Tag: min hours per shift

This article applies to Schedulers and Administrators.

About Auto Scheduler

The Auto Scheduler saves time by having eSchedule compare open shifts against member availability to create a list of who should be scheduled. The algorithm uses the following to determine who should fill an open shift:

1. Number of currently scheduled hours
2. Seniority (using the “Start Date” field within the member profile)

Based on the criteria you enter into the Auto Scheduler (see below), eSchedule will give you a list of open shifts. If a member is available for an open shift, they have the fewest number of hours as compared to other available members, and they are the most senior member, eSchedule will suggest that they be placed on that shift.

If you do not see “Auto Scheduler” within the “Schedule” menu within your account, please contact our Support Team to have it activated.

Video Help

Using the Auto Scheduler

1. Navigate to “Schedule > Auto Scheduler”.
2. You can use the criteria screen to only schedule for a subset of shifts, date range, member type, etc. It is generally recommended to use the Auto Scheduler feature to fill a single position at a time. For example, if you have members that work part-time and you want to fill all “Firefighter” positions for a single pay week, you may enter something similar to this:
   • Date Range – Enter a start and end date to schedule.
   • Max Hours Per Week – This is the maximum number of hours that any given member can work during the selected date range. Based on this number, the Auto Scheduler will not propose more hours than the maximum. For example, if you only allow your part-time staff to work up to 30 hours per week, you’d enter “30” in this field.
   • Min Hours Per Shift – This is the minimum number of hours you wish to allow for any shift. For example, if your schedule has 12-hour and 6-hour shifts, you can run the Auto Scheduler based on this criteria.
   • Fill Partial Shifts – This is used in the event a member has submitted availability for only a portion of a shift. For example, if you have a shift that is from 0600 to 1800 but a member is available from 0600 to 1200, checking this box will allow the Auto Scheduler to propose that the member be scheduled for only the portion they are available. If this box is left unchecked, only members who are available for the entire shift duration will be proposed.
   • Member Type – All, Full-Time, Part-Time, Per Diem
   • Show – If your organization has “filters” setup within the “Show” pull-down, you can use this field to only schedule a set of shifts.
   • Position – The options displayed here will match all the positions listed on your schedule template.
   • Shifts – All or “Prime Shifts”. Prime shifts are a sub-set of shifts setup within your account. For example, you may wish to not have “trainee” or “observer” shifts appear within Prime Shifts. To update Prime Shifts, contact our Support Team.
3. Click “Go”.
4. The Auto Scheduler will now run. Important: Members will not be automatically scheduled onto shifts at this point.
5. The screen will refresh and will provide you with a list of proposed shift matches.
6. Matches will appear with a checked box in the “Approve” column. The User ID of the member that was matched is in the “User” column.
7. To not put someone onto a shift, uncheck the box in the “Approve” column.
8. Once you’re done editing the proposed shifts, click “Confirm Shifts” at the bottom.
9. At this point, the schedule is updated.

Note: You can re-run the AutoScheduler multiple times. Changes to the schedule are not made until the “Confirm Shifts” button is selected.