A work schedule describes when a position is normally worked, such as weekdays or nights. A person’s assignment can use a different actual schedule. Schedules can also help decide whether a premium or allowance applies.

A schedule name such as Day identifies an arrangement. An assignment can follow the position schedule or use its own schedule choice. The schedule does not create clock-time shifts or record attendance.

Before you begin

You need the Manage position setup permission to create or change work schedules. Position and assignment access is separate. See Roles and permissions.

Create a work schedule

Before creating a schedule, confirm whether it represents a lasting work pattern and how people should recognize it on a position or assignment. Avoid names tied to one employee or a temporary coverage event.

  1. Open Work schedules under Workforce.
  2. Select Create work schedule.
  3. Enter a clear name and optional description.
  4. Enter the date this information begins to apply.
  5. Choose an optional shift classification created by your organization.
  6. Save the schedule.

Use names that make sense when they appear on position and assignment forms, such as Weekdays, Evening shift, or Weekend coverage.

Use the description for details that help selection, such as the normal days or hours. Use the shift classification for a stable category, such as Day or Night, when a premium or allowance needs to apply to that category.

Position and assignment schedules

A position has a planned work schedule. An assignment can record an Actual work schedule when the employee works a different schedule.

When the actual work schedule is blank, the assignment uses the position work schedule for that date. Recording a different assignment schedule does not change the position schedule.

Example: assignment exception

A position has the planned Weekdays schedule. One employee assigned to it works Evening shift beginning October 1.

Keep Weekdays on the position and record Evening shift as the assignment’s actual work schedule beginning October 1. Other assignments continue to use the position schedule unless they have their own actual schedule.

This distinction matters when labor budget or actual compensation adjustments match a schedule or shift.

Does the schedule define FTE?

Position FTE and assignment FTE are entered separately from the work schedule. The position’s approved FTE is the full staffing target. Each assignment’s FTE records how much staffing that employee contributes. The schedule describes the work pattern or shift and can affect which pay adjustments apply; selecting it does not calculate or change FTE.

For example, a position approved for 1 FTE with one assignment at 0.75 FTE still needs 0.25 FTE, even if the selected schedule is named Full-time school year. If that employee should fill the whole position, correct their assignment to 1 FTE. If they should work three-quarter time, keep 0.75 FTE and cover the remaining 0.25 FTE with another assignment when your organization’s rules allow it.

Schedule availability

Availability controls whether a schedule can be selected for new work on a date. Make a schedule unavailable when it should no longer be offered.

Existing positions, assignments, history, and financial adjustments keep the schedule that applied to them. If the availability date was entered incorrectly, correct or remove that dated availability entry instead of renaming the schedule to represent a different schedule.

Use a new schedule when the business meaning changes. For example, do not rename Evening shift to Weekend coverage after it has been used. Make the earlier schedule unavailable and create the new choice.

How adjustments use schedules

A labor budget or actual compensation adjustment can be limited to a work schedule. The adjustment then applies only where that schedule and the other selected conditions match.

Open the schedule’s Adjustments tab to review Actual compensation and Labor budget separately. Each row shows its rule, recorded adjustment, schedule eligibility, scope, dates, and status on the viewed date. The tab appears only when you can view the relevant financial information.

Choose Apply adjustment to this schedule to open the matching financial form. Choose the rule, who it applies to, and the dates; the schedule is already selected. To cover every schedule in the same classification, use the separately labeled classification action. Manage pay adjustment rules, when available, opens the setup for the reusable amount or calculation. Saving returns to the schedule.

Changing a work schedule can therefore change which adjustments apply from the selected date. Review the relevant labor budget or actual compensation results after a schedule change.

Example: schedule-based premium

A 10% premium applies to Night shift assignments. An employee moves from Day shift to Night shift on November 1.

On October 31, the night premium does not apply to this assignment. From November 1, it can apply if the adjustment’s dates and other choices also match. Selecting a Night schedule does not create a premium by itself; the premium still needs to be defined and applied.

Before making a schedule unavailable

Confirm:

  • whether positions or future assignments still need the schedule;
  • whether a labor budget or actual compensation adjustment uses it; and
  • the date when new selections should stop.

Also review future-dated assignments. A schedule that appears unused today may already be selected for a future period.

Change a schedule safely

  1. Decide whether the change corrects the existing meaning or creates a new schedule meaning.
  2. Review current and future positions and assignments using the schedule.
  3. Review labor budget and actual compensation adjustments that match it.
  4. For a real retirement, add the date when new selection should stop.
  5. For a new meaning, create a new schedule instead of renaming the old one.
  6. Verify one position and assignment before and after the date.
  7. Review Activity history for the recorded setup change.

Optional practice: give the position a day schedule

Use prepared practice records for this exercise. Follow its setup instructions before making changes.

  1. Open Workforce > Work schedules.
  2. Create Weekdays and choose the appropriate shift.
  3. Select it on Patient Services Coordinator.
  4. Leave Avery’s Actual work schedule blank if Avery follows the position’s schedule.
  5. Open the assignment and check the schedule it uses.

A schedule describes the work arrangement. It does not enter Avery’s salary or set the annual hours used for hourly pay.

For an optional lesson, choose another actual schedule on a separate assignment from July 1. Check that a premium limited to that schedule applies only when the dates and other choices match. The position’s planned schedule should remain unchanged.

Form choices

Use this reference to choose form values. Available choices depend on the task, selected date, and your access.

Actual work schedule

Leave this blank to use the position’s schedule for the date. Choose a schedule when this assignment has a different work pattern.

An assignment schedule is an exception for that assignment; it does not change the position’s planned schedule or other employees’ assignments. For example, a position can keep Weekdays while one assignment uses Evening shift. This can change which schedule-based adjustments match.

Work schedule

Choose the planned work pattern. A schedule can determine which adjustments apply, but does not calculate FTE or create a pay premium by itself.

Schedule names and descriptions belong to your organization. Select the schedule that describes the work, then enter staffing and pay in their own fields. Annual hours per FTE is a separate financial setting; a schedule name such as Full time is not an annual-hours calculation.

Shift classification

Classify the work pattern consistently so schedule-based allowances can match it. Your organization decides the hours associated with each category.

Create classifications in Settings > Workforce setup > Shift classifications. Your organization chooses the names, descriptions, import codes, order and availability. There are no required Day, Evening or Night categories. Those names are examples you can choose to create.

Use the display name in everyday work. The import code is a stable identifier for importing and matching data. Rename the display name when clearer wording is needed; create a new classification when its business meaning changes. Make unused classifications unavailable instead of deleting their history.

These categories do not prescribe clock times or automatically add pay. An adjustment must separately select the matching schedule or classification. Leaving classification blank on schedule setup records no classification. Choosing Any shift on an adjustment leaves its shift restriction open.

Why the form has an effective date

A schedule’s name, description, classification and availability can change over time. The effective date says when the new information starts applying. It does not calculate FTE and does not change a person’s assignment dates.

Viewing as of changes the date you are reviewing; it does not save a change. Open the date control to jump to a recorded change date. In Details, choose All fields for a summary, or select Name, Description, or Shift classification to see that field’s recorded values, dates, and status.

Use Add change at the top of the page to open the form for a real change from a date, then choose Save change. Use a row’s Correct entry action to correct that entry, or Void entry when it should never have applied and that action is offered. A correction keeps the earlier evidence. Changing one field leaves the other fields alone. For the first setup, use the organization’s historical baseline when the schedule should apply from the beginning of its recorded history.

Change an assignment schedule over time

Open the assignment and select Schedules from its actions. Add a dated choice to follow the position schedule or override it with another work schedule. A later Follow position choice returns the assignment to following the position’s schedule on each date.

A schedule change does not end the assignment or change its FTE. Use Correct entry to correct an incorrect choice while retaining its history. Future choices do not change the schedule used today.

Open an existing schedule

Select the schedule name in the first column. Its Details tab opens a summary and links to each field’s dated values. Use Availability and, when your access permits, Adjustments for related work. The Work schedules breadcrumb returns to the list, where you can search and filter by availability on the viewed date.

Used by on the viewed date lists recorded position and assignment choices within your access. It distinguishes assignments that follow the position schedule from overrides. Choose a future viewing date to review future use before making a schedule unavailable.