How to Allow Your Staff to Create Their Own Shifts

To create an Add Shift Utility template:

This tool is helpful when employees need flexibility to create their own work times instead of being assigned predefined shifts by a manager.

Important

The Add Shift Utility is different from regular Shift Templates used by managers when building schedules.

With the Add Shift Utility, employees create their own shifts within rules established by the manager.

Configure the Add Shift Utility

1. From the left navigation menu, select Schedule.
2. Select Configurations.
3. Select Add Shift Utility.
4. Make sure the correct Position is selected in the upper-left corner.
5. In the upper-right corner, click Add New Template.
6. Select Active if employees should be able to use this setup during the configured dates.
7. Choose whether the employee-created shifts should Require Manager Approval.
8. Enter the Shift Name.
9. Enter any Notes or instructions employees should see when creating the shift.
10. Enter the Start Date and End Date for when employees are allowed to create shifts.
11. In the Active column, select the days of the week employees are allowed to create shifts.
12. Enter the Start Time and End Time for each active day.
13. Enter the Max Staff for each active day.
14. Enter the Min Hours and Max Hours allowed for each employee-created shift.
15. Click Save.

Select the Correct Position

The Add Shift Utility is configured separately for each position.

Before creating or editing the setup, make sure the correct position is selected in the upper-left corner of the page.

If no Add Shift Utility setup has been created for the selected position, employees in that position will not be able to create their own shifts.

Require Manager Approval

Managers can choose whether employee-created shifts require approval.

If Manager Approval Is Required

When an employee creates a shift, the request will go to the Pending Requests section.

The shift must be approved by a manager before it appears on the Schedule Calendar.

If Manager Approval Is Not Required

The employee can create the shift without manager approval as long as the shift follows the rules established in the Add Shift Utility.

If the shift violates one of those rules, SubItUp will prevent the employee from creating it and display a message explaining the issue.

Shift Name and Notes

The Shift Name determines the name used when employees create shifts through this Add Shift Utility setup.

The Notes field can be used to provide instructions or reminders to employees.

For example, a manager could ask employees to include a customer, participant, or family name when creating the shift.

Employees will see these instructions when creating their shift.

Start and End Dates

The Start Date and End Date determine when employees are allowed to create shifts.

Employees cannot create shifts using this setup outside of the configured date range.

Days and Times

Managers can determine which days of the week employees are allowed to create shifts and the timeframes available on each day.

For example, employees could be allowed to create shifts Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, while Saturday and Sunday remain unavailable.

Dates or times that are not available for employees to create shifts will appear greyed out.

Max Staff

The Max Staff setting determines the maximum number of shifts that can be created for that day.

This is based on the number of shifts created, not the number of individual employees.

For example, if one employee creates three different shifts on the same day, all three shifts count toward the Max Staff limit.

Minimum and Maximum Hours

The Min Hours and Max Hours settings determine how short or long an employee-created shift can be.

For example:

• Min Hours: 2
• Max Hours: 8

In this example, employees can only create shifts between two and eight hours long.

If an employee attempts to create a shift outside of these limits, SubItUp will prevent the shift from being created and explain which rule was not met.

What Employees Will See

Once the Add Shift Utility has been configured for their position, employees can use the Create Shift option from their account.

Employees will:

1. Select Create Shift.
2. Choose a position that has the Add Shift Utility configured.
3. Select an available date.
4. Choose their start and end times.
5. Review any instructions entered by their manager.
6. Add any necessary Notes.
7. Save the shift.

Employees can also see other shifts they are already scheduled to work, including shifts from other positions.

They can also review the scheduling rules established by the manager, including:

• Minimum shift length
• Maximum shift length
• Daily shift limits
• How many shifts are still available for each day

Important Notes

• Availability is not collected when using the Add Shift Utility. Employees create shifts within the timeframes and rules established by the manager.
• The Add Shift Utility is configured separately for each position.
• Employees cannot create shifts for a position until an Add Shift Utility setup has been created and made Active for that position.
• Employees cannot create shifts outside of the configured dates, days, times, minimum hours, maximum hours, or daily shift limits.
• If Manager Approval is enabled, an employee-created shift must be approved before it appears on the Schedule Calendar.
• The Add Shift Utility should not be confused with regular Shift Templates used by managers when building schedules.

Need Additional Help?

If you have questions about configuring the Add Shift Utility, please contact SubItUp Support HERE.

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