If you’re running a busy rec centre, you know every department (scheduling group) has its own way of doing things. The front desk doesn’t work like aquatics. Fitness isn’t the same as maintenance and arenas and programming also have their own rules to follow.

A staff scheduler that ignores departments forces you into a one-size-fits-all approach — and that’s not how real rec centres run. Your staff should be assigned to the right teams, scheduled where they belong, and hold roles that reflect what they actually do. You shouldn’t have to adjust how you work to fit your scheduler.  Your scheduler should be built to fit how you work.

That’s why using a staff scheduler that lets each department do its own thing is such a win. With RecStaff, every department gets its own setup — almost like having its own “mini version” of the system. You determine the rules and settings that apply to your department.  Settings like:

• Deciding when urgent messages should go out for last-minute shifts
• Setting when reminders for expiring credentials start hitting inboxes
• Adding your own hour limits and rules for your staff

By keeping departments separate, the system becomes easier to implement, simpler to onboard new staff, and smoother to use on a daily basis.

And here’s the best part – even though your departments work independently, you can still share staff across them. No shift conflicts, no surprise overtime — the system sorts it all out for you.

So yeah, separate departments definitely matter. They help you run your team the way you actually work — without the mess and confusion of trying to fit into someone else’s box.

Your rec centre runs on departments — your scheduler should too. Don’t settle for anything less.