Scheduling•5 min read

Recurring Schedules

Set up repeating weekly patterns that auto-generate schedules.

Coming Soon

Recurring Schedules is currently in development and not yet available. This documentation provides a preview of what's coming. We'll notify you when this feature launches!

What Are Recurring Schedules?

Recurring schedules automatically generate future schedules based on a repeating pattern. Instead of creating each week's schedule from scratch, set it once and let SimpleStaff create upcoming weeks automatically.

Save time

No manual schedule creation each week

Consistent coverage

Same staffing levels every week

Plan ahead

Employees see schedules weeks in advance

Still flexible

Edit individual weeks as needed

Creating a Recurring Schedule

1

Build Your Base Week

Create a complete schedule for one week with all shifts and assignments.

2

Click "Make Recurring"

In the schedule options menu (⋯), select "Make Recurring".

3

Set Recurrence Pattern

Choose how the schedule repeats:

  • • Weekly: Same schedule every week
  • • Bi-weekly: Alternates between two patterns
  • • Monthly: Repeats on the same week of each month
4

Set Generation Window

Choose how far in advance to generate: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, or 8 weeks.

5

Configure Auto-Publish (Optional)

Optionally auto-publish generated schedules a set number of days before they start.

6

Save Recurring Pattern

Click "Save Pattern". Future weeks will be generated automatically.

How Auto-Generation Works

SimpleStaff generates recurring schedules daily at midnight (your local time):

1.Checks if a new week needs to be generated based on your generation window
2.Copies shifts from your base pattern to the new week
3.Checks for approved time-off and removes those employees from shifts
4.Marks affected shifts as needing coverage
5.If auto-publish is enabled, publishes when the publish window is reached

Tip: Generated schedules are marked as "Draft" until you review and publish them (unless auto-publish is enabled).

Setting Up Bi-Weekly Rotations

For teams that rotate between two different schedules:

  1. 1.Create your "Week A" schedule
  2. 2.Create your "Week B" schedule for the following week
  3. 3.Select both weeks in the schedule view
  4. 4.Click "Make Recurring" → "Bi-Weekly"
  5. 5.SimpleStaff will alternate between Week A and Week B

Making Changes

Edit a Single Week

Changes to a generated week only affect that week. The base pattern and other weeks remain unchanged.

Edit the Base Pattern

Go to Schedules → Recurring Patterns, edit your pattern, and choose whether to apply changes to already-generated future weeks.

Stop Recurring

Go to Schedules → Recurring Patterns and click "Stop". Already-generated weeks remain but no new ones are created.

Best Practices

Review before publishing

Check each generated week for conflicts or needed adjustments before publishing.

Account for seasonality

Update your base pattern for busy/slow seasons rather than editing each week.

Use with time-off

Encourage employees to submit time-off requests early so generated schedules account for absences.

Related Articles

Shift TemplatesPublishing SchedulesTime-Off RequestsAI Scheduling

Need help setting up recurring schedules?

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