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Rosters, pay and leave

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10 min read

Roster options and features Creating a successful roster Remember, a roster should

Managing staff on your dairy farm includes having effective systems for rosters, timesheets, pay, and leave. This page covers the essentials of creating rosters tailored to your business, recording actual working hours through timesheets, and understanding how to handle leave, holidays, and breaks for employee well-being. You'll also find guidance on fair salary and wages for different responsibilities, and information on payroll procedures. Tools like an annual leave calculator are provided to make managing your team's leave entitlements simpler and more accurate.

Getting good systems in place for rosters, timesheets, pay and leave is an essential part of managing staff.

Having the right roster in place is key for a sustainable, enjoyable, and rewarding work environment.

The DairyNZ Roster Builder tool was retired in July 2021, as new rostering tools became available in the market.

We've been working with PaySauce who have built a rostering system that we think you’ll love. It has features you’ve been asking for and the advantage of linking to their payroll system which we strongly recommend. You can find out more about PaySauce here.

Keeping accurate time records, having good farm systems and a focus on wellbeing are key components to achieve this. A well-designed roster ensures employer and employee needs are met, while also ensuring there are enough people with the right skills available.

Roster options and features

5:2 - works well for teams of 2 or more

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working days/week Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day (to
achieve a 48hr
working week)
5:2 104 261 5 20 9.5

Features of 5:2

  • Same days of the week off each 7-day rotation.
  • Some staff could regularly have weekend days off.
  • Good days on:off ratio.

5:2 works well for

  • Teams of 2 requiring min. 1 person rostered on.
  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.
  • Larger teams if part-time, relief staff or management were to regularly cover shifts.

Things you would need to manage

  • Staff may not want their days off during the week, every week.

7:2, 7:2, 7:3 - works well for teams of 2 or more

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working days/
week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
7:2, 7:2, 7:3 91 274 5.25 21 7

Features of 7:2, 7:2, 7:3

  • Same days of the week off each 28-day rotation.
  • All staff in a 3 person team could have 2 weekend days off each month.
  • Manageable days on:off ratio.

7:2, 7:2, 7:3 works well for

  • Teams of 2 requiring min. 1 person rostered on.
  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.
  • Larger teams if part-time, relief staff or management were to regularly cover shifts.

Things you would need to manage

  • Fatigue after day 6.

6:2 - works well for teams of 3 or more

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
6:2 90 275 5.27 21.08 9

Features of 6:2

  • Irregular days of the week off each rotation.
  • Good days on:off ratio.

6:2 works well for

  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on.
  • Teams of 4 requiring min. 3 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.
  • Larger teams if part-time, relief staff or management were to regularly cover shifts.

Things you would need to manage

  • There would be no day when all staff are rostered on together, making fully attended team meetings difficult.
  • Irregular days off may not suit all staff.

8:2, 8:3 - works well for teams of 3 or more

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
8:2, 8:3 85 280 5.36 21.46 7

Features of 8:2, 8:3

  • Same days of the week off each 21-day rotation.
  • Can be worked so that each person in a 3-person team regularly gets a weekend day off every 21 days.
  • Manageable days on:off ratio.

8:2, 8:3 works well for

  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.
  • Larger teams if part-time, relief staff or management were to regularly cover shifts.

Things you would need to manage

  • High days on:off ratio - fatigue would have to be managed carefully after day 6.

11:3 - works well for teams of 3 or more

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
11:3 78 287 5.5 22 7

Features of 11:3

  • Same days of the week off each 14-day rotation.
  • Can be worked so that every team member (in teams of up to 4 people) can have at least one weekend day off every fortnight.
  • Poor days on:off ratio (but some staff may prefer this if it allows them to have regular days off, and 3 days in a row off that include some weekend days).

11:3 works well for

  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.
  • Teams of 4 requiring min. 3 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.
  • Larger teams if part-time, relief staff or management were to regularly cover shifts.

Things you would need to manage

  • High days on:off ratio - fatigue would have to be managed carefully after day 6.

8:2 - works well for teams of 4 or 5

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
8:2 72 293 5.62 22.46 7

Features of 8:2

  • Irregular days off, and not many falling on the weekend.
  • Manageable days on:off ratio.

8:2 works well for

  • Teams of 4 requiring min. 3 people rostered on.
  • Teams of 5 requiring min. 4 people rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover them.

Things you would need to manage

  • Irregular days off may not suit all staff.
  • High days on:off ratio - fatigue would have to be managed carefully after day 6.
  • There would be no day when all staff are rostered on together, making fully attended team meetings difficult.

12:2 - works well for teams of 4

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
12:2 52 313 6 24 7

Features of 12:2

  • Same days of the week off each 14-day rotation.
  • Allows every person in a 2-4 person team to have at least one weekend day off each 14-day rotation.
  • Poor days on:off ratio.

12:2 works well for

  • Teams of 4 requiring min. 3 people rostered on.

Things you would need to manage

  • High days on:off ratio - fatigue would have to be managed carefully after day 6.
  • Only 2 days off per fortnight may not be enough for some staff to recover and have a balanced life.

4:3, 6:1 - works well for teams of 3 or 4

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working days/week Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
4:3, 6:1 104 261 5 20 9.5

Features of 4:3, 6:1

  • Same days of the week off each 14-day rotation.
  • Good days on:off ratio.

4:3, 6:1 works well for

  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on, but the dairy would need a relief milker every second Sat/Sun.
  • Teams of 4 that could operate with only 2 staff at the weekends.

Things you would need to manage

  • Only 1 day off after 6 days on may not be enough for some staff to rest.

5:2, 6:1 - works well for teams of 3

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
5:2, 6:1 78 287 5.51 22 8.5

Features of 5:2, 6:1

  • Same days of the week off each 14-day rotation.
  • Good days on:off ratio.

5:2, 6:1 works well for

  • Teams of 3 that need 2 people on, but 2 or 3 play Saturday sport. Would just need a relief milker (or management) to milk every Saturday.

Things you would need to manage

  • Only 1 day off after 6 days on may not be enough for some staff to rest.

9:3 - works well for teams of 3 or 4

Roster rotation
(on:off)
Rostered days
off/season
Working days/season
(incl. leave)
Working
days/week
Annual leave
entitlement
Max. hrs/day
(to achieve a 48hr
working week)
9:3 91 274 5.26 21 7

Features of 9:3

  • Irregular days off and not many days off falling on a weekend.

9:3 works well for

  • Teams of 3 requiring min. 2 people rostered on.
  • Teams of 4 that require at least 3 people to be rostered on, but any staff on leave would require relief staff or management to cover.

Things you would need to manage

  • High days on:off ratio - fatigue would have to be managed carefully after day 6.

Creating a successful roster

Creating a roster doesn’t have to be a complicated exercise, it can be as simple as a calendar or wall planner at the cowshed or a more complex spreadsheet.  As long as it is visible to everyone on the team, shows days on and off, with breaks clearly marked, how it is done is up to you and your team.

The thinking behind a great roster

Write down things that are important to your business (e.g. maximum days on, minimum days off, maximum hours per day, training days per week, etc.). Prioritise the list in order of importance to you and your employees.

Ask employees what commitments or hobbies they have outside of work, and their preferences for time off. Do they prefer weekends or weekdays off? You may be able to accommodate some of their needs.

Rethink areas where team members work high hours:

  • Highlight any jobs that only one person can do. Can you train up someone else?
  • If certain jobs take a long time or a lot of staff to complete (eg. milking) consider other efficiencies or technologies that could speed this up (eg. automatic teat spraying, ACR). Ask for staff input. For more ideas look into the Milksmart program and Farm Tune.
  • Consider using contractors or casual staff for some jobs.
  • Review your staff budget – what options do you have to improve your roster?

Consider your own requirements for time off.

Consider the availability of relief milkers and part-time staff and your budget for them.

Break the farming year into work or seasonal periods. For example calving period, mating period, summer period, dry period. Start with only one work period at a time, and plan what tasks will be done in that time and by whom. Many employers change their roster throughout the year so staff get adequate rest over high workload periods, such as in spring.

Don’t forget to allow time for team meetings, planning, training, and managing (it’s all farm work!).

Shaping a great roster for your team

Select two or three roster rotations to play around with:

  • Consider what rotation works best e.g. 11:3 or 5:2. Ask staff for input here.
  • Consider the minimum number of staff you need rostered on for day-to-day work to be achievable.
  • If you want to set staff up to have the same days off each week, this will limit your options as your rotation will need to be devisable by 7.
  • Look around at farms of a similar size and set-up, what rotations are they using and why?

Draft up some rosters and consider the pros and cons of each:

  • How often do these roster options have only minimal staff rostered on?
  • Make sure you plan for statutory holidays and annual leave.
  • Remember to include all management staff in the roster so they get their planned time off.
  • You may see some obvious gaps in your rosters that could be covered by a part-timer or relief milker.
  • You could plan early and late starts for staff milking to ensure they get rest during their days on.
  • Ask staff what they think of your favoured option/s.

Choose the best roster and communicate it to your team:

  • Give people plenty of advance notice of the new roster.
  • Consider making it a trial for a month.
  • Make it visible where people can see it and stick to it.

Review the roster:

    • After a month or so, check with staff that the roster is working.
    • Make any tweaks that could make it better.
    • Review timesheets to make sure hours worked per day and per week are acceptable.

Roster pitfalls to avoid

Many employers find themselves under-staffed because:

  • they may not have accounted for leave
  • they operate too many days with 'minimum staff' rostered on, so are less able to respond to problems that crop up
  • they have a staff member leave unexpectedly and there is a lag period before they can be replaced.

This can result in fewer people available to complete the same (or more work) in a day, and it drives up the hours we expect our teams to work and leads to stress and fatigue.

Remember, a roster should:

  • be simple, fair, and easy to follow
  • be flexible enough to support the people involved in the business
  • reduce stress and fatigue, and improve safety
  • allow people to plan their time off and take their full annual and statutory leave entitlement
  • ensure employees are not likely to work more than 50 hours per week, 10 hours a day
  • ensure employees are not likely to work 4 hours in any day before a break is taken
  • allow employees to have regular days off (minimum of 3 days off every fortnight)
  • help your business attract and retain quality employees
Last updated: Sep 2023
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