RDO stands for Rostered Day Off — an Australian term for a scheduled non-working day that is built into a rotating shift pattern or workplace agreement. It is the equivalent of a rest day or day off in UK, US, and Canadian terminology.

What is a rest day in shift work?

A rest day is a scheduled non-working day that is a planned part of a rotating shift pattern. Unlike annual leave or sick leave, a rest day is a regular part of the rota or roster — it repeats as the cycle rotates. Examples include the four days off in a 4-on-4-off pattern.

Is RDO only an Australian term?

Yes. RDO (Rostered Day Off) is used in Australia. The equivalent in the UK is 'Rest Day' or 'RD'. In the US and Canada, 'Day Off' is the standard term. In New Zealand, 'Day Off' is also used. ShiftFlowr detects your region and uses the correct term automatically.

Can ShiftFlowr track my rest days and RDOs?

Yes. Rest days are built into every shift pattern in ShiftFlowr — on a 4-on-4-off, the four off days are automatically placed as rest days in your calendar. You never need to enter them individually. ShiftFlowr uses the term for your region: Rest Day, RDO, or Day Off.

Rest day / RDO explained

What is an RDO?
Rest days, rostered days off, and days off — by region.

A rest day is a scheduled non-working day built into a rotating shift pattern. In Australia it is called an RDO (Rostered Day Off). In the UK, a Rest Day or RD. In the US, Canada, and New Zealand, simply a Day Off. Whatever you call it, it is a regular, pattern-driven break — not holiday, not sick leave.

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What is it?

Rest days in a rotating shift pattern

A rest day is a planned, non-working day that is a fixed part of a rotating shift cycle. It is not booked as annual leave — it is simply the days that fall as "off" in the rotation, repeating automatically as the cycle progresses.

On a 4-on-4-off pattern, four consecutive days off follow every four working days. Those four days off are rest days — they rotate through the week over time, so you'll sometimes have weekday rest days and sometimes weekend ones.

Example: rest days in a 4-on-4-off cycle

Day 1 ✓ Day 2 ✓ Day 3 ✓ Day 4 ✓ Rest day Rest day Rest day Rest day

ShiftFlowr places rest days automatically when you apply a pattern — you never need to enter them by hand.

What's it called where you are?

Rest day names by region

Region	Common names
🇬🇧 UK	Rest Day, RD, Day Off, Off
🇺🇸 US	Day Off, Off Day
🇨🇦 Canada	Day Off, Off
🇦🇺 Australia	RDO, Rostered Day Off, Day Off
🇳🇿 New Zealand	Day Off, Off, Rest Day

RDO (Rostered Day Off) is specifically Australian. It can also refer to a formal entitlement under certain enterprise agreements where workers accumulate an extra day off through working slightly longer hours each day. In ShiftFlowr's context, it simply means a scheduled non-working day in the rotation. RDO is not used in NZ — the New Zealand equivalent is just "Day Off".

Rest day vs. leave

What is the difference between a rest day and annual leave?

📆 Rest day

A scheduled, recurring non-working day built into your shift pattern. It rotates automatically as your cycle progresses. You do not book it — it is already part of your rota.

🏖️ Annual leave / PTO / holiday

Time off that you request and book separately — on top of your rest days. Annual leave does not cancel your rest days; both exist within the same pattern.

🤒 Sick leave

Unplanned absence due to illness. Like annual leave, it is tracked separately from rest days. A sick day that falls on a rest day is generally not replaced (check your contract).

📋 On call

An availability period where you must be reachable but are not actively working. On call is distinct from a rest day — you may not be truly free to switch off.

How ShiftFlowr handles it

Rest days placed automatically

🔄 Pattern-driven

Apply a shift pattern and ShiftFlowr places your rest days automatically alongside your worked shifts. On 4-on-4-off, that is four days off after every four days on — no manual entry.

🌐 Your region's vocabulary

ShiftFlowr uses Rest Day for UK users, RDO for Australian users, and Day Off for US, CA, and NZ users — all auto-detected from your device timezone.

📅 Calendar sync

Rest days sync to your device calendar alongside worked shifts, so your whole rotation — work and off days — is visible in one place.

🔒 Never overwritten

When you apply a pattern, ShiftFlowr skips any date that already has a shift logged. Rest days will not replace manually-entered events.

Common questions

Rest day / RDO FAQ

What is the difference between a rest day and a day off?: They mean the same thing — a scheduled non-working day in a shift pattern. "Rest day" or "RD" is the UK term; "Day Off" is used in the US, Canada, and New Zealand; "RDO" (Rostered Day Off) is the Australian term. ShiftFlowr uses whichever is correct for your region.
Is an RDO the same as annual leave?: No. A rest day or RDO is a regular, recurring day off that is already built into your shift pattern — you do not book it. Annual leave (or PTO, vacation) is taken in addition to your rest days and must be requested separately. In ShiftFlowr, rest days are placed automatically by the pattern; annual leave is added manually.
Is RDO an Australian term only?: Yes — RDO (Rostered Day Off) is used in Australia. In New Zealand, the equivalent is simply "Day Off" — RDO is not used in NZ. In the UK, "Rest Day" or "RD" is the standard. ShiftFlowr auto-detects your region and shows the correct term.
Do I need to enter rest days manually in ShiftFlowr?: No. Rest days are automatically placed when you apply a shift pattern. On a 4-on-4-off, all four days off appear in your calendar automatically. You only need to add annual leave or sick days manually on top of the pattern.

Your rest days, placed automatically.

Build your rotation once in ShiftFlowr. Your worked shifts and rest days fill in automatically — months ahead, no re-entering.

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What is an RDO?Rest days, rostered days off, and days off — by region.