Running a business where staff move between departments or roles in a single day can get complicated fast. Whether it’s a hospitality team member who starts in the café and finishes in events, or a retail worker who helps in two stores, you need a payroll and rostering system that keeps everything accurate — without endless manual fixes.

ClockOn is designed to handle these real-world complexities. While some aspects still require manual setup, its multi-department and cost-splitting tools give Australian businesses the flexibility they need to stay compliant and in control of labour costs.

Why Split Shifts and Departmental Costing Matter

Accurately allocating hours and pay across departments is about more than accounting detail — it affects:

• Compliance: Each role or department can have different pay rates, allowances, or penalty rules under modern awards

• Visibility: Clear costing by department helps managers understand labour spend and profitability

• Fair Pay: Staff get the correct entitlements for each role they perform, reducing disputes or audit risks

Without proper system support, teams end up juggling spreadsheets, manually editing timesheets, or reconciling cost centres after payroll — all of which waste time and introduce errors.

How ClockOn Handles Multi-Department Work

ClockOn supports multi-department scheduling and payroll costing through its timesheet and award interpretation features. Each segment of work can be tied to a specific department or cost centre, allowing wages to be allocated correctly in payroll and reporting.

1. Multiple Segments per Day

Employees can have multiple shifts or cost splits in one day — for example, 9 am–1 pm in the Café and 2 pm–6 pm in Events. Each segment is assigned its own department, classification, and rate setup.

2. Award Interpretation on Each Segment

ClockOn’s award engine applies the correct penalties, overtime, and allowances for each segment when configured properly. This ensures compliance even when an employee moves between roles.

3. Departmental Reporting and Exports

Managers can view labour costs and hours per department, and payroll exports from ClockOn Desktop automatically include department tags for accurate financial allocation.
(Web exports with department tagging are currently in development.)

4. Validation and Error Checking

The system prevents invalid or overlapping entries, ensuring payroll data stays clean and consistent before processing.

Understanding Split Shift Allowances

A split shift allowance is an additional payment required under certain awards when an employee’s workday is broken into two or more separate periods with an extended unpaid break between them.

Example

An employee works:
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Because there’s a four-hour unpaid gap, the employee is entitled to a split shift allowance to compensate for the inconvenience of a longer overall day.

How This Works in ClockOn

ClockOn can detect when a work pattern meets the award definition of a split shift and apply the appropriate allowance automatically through its award interpreter.

This means:

1. You can roster employees across multiple periods in one day

2. The system identifies the long unpaid break

3. The correct split shift allowance is added during payroll based on your award configuration

So while “split shifts” in rostering refer to how the hours are structured, split shift allowances are the payment outcome - and ClockOn’s payroll engine can link the two seamlessly for compliance.

Transparency: What Still Requires Manual Setup

ClockOn’s current approach focuses on accuracy through explicit control — meaning you can define every segment precisely, but the system won’t make assumptions on your behalf.

1. Split shifts aren’t unified in one record — each department segment must be entered separately

2. Pay rates don’t switch automatically when changing departments; you’ll define each rate or use “special rate” options

3. Frequent department switching (e.g. moving multiple times per day) is supported but requires manual entry

4. Mobile editing (ClockOn GO) doesn’t yet allow department changes mid-shift, though this is under review

5. Award logic accuracy depends on correct setup per segment — best confirmed with a product specialist if you manage complex awards

The Benefits in Day-to-Day Use

Even with these manual elements, ClockOn provides strong advantages for Australian businesses managing dynamic workforces:

• Accurate cost allocation across departments and roles

• Award-compliant pay calculation for every segment of work

• Automatic split shift allowance payments when triggered by award conditions

• Clear departmental visibility in reports and exports

• Error prevention before payroll processing

• Unlimited cost splits per day to handle flexible rosters

This approach gives you control and compliance without confusion, forming a strong foundation for upcoming automation improvements in ClockOn Web.

What’s Coming Next

ClockOn’s development roadmap includes:

• Web exports with departmental tagging (bringing parity with Desktop)

• Mobile shift editing for department changes in ClockOn GO

• Smarter automation for rate and role transitions mid-shift

These updates will make split-shift and multi-role management faster and more intuitive while maintaining award compliance.

ClockOn makes it possible to manage complex rosters with confidence — even when employees work across multiple departments or perform split shifts under Australian awards.
While some transitions still require manual setup, the platform delivers what matters most: accurate pay, automatic allowances, and complete visibility into labour costs.

If your team operates in a dynamic, multi-department environment, ClockOn gives you the tools to do it right — and the roadmap to make it even easier in the future.

👉 Book a demo to see how ClockOn handles split shifts, allowances, and departmental costing in action.