Purpose Statement

This article explains how to efficiently fill open vacancies on the Shift Board using personnel who have marked themselves as available. This feature streamlines staffing workflows by prioritizing users who have proactively indicated availability, reducing manual outreach and improving response time for coverage needs.

Background Information

Within the Scheduling module, personnel can mark themselves as available through the My Shifts calendar. This availability feeds directly into the Shift Board, allowing supervisors and schedulers to quickly identify and assign qualified personnel to open vacancies.

Available personnel are displayed in chronological order based on when they marked themselves available, ensuring fairness and transparency in assignment selection.

This workflow is commonly used for:

• Backfilling last-minute vacancies
• Managing overtime or callback shifts
• Ensuring compliance with staffing minimums

Required Permissions

• Scheduling - Access Shift Board
• Scheduling - Add/edit personnel into shift board
• Scheduling - View Details
• Scheduling - Access My Shifts

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Navigate to the Shift Board

• Click the First Due logo
• Select Scheduling
• Click Shift Board

Review Available Personnel

• Select the Availability tab
• View the list of personnel who have marked themselves available

Filter Available Personnel (Optional)

• Use filters to refine the list:
  • Qualifiers
  • Groups
  • Station
  • Shift
  • Rank
  • Division
  • District

Assign via Drag and Drop

• Click and drag an available individual
• Drop them directly into the open vacancy on the Shift Board
• The vacancy will automatically populate with the selected user

Assign via Vacancy Selection

• Click on the vacancy

• Toggle on Show Availability (Only Appears on the Single Day View)

• Select a user from the populated list

• Confirm the selection (name will prefill)

• Click Save to assign the individual

Best Practices

• Encourage personnel to regularly update availability in My Shifts for accurate staffing
• Use filters to ensure assignments meet qualification and compliance requirements
• Prioritize assignments based on availability order to maintain fairness
• Double-check rank and certification requirements before finalizing assignments
• Use drag-and-drop for quick fills and vacancy selection for more controlled assignments

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why don’t I see any available personnel?
A: Ensure users have marked themselves available in the My Shifts calendar. Without this, they will not appear in the Availability tab.

Q: Why is the list of available users empty after filtering?
A: One or more filters may be too restrictive. Remove or adjust filters to broaden results.

Q: Can I assign someone who did not mark themselves available?
A: Yes, but this must be done manually outside of the availability workflow.

Q: How is the order of available personnel determined?
A: The system sorts users based on when they marked themselves available, with the earliest appearing first.

Q: What happens if I forget to click Save when assigning via vacancy selection?
A: The assignment will not be applied. Always click Save to confirm placement.