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Retail · store

Making a retail rota with AI: a 40-hour cap and Sundays off

A store manager wants nobody over 40 hours a week, at least two people at opening and closing, and Sundays off shared out fairly. The imRoster assistant asks for the shift times, explains that a fixed Sunday rotation can't be set up, and suggests two rules instead: “at least 1 Sunday off in every 14 days”, applied strictly, and a balance preference that comes with no guarantee.

Describe your own team
imRoster assistantMall store · 10 staff
  1. Manager

    There are 10 of us in the store. Nobody goes over 40 hours a week, we don't do overtime. At least 2 people at opening and at closing every day. And Sundays off should rotate fairly.

  2. imRoster assistant

    You don't have opening and closing shifts set up yet, so let's start there. What are the hours, and what's the most people each one can have?

  3. Manager

    Opening 10:00-18:00, closing 14:00-22:00. Four people max.

  4. imRoster assistant

    Adding both shifts, with at least 2 people every day:

    Proposed changeApproved

    2 shifts

    • Opening 10:00–18:00 · 2–4 people
    • Closing 14:00–22:00 · 2–4 people
  5. imRoster assistant

    Shifts added. Should the 40-hour cap be a hard rule, or applied as far as possible?

  6. Manager

    Hard. No overtime, ever.

  7. imRoster assistant

    Adding it:

    Proposed changeApproved

    Rule: nobody works more than 40 hours a week

    • All staff, Monday–Sunday weeks
    • Counted with breaks taken off
    • Hard rule
  8. imRoster assistant

    Applied. About Sundays: a fixed rotation (Alex this week, Beth next week) isn't something I can set up. I can offer two rules instead:

    • Everyone gets at least 1 Sunday off in every 14 days: can be a hard rule, applied strictly
    • Sunday shifts are spread as evenly as possible: a preference, with no guarantee of exactly equal counts

    Shall I add both?

  9. Manager

    Add both. Make the first one hard.

  10. imRoster assistant

    First one:

    Proposed changeApproved

    Rule: at least 1 Sunday off in every 14 days

    • All staff, rolling 14-day window
    • Hard rule
  11. imRoster assistant

    Applied. Second:

    Proposed changeApproved

    Rule: spread Sunday shifts evenly

    • Preference: the fill balances them as far as it can
  12. imRoster assistant

    All set. Shall I fill December?

    Proposed changeApproved

    Fill: 1–31 December 2026

    • 10 staff · Opening and Closing shifts
  13. imRoster assistant

    The December rota is ready.

    • No gaps
    • No rule had to be relaxed

    It's in the calendar now. I can also send it as a PDF or an Excel file.

An illustrative conversation: names and numbers are examples, and replies are shortened. The rules and steps are the ones the imRoster assistant actually follows.

The result

The roster in the imRoster calendar

Week of 7–13 December 2026 · 10 staff · the 4 working this Sunday are off the next one
StaffMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
AlexOO––CCO
BethCC––OCC
Chris–OO–OOO
Dana–CC–CCC
EthanO–OOO––
FionaC–CCC––
GeorgeO––OOO–
HannahCC–C–O–
Isaac–OOO–O–
Jess––CCCC–
  • OOpening 10–18
  • CClosing 14–22
  • –Off

Behind the chat

What the manager said, and what imRoster did with it

What the manager said, and what imRoster did with it
The manager saidWhat imRoster does
“Nobody goes over 40 hours a week”Every member of staff gets a 40-hour cap per Monday–Sunday week, counted with breaks taken off. As a hard rule it's a strict limit.
“At least 2 people at opening and at closing every day”The Opening and Closing shifts get at least 2 and at most 4 people every day. If the shifts don't exist yet, the assistant first asks for their hours and the maximum.
“Sundays off should rotate”A fixed order of turns between people isn't a rule type, and the assistant says so. Instead it writes “at least 1 Sunday off in every 14 days”, which as a hard rule is applied strictly.
“…fairly”A preference rule balances Sunday shifts. The fill applies it after the other rules, as far as it can; exactly equal counts per person aren't guaranteed.

FAQ

Questions about this example

Can the AI rotate Sundays off in a fixed order?

No. A fixed order (Alex this week, Beth next week) isn't something it can set up, and the assistant tells you so. If you need a firm outcome, a rule like “at least 1 Sunday off in every 14 days” can be made hard. Spreading Sunday work evenly is added as a preference and applied as far as possible.

How is the weekly hours cap counted?

Per Monday–Sunday week, with breaks taken off. Part-weeks at the start or end of a period get the full cap too.

What if my shifts aren't set up yet?

The assistant sets them up first. It asks for the hours and the minimum and maximum headcount per shift, then moves on to the rules.

More examples

Other teams, other rules

Guides

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