Staff Shift Scheduling

The Staff Shift Scheduling system helps you manage coverage across different shifts (morning, evening, night) for your hotel staff. Managers can assign shifts, track coverage gaps, and ensure proper staffing levels, while staff members can view their upcoming schedules and set their availability preferences.

Key Features

  • Week and Month Views: Toggle between weekly grid and monthly calendar views

  • Quick Assignment: One-click shift assignment with "+" buttons

  • Smart Staffing: Templates automatically filter staff by department (Front Desk, Housekeeping, etc.)

  • Coverage Alerts: Visual warnings when shifts are understaffed

  • Availability Tracking: Staff can set when they're available, unavailable, or prefer certain shifts

  • Recurring Shifts: Set up repeating shift patterns (daily, weekly, custom)

  • Conflict Detection: Warnings when assigning unavailable staff or creating overlapping shifts

Getting Started

Accessing Schedules

Navigate to Schedules under the Staff section in the main navigation menu.

The schedule view provides:

  • View Toggle: Switch between Week and Month views

  • User Filter: View all staff, your own shifts, or individual team members

  • Date Navigation: Move between weeks/months

  • Coverage Summary: See understaffing alerts (managers only)

For Managers

Viewing the Schedule

Week View (Default):

  • Grid layout showing days of the week (columns) and shift templates (rows)

  • Color-coded shift badges showing assigned staff

  • Quick visual scan of coverage gaps

  • Understaffing indicators (⚠) when below minimum requirements

Month View:

  • Traditional calendar layout

  • Daily shift count per template

  • Coverage statistics summary

User Filtering:

  • All Staff: See complete schedule for everyone (managers only)

  • My Shifts: View only your assigned shifts

  • Individual Staff: Select specific team member (managers only)

Shift Templates

Shift templates define the standard shifts for your property with:

  • Name: e.g., "Morning Shift", "Housekeeping"

  • Time Range: Start and end times

  • Color: Visual identification

  • Department: Links to Front Desk, Housekeeping, etc.

  • Minimum Staff: Required number of staff members

Managing Templates:

  1. Click the "Manage Templates" button

  2. Edit existing templates or add new ones

  3. Set time ranges, colors, and minimum staffing requirements

  4. Templates automatically filter available staff by department

Creating Shift Assignments

Quick Assignment (Week View)

The fastest way to assign shifts:

  1. Click the "+" button in any cell

  2. Select a staff member from the dropdown

  3. Click "Assign"

Smart Features:

  • Staff list is automatically filtered by the shift's department

  • Staff are sorted by availability:

    • ⭐ Preferred times first

    • ✓ Available times

    • Regular staff (no preference)

    • ✗ Unavailable staff (with warning)

  • Conflict warnings appear if staff is unavailable

  • Modal closes immediately upon assignment

Full Shift Form

For more control or recurring shifts:

  1. Click "Add Shift" button

  2. Fill in the form:

    • Shift Template: Select from predefined templates

    • Staff Member: Choose who to assign

    • Date: Select specific date

    • Time: Start and end times (auto-filled from template)

    • Recurring: Check to create repeating shifts

Recurring Shift Options:

  • Daily: Every day

  • Weekly: Same day each week

  • Weekday: Monday through Friday only

  • Specific Days: Choose custom days (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri)

  • End Date: When the recurring pattern stops

The system will generate individual shift records up to 3 months ahead.

Understanding Coverage Alerts

Understaffing Indicators (visible in All Staff view):

Week View:

  • Yellow background on cells with insufficient staff

  • Badge showing assigned/required (e.g., "⚠ 1/2" means 1 assigned, 2 required)

Month View:

  • Summary alert showing total understaffed shifts

  • Template-specific counts

Best Practices:

  • Review weekly coverage every Sunday

  • Address understaffing alerts promptly

  • Plan ahead for vacation/time-off requests

Working with Staff Availability

When assigning shifts, you'll see availability indicators:

  • ✓ (Green): Staff is available

  • ✗ (Red): Staff is unavailable - assignment will show warning

  • ⭐ (Gold): Staff prefers this time - prioritized in dropdown

  • (No indicator): No preference set

Conflict Warnings:

  • System alerts when assigning unavailable staff

  • You can proceed with assignment if needed (e.g., emergency coverage)

  • Consider the warning before confirming

Editing and Deleting Shifts

Edit a Shift:

  1. Click on any shift badge

  2. View shift details

  3. Click "Edit" to modify time, date, or assignment

  4. Changes apply to that occurrence only (for recurring shifts)

Delete a Shift:

  1. Click on the shift badge

  2. Click "Delete"

  3. Confirm deletion

  4. For recurring shifts, only that specific occurrence is deleted

Managing Recurring Shifts:

  • Individual occurrences can be edited or deleted independently

  • Deleting one occurrence doesn't affect the rest of the series

  • To stop a recurring series, edit the series' end date

For Staff Members

Viewing Your Schedule

  1. Navigate to Schedules from the main menu

  2. Default view shows "My Shifts" only

  3. Toggle between Week and Month views

  4. See all your upcoming shift assignments

What You'll See:

  • Your assigned shifts with times and dates

  • Shift template names and colors

  • Total hours per week

  • Next upcoming shift highlighted

Setting Your Availability

Help managers schedule you effectively by setting your availability:

  1. Click "My Availability" button

  2. Click "Add Availability"

  3. Fill in the form:

Availability Status:

  • Available: You can work during this time

  • Unavailable: You cannot work (vacation, appointments, etc.)

  • Preferred: You prefer to work during this time

Time Options:

  • All Day: Entire day(s)

  • Specific Times: Set start and end times

  • Recurring: Repeat pattern (daily, weekly, specific days)

Examples:

  • "Unavailable: Dec 20-25 (Vacation)"

  • "Preferred: Tuesdays 7am-3pm (Childcare schedule)"

  • "Available: Weekends all day (Extra shifts welcome)"

Best Practices:

  • Set unavailability as soon as you know (vacation, appointments)

  • Update preferred times to help managers accommodate your schedule

  • Mark preferred times for overtime opportunities

  • Keep availability current for accurate scheduling

Understanding Shift Conflicts

If you're assigned to an unavailable time:

  • Manager will see a warning when assigning

  • You'll see the shift in your schedule normally

  • Contact your manager if you truly cannot work the shift

  • System allows manager override for emergency coverage

Timezone Handling

All shift times are displayed in your site's configured timezone. The system automatically handles:

  • Overnight shifts (e.g., 11pm to 7am spans two days)

  • Daylight saving time transitions

  • Multi-location properties with different timezones

Best Practices

For Managers

Weekly Routine:

  1. Review next week's schedule every Sunday

  2. Address any understaffing alerts

  3. Check for unassigned shifts

  4. Confirm coverage for special events or high-occupancy days

Monthly Planning:

  1. Set up recurring shifts for regular staff schedules

  2. Review staff availability for the upcoming month

  3. Plan around known absences (vacations, etc.)

  4. Adjust templates seasonally if needed

Communication:

  • Publish schedules at least 1 week in advance

  • Notify staff immediately of any changes

  • Respect availability preferences when possible

  • Document shift trades between staff members

For Staff

Stay Proactive:

  • Check your schedule at least twice per week

  • Set availability as soon as you know your constraints

  • Update preferred times to maximize scheduling match

  • Notify manager immediately if you can't work an assigned shift

Availability Tips:

  • Set recurring patterns for ongoing constraints (school, childcare, etc.)

  • Use "Preferred" status for overtime opportunities

  • Mark unavailability at least 2 weeks in advance when possible

  • Keep emergency availability settings for last-minute needs

Troubleshooting

"I can't see the Add Shift button"

Cause: Only managers can create shifts

Solution: Contact your manager to request shift assignments or permission changes

"The quick assignment modal is empty"

Cause: The shift template is assigned to a department with no staff

Solution:

  1. Check shift template settings

  2. Ensure staff have the correct department set in their profile

  3. Verify staff are active members of the site

"I'm getting understaffing warnings but all shifts are filled"

Cause: Minimum staff requirement is set higher than needed

Solution:

  1. Click "Manage Templates"

  2. Edit the template's minimum staff requirement

  3. Adjust to match actual needs

"Recurring shifts stopped generating"

Cause: Either the end date was reached or generation window limit (3 months)

Solution:

  1. View shift details to check end date

  2. Navigate forward in the calendar to trigger generation

  3. Create a new recurring series if the original ended

"Staff availability isn't showing in the assignment modal"

Cause: Availability record may not cover the exact date/time

Solution:

  1. Check staff member's availability settings

  2. Verify the date/time range matches

  3. Ensure availability status is properly set

  4. Refresh the page if recently updated

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