FIELDStaff scheduling
Free beta

Features / Staff scheduling and dispatch

The day changes. Keep your crew on the same plan.

A job runs over. Someone calls in sick. A customer changes the time. Field brings your shifts, jobs and crew assignments together, so you can adjust the plan and give your people a clear roster.

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Spot the gaps before they become missed jobs

See assigned and unassigned shifts on one dispatch board. Know which work still needs someone before the day gets away from you.

Handle changes without starting again

Move a shift to another day, assign someone to cover it, or open it for your crew to claim. Review shift swaps and time-off requests in the same place.

Field checks overlapping assignments and required certificates. You stay in charge of who goes where.

Give your crew a plan they can check

Publish a roster your crew can sign in to view and accept. See whose acceptance is still outstanding.

When plans change after publishing, publish an updated copy. For urgent changes, tell the affected people directly.

See the likely labour cost before the week starts

Review scheduled hours against recorded hourly rates and overtime settings. Get an estimate to help you assess the plan before the work begins.

It is a planning estimate. Final payroll and other job costs are separate.

Start with one working week

  1. Create the workAdd shifts with a date and time, then connect them to jobs where needed. You can see assigned and unassigned shifts on the dispatch board.
  2. Put people on itChoose a professional or drag an unassigned shift onto their day. Drag within one person’s row to move the shift to another day. Dropping on a second person adds them; it does not silently remove the first.
  3. Check the clashesField blocks overlapping calendar assignments and checks required certificates. Availability and time-off information still need a manager’s review; this is not an automatic rostering engine.
  4. Publish the rosterSelect a period and its assigned shifts, then save a draft or publish. Crew members sign in to view and accept their roster. Managers can see how many acceptances are still outstanding.
  5. Handle the changesCrew members can request time off or a shift swap. You can post a gap as an open shift for someone to claim, then review the claim or use the available auto-confirm setting.
  6. Check the likely labour costLoad a cost summary for a chosen period. It estimates scheduled labour from recorded hourly rates and overtime settings; it is not a final payroll figure.

For a change of both day and person, move the shift first, then assign the other person. Scheduling changes need an internet connection.

When the same work comes around again

A staff rotation repeats who works when. You set up its weeks, days, times and people, then run a preview or generate shifts for a period you choose. Rotation generation is a manager action, not an unattended promise.

A recurring job series repeats work for a customer. Field has a scheduled job generator and a button to generate the next 30 days manually. Review what was created before you rely on it. A generated job still needs the right crew assigned; recurring visits and billing have their own setup.

What you can use today

  • Day and week dispatch board with assigned and unassigned shifts
  • Mouse and touch drag-and-drop for day changes and same-day crew additions
  • Roster drafts and publishing with a signed-in acceptance screen
  • Overlap and certificate checks when assigning a professional
  • Open shifts, swaps and time off with manager review tools
  • Staff rotations and recurring jobs with generation controls
  • Scheduled labour estimate loaded for a period you choose
  • One-way calendar feed for shifts in an external calendar
  • Shared professional availability for businesses that enable availability requests; managers see free or unavailable, without the personal reason
  • Team huddles shown to the people they apply to, with reminders when notifications are enabled
Limits worth knowing before you switch
  • Field does not build an optimal roster for you from availability, skills and cost. You make the assignment decisions.
  • Publishing captures a roster snapshot. Later dispatch edits do not rewrite that publication or guarantee a phone alert; publish a new copy and tell people about urgent changes.
  • Labour cost is loaded on request, not recalculated as you drag. Missing hourly rates can make the estimate too low, and it does not include every payroll or job cost.
  • Roster editing and publishing need a connection. The offline queue for some clock and work records does not make scheduling an offline feature.

Who it is for

Owners and dispatchers sending people to customers, sites and service visits. Think trades, cleaning, grounds, maintenance and other teams whose working day moves around.

Working alone? Keep your own jobs and schedule together, then add people when you need them.

Questions to settle before you move the roster

Can I drag shifts between people?

Yes, with a clear distinction. Dragging a shift within one person’s row changes its day. Dropping it on another person on the same day adds that person and keeps the original assignment. To change both the day and the person, do those as two steps.

Does Field stop double-bookings?

The dispatch assignment checks for overlapping calendar commitments and rejects a clash. Required job certificates are also checked. It is still worth checking availability, time off, travel and site requirements before you publish.

What does my crew need to use the roster?

Crew members need an invitation and a Field sign-in. They can open Field in a phone browser or install the web app to their home screen; there is no native app-store download required.

Does a published roster change when I reschedule a shift?

No. A published roster is a snapshot of its selected shifts and assignments. The live dispatch schedule can change afterwards, so publish a new roster when you need everyone working from an updated copy.

Can the crew swap shifts or claim an open shift?

Crew members can request a swap and claim an open shift. A manager can review those requests. An organisation can also enable auto-confirmation for open-shift claims, so check that setting before posting a gap.

Will rotations and recurring jobs generate on their own?

Rotations need a manager to run generation for a chosen period. Recurring job series have a scheduled generator and a manual 30-day action, but you should check the generated jobs and staffing. Visit series have separate generation controls.

What is included in the labour cost number?

It uses scheduled shift minutes, the recorded hourly rate in Field and configured overtime rules. If no rate is recorded, that part can show as zero. Treat it as an estimate, not final payroll or full job cost; materials, travel and other on-costs are not included.

Will the crew be told when I change the schedule?

A new assignment attempts an in-app notification, and publishing a roster attempts an email. A rescheduled shift does not currently guarantee a direct alert. Tell the affected person about urgent changes and check that they have seen the new plan.

Does scheduling work offline?

No. You need a connection to edit assignments, generate shifts or publish a roster. Some time and work records can queue offline, but that is a separate workflow.

Does the dispatch board continuously track location?

No. Scheduling is not continuous GPS tracking. Field can show a professional’s last reported location while they are clocked on and the web app is open; it does not collect continuous background location when the app is closed. Read about time and location records.

What happens when the free beta ends?

Field is free during beta and needs no card. Country pricing will be published before anyone is asked to pay. Final plan limits, the notice period and what happens if you do not subscribe have not been published yet. See our pricing page.

Keep the next step connected

Try Field's free industry tools. Browse practical calculators and planners for different kinds of field work.

Keep scheduling, jobs, recorded hours and customer billing together in Field. Follow the work from the first enquiry to the invoice. See everything it does.

Before you replace the old roster
  • Try one real week. Invite one professional, publish a roster and confirm they can see and accept it before retiring your current process.
  • Check alerts and costs. Notification delivery and labour estimates depend on your setup. Tell the crew about urgent changes directly.
  • Know the beta terms. No card is needed now. Paid plans are not final; the pricing page is the place to check for updates.
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Free while we're in beta. No card.

Related: Time tracking and timesheets · Timesheets and payroll export · Job management and work orders · Quotes and invoices · Online booking · Safety and compliance · Assets and stock · Job costing and reports · All features

Give your next week a clearer plan. Start with one week in Field.

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