Duplicating and Managing Roster Patterns

10 minutes

Tutorial 5.3: Duplicating and Managing Roster Patterns

Introduction

Creating the same roster week after week is time-consuming. The duplication feature lets you copy an entire week's shifts to future weeks with one click. This tutorial shows you how to use roster duplication efficiently and avoid common pitfalls.

Who this is for: Owner, Admin, Manager What you'll learn:

Access the roster duplication feature
Select staff to include in duplication
Choose duplication mode and interval
Handle overwrite options
Manage bank holiday warnings

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Prerequisites

Logged in as Owner, Admin, or Manager with manage-roster permission
At least one week's roster already created (see Tutorial 5.1)
Review Tutorial 5.2 if your salon observes public holidays

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access Roster Duplication

Navigate to Roster in the sidebar
Navigate to the week you want to duplicate (the source week)
Click the Duplicate button in the roster header

The duplication dialog opens, titled "Duplicate roster".

The Duplicate roster dialog, showing the summary panel, the staff selection list with Select all / Clear, and the Repeat for weeks / Repeat until date mode buttons

Step 2: Understand the Duplication Summary

At the top of the dialog, you'll see a summary panel:

Week commencing 19/01/2026 · 6 staff selected · Target 4 weeks

This updates dynamically as you change settings, showing:

The source week being copied (week commencing date)
How many staff members are selected
The target duration based on your mode and interval settings

Step 3: Select Staff to Include

The Staff to duplicate section shows checkboxes for each active, rosterable staff member:

To select staff:

Check individual staff members to include them
Uncheck staff members to exclude them
Click Select all to include everyone
Click Clear to deselect all staff

By default, all staff are selected when you open the dialog.

When to exclude staff:

Staff member is leaving soon
Staff member has different hours in target weeks
New staff not yet rostered
Staff on extended leave

Example:

☑ Carroll Morissette (staff)
☑ Madelynn Marquardt (staff)
☐ Tom Brown (staff) - excluding, on leave next month
☑ Reymundo Rohan (manager)

The summary at the top updates to reflect your selection count.

Step 4: Choose Duplication Mode

Select how you want to specify the target period using the two mode buttons:

Mode 1: Repeat for weeks (default)

Click the Repeat for weeks button
Enter the number of weeks in the Number of weeks field
Example: "4" creates rosters for the next 4 weeks
Maximum: 52 weeks by default (configurable up to 104 weeks)

Mode 2: Repeat until date

Click the Repeat until date button
Select an end date using the date picker
All weeks up to and including that date are filled
Good for planning to month-end or a specific date

The active mode button appears highlighted. The summary panel updates to show the target duration.

Step 5: Set the Interval

The Repeat every dropdown controls how often shifts are copied:

Interval	Description	Use Case
Every week	Consecutive weeks	Standard weekly scheduling
Every 2 weeks	Alternate weeks	Fortnightly patterns
Every 3 weeks	Every third week	Three-week rotations
Every 4 weeks	Monthly pattern	Four-week cycles

Example with "Every 2 weeks" interval:

Source: Week of 2 Dec
Target weeks: 16 Dec, 30 Dec, 13 Jan (skipping alternate weeks)

Most salons use "Every week" for standard scheduling. The interval is helpful when staff work alternating weeks or you have rotating patterns.

Step 6: Configure the Target

For "Repeat for weeks" mode:

Enter the number of weeks in the Number of weeks field
Maximum is determined by your salon's settings (default: 52 weeks, maximum 104 weeks)
The helper text shows: "Will duplicate into the next X week(s), up to a maximum of Y."

For "Repeat until date" mode:

Click the Repeat until (inclusive) date picker
Select the end date
All weeks up to and including the week containing that date will be filled
The helper text shows: "We will duplicate each week up to and including the week containing your chosen end date."

If you exceed the maximum weeks limit, an error message appears and the Duplicate roster button is disabled.

Step 7: Handle Overwrite Options

The overwrite section (highlighted in amber) controls what happens to existing shifts in target weeks:

Overwrite conflicting shifts (unchecked - default):

Each shift from the source week is copied into the target week only if it doesn't clash with an existing shift for that staff member
A "clash" means the copied shift's time would overlap an existing shift for the same staff member
Clashing shifts are skipped (not copied) and reported back to you — so duplication never creates overlapping shifts
Non-overlapping shifts are still added (e.g. a morning shift copied onto a day that currently only has an afternoon shift)

Overwrite conflicting shifts (checked):

Any existing shift that clashes with a shift being copied is deleted first, then replaced by the source week's shift
Existing shifts that don't clash are left untouched
Requires an acknowledgment checkbox before you can proceed

When to use overwrite:

You're replacing a draft roster with a finalised version
You want to reset to a standard pattern
Correcting mistakes across multiple weeks
Target weeks were previously duplicated and you want to replace them

When NOT to use overwrite:

Target weeks have manual adjustments you want to keep
Staff have already seen and planned around the roster
You only want to fill empty days (check target weeks first)

If you check Overwrite conflicting shifts, an additional checkbox appears:

☑ I understand any existing shifts for these staff in the target weeks will be replaced.

You must check this acknowledgment before the Duplicate roster button becomes active.

Step 8: Handle Bank Holiday Warnings

If your target weeks include public holidays, a warning dialog appears after you click Duplicate roster:

Bank Holiday Warning

You are attempting to duplicate shifts on a bank holiday.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Christmas Day (25/12/2024)                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

X shifts are scheduled on bank holidays.

Bank holidays are typically non-working days. Are you sure you want to proceed?

[Cancel] [Proceed Anyway]

Options:

Cancel - Returns you to the duplication dialog to adjust your settings
Proceed Anyway - Continues with duplication including the bank holiday shifts

Recommendation: If your salon is closed on bank holidays, click Cancel and either:

Reduce the number of weeks to exclude the holiday period
Proceed and manually delete shifts on holiday days afterward
Use a shorter duplication range and handle holiday weeks separately

Step 9: Execute Duplication

Once configured:

Review all settings in the summary panel:
- Source week correct (week commencing date)
- Staff selection accurate (check the count)
- Target duration appropriate
- Overwrite setting intentional
Click Duplicate roster
If bank holidays are detected, handle the warning dialog
Wait for processing (may take a few seconds for large duplications)
A success toast notification appears

Step 10: Review Results

A success toast notification appears showing what happened:

Success
Roster duplicated: X shift(s) created.

If you used overwrite mode, the message includes the overwritten count:

Success
Roster duplicated: X shift(s) created, Y conflict shift(s) overwritten.

If overwrite was off and some shifts clashed with existing ones, a separate warning toast also appears reporting what was skipped:

Warning
X shift(s) skipped because they conflicted with existing shifts.

Step 11: Verify Duplicated Roster

After duplication:

Use the Next Week button to navigate to the first target week
Check that shifts appear correctly for selected staff
Verify times and break durations match the source week
Check the weekly hours totals in the rightmost column
Navigate through subsequent weeks to verify consistency

Adjustments you might need:

Remove shifts on days the salon is closed (especially bank holidays)
Adjust times for individual availability changes
Update notes if they were date-specific in the source week
If a warning reported skipped shifts, add those manually or re-run with overwrite enabled to replace the existing ones

Common Pitfalls

"Duplication created shifts on public holidays"

The bank holiday warning appears when you click Duplicate roster. If you clicked Proceed Anyway, navigate to the affected weeks and manually delete shifts on closed days.

"Some shifts weren't created"

If a target week already contained shifts that overlap the ones being copied, those clashing shifts are skipped (not duplicated) and reported in a warning toast — "X shift(s) skipped because they conflicted with existing shifts." This is by design: duplication never creates overlapping shifts. To replace the existing shifts instead, re-run the duplication with Overwrite conflicting shifts enabled.

"The wrong staff were included"

Check the staff selection before duplicating. Click Clear and re-select the correct staff. For already-duplicated weeks, delete unwanted shifts manually.

"I duplicated too many weeks"

Navigate to excess weeks and delete shifts. There's no bulk undo - delete shifts week by week. Consider using shorter duplication ranges in future.

"Overwrite deleted shifts I wanted to keep"

Overwrite cannot be undone. Recreate the custom shifts manually. Always verify the overwrite setting and read the acknowledgment checkbox carefully before submitting.

Tips and Best Practices

Create a template week - Perfect one week's roster, then duplicate from it
Duplicate 2-4 weeks at a time - Allows flexibility while reducing manual work
Check holidays first - Review public holidays in target weeks before duplicating (see Tutorial 5.2)
Review before submitting - Double-check staff selection count and overwrite setting
Verify after duplication - Navigate to at least the first duplicated week to confirm
Communicate with staff - Let team know when rosters are published
Use intervals for rotations - "Every 2 weeks" interval for fortnightly alternating patterns
Use overwrite to replace existing shifts - If a target week already has shifts you want to replace, enable overwrite; otherwise clashing shifts are skipped rather than overwritten

Frequently Asked Questions

How many weeks can I duplicate at once?

By default, 52 weeks (1 year). This limit is configurable in Edit Salon → Staff tab → Roster sub-tab under "Maximum duplication weeks". You can set it between 1 and 104 weeks (2 years). For longer periods, duplicate in batches.

The Duplication Settings card on the Staff → Roster sub-tab, with the Maximum duplication weeks field

Are time blocks duplicated?

No. Roster duplication copies shifts only. Time blocks must be created separately for each week. See Tutorial 5.4 for more about time blocks.

Can I duplicate across years?

Yes. The system handles year boundaries correctly. Duplicating December into January works fine.

Can I undo a duplication?

No single-click undo. Delete shifts manually from unwanted weeks, or re-duplicate with overwrite enabled to replace them.

What happens to existing shifts if I don't use overwrite?

Existing shifts are left in place. Each shift being copied is added only if it doesn't overlap an existing shift for the same staff member; clashing shifts are skipped (not added) and reported in a warning toast. Duplication never creates overlapping shifts. To replace existing shifts instead, enable overwrite.

What happens to existing appointments?

Duplication doesn't affect appointments. Appointments are separate from shifts. If you delete shifts (manually or via overwrite), appointments may show warnings about staff being unavailable.

Can I duplicate from a week in the past?

Yes. Navigate to any past week and use it as the source. This is useful for recreating successful roster patterns.

Does duplication copy shift notes?

Yes. Shift notes are copied to all duplicated shifts. Edit them in target weeks if they contain date-specific information.

Can I duplicate just certain days?

No. Duplication copies all shifts for selected staff from the entire source week. To exclude certain days, delete those shifts from target weeks after duplication.

What if staff contracted hours change?

Duplication copies the source exactly. Adjust shifts in target weeks manually to match new contracted hours.

Can multiple people duplicate at the same time?

Yes. Each duplication runs inside a locked transaction and skips shifts that clash with existing ones, so two people duplicating to the same weeks won't create overlapping duplicate shifts. It's still worth coordinating so you don't make conflicting roster changes.

Why is the Duplicate button disabled?

The Duplicate roster button is disabled if:

No staff are selected
The number of weeks exceeds the maximum limit
Overwrite is enabled but the acknowledgment checkbox is not checked

Last Updated: June 2026