Service charge is the line staff check first and understand least. When it is calculated across several spreadsheets, nobody in the room can reconstruct how one person’s share was reached, which is why the queue forms.
Distribute against something recorded
The distribution needs a denominator that already exists in a system: days present, or eligible worked shifts. Once the pool is divided against attendance that was recorded at the time, each share traces back to a fact rather than to a judgement.
Decide eligibility once, in writing
Most arguments are about eligibility, not arithmetic — probation, unpaid leave, mid-month joiners and leavers, staff seconded between properties. Write the rule down, configure it, and apply it the same way every month.