Blogs

The Break Room

Practical articles, guides and resources to help hospitality businesses and workers thrive.

Freshly served.

The latest from the pass, new guides and updates worth your time.

Running a venue

Christmas shutdown notice under the hospitality awards: 28 days in writing, due 26 November for a Christmas Eve close

Finding work

World Cup nights mean 2am trading in Sydney from Thursday 15 October: the late shifts to chase and what the hours after midnight pay

Full menu.

Every guide in the Shiftly blog, from award deep-dives to rostering and pay.

Working in Australia

Can international students claim the tax-free threshold? What the wrong residency answer costs over a year of hospitality shifts

Running a venue

The working holiday visa ballot means a thinner bench: how to roster this summer

Rostering

Getting casuals off the group chat: the first-fortnight rollout plan for a rostering app

Rostering

Is a shared Google Sheets roster good enough for a pub or cafe?

Award Compliance

Can you calculate Hospitality Award penalty rates in Excel? The formulas and their limits

Rostering

How to choose rostering software for an Australian hospitality venue in 2026: a buyer's guide

Getting paid

Four public holidays in eight days: what a casual earns working Sydney's Christmas to New Year stretch in 2026

Running a venue

Why casual penalty rates take hours every fortnight, and the method that takes minutes

Running a venue

If your casual award interpretation was wrong: what you're exposed to, and the four checks to run first

Running a venue

Your working holiday staff will leave mid season: build the bench before February

Running a venue

Someone dropped a Saturday: the four ways to cover it, and what each one costs

Getting paid

Hospitality tax deductions for 2025-26: what a casual can claim by 31 October, and why your black pants don't count

By venue.

How Shiftly handles the award rules, penalties and roster shapes each type of venue actually trades on.

Hospitality rostering

Free rostering, timesheets and award pay for Australian cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants.

Cafes

Early starts, weekend brunch penalties, juniors on age-based rates and a casual-heavy team.

Pubs and bars

Late-night loadings, close-then-open turnarounds and public holiday trading.

Restaurants

Lunch and dinner split shifts, two awards, and wage cost per service.

Features

Explore features from Shiftly

Award-based timesheets

Pay is calculated from your configured award rates, approved hours are captured, and everything syncs to Xero ready for your pay run.

Employee rostering

Easily plan shifts, publish rosters, sync timesheets and export in seconds, with no spreadsheets and no stress. Stay in control and keep payroll running smoothly with Shiftly.

Award interpretation

Our smart, automated system calculates wages, penalties, allowances, and overtime using configured award rules to support your payroll processes.

Let us show you around

We'll walk you through how Shiftly works and help you see if we're the right fit for you.