In some cases, certain employees should not be assigned to specific shift types, even though they belong to the same role or department.
For example:
- Some Receptionists may work only morning and afternoon shifts.
- Only selected employees may work night shifts.
- Certain employees may be temporarily authorized to perform specific duties.
- Shift eligibility may change over time.
Workeen AI provides several ways to handle these requirements, depending on how your organization manages employee roles, qualifications, and availability.
Method 1: Using Skills
When to Use Skills
This approach is useful when eligibility is based on employee qualifications, authorizations, certifications, or permissions that may occasionally change over time and need to be tracked with effective dates.
Example
Assume you have three Receptionists whose role is defined by category “Receptionist”:
| Employee | Receptionist | Night Shift Authorization |
| John | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kostas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thomas | ✓ | ✓ |
Only Thomas is allowed to work night shifts.
Step 1: Create a Skill
Navigate to:
Configuration → Skills
Create a new skill, for example:
- Night Shift Authorization
- Night Work Eligibility
Step 2: Assign the Skill to Employees
Navigate to:
Personnel → Employees
Assign the skill only to employees who are eligible for night shifts.
Step 3: Configure the Shift Template
Open the corresponding night shift template and add the required skill:
- Required Category: Receptionist
- Required Skill: Night Shift Authorization
Result
During auto-scheduling, Workeen AI will assign the night shift only to employees who:
- Belong to the Receptionist category, and
- Have the Night Shift Authorization skill.
Additional Advantage
Skills support start and end dates.
This allows eligibility to be granted or removed automatically for specific periods without modifying employee roles or organizational structures.
For example, if an employee becomes eligible for night shifts starting next month, simply define the validity period of the skill and the auto-scheduler will automatically take it into account.
Method 2: Using Categories
When to Use Categories
This approach is useful when the distinction represents a permanent organizational role, employee grouping, or structural classification within the company.
Example
All reception employees have the category:
- Receptionist
Employees who are allowed to work night shifts receive an additional category:
- Night Shift Authorization
The night shift template is configured to require both:
- Receptionist
- Night Shift Authorization
Result
Only employees who belong to both categories will be eligible for the night shift.
Considerations
Categories do not support validity periods. If an employee temporarily gains or loses eligibility, shifts may require manual updates.
In addition, using categories for requirements such as “Night Shift Authorization” mixes employee roles with employee characteristics.
Organizations that prefer to keep roles and qualifications separate may find Skills more suitable for these types of requirements.
Method 3: Using Unavailability
When to Use Unavailability
This approach is useful when eligibility depends on employee availability rather than qualifications or permissions.
Examples:
- An employee can work night shifts on some days but not on others.
- Shift restrictions change frequently from week to week.
- Employees regularly update their availability.
- Eligibility depends on personal schedules rather than employee qualifications.
Example
An employee may be available for night shifts only on weekends.
Instead of assigning categories or skills, create recurring or one-time Unavailable periods covering the days or hours when the employee should not be considered for night shifts.
Result
During auto-scheduling, Workeen AI will not assign shifts that overlap with the employee’s unavailability periods.
Considerations
If recurring unavailability records are used, they may occasionally need to be adjusted or excluded for specific dates when registering leave, sickness, or other availability changes.
For example, if a recurring unavailability covers every weekday night, and you later need to register leave for a specific day, you will first need to remove the occurrences of the recurring unavailability for that date to avoid overlapping records.
This approach works best when restrictions are driven by employee availability and change frequently over time.
