Shift assignments allow you to define sub-tasks or "jobs to be done" within an existing shift. They are sometimes called sub-shifts — a way of recording where a staff member is, or what they are doing, during a specific window of their broader shift.

For example, a staff member might be working a 9am–5pm shift, but in the morning they are assigned to the Memory Care ward, and in the afternoon to a 1:1 with a specific patient. Shift assignments let you capture this detail and ensure staffing levels reflect where each person actually is at any given time.

You must have an existing shift on the rota before you can add an assignment. Assignments cannot exist without a parent shift.

Previously, the shift assignment label was a free-text field — anyone could type anything, so the same task could end up recorded under several different spellings or names (e.g. "Training", "training", "Staff Training"). This made reporting difficult.

To standardise this, you can now set up a list of Shift Assignment Presets that appear as selectable options when adding an assignment to a shift.

How to set up presets:

Repeat this for each recurring assignment type used by the account.

Recommendation for Account Managers and Implementation Managers: if you work closely with a client who uses shift assignments regularly, we recommend setting up their common presets on their behalf and letting them know these are now available.

You can add multiple assignments to a single shift. Once saved, they will be visible when you open the shift.

A Note on Labelling

We recommend using presets wherever a task recurs, rather than typing a custom label each time. If a task is always called Lunch Cover, set it up as a preset so it's recorded the same way every time — consistent capitalisation, same spelling. This makes it much easier to filter and report on assignments over time.

Tags can be added to a shift assignment preset (as well as to shifts themselves) to help identify them for reporting and payroll purposes — for example, tagging a Training preset so all training assignments can be pulled into a report.

Tags are currently set up by Florence company admins, usually during implementation:

If a client needs new tags set up, this currently needs to go via Florence.

You can edit or delete an existing assignment at any time from the Assignments tab in the shift edit panel.

When you copy a shift, the assignments are copied along with it. You can drag and drop a shift assignment to a different day, or copy a shift to replicate it — including its sub-assignments — across multiple days or staff members.

Shift assignments are not linked to a specific worker type, so they can be moved between different worker types freely.

Permanent and Bank staff who have been assigned shifts will be able to see their shift assignments in the Florence Go app. When they log in to view their shifts for the week, any assignments attached to their shifts will be visible. If assignments are edited or updated, workers will also see the updated version in the app.

Note: Agency workers cannot see shift assignments in the app.

Shift assignments affect staffing level calculations. When a worker is assigned to a specific unit during part of their shift, the platform adjusts staffing counts to reflect where that worker is at that time — not just which location they are scheduled at overall.

Can an assignment span multiple locations?

No. An assignment can cover multiple units within a location, but cannot span across different locations.

Can I add an assignment that starts before or after the parent shift?

No. Assignment times must fall within the parent shift's start and end times. Florence will show a validation error if you try to set an assignment outside those hours.

Can I have more than one assignment per shift?

Yes. You can add multiple assignments to a single shift, as long as each one falls within the shift's overall time window.

Will agency workers see their shift assignments in the app?

No. Only permanent and bank staff members can see shift assignments in Florence Go.

Do assignments carry over when I copy a shift?

Yes. When you copy a shift, its assignments are included in the copy.

Do I have to use a preset, or can I still create a custom assignment?

You can still create a custom, one-off assignment on a specific shift if none of the existing presets fit — for example, something specific to a single unit. We recommend turning any assignment you use repeatedly into a preset so it's captured consistently for reporting.

Who can set up shift assignment presets?

Presets are set up from the Shift Assignment Presets page, found under the Tools menu > Shift Settings. Account Managers and Implementation Managers are encouraged to set these up on behalf of clients they work closely with.

Who can set up tags?

Tags (used on both shifts and shift assignment presets) are currently set up by Florence company admins via Edit Details > Tag Titles, typically during implementation.