If you run a building crew in Australia, you already know that rostering construction workers is nothing like rostering retail or hospitality staff. Your people move between sites. Weather wipes out half a week's plan. You need to track RDOs, manage casuals alongside permanent workers, and make sure everyone on site actually holds the right tickets.
And yet, most rostering software on the market was built for cafes and warehouses, not construction sites.
Australia has 462,939 construction businesses, employing 1.35 million people. According to research from FMI and Autodesk, construction professionals spend 35% of their working week, about 14 hours, on non-productive tasks. Chasing scheduling information. Sorting out conflicts. Fixing avoidable mistakes. That is a day and a half every week where your site managers are not actually managing sites.
This guide looks at what construction rostering actually requires in Australia, what the main software options are, and where each one falls short.
Why construction rostering is different
Before looking at software, it helps to understand why generic rostering tools struggle with construction.
The award makes it complicated
The Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020) sets specific rules that your roster needs to follow:
- Ordinary hours are 38 per week, typically worked as 8 hours per day across a 4-week cycle.
- Written rosters must be issued at least 7 days before each 4-week cycle starts (Fair Work Commission, MA000020 clause 33).
- RDOs (Rostered Days Off) accrue at 0.4 hours per 8-hour day worked. Every 19 working days, your worker earns a day off. You can bank a maximum of 5 RDOs at any time.
- Casual workers get a 25% loading instead of leave, but they can refuse shifts. You cannot roster them the same way you roster permanent staff.
Most off-the-shelf rostering apps have no idea what an RDO is. They do not understand the 19-day accrual cycle. They cannot distinguish between a permanent and casual tradie on the same roster.
Workers move between sites
A builder running 3 residential jobs and a commercial fitout has tradies moving between sites during the same week. The chippy finishing frames on one site might be needed for lock-up on another. The sparky splits time between two houses.
Your rostering tool needs to handle multi-site allocation, not just multi-shift scheduling. There is a difference. A shift is a time block. A site allocation is a time block at a specific physical location, with its own compliance requirements, safety inductions, and team.
Weather changes everything
According to a systematic review published in MDPI Sustainability (covering 3,207 articles from 1972-2020), 45% of construction projects worldwide are affected by adverse weather delays. In Australia, where summer storms can shut down a site for half a day with 20 minutes' notice, your rostering needs to be reactive.
A roster that cannot be adjusted from a phone on site at 6:30am when the weather turns is a roster that creates confusion.
Compliance sits alongside rostering
Construction rostering is not just about who is where and when. It is also about whether everyone on that site is actually allowed to be there. Does the subbie's public liability insurance cover that site? Is the labourer's white card current? Has the scaffolder completed their site induction?
Rostering software that does not connect to compliance data leaves you exposed. You can roster someone perfectly and still cop a breach because their insurance expired last Tuesday.
What to look for in construction rostering software
Based on the challenges above, here is what matters for Australian construction:
1. Award compliance built in
The software should understand MA000020 at a minimum. That means tracking ordinary hours, overtime triggers, RDO accrual, and casual loading. If you have workers on an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA), the tool needs to handle that too.
What to test: Create a 4-week roster for a permanent CW3 tradesperson and a casual labourer. Does the system calculate RDO accrual? Does it flag overtime correctly? Does it distinguish casual from permanent entitlements?
2. Multi-site crew allocation
You need to assign workers to sites, not just shifts. The roster view should show you which site each person is on, not just what time they start.
What to test: Can you view all your sites on one screen with the crew allocated to each? Can you drag a worker from one site to another? Does it update notifications and timesheets automatically?
3. RDO tracking and management
RDOs are one of the most admin-heavy parts of construction rostering. The software should track accrual automatically, show you when RDOs are due, and prevent you from rostering someone on their RDO without flagging it.
What to test: After 19 working days, does the system automatically flag that an RDO is due? Can you see how many banked RDOs each worker has? Does it prevent scheduling beyond 5 banked RDOs?
4. Weather rescheduling
When rain wipes out a day, you need to restructure the roster quickly. That means notifications to affected workers, adjustments to site allocations, and recalculation of hours for the week.
What to test: Can you cancel or reschedule a full day for a site in a few taps? Does it notify affected workers? Does it recalculate overtime projections for the rest of the week?
5. Mobile access for site managers
Site managers are not sitting at a desk. They need to check and adjust the roster from site, on their phone, at 6am.
What to test: Open the app on your phone and try to change tomorrow's roster. Is it usable on a small screen? Does it work on spotty mobile data?
6. Compliance integration
The rostering tool should either include compliance tracking (licences, insurance, white cards) or connect to one. The goal is simple: if someone's credentials have lapsed, they should not appear as available for rostering.
What to test: Set a subbie's insurance to expired. Can you still roster them? Does the system warn you?
How the main options compare
Here is an honest look at the rostering tools available to Australian builders. Every platform has strengths and gaps. There is no single perfect option, so pick the one that covers your biggest pain points.
Deputy
Best for: Businesses that also roster retail or hospitality staff alongside a small construction team.
Deputy is Australian-built (Sydney) and has strong market share across hospitality and retail. It offers AI-powered scheduling, a mobile kiosk for clock-on, and integrations with most payroll systems.
Construction limitations: Construction is not listed as a core industry on their site. There is no built-in RDO tracking, no multi-site crew allocation view, and no integration with compliance or licence tracking. Award compliance is configurable but not pre-built for MA000020.
Pricing: From A$5-$9 per user/month, though the real cost with add-ons tends to land around $20-$23 per user.
ClockOn
Best for: Small-to-mid Australian construction businesses that need payroll and rostering in one system.
ClockOn is purpose-built for Australian businesses, with a strong focus on construction, civil, and trades. It has built-in award interpretation for MA000020, MA000021, and MA000026, plus GPS-verified clock-on through their ClockOn GO app.
Construction limitations: Smaller ecosystem with fewer third-party integrations than Deputy or Connecteam. The interface is functional but not as polished as newer competitors.
Pricing: From A$2.10 per employee/month (annual plan). One of the most cost-effective options per head.
Connecteam
Best for: Very small teams (under 10) who want a free all-in-one tool.
Connecteam offers a generous free tier for teams under 10, with scheduling, GPS stamps, chat, task management, and forms. The paid tiers add GPS boundary features and more advanced reporting.
Construction limitations: No native Australian award interpretation. You will need to manually configure penalty rates and overtime rules. GPS boundary features are locked behind the Advanced tier ($49 USD/month). US-based support hours can be inconvenient.
Pricing: Free for under 10 users. Paid plans from US$29/month (about A$44) for up to 30 users.
CrewTraka
Best for: Australian builders who want a platform designed specifically for construction crews.
CrewTraka is Australian-built and Australian Certified. It offers drag-and-drop scheduling, GPS clock-on with boundary detection, SWMS and JSA safety documents, project budgeting, and a Procore integration. The interface uses Australian construction terms, which is a nice change from the American-English defaults in most competitors.
Construction limitations: Newer platform with a smaller user base and limited independent reviews. No integrated payroll — you will need to export to a separate system. Award interpretation is limited compared to ClockOn.
Pricing: A$69 to A$449/month depending on crew size.
Tradify
Best for: Solo tradies and very small crews (1-5 people) who need job management more than rostering.
Tradify is a job management tool (quoting, invoicing, scheduling) rather than a rostering platform. It is popular with solo operators and pairs of tradies running their own small business.
Construction limitations: This is not a rostering tool. It does not handle crew allocation, RDOs, casual vs permanent distinctions, or compliance tracking. If you have more than 5 people, you will outgrow it quickly.
Pricing: A$48 to A$62 per user/month.
Humanforce
Best for: Large organisations (50+ workers) with complex award requirements across multiple industries.
Humanforce is a Sydney-based enterprise workforce management platform. It has strong AI-powered award calculations, shift swaps, and compliance tools. It is primarily used in aged care, hospitality, and retail.
Construction limitations: Not construction-focused. Enterprise-level pricing and setup complexity make it impractical for a builder with 10 tradies. No construction-specific terminology or workflows.
Pricing: Custom quote only.
ReadyTech
Best for: Large construction companies (50+ workers) that need end-to-end HR, payroll, and rostering.
ReadyTech is ASX-listed with 25+ years in the Australian market. Their workforce management platform includes built-in award interpretation, real-time labour cost tracking, and compliance validation.
Construction limitations: Enterprise-focused with no transparent pricing. Complex onboarding process. Too heavy for small-to-mid builders.
Pricing: Custom quote only.
SkillsDock
Best for: Small-to-mid Australian builders (5-50 workers) managing crews across multiple sites who need rostering, compliance, time tracking, and payroll in one platform.
SkillsDock combines crew rostering with GPS time tracking via SkillsClock, compliance management (licences, insurance, white cards), payroll from tracked hours, and team messaging. It is designed specifically for the Australian construction segment that is too big for Tradify and too small for Procore.
Construction strengths: Multi-site crew allocation, roster notifications via SMS, bulk crew assignment, worker compliance visibility from the roster view, and SkillsClock integration for GPS-verified attendance. Award rate support for MA000020.
Pricing: Free tier available. Per-employee pricing from A$8.99/month. See pricing.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Deputy | ClockOn | Connecteam | CrewTraka | Tradify | SkillsDock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU Award Compliance | Configurable | Built-in (MA000020) | None | Limited | None | MA000020 |
| RDO Tracking | No | Manual | No | Manual | No | Yes |
| Multi-Site Allocation | Limited | No | Basic | Yes | No | Yes |
| GPS Clock-On | Yes | Yes | Paid tier | Yes | No | Yes (SkillsClock) |
| Compliance Integration | No | No | No | SWMS only | No | Full (licences, insurance, white card) |
| Weather Rescheduling | Basic | No | Basic | Yes | No | Yes |
| Casual/Permanent | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile App | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integrated Payroll | No (export) | Yes | No | No (export) | No | Yes |
| Construction Language | No | Yes | No | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Starting Price | ~A$5/user/mo | ~A$2/emp/mo | Free (<10) | A$69/mo | A$48/user/mo | Free tier |
How to evaluate rostering software for your crew
Before you commit to any platform, run through this checklist with your specific situation:
- How many workers do you roster? Under 10 favours simpler tools. Over 20 needs proper multi-site allocation and reporting.
- How many sites are you running? One site is simple. Three or more sites with shared workers is where most tools break down.
- Do you employ casuals? If yes, your rostering tool needs to handle casual loading, minimum engagement, and the fact that casuals can refuse shifts.
- Do you need payroll integration? If your payroll is in Xero or MYOB, check that the rostering tool exports in a compatible format. If you want payroll built in, your options narrow.
- What are your compliance obligations? If you are a head contractor with subbies on site, you need compliance visibility alongside rostering.
- What is your budget per worker per month? Costs range from $2 to $60 per user per month. Work out what you can justify per head and filter accordingly.
So what do you actually pick?
Construction rostering in Australia is not a solved problem. The market splits between generic rostering tools that do not understand construction and enterprise platforms that cost more than a site supervisor's weekly wage.
If you have 5 to 50 workers across a few sites, you need something that was built for Australian construction from the start. That means MA000020 compliance, RDO tracking, multi-site allocation, and a connection to your compliance and time tracking data.
Compare SkillsDock's rostering features or see how it works for builders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between rostering and scheduling in construction?
In construction, "rostering" means assigning workers to sites and shifts across a defined cycle (usually 4 weeks under MA000020). "Scheduling" usually refers to project scheduling — the sequence of tasks and trades across a build. Rostering is about people; scheduling is about work. In Australia, "roster" is the standard term for workforce planning. "Schedule" is more commonly used in American software.
How do RDOs work under the Building and Construction Award?
Under MA000020, workers accrue 0.4 hours toward their RDO for every 8-hour day worked. After 19 working days (about 4 weeks), they have accrued enough for a full RDO. Workers can bank up to 5 RDOs at a time, and rosters must be issued 7 days before each 4-week cycle. Your rostering software should track this accrual automatically.
Can I use generic rostering software for construction?
You can, but you will spend time working around its limitations. Generic tools typically lack RDO tracking, multi-site crew allocation, and MA000020 compliance. They are designed for fixed-location shift work (retail, hospitality) where everyone works at the same place. Construction adds location variability, weather disruptions, compliance requirements, and a mix of permanent and casual workers that generic tools handle poorly.
What happens if I roster someone whose licence has expired?
If a worker performs regulated work without a valid licence and a regulator inspects the site, the head contractor faces penalties under state Work Health and Safety laws. Fines can reach up to $10.4 million for a body corporate under Category 1 WHS offences. Using rostering software that integrates with compliance tracking prevents this by flagging expired credentials before the worker is rostered.
How much does construction rostering software cost in Australia?
Costs range from free (Connecteam under 10 users, SkillsDock free tier) to $60+ per user per month (Tradify). Most Australian-focused options sit between $2 and $9 per user per month for core rostering features. Enterprise platforms like Humanforce and ReadyTech require custom quotes. The right question is not "how much does it cost?" but "how much does not having it cost?" — between overtime errors, compliance breaches, and the 14 hours per week your managers spend on non-productive admin.
What is the best free rostering app for small construction teams?
Connecteam offers a free tier for teams under 10 users, though it lacks Australian award compliance. SkillsDock offers a free tier that includes basic rostering, GPS time tracking via SkillsClock, and compliance management. For anything beyond basic rostering, paid plans give you RDO tracking, multi-site allocation, and payroll integration.