Tell your manager when you can work

Your availability tells your manager when you can and can't be rostered. You set it as rules, such as "Unavailable all day every Sunday" or "Available 8am – 11am every Thursday". Find it under Account → Availability, or on Home under Availability.

Who this is for

Staff using the Shiftly Me app on their phone.

How availability works

• With no rules, you're available all day, every day.
• An unavailability rule blocks out the times you can't work, for example "Unavailable 9am – 5pm every Friday" for a second job.
• An availability rule sets the only times you can work that day. Everything else that day counts as unavailable. "Available 8am – 11am every Thursday" means you can't be rostered on a Thursday afternoon. Add two availability rules for one day, say 8am to 11am and 5pm to 9pm, and you're available in both and unavailable in between.
• A one-off rule beats a repeating one. If you're normally unavailable on Mondays, a one-off "Available 10am – 2pm" on one Monday means you can work 10am to 2pm that day. Where two one-off rules, or two repeating rules, overlap, unavailability wins.

Availability belongs to the business you're signed in to. If you work for more than one business, each keeps its own rules.

Your usual week and one-off dates

Availability has two tabs:

• Recurring has a card for each day of the week, listing the rules that repeat on that day. A day with no rules reads Available all day every week.
• One-off lists rules for particular dates, such as an exam, a holiday or a single day of extra hours. The number beside One-off rules is how many haven't ended yet. Until you add one, it says No one-off rules with an Add a one-off rule button.

Each rule reads as a sentence. A red dot means unavailable and a green dot means available. A repeating rule that hasn't started yet shows its first date underneath, for example from Sun 4 Oct, and a speech-bubble icon means it has a comment. Rules that have ended drop off both lists.

Add a rule

Shiftly won't save a rule that:

• Changes nothing. For example, an availability rule for all day on a day you have no rules, because you're already available then. You'll see This rule changes nothing and what already applies, such as You're already available all day on Tuesdays. To change that, add unavailability or a narrower available window.
• Is only in the past. You'll see Availability can't be set for past dates. Choose a date from today onward.
• Ends before it starts. You'll see End time must be after the start time. or End date must be on or after the start date.

When a rule clashes with your roster

While you fill in a rule, Shiftly checks the shifts you're already rostered on at this business, from today onwards. If the rule would make you unavailable for one of them, What this rule means lists it, for example Clashes with 1 rostered shift. Fri 2 Oct, 9am – 5pm at Bondi Beach. Shifts your manager hasn't published yet don't count.

What happens next depends on your workplace:

• Usually, you can still save. You'll see Rule saved and Your new rule clashes with 1 shift you're rostered on. Your manager has been notified. The managers at that venue get an Availability clash notification listing the shift, and so do you. You're still rostered on it until your manager changes the roster, so talk to them or get someone to cover it.
• Some workplaces don't let you save over shifts they've already published. The rule isn't saved, and you'll see Not saved. This clashes with 1 shift you're rostered on, the shift, and Talk to your manager about these shifts before changing your availability. Sort those shifts out with your manager first, then add the rule.

If you change or delete a rule so that you can work a shift you couldn't before, your manager is notified that you're available again.

Change or delete a rule

Tap a rule to open Edit rule. What this rule does switches it between Unavailable (can't be rostered at these times) and Available (can only be rostered inside these times). Change what you need and tap Save.

Changes only count from today. If a rule has already started, What this rule means says Changes apply from today. Your roster before today keeps the old rule, and the changed rule applies from today on (a repeating rule picks up from its next date). A rule that hasn't started yet is simply changed.

To delete a rule, open it, tap the ⋮ button at the top right, choose Delete rule, then Delete. A rule that has already started stops applying from today; one that hasn't started yet is removed completely. You'll see Rule deleted.

Your manager can add, change and delete your rules too, and you can change the ones they add. If a rule was changed while you had it open, you'll see Not saved. This rule changed after you opened it. Reopen it to see the latest version.

See your availability on your roster

On the Roster tab, in the list of days, a day you're unavailable for (all of it or part of it) shows what applies under the date, such as Unavailable all day, Unavailable 9am – 5pm or Available 8am – 11am. See See when you're working.

If you've chosen to show only one venue, the roster tells you so, for example Showing 1 of 2 locations. Tap Show all to see every venue again.

Open shifts you're unavailable for still show under Open shifts, marked with a lock. You can still ask for one. When you tap Request to work shift, the confirmation shows a warning such as You're unavailable 9am – 5pm every Friday and Your manager will see this with your request. See Pick up an extra shift.

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