Who this guide is for: Administrators
Platform: Sense HR
Available on: All plans
Before you begin
Make sure you:
☑️ Have Administrator permissions
☑️ Know which working hours configuration should apply
☑️ Know when the change should take effect
☑️ Have completed Planner setup for the employee
Navigation path
Sense HR Dashboard > People > [Select profile] > Planner > Settings > Working hours schedule
Overview
On a person’s profile, working hours are managed as a timeline of scheduled changes, rather than as a single fixed setting.
This allows you to:
Apply a working hours configuration from a specific date, including in the past
Schedule future changes in advance
Maintain a clear history of previous working patterns
Each Working hours change is applied using an effective date, and the system guides you through reviewing its impact before confirming it.
Steps to manage working hours schedule
Open working hours schedule
Select the relevant profile
Click Planner in the left-hand navigation menu
Click Settings (upper right)
Select Working hours schedule
Understand the schedule timeline
This page shows all working hours assigned to the employee:
Current working hours schedule
Future scheduled changes (if any)
Historical schedules are hidden by default. Select Include historical schedules to also show working hours schedules that have already ended.
🖊️ Note: Historical schedules are available to Administrators and users with Manage planner settings enabled in Access Role Management (ARM). Users who only have access through the Planner screen permissions can access Settings, but cannot view historical schedules.
Each entry includes:
Working hours configuration (name)
Effective dates
Contracted hours
Full time hours
🖊️ Note:
Working hours are applied in chronological order. Future schedules automatically take effect on their effective date without further action.
Add working hours to the schedule
Step 1. Select working hours
Click + Add schedule.
Select the a Working hours configuration from the dropdown.
🖊️ Note: You are selecting an existing working hours configuration. To create or edit configurations, go to: HR Dashboard > Settings > Calendar & Planner > Working hours
🖊️ Note: Contracted hours populate from the selected Working hours configuration.
Select the Effective from date from which the Working hours will apply. You can select a past, current, or future date.
(Optional) Update Full time hours if this is changing.
(Optional) Add Notes.
Click Next.
Step 2. Review how the change fits into the schedule
The system checks how your new schedule fits with existing entries.
You may see:
No overlaps detected — 'No overlaps were found. The new pattern will apply from the selected date and existing schedules will be updated automatically.'
Overlaps detected — 'This change affects existing schedule periods. Review the proposed timeline updates below.'
The preview shows how the working hours timeline will look if you apply the change, including any Historical, Current, or Upcoming schedules.
Click Next to continue.
Step 3. Review entitlement impact
Next, the system shows how the working hours change affects entitlement for the current year and next year.
This includes:
Updated entitlement values
Differences from current entitlement
Carryover and adjustments
Expandable calculation breakdowns
💡 Tip: Use the expandable calculation breakdown to see how entitlement has been calculated across the period. This may include previous working hours configurations that still affect the current entitlement, including historical schedules that are hidden from the main timeline by default.
🖊️ Note:
Changes to working hours affect entitlement because they alter contracted hours and working patterns used in entitlement calculations.
Click Next to continue
Step 4: Review bookings that may be affected
The system checks for existing Planner and Calendar bookings that may be affected by the working hours change.
You will see either:
A list of bookings that may be affected and should be reviewed.
Or a message confirming that no impacts on existing bookings were identified.
🖊️ Important note:
Bookings shown here are not automatically changed. After you confirm the working hours change, they are flagged in the Planner or Calendar so you can review them against the updated working hours.
Any affected entitlement calculations are updated automatically after confirmation.
Step 5. Confirm the schedule change
Click Add schedule changes to confirm
✅ The new working hours are added to the timeline as Historical, Current, or Upcoming, depending on the effective date. Existing schedule periods are adjusted automatically where required.
Edit or delete working hours from the timeline
You can edit or delete historical, current, or upcoming working hours from the Working hours schedule timeline.
Open the More actions (...) menu on a schedule entry, then choose:
View working hours — review the working hours details
Edit schedule — update the working hours, effective date, full time hours or notes
Delete schedule — remove the working hours from the timeline
🖊️ Note:
You can delete a historical, current, or upcoming schedule where there is an earlier working hours schedule to replace it. Sense adjusts the timeline to maintain continuity.
When you edit or delete a working hours entry from the timeline, Sense guides you through the same review steps as adding one, including the resulting timeline, entitlement impact, and any bookings that may need review.
After the change is applied
Once confirmed:
The working hours schedule timeline is updated.
Entitlement is recalculated automatically.
Any bookings that may be affected are flagged for review.
Review flagged events
If bookings may be impacted:
They will display a warning icon in the planner or calendar
Opening the event will prompt you to review it
🖊️ Note:
Review flagged events to ensure they still reflect the employee’s updated working pattern and booking rules.
Where to see updated holiday entitlement
After applying a working hours change, updated holiday entitlement is visible in:
HR Dashboard > People > [Select profile] > Planner
This view shows:
Total entitlement
Amount taken
Remaining balance
💡 Tip:
This view updates automatically as working hours changes are applied and bookings are made, helping employees and managers stay informed.
Key behaviours to understand
Effective dates determine when changes apply
The effective date determines when the new working hours apply, how entitlement is recalculated, and which bookings may need review.
Entitlement is recalculated automatically
You do not need to manually adjust entitlement when working hours change — the system recalculates it based on the new schedule.
Bookings are not automatically changed
Bookings that may be affected by a working hours change are flagged for review but are not edited automatically.
FAQs
Click to see answers to frequently asked questions
Click to see answers to frequently asked questions
Q: Can I add a working hours schedule with a past effective date?
A: Yes, you can add a working hours schedule with a past effective date. Select + Add schedule and choose the required past date under Effective from. Sense automatically adjusts the surrounding schedule periods to maintain the employee’s working hours timeline.
Q: Can I edit the working hours schedule?
A: Yes, you can edit the working hours schedule. Open the More actions (…) menu on the relevant working hours entry and select Edit schedule.
The system will guide you through the same review steps used when adding to the schedule, including the resulting timeline, entitlement impact, and any bookings that may need review.
Q: Can I delete historical, current, or upcoming working hours?
A: Yes, you can delete historical, current, or upcoming working hours where there is an earlier schedule to replace the deleted entry.
Open the More actions (…) menu on the relevant entry and select Delete schedule. Sense guides you through the review process and adjusts the timeline to maintain continuity.
Q: Why do I need to review entitlement impact when changing working hours?
A: You need to review entitlement impact when changing working hours because the change may affect the employee’s contracted hours, working pattern, or effective dates.
The entitlement impact step shows how the working hours change affects entitlement for the current and following year before you confirm it.
Q: Why are calendar or planner events flagged after a working hours schedule change?
A: Calendar and Planner events are flagged after a working hours schedule change because existing bookings affected by the change may no longer align with the employee’s updated working hours.
These events are not automatically changed. They are flagged so you can review and confirm whether the duration, date, or booking rules are still correct.
Q: Why can I see old working hours configurations in the entitlement calculation breakdown?
A: You may see old working hours configurations in the entitlement calculation breakdown because they can still affect entitlement for the current period.
Historical working hours configurations are hidden from the main working hours schedule timeline by default. Select Include historical schedules to view them.