Configuring snap-to-shift and rounding

Snap-to-shift and rounding

Clocked times are rarely exact. Employees clock 7:58 instead of 8:00 or 16:03 instead of 16:00. To keep your payroll clean, Shiftdesk offers two mechanisms: snap and rounding.

Snap-to-shift: docking onto the shift

Snap pulls a clocked time onto the scheduled time when the difference is within a tolerance window.

• Example: Shift 08:00–16:00, snap window 15 minutes.
• If the employee clocks in at 07:52, it becomes 08:00 (within 15 min before the shift).
• If they clock in at 07:30, it stays 07:30 (outside the window).

Snap works in both directions: before and after the shift start or end.

Rounding: rounding time to intervals

Rounding rounds each clocked time to a fixed interval — independent of the plan.

Setting	Meaning
Interval	5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes
Direction	\nearest\, \up\, \down\
Variant	\employerfavorable\ (in favor of the employer), \employeefavorable\ (in favor of the employee), \nearest\ (mathematical)

Example with interval 15 min, direction \nearest\:

• Clocking 08:07 → 08:00
• Clocking 08:08 → 08:15
• Clocking 15:52 → 15:45 (end)

Snap and rounding combined

Snap is applied before rounding:

1. Raw clocking: 07:52
2. Snap active (15 min window, shift start 08:00) → 08:00
3. Rounding no longer needed

Where do I set this?

Go to Settings → Time tracking → Rounding. You'll find:

• Rounding interval (\roundingintervalminutes\)
• Rounding direction (\roundingdirection\)
• Snap window to the shift (\snaptoshiftminutes\)
• Grace period before the shift (\clockingracebeforeminutes\) — how early someone may clock in
• Grace period after the shift start (\clockingraceafterminutes\)

The settings apply per location, department or employee — see Tracking modes.

Legal note

In Germany, rounding is permissible if it is applied fairly. Systematic rounding only in favor of the employer can be problematic under labor law. When in doubt, choose \nearest\ or \employeefavorable\.

Tip

Start with interval 0 (no rounding) and snap 15 minutes. That cleanly covers 90% of cases.