RotaCloud

RotaCloud is the system we use to help schedule our student staff rotas across various teams. If you are a member of student staff you will need to access this system and understand the process we use for scheduling your shifts.

The system allows you to:

• set your unavailability every two weeks, so you can fit your work around your studies
• swap your shifts
• clock in/out from your shift and record your time.

Your manager and the payroll team will use the information from the system to make sure you get paid accurately for the shifts you have worked.

You will have been sent an activation email from our rota system, RotaCloud, so please follow the instructions to log in. If you experience any difficulty, please get in touch with the HR team.

Once you are up and running RotaCloud is available online.

You can also download the RotaCloud app to your phone. This is good for viewing shifts but we recommend you use a PC when submitting your unavailability for rotas as some functionality isn’t so good on the app.

Every two weeks your line manager will set a new rota in accordance with the rota publishing timetable below. It is your responsibility to pay attention to these dates and identify which times you are unavailable to work. You may choose to set your unavailability for the whole term if you have regular contact time with your course, or you may choose to select your unavailability every two weeks – it’s entirely up to you.

Please use a PC or laptop to do this and not the app on your phone as some functionality gets lost.

If you have regular unavailability (lectures, fixtures etc.) please ensure this is marked on your RotaCloud.

You do not need to set your availability – please ignore this functionality.

The process is simple if you follow these 9 easy steps using a pc of laptop (and not the app):

1. Click availability
2. Enter period title
3. Select specific dates
4. Select start date
5. Select end date
6. Repeat every week (ignore)
7. Select add unavailability
8. Drag and drop boxes
9. Click add

When the rota is published an alert is sent out by email, from RotaCloud, telling you that you have updated shifts.  This alert can be turned off by the user.

If using the app there is an automatic alert from RotaCloud to tell you that the rota has been published. The alert says ‘you have updated shifts’. Please look out for this.

You can download the key dates required for rota availability and publishing here.

The app isn’t as good as the full website and some functions don’t appear to work properly (even when they may appear to you that they do). We’d therefore recommend the following usage:

Use the app for:

• Looking at shifts allocated
• Making shift swap requests
• Accepting shift swaps
• Taking open shifts  

Use a PC for:

• Adding unavailability for the following 2 week rota before it is published (deadline Monday of rota publish week)
• Adding unavailability for longer periods of time for known regular commitments such as lectures or evening activities
• Making changes to unavailability that has previously been added. Existing unavailability must first be deleted and a new amended pattern added

If you need to change unavailability that you have already set, you must first delete the current period of unavailability and then input a completely new unavailability. If you make changes to your existing unavailability without deleting it, you will find that it does not update your current unavailability correctly Changes will appear to have been made, but they will not be visible to your manager when allocating shifts to you.

This is very important to note as you may be given shifts in any period where you are not showing as unavailable.

You can swap shifts (or take a shift without giving one in return) but only if you are trained to work in that specific role and location.

You should continue to communicate and make arrangements with colleagues via social media and only once you have found someone should you:

• Click on the shift and select ‘swap shift’.
• Select the person replacing you.
• They will receive a notification which they will need to accept.
• Once they accept it is automatically sent to a manager for approval, and the rota is updated.

On occasions some shifts don’t get filled and will sit as open on the rota. Where this is the case you will be able to claim any of the available open shifts. You might find it easier to log in via a desktop computer to do this.

You should sign in for all shifts to ensure your start and finish time are recorded and you are paid accurately. You do this using your RotaCloud passcode which will be automatically emailed to you. You can also find it under settings / clocking in on your account.

Clocking in stations are located in all venues (Tommy’s Kitchen Bar, Union Shop, Union Building, Medicine and The Packhorse).

You must not clock in or out for each other or share your pin. Any circumstances where this may arise may lead to disciplinary procedures being invoked.