Recurring Availability Patterns

Learn how to set up and manage recurring availability patterns in the Shifts platform to communicate your regular weekly schedule to managers and improve the accuracy of shift assignments.

Overview

The Recurring Availability Patterns feature allows you to establish your regular weekly schedule, letting managers know when you’re consistently available to work. By setting up recurring patterns, you create a baseline schedule that repeats week after week, making it easier for managers to assign shifts that align with your availability.

Understanding Recurring vs. One-Time Availability

The Shifts platform supports two types of availability:

1. Recurring Availability: Regular weekly patterns that repeat indefinitely and serve as your default availability
2. One-Time Availability: Temporary exceptions for specific dates that override your recurring patterns

This article focuses on recurring availability. For information on one-time exceptions, see Temporary Availability.

Accessing Your Availability Settings

To manage your recurring availability:

1. Log in to your Shifts account
2. Click on My Profile in the top right corner
3. Select My Availability from the dropdown menu
4. The Availability page displays your current patterns in both calendar and list views

Setting Up Recurring Availability

To create a new recurring availability pattern:

1. From the Availability page, click the Add Availability button
2. Ensure the Recurring toggle is switched ON (it should be ON by default)
3. Select the Day of Week from the dropdown (Sunday through Saturday)
4. Set your Start Time using the time picker
5. Set your End Time using the time picker
6. Click Save to add the availability pattern

Your new availability will appear in both the calendar view and the list below it.

Managing Multiple Availability Windows

You can set up multiple availability windows for each day to accommodate split shifts or varied availability:

1. Follow the steps to create a recurring availability pattern
2. Create additional patterns for the same day with different time ranges
3. For example, you might be available Monday 9am-12pm and Monday 2pm-5pm

Each day can have multiple availability windows, allowing you to create a detailed and accurate schedule.

Editing Recurring Availability

To modify an existing availability pattern:

1. From the Availability page, find the pattern you want to edit in the list view
2. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to that pattern
3. Make your changes to the day, start time, or end time
4. Click Save to update the pattern

Deleting Recurring Availability

To remove an availability pattern:

1. From the Availability page, find the pattern you want to delete
2. Click the Delete (trash) icon next to that pattern
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted

Viewing Your Availability Calendar

The Availability page includes a visual calendar that shows:

• Color-coded blocks representing your availability windows
• Different styling for recurring vs. one-time availability
• A weekly view showing your complete availability pattern

This calendar helps you visualize your availability and identify any gaps or inconsistencies.

How Recurring Availability Affects Scheduling

Your recurring availability directly impacts how shifts are assigned:

1. Shift Recommendations: Managers see employees with availability matching a shift ranked higher in recommendations
2. Automatic Assignments: When automatic scheduling is used, the system prioritizes employees with matching availability
3. Conflict Prevention: The system flags potential conflicts between shifts and your availability
4. Optimal Matching: Partial availability (covering at least 80% of a shift) may still be considered but at lower priority

Important Limitations

When setting up recurring availability, be aware of these limitations:

1. Time Range: Each availability window must have an end time that comes after the start time
2. Overnight Shifts: For overnight availability, create two separate patterns (e.g., Monday 10pm-11:59pm and Tuesday 12am-6am)
3. Conflicting Patterns: If you create overlapping availability windows, all will be considered valid
4. Business Context: Your availability patterns are specific to each business you work for

Best Practices

For optimal results when using Recurring Availability Patterns:

1. Be comprehensive: Add availability for all times you’re regularly able to work
2. Update regularly: Revise your patterns when your regular schedule changes
3. Use one-time exceptions: For temporary changes, use one-time availability rather than changing recurring patterns
4. Consider buffer time: Include travel time in your availability planning
5. Communicate changes: Notify your manager when making significant changes to your availability
6. Review assignments: Regularly check that your shift assignments align with your availability

Example Weekly Availability

A typical availability pattern might look like:

• Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Wednesday: Not available
• Thursday: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Friday: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• Saturday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
• Sunday: Not available

This pattern clearly communicates your regular weekly availability to managers.

Manager’s View of Your Availability

When managers are scheduling shifts, they see:

1. A list of employees with availability matching the shift time
2. Availability status indicators next to employee names
3. Color-coded availability indicators (full, partial, or no availability)
4. Your availability patterns when viewing your employee profile

Related Resources

• Availability Conflicts
• Temporary Availability
• Clock In/Out
• Setting Availability

This article should be updated when:

1. The availability management interface changes
2. New features are added to recurring availability patterns
3. Changes are made to how availability affects scheduling
4. The calendar visualization is updated
5. Mobile app availability features are enhanced