
Method 2: Creating a Shift via the + Icon on an Employee’s Schedule
This method allows you to set repetition while creating a shift directly on an employee’s schedule.
Steps:
Refer to this guide for detailed instructions on planning a shift using the method above
Fill in the shift details.
In the Repeat Shift section, choose your recurrence option.
Click Save.
Scenario: While scheduling, Admin notices that cashier A works the same Wednesday afternoon shift for three months. Instead of entering each date manually, he sets it to repeat every Wednesday.
Method 3: Creating a Shift via + Create a Shift (Bulk Assignment)
Bulk assignment lets you create the same repeating shift for multiple employees at once.
Steps:
Check this guide to learn how to plan a shift using the approach mentioned above.
Select all employees who need this shift.
Fill in the shift details and set the repeat option.
Click Save.
Scenario: For the holiday season, Admin schedules a “Morning Sales Floor” shift for all part-time staff every weekday for six weeks. She uses bulk assignment with “Every weekday” so the same shift is applied to the whole team at once.
Method 4: Copy to Next Week Button
This option quickly duplicates a shift to the following week.
Steps:
Select the existing shift(s).
Click Copy to Next Week.
You’ll see a notification confirming it was copied successfully.
Scenario: Admin finalises next week’s roster and sees that cleaner’s shifts are identical to this week’s. Instead of creating them from scratch, Admin clicks “Copy to Next Week” to instantly duplicate the schedule.
Method 5: Keyboard Shortcut
You can copy a shift instantly using keyboard shortcuts:
For Mac:
Hold ‘option ⌥’ from your keyboard and drag the shift to the new date/time.
For Windows:
Hold ‘alt’ from your keyboard and drag the shift to the new date/time. The shift will be copied automatically.
Scenario: While adjusting the schedule, Admin realises she needs to add another identical morning shift for Employee A next Tuesday. She simply holds the shortcut key, drags the current shift, and drops it on the new date — All done in a matter of seconds!
Tips for Using Repeat Shift Efficiently
Review recurring shifts regularly to ensure they still match real-life needs.
Combine repeat options with bulk assignment for faster scheduling.
Avoid unnecessary repeats to prevent roster clutter.
Great! Now you know several methods to make the shift repeat. This will save you time and make your scheduling process much smoother.
Still exploring? Head over to our Help Center for more in-depth guides and FAQs.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at support@gutsyhq.com. We'll get back to you from there.