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Labour-Cost Ratio

The labour-cost ratio is staff cost as a percentage of sales. Vuoron lets you set a target ratio per location and then shows how planning and reality compare against it, so you can keep labour spend in line with revenue.

Setting the target​

In Settings → Staffing levels, enter a Cost target % (a percentage of forecast revenue) for a location. The target is optional — locations without one simply don't show a target line.

When a target is set, it also acts as a soft cap in coverage targets: the suggested labour hours won't exceed what the target ratio allows against forecast sales, unless the minimum-staff floor requires more (in which case the overrun is shown honestly).

The ratios​

Vuoron compares your target with two ratios, each answering a different question:

RatioShown asQuestion it answersBased on
Scheduled"Staff cost / forecast""What does the roster I've built cost?"Rostered shift hours × rate ÷ forecast sales
Realized"Realized cost / sales""What did the day actually cost?"Actual worked hours × rate ÷ actual sales

Realized is the feedback loop: once a day is over and its actual sales and approved hours are in, you can see whether reality landed under or over target — and calibrate the target with real data instead of guesswork.

Behind the scenes, the same calculation applied to the suggested labour hours (a projected ratio) is what caps the coverage target.

Where you see them​

  • Roster day view (coverage overlay) — the scheduled ratio, and, for past days with actuals, the realized ratio, each shown against the target. A ratio above target is highlighted ("Rostered staff cost is over the target ratio").
  • Weekly budget bar — the week's scheduled ratio ("Staff cost … of forecast") and, once the week is settled, its realized ratio ("Actual … of sales"), against the target.

Reading the numbers honestly​

  • The realized ratio only appears once actual sales have been recorded for the day or week — so today and future dates show no realized figure (not a misleading 0%).
  • Cost is calculated from raw gross hourly wages, without TES premiums (evening, Sunday, overtime, etc.) or employer side costs. It is a planning signal, not a payroll figure — set your target percentage with that in mind.
  • If sales or pay-rate data is missing, the ratio shows an explicit reason ("No forecast revenue", "No rate data") rather than a fabricated number. If only part of the week has a forecast, the budget bar notes "Partial forecast coverage".

Access​

Visible to Supervisor, Manager, and Company Admin on the roster. Setting the target requires Manager or Company Admin.