Employee Profile: Availability

Learn how to set and manage an employee’s availability using the monthly calendar view.

What Is This?

The Availability tab in an employee’s profile lets you define which days and times the employee is available to work. It displays a monthly calendar where you can click on individual days to set availability windows. Managers and administrators use this information when building schedules to ensure employees are only assigned to shifts during their available times.

Employees can also update their own availability, giving them a say in when they are scheduled.

Prerequisites

Before setting availability, make sure:

The employee has been added to Shifton
You have Administrator access, or you are editing your own availability as an Employee

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Open the Availability Tab

Navigate to the Employees page, click on the employee’s name, and then select the Availability tab.

Step 2: Navigate to the Correct Month

The calendar displays one month at a time with columns for each day of the week (Monday through Sunday).

Control	Description
Left arrow	Navigate to the previous month
Right arrow	Navigate to the next month
Today button	Jump back to the current month and highlight today’s date

Step 3: Set Availability for a Day

Click on any day in the calendar to set an availability window for that date. A dialog or inline editor will appear where you can specify the time range during which the employee is available.

Step 4: Review the Calendar

Days with availability set will be visually marked on the calendar. Review the month to ensure all desired days and time ranges are correctly configured.

Step 5: Repeat for Additional Months

Use the navigation arrows to move to other months and set availability as needed. Availability is set on a per-month basis, so you may need to update it regularly.

Access Permissions

Role	Can View Availability?	Can Edit Availability?
Administrator	Yes (all employees)	Yes (all employees)
Manager	Yes (employees in their projects)	Yes (employees in their projects)
Employee	Own availability only	Own availability only

FAQ

Q: Can employees set their own availability?
A: Yes. Employees can log in and update their own Availability tab to indicate when they are able to work.

Q: How far in advance should availability be set?
A: It is best to set availability at least one scheduling period ahead. For example, if schedules are published weekly, employees should set their availability at least one to two weeks in advance.

Q: Does setting availability guarantee the employee will be scheduled on those days?
A: No. Availability indicates when the employee can work, but actual shift assignments depend on the schedule created by the manager or administrator.

Q: Can I set different time ranges for different days?
A: Yes. Each day can have its own availability window. For example, an employee might be available 8 AM to 6 PM on Monday but only 10 AM to 3 PM on Wednesday.

Possible Issues and Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Cannot click on days in the calendar	You do not have permission to edit this employee’s availability	Verify your role. Only Administrators, Managers (for their project’s employees), or the employee themselves can edit availability
Availability changes are not reflected in the schedule	The schedule was built before the availability was updated	Ask the scheduler to regenerate or update the schedule to include the latest availability data
Calendar shows the wrong month	The view has not been navigated to the desired month	Use the left and right arrow buttons to navigate to the correct month, or click Today to return to the current month
Previously set availability has disappeared	Availability may have been overwritten or cleared	Re-enter the availability for the affected days and confirm the changes were saved