Purpose Statement

The Call Shift Rankings feature allows administrators and supervisors to view, monitor, and manage the order in which personnel are contacted for call shifts based on configured qualifier rules. This tool provides transparency into the ranking system, enables manual adjustments when needed, and helps ensure fair distribution of call shift opportunities across qualified personnel. By accessing the rankings interface, users can verify correct ordering, make necessary corrections, and forecast future rankings based on rotation rules or accumulated hours.

Background Information

Call shift rankings determine the sequence in which personnel are contacted when additional staffing is needed beyond regular scheduled shifts. The ranking system supports multiple methodologies including rotating lists, hours-based calculations, and custom qualifiers that align with department policies and collective bargaining agreements. Rankings automatically update based on configured rules, but administrative oversight ensures accuracy and allows for manual intervention when circumstances require adjustment.

The rankings interface provides essential visibility into how the call shift system operates, helping administrators identify potential issues before they impact operations. Understanding rankings is crucial for ensuring compliance with department policies regarding overtime distribution, maintaining fairness in shift assignment, and providing personnel with transparency about their position in the call sequence. Different qualifier types may produce different ranking methodologies, and the interface adapts to display relevant information based on the selected qualifier's configuration.

This feature supports multiple use cases including verifying that rotations are functioning correctly after rule changes, adjusting hours manually when discrepancies occur, forecasting future rankings to plan coverage, and providing personnel with information about their current standing. The ability to download rankings data enables external analysis and record-keeping for compliance documentation.

Required Permissions

Based on the functionality described, the following permissions are likely required:

• Access Scheduling - User can access the scheduling module
• Access Call Shifts - User can access call shifts
  
• Update Call Shift Rankings - User can manually update any call shift ranking
• View Only Own Ranking Details - User can view their own call shift ranking(s) (for personnel viewing their own position)

Note: Administrative users managing rankings across all personnel will need the update permission, while individual personnel may only need view access to see their own rankings.

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Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Navigate to Call Shift Rankings

1. Navigate to Scheduling > Call Shifts to access the call shift management area. 

1. From the Call Shifts interface, click on the "Ranking" tab located at the top of the screen. This opens the rankings interface where you can view and manage personnel order for all configured qualifiers.
   

   
   

Step 2: Select a Qualifier

Click on the Qualifier dropdown menu to view all available qualifiers configured in your system. Select the specific qualifier you want to review. Each qualifier may be associated with different call shift rules and will display rankings according to its configured methodology (rotating list, hours-based, or other custom logic).

Step 3: Review the Rankings List

Once you select a qualifier, the rankings list displays showing all personnel associated with that qualifier in their current order. The interface provides several viewing and filtering options:

• If the qualifier is associated with multiple call shift rules, use the Call Shift Rule selector to choose which specific rule's rankings you want to view
• Use the Groups filter to narrow the list to specific personnel groups within the qualifier
• Use the date search function to forecast what the rankings will look like on a future date, helping you plan coverage and verify rotation logic
• Click the Download button to export the current rankings list to a spreadsheet format for external analysis or record-keeping
  

Step 4: Manually Adjust Rotating or Hours-Based Rankings

For qualifiers configured as Rotating or Hours-Based lists, you can manually rearrange the order when necessary. Locate the four-arrow drag handle icon next to each person's name. Click and hold the drag handle, then move the person up or down in the list to their new position. Release to set the new order. This manual adjustment overrides the automatic ordering until the next automatic recalculation occurs based on your configured rules.

Step 5: Adjust Hours for Hours-Based Rankings

1. For Hours-Based ranking systems, you can manually adjust the hours tracked for any individual. Locate the person whose hours need adjustment and click the Pencil (edit) icon next to their entry. 
   

1. A dialog box appears prompting you to enter the new hour amount. Input the corrected value in the "New Amount" field and click Save to apply the change. The system will recalculate that person's ranking position based on the updated hours value according to your configured hours-based rules.
   

Step 6: View Individual Call Shift History

1. To see detailed information about a specific person's call shift participation, click directly on their name in the rankings list.
   

1. This opens a detailed view showing all call shifts on which that individual has been reached, along with their status for each shift (accepted, declined, no response, etc.). This historical information helps verify that the ranking system is functioning correctly and provides documentation of call shift distribution over time.
   

Best Practices

Regularly Monitor Rankings - Schedule routine reviews of call shift rankings (weekly or bi-weekly) to verify that automatic calculations are functioning correctly and rankings reflect actual participation patterns. Early detection of discrepancies prevents accumulation of errors that could impact fairness or compliance.

Document Manual Adjustments - Maintain a log of any manual ranking adjustments made outside the system, including the reason for the adjustment, the date, and who authorized it. This documentation supports transparency and provides an audit trail for collective bargaining agreement compliance or personnel inquiries.

Use Date Forecasting - Leverage the future date search function before scheduling major events or anticipated high-volume periods to identify potential staffing gaps based on current rankings. This proactive approach allows time to address coverage issues before they become critical.

Download Regular Reports - Export rankings data periodically (monthly or quarterly) for record retention and external analysis. These historical records can identify long-term trends, support policy discussions, and provide documentation for administrative reviews.

Communicate Ranking Status - Provide personnel with regular access to view their current ranking position, either through self-service access or periodic distribution of ranking reports. Transparency about ranking status reduces questions and helps personnel plan their availability.

Verify After Rule Changes - Immediately review rankings after modifying any call shift rules, qualifiers, or associated formulas to ensure the changes produce the intended results. Test with the date forecasting function to verify future rankings will calculate correctly.

Cross-Reference with Actual Usage - Periodically compare ranking order with actual call shift assignments to ensure the system is contacting personnel in the correct sequence and that accepted shifts are properly updating rankings as configured.

Establish Hour Adjustment Protocols - Create clear guidelines for when and how manual hour adjustments should be made in hours-based systems, including required approval levels and documentation standards. Consistency in adjustments maintains system integrity.

Consider Multiple Qualifier Strategies - When personnel qualify for multiple call shift categories, review all relevant qualifier rankings to understand their overall call shift opportunity across the system, not just within a single qualifier.

Don't Over-Adjust - Avoid excessive manual intervention in automatic ranking systems unless truly necessary. Over-adjustment can undermine the fairness and consistency that automatic ranking systems are designed to provide. Trust the configured rules to operate correctly once verified.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: A person's ranking position doesn't seem correct based on their recent call shift activity. What should I check?

First, verify which call shift rule is currently selected in the interface, as a qualifier may be associated with multiple rules with different ranking methodologies. Next, click on the person's name to review their detailed call shift history and confirm their actual participation matches what the ranking should reflect. Check if any manual adjustments were made that might override automatic calculations. Finally, verify the qualifier's configuration in the call shift setup to ensure the ranking methodology is set up as intended. If issues persist, the system logs may show calculation errors that need technical support attention.

Q: When I manually adjust someone's position in a rotating list, how long does that adjustment last?

Manual position adjustments in rotating lists typically persist until the next automatic recalculation event occurs based on your configured rules. The timing depends on your specific rule configuration - some systems recalculate after each shift assignment, while others may recalculate on a scheduled basis (daily, weekly, etc.). Check your call shift rule configuration to understand the recalculation frequency. If you need the manual adjustment to be permanent, you may need to modify the underlying rule or qualifier configuration rather than just adjusting the position manually.

Q: The hours shown for a person in an hours-based ranking don't match our payroll records. How should I correct this?

Use the pencil icon to manually adjust the hours value to match your authoritative source (typically payroll records). Document the adjustment including the old value, new value, reason for the change, and date of correction. Investigate why the discrepancy occurred - common causes include missed shift entries, incorrect shift duration entries, or configuration issues in how hours are calculated. Address the root cause to prevent ongoing discrepancies. Consider implementing a regular reconciliation process between the call shift hours tracking and payroll records.

Q: Can personnel see their own ranking position, or is this only visible to administrators?

Access depends on permissions configuration. Personnel with the "View Only Own Ranking Details" permission can see their own position in the rankings. This permission allows them to view where they fall in the sequence without seeing other personnel's detailed information or being able to make adjustments. Organizations should decide whether to grant this permission based on their transparency policies and culture. Some departments provide regular ranking reports to personnel, while others restrict ranking visibility to supervisory personnel only.

Q: When I forecast rankings for a future date, the results don't make sense. What could be wrong?

Future date forecasting calculates rankings based on scheduled shifts and existing patterns, but cannot account for unscheduled events, manual adjustments, or rule changes that haven't been configured yet. Verify that all scheduled shifts between now and the forecast date are entered in the system. Check if the qualifier's rules include time-based components that might produce unexpected results over the forecast period. Ensure the forecast date falls within a valid period for the selected qualifier (some qualifiers may have expiration dates or limited applicability windows). The forecast function is best used for relatively near-term planning rather than long-range predictions.

Q: A person appears in the ranking list but should not be eligible. How do I remove them?

Do not attempt to remove individuals by manually adjusting rankings. Instead, review the qualifier configuration to verify the criteria for inclusion in this qualifier. The person likely meets the current qualifier criteria but shouldn't based on your operational needs. Adjust the qualifier's criteria (certifications, positions, groups, etc.) to exclude personnel who shouldn't be eligible. Once the qualifier is properly configured, they will automatically be removed from the ranking list during the next recalculation. Manual removal from rankings without addressing the qualifier configuration will result in them reappearing when the system recalculates.

Q: Multiple people show the same hours in an hours-based ranking. How does the system determine their relative order?

When multiple personnel have identical hours in an hours-based ranking system, the tie-breaking methodology depends on your specific system configuration. Common tie-breaker approaches include alphabetical order by last name, seniority date, employee ID number, or date of last call shift acceptance. Check your call shift rule configuration to see which tie-breaking method is configured for your system. If the current tie-breaking method doesn't align with department policy, the rule configuration may need to be adjusted by system administrators.

Q: After downloading the rankings spreadsheet, can I upload changes back into the system?

The download function is designed for viewing, analysis, and record-keeping purposes only. Rankings cannot be updated via spreadsheet upload. Manual adjustments must be made individually through the interface using the drag-and-drop function for position changes or the pencil icon for hours adjustments. Bulk ranking updates require direct adjustment of the underlying qualifier rules or hours data rather than spreadsheet import. If you need to make extensive ranking changes, consider whether the issue indicates that your qualifier or rule configuration needs modification rather than attempting numerous individual manual adjustments.