Unavailabilities

Plus Feature

Unavailabilities are a Plus feature. To use this feature, you need a Plus subscription or higher.

With unavailabilities, employees can mark time periods when they cannot be scheduled for shifts. These are displayed in red on the shift plan and help planners avoid scheduling conflicts.

Employees Only

Unavailabilities can only be created by employees themselves – not by admins. This way, employees maintain control over their own availability.

Finding the Feature

As an employee, you can find unavailabilities like this:

1. Go to Shift Plan in the main menu
2. Open a shift plan
3. On the right side, you'll see the Unavailabilities button

---

Creating an Unavailability

As an employee, you can create an unavailability directly in the calendar:

1. Click on a day in the calendar view
2. The "Create Unavailability" dialog opens
3. Fill in the desired fields
4. Click Save

Available Options

Option	Description
Date	Start and end date of the unavailability
All Day	When enabled, the unavailability applies for the entire day (00:00 - 23:59)
Start Time	For partial unavailability: When does the unavailability begin?
End Time	For partial unavailability: When does the unavailability end?
Note	Optional description (max. 500 characters)
Recurring	Enables the repeat function

Partial Unavailability

You don't always have to block an entire day. Disable "All Day" and specify start and end times to block only certain hours – for example, if you have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon.

---

Recurring Unavailabilities

For regular commitments, you can create recurring unavailabilities:

1. Enable the "Recurring" option in the creation dialog
2. Select the repeat pattern

Available Repeat Patterns

Pattern	Description	Number of Entries
Daily	Every day at the same time	30 entries
Weekly	Every week on the same day	12 entries
Monthly	Every month on the same date	12 entries

Example: Weekly Course

Anna attends a language course every Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

Configuration:

Option	Value
Day	Wednesday
All Day	No
Start Time	6:00 PM
End Time	8:00 PM
Recurring	Yes
Repeat	Weekly

Result: 12 unavailabilities are automatically created for the next 12 weeks.

Recognizing Recurring Unavailabilities

In the calendar, you can recognize recurring unavailabilities by an orange badge with a repeat symbol.

---

Deleting an Unavailability

To delete an unavailability:

1. Hover over the unavailability card in the calendar
2. Click the delete icon (trash can)
3. Confirm the deletion

Deleting Recurring Unavailabilities

For recurring unavailabilities, you have three options:

Option	Description
Only this one	Deletes only this single entry, all others remain
This and future	Deletes this entry and all future ones in the series
All	Deletes the entire series (all entries)

Canceling Individual Appointments

If you happen to be available for a recurring unavailability (e.g., course is canceled), select "Only this one" – this way, the remaining appointments stay in place.

---

Impact on Shift Planning

Unavailabilities directly affect shift planning:

In the Calendar

• Unavailabilities are displayed as red cards
• They are clearly distinguishable from absences (vacation, sick leave)

During Shift Assignment

When a planner tries to assign a shift to an employee who is unavailable at that time:

• The employee is marked as not available in the dropdown
• The assignment is still possible (warning, not a block)

Example: Conflict During Shift Assignment

Scenario: Max has an unavailability on Tuesday from 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

Planner tries: To schedule Max for the late shift (2:00 PM - 10:00 PM).

Result:

• Warning appears: "Max is unavailable from 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM"
• Planner can decide whether to proceed with the assignment anyway

---

Practical Examples

Example 1: Regular Doctor's Appointment

Lisa has a doctor's appointment every other Thursday from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

Solution:

• Create a weekly unavailability for Thursday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Manually delete the entries where no appointment takes place

Effects:

• Planners automatically see that Lisa cannot be scheduled Thursday mornings
• No morning shift assignment without warning possible

Example 2: Side Job

Tom works at another job every Saturday.

Solution:

• Create a weekly all-day unavailability for Saturday

Effects:

• Saturdays are automatically marked as unavailable
• Planned 12 weeks in advance

Example 3: One-time Appointment

Sarah has a car inspection on March 15th (whole day).

Solution:

• Create a one-time all-day unavailability for March 15th
• Don't enable recurring

Effects:

• Only this single day is blocked

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Can admins create unavailabilities for me?

No, unavailabilities can only be created by employees themselves. This way, you maintain control over your availability. However, admins can see your unavailabilities in the calendar.

What's the difference between an unavailability and an absence?

Aspect	Unavailability	Absence (Vacation, Sick Leave)
Created by	Employee themselves	Admin or employee (with approval)
Approval	None required	For vacation: Approval needed
Calendar color	Red	Depends on type (e.g., green for vacation)
Effect on leave balance	None	Vacation days are deducted
Repeatable	Yes	No

How far in advance are recurring unavailabilities created?

• Daily: 30 days in advance
• Weekly: 12 weeks in advance
• Monthly: 12 months in advance

Can I edit a single recurring unavailability?

Currently, you can only delete individual entries, not edit them. To change the time, delete the entry and create a new one.

What happens if I'm scheduled despite an unavailability?

The shift will still be displayed. Unavailabilities are warnings for planners, not hard blocks. Talk to your planner if there's a conflict.

---

Summary

Aspect	Description
Who can create	Only employees (not admins)
Repetitions	Daily (30x), Weekly (12x), Monthly (12x)
Time options	All day or with start/end time
Visibility	Visible to all planners in the calendar
Shift planning	Warnings for conflicts, no hard blocks
Deleting	Single, future, or all (for series)

Recommendation

Use unavailabilities for regular personal commitments such as courses, side jobs, or fixed appointments. This way, planners can plan with your actual availability from the start – and you don't have to communicate every week.