# Setting Up Rostered Days Off (RDO) in Shiftsheet **Product:** Shiftsheet **Applies to:** Administrators, Payroll Managers **Last updated:** 2026-06-10 --- ## What is a Rostered Day Off (RDO)? A Rostered Day Off (RDO) is a paid day off that an employee accumulates by working slightly longer hours each day over a defined work cycle. RDOs are a common entitlement in many Australian Modern Awards and enterprise agreements — particularly in construction, manufacturing, and civil trades. **How RDOs typically accrue:** - A standard 38-hour week under an Award may require employees to work 8 hours per day for 19 days, accumulating enough time to take the 20th day as an RDO. - The accrual rate is usually **0.4 hours per day** (or equivalent) depending on the Award. Failure to correctly manage RDOs is one of the most common Fair Work Act underpayment risks for Australian employers. Shiftsheet automates the entire cycle. --- ## Prerequisites Before configuring RDOs, ensure: 1. You have **Administrator** access to your Shiftsheet workspace. 2. **Each employee is assigned the correct Modern Award** or enterprise agreement in Settings > Teams > Employee Profile > Award. 3. **Ordinary hours are configured** for each Award in Settings > Payroll > Award Rules. --- ## Step-by-Step: Configuring RDO Tracking ### Step 1 — Open Award Rules 1. Log in to Shiftsheet and go to **Settings > Payroll > Award Rules**. 2. Find the applicable Award (e.g., *Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020*) and click **Edit Rules**. ### Step 2 — Enable RDO Accrual 1. Scroll to the **Rostered Days Off (RDO)** section. 2. Toggle **Enable RDO Tracking** to **On**. 3. Set the **RDO Accrual Rate** (e.g., `0.4` hours per day for a standard 38-hour-week pattern). 4. Set the **RDO Cycle** to match your Award: - **Weekly** — one RDO every 5 weeks - **Fortnightly** — one RDO every 10 weeks - **4-Weekly** — one RDO every 4 weeks (most common in construction) 5. Click **Save Award Rules**. ### Step 3 — Assign RDO Eligibility to Employees 1. Go to **Settings > Teams** and open each relevant employee's profile. 2. Under the **Entitlements** tab, set **RDO Eligibility** to **Yes**. 3. Confirm their Award is assigned correctly. 4. Click **Save**. ### Step 4 — Schedule the RDO in the Roster 1. Go to **Scheduling > Roster**. 2. Open the applicable roster cycle (Weekly, Fortnightly, or 4-Weekly). 3. Locate the RDO slot in the cycle (e.g., Day 20 in a 4-weekly cycle). 4. Click the day cell for the relevant employee and select **Mark as RDO**. 5. Shiftsheet automatically blocks that date on the employee's timesheet and sends an in-app notification confirming the upcoming RDO. ### Step 5 — Verify Accrual 1. Go to **Analytics > Leave Summary**. 2. Filter by **Leave Type: RDO**. 3. Confirm each eligible employee shows the correct accrued hours for the current cycle. --- ## How Employees View Their RDO Balance 1. Employees click their **avatar > My Balances**. 2. The **Rostered Days Off** tile shows: - **Accrued hours this cycle** - **Next scheduled RDO date** - **Historical RDO dates taken** --- ## Troubleshooting Common RDO Scheduling Conflicts | Issue | Likely cause | Resolution | |---|---|---| | RDO accrual not appearing for an employee | RDO Eligibility is set to No | Go to Settings > Teams > Employee Profile > Entitlements and set to Yes | | RDO date not blocked on timesheet | RDO not added to the Roster | Assign the RDO in Scheduling > Roster > Mark as RDO | | Employee working on an RDO date | Roster conflict with a shift assignment | Remove the conflicting shift or reschedule the RDO in Scheduling > Roster | | RDO cycle resetting incorrectly | Incorrect cycle type configured | Verify the RDO Cycle setting in Settings > Payroll > Award Rules matches the employee's Award | | Two employees with conflicting RDOs on the same day | Scheduling overlap | Use Analytics > Leave Summary to view all team RDOs and adjust the roster in Scheduling | | RDO accrual rate does not match the Award | Default rate applied instead of Award-specific rate | Update the Accrual Rate in Award Rules to the correct value from your Award or enterprise agreement | --- ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can employees choose which day to take their RDO?** By default, RDOs are assigned by the Administrator in the Roster. If your enterprise agreement allows employees to nominate their RDO day, you can enable **Employee RDO Selection** in Settings > Payroll > RDO Options, which lets employees submit an RDO request that managers then approve. **What happens if an RDO falls on a public holiday?** If a scheduled RDO falls on a public holiday, Shiftsheet automatically flags the conflict. You can choose to reschedule the RDO to the next working day (most Awards require this) or bank the day as additional entitlement. Configure the default behaviour in Settings > Payroll > Public Holiday Conflicts. **Can I view all upcoming team RDOs in one place?** Yes. Go to **Scheduling > Team Calendar** and filter by **RDO** to see all upcoming RDOs across your entire workforce on a single calendar view. --- ## Related Articles - [How to Configure Time in Lieu (TIL)](./how-to-configure-time-in-lieu-til.md) - [How Flexi Time Balances Work in Shiftsheet](./managing-flexi-time.md) - [Configuring Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements](./award-configuration.md) - [Scheduling: Creating Recurring Rosters](./scheduling-recurring-rosters.md)