Self-Scheduling for Administrators
Administrators can allow employees to choose their desired working days by utilizing our Self-scheduling feature
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Written by Celayix Support
Updated over a week ago

The Self-scheduling tool allows employees to schedule themselves for shifts that they want to work. This process begins with the User creating a range of Open shifts within the Schedule, and then marking them as Self-scheduling shifts to ensure that they can be picked up.

Self-scheduling in Update shift in Schedule in Schedule Xpress

In this article, we'll look at the following on Self-scheduling:

Why use Self-scheduling

Self-scheduling criteria

Creating Self-scheduling shifts

Advanced selection


Why use Self-scheduling?

The major benefit for companies using Self-scheduling is that it saves them time by allowing the employees to shape their own schedule. So not only does this benefit the User, but also gives employees a level of empowerment and control over when and where they'll work.

You'll need to select your Self-scheduling criteria to ensure that those who self-schedule meet the requirements of the shift. Let's look at how you can do this.


Setting up your Self-scheduling criteria

Before creating Open shifts for Self-scheduling, it's important that you define your criteria to ensure that only employees who are competent enough to undertake a shift can schedule for it. This is managed in eTime Xpress.

In eTime Xpress, head to Visual Scheduler > File > Self-Scheduling Options. In Self-Scheduling options, you're able to define a range of criteria that determines the shifts an employee can schedule on to, and the Self-scheduling display.

Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Let's break down each section of the Self-Scheduling Options.

General

General allows you to define the shift submissions. You can change the following to suit your requirements:

  • Maximum # of days viewable at a time

  • Maximum of shift requests per submission

  • Maximum # of shift requests per 24 hours per Employee

  • Minimum wait time (seconds) between shift requests

  • Enable Human Intelligence check before shift request

General in Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Save Options (validations)

Save Options allows you to define when you choose to 'ignore' a list of validations by selecting either Yes or No. For example, if you choose Y (Yes), that means that you want the system to ignore this validation.

See the list of validations:

  • Employee daily budget exceeded

  • Employee weekly budget exceeded

  • Employee monthly budget exceeded

  • Employee double booked to a shift

  • Employee minimum rest period between shifts

  • Overlapping time off records

  • Shift is associated with an event

  • Shift bidding enabled

  • Employee Location travel time

  • Shift qualifications

  • Employee has that time off

  • Employee has overtime

  • Employee has that day off

  • Employee has requested that time off

We strongly encourage that you pay close attention when setting up validations.

Save Options in Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Search Filters

Search Filters allow you to define filters to search for specific shifts. We'll use an example that will break down multiple filters per Customer.

Note: You can also have a filter for All Shifts, rather than just search for specific shifts.

Search Filters in Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Here's an example of how the filter will look in Team Xpress. If you've created multiple filters, these will appear in dropdown format.

Search Filters in Self-scheduling in Team Xpress

Shift Grouping

Shift Grouping allows the User to define fields in which they want to group shifts by. This prevents the same shifts showing when an employee in trying to self-schedule.

For example, some companies may create 10 shifts at the exact same location, at the same time. This will prevent that shift from showing 10 times when employee's try to self-schedule, meaning that the shift will only show once.

Shift Grouping in Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Display

Display relates to the shift fields that are visible to the employee when they search for Self-scheduling shifts.

Display in Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Sort

Sort relates to the order in which the shifts are categorized. These can either be setup using A (Ascending) or D (Descending) order.

For example, if Date was your first option, and you chose it in Ascending order, then when an employee searches for shifts, they will show with the latest date first. For shifts that are on the same day, then it will revert to the second Sort selection, which is Scheduled Start time.

Sort in Self-Scheduling Options in Visual Scheduler in eTime Xpress

Creating Open shifts for Self-scheduling

The first step to creating shifts for Self-scheduling is to create Open shifts. When creating the shifts you want for Self-scheduling, you'll need to ensure the Employee Name is set to Open.

If you're creating multiple of the same Open shifts, we encourage that you use the repeating shifts or Shift Templates tools.

Creating Open shifts for Self-scheduling in Schedule in Schedule Xpress

Publishing shifts for Self-scheduling

For the system to recognize that a shift is for Self-scheduling, you must ensure you check the Self-scheduling flag in the shift panel. This flag will be in the Publish Options section of your shift panel.

Note: If you don't see this option, please visit your shift form to ensure that it's made visible.

Publishing Open shifts for Self-scheduling in Schedule in Schedule Xpress

Publishing multiple shifts for Self-scheduling

Rather than check every Self-scheduling flag singularly, you can update multiple shifts for Self-scheduling at one time.

Updating Open shifts for Self-scheduling in Schedule in Schedule Xpress

You can add the Self-scheduling flag and Self-scheduling start and end times, and update all shifts at once.

Note: This can only be used for shifts that require the same setup.

Updating and publishing Open shifts for Self-scheduling in Schedule in Schedule Xpress

Advanced Self-scheduling shift selection for employees

You can set up some employees to have advanced selection by creating a rule for Self-scheduling start time in Branch rules in eTime Xpress. This can be useful in ensuring that favored or senior employees get priority selection ahead of all other employees.

For more information on Self-scheduling, please Contact Support now!

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