Staff availability, by the hour
Staff set the hours they can work, week to week or for a particular date. You get warned about a clash while you are building the roster.
What it does
- A weekly pattern of the hours somebody can usually work
- More than one window in a day, so a split like 9 to 2 and 5 to 10 can be said at all
- Specific dates when they are away or only free part of the day
- Clashes flagged on the roster with the reason
- Kept current by the person, on their own phone
- Correction requests handled the same way, with a reason
Why it works this way
The decisions behind it, and what they are better than.
What you get out of it
How it works
What it does not do
Said plainly here, so nobody finds out after they have set it up.
- A clash warns you. It never blocks the shift, because sometimes it has to be covered anyway
- Availability is kept by each person, so it is only as current as they keep it
Where availability by the hour comes up
The industry and trade pages that lean on it.
Questions about availability by the hour
How do staff set their availability in Roster Flow?
On their own phone, by the hour. They keep a weekly pattern of the hours they can usually work and add particular dates when they are away or only free for part of the day.
What happens when a shift clashes with somebody’s availability?
The shift is flagged on the roster with the reason while you build the week. It warns you and never blocks the shift, because sometimes it has to be covered anyway.
Can availability hold two windows in one day?
Yes. A day can hold more than one window, so somebody free from 9 to 2 and again from 5 to 10 can say exactly that rather than marking the whole day.
Who keeps staff availability up to date?
The person it belongs to. Availability changes with study, second jobs and family, so staff update it themselves, which also means it is only as current as they keep it.