In short
Work patterns tell ElShift which days repeat as work days and which are rest days. Each employee's start date places them in the cycle; a rotation can also specify the shift template for each work block.
Set where each employee starts in the cycle
Several employees can follow the same pattern but start on different dates. The start date tells ElShift which part of the cycle applies to each person.
Stagger teams to keep coverage going
If everyone starts the same cycle on the same date, everyone may also be off together. Different start dates can spread rest days across crews when the operation needs continuing coverage.
Match each work block to its shift
If the cycle rotates between named shifts, Auto Assign checks that the shift being filled matches the employee's place in that rotation.
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