Employee Scheduling - Planning Your Workforce

Site Service Pro's scheduling system helps you plan and manage your workforce across multiple projects. This guide covers everything you need to know about scheduling employees, managing shifts, and tracking availability.

Overview

What Employee Scheduling Does

Assign employees to specific projects and dates
Track scheduled hours by shift type
Detect scheduling conflicts when employees are double-booked
Manage employee availability (PTO, vacation, sick leave)
View schedules in calendar or list formats

Key Concepts

Term	Description
Schedule	An assignment of an employee to a project for a specific date/time range
Shift Type	Day, Night, or Swing shift classification
Status	Current state: Scheduled, Confirmed, In Progress, Completed, or Cancelled
Priority	Urgency level: Low, Normal, High, or Critical
Availability	Periods when an employee is unavailable (PTO, vacation, etc.)

Accessing the Schedule

Click Scheduling in the left navigation menu
The default view shows the current week's calendar

Required Permissions

To view schedules:

CanViewScheduling global permission, OR
Admin/System Admin role

To create or edit schedules:

CanEditScheduling global permission, OR
Admin/System Admin role

Calendar Views

Week View (Default)

The week view displays a grid with:

Columns: Days of the week (Mon-Sun)
Rows: Employees with schedules
Events: Color-coded schedule blocks

Color Coding:

Color	Status
🔵 Blue	Scheduled
🟢 Green	Confirmed
🟠 Orange	In Progress
🟢 Dark Green	Completed
⚫ Gray	Cancelled
🔴 Red	Unavailable

Navigation:

← Previous Week / Next Week → buttons
Today button to jump to current week
Date range shown in header

Month View

Shows a full calendar month with:

Event counts per day
Click any day to see detailed schedule list
Overview of employee and equipment counts

Employee List View

A detailed table showing:

Employee name and email
Project assignment
Role on project
Date/time range
Scheduled hours
Status with color badge
Edit and delete buttons

Scheduling an Employee

Click the Schedule Employee button (top right)
The scheduling form opens

Step 2: Select Employee

Click the Employee dropdown
Search or scroll to find the employee
Select their name

Note: Only active employees appear in this list.

Step 3: Select Project

Click the Project dropdown
Search by project name or number
Select the project

Step 4: Set Date and Time

Start Date/Time:

Select the date work begins
Set the start time (e.g., 7:00 AM)

End Date/Time:

Select the date work ends
Set the end time (e.g., 3:30 PM)

Tip: For multi-day assignments, set the end date to the last day of work.

Step 5: Add Details (Optional)

Scheduled Hours: Enter total hours if different from calculated time.

Role: Specify the employee's role on this project:

Foreman
Lead Technician
Operator
Laborer
Helper
(Or custom text)

Shift Type:

Option	Typical Hours
Day	6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Night	6:00 PM - 6:00 AM
Swing	Varies

Status:

Status	When to Use
Scheduled	Initial assignment (default)
Confirmed	Employee acknowledged
In Progress	Work has started
Completed	Assignment finished
Cancelled	No longer needed

Priority:

Priority	When to Use
Low	Flexible timing
Normal	Standard assignment (default)
High	Important deadline
Critical	Urgent/emergency

Notes: Add any special instructions or comments.

Step 6: Save

Click Save to create the schedule.

Understanding Schedule Conflicts

What Is a Conflict?

A conflict occurs when an employee is scheduled to multiple projects during overlapping times.

How Conflicts Are Detected

When you create or edit a schedule, the system automatically checks for:

Same employee
Overlapping date/time ranges
Non-cancelled schedules

Conflict Warnings

If a conflict is found:

A warning is displayed
Shows the conflicting project
Shows the overlap duration
You can still save (conflicts are warnings, not blocks)

Example Conflict

⚠️ Conflict Detected

Employee: John Smith
Overlap: 4 hours

Schedule 1: ABC Corp Project
  Jan 15, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Schedule 2: XYZ Building (new)
  Jan 15, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

The schedules overlap from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Resolving Conflicts

Options for handling conflicts:

Adjust times - Change start/end to avoid overlap
Different day - Move one assignment
Accept overlap - If employee can split time
Cancel one - If truly double-booked

Managing Employee Availability

What Is Availability?

Availability records track when employees are NOT available for scheduling:

Vacation
PTO (Paid Time Off)
Sick Leave
Training
Other reasons

Adding Unavailable Time

Go to Scheduling
Click Manage Availability (if available) or use API
Select the employee
Set the unavailable period:
- Start date/time
- End date/time
- Reason (Vacation, Sick Leave, Training, Other)
- Notes

How Availability Affects Scheduling

Unavailable periods show in the calendar as red blocks
Employees with availability conflicts will trigger warnings
Helps prevent scheduling someone who's on vacation

Approving Time Off

Some organizations require approval for availability:

IsApproved flag indicates approval status
ApprovedBy shows who approved
ApprovedAt shows when approved

Recurring Schedules

What Are Recurring Schedules?

For employees who work the same project on a regular basis, you can create recurring schedules instead of entering each day individually.

Setting Up Recurring Schedules

When creating a schedule:

Check Is Recurring
Select Recurrence Pattern:
- Daily
- Weekly
- Bi-Weekly
- Monthly
Set Recurrence End Date

Example: Weekly Schedule

Employee: Jane Doe
Project: Maintenance Contract - City Hall
Pattern: Weekly
Start: Monday, Jan 6, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
End: Friday, March 28

Result: Creates schedules for every Monday from Jan 6 to March 28

Editing Recurring Schedules

When editing a recurring schedule:

Changes apply to the selected instance only
Parent schedule tracks the recurrence pattern
Child schedules are individual instances

Schedule Statuses Explained

Scheduled (Default)

Initial state when schedule is created.

Employee is assigned
Work hasn't started
May need confirmation

Confirmed

Employee has acknowledged the assignment.

Use when employee confirms availability
Shows commitment to the work

In Progress

Work has begun.

Update when employee starts
Useful for tracking active assignments

Completed

Assignment is finished.

Update when work is done
Historical record keeping

Cancelled

Assignment was cancelled.

Employee no longer needed
Schedule conflicts resolved
Project changes

Tip: Don't delete schedules - cancel them instead to maintain history.

Filtering and Searching

At the top of the scheduling page:

Project Filter:

Select a specific project
Or "All Projects"

Status Filter:

All Statuses
Scheduled
Confirmed
In Progress
Completed
Cancelled

Date Range:

Start Date
End Date

Using Filters Effectively

See all assignments for one project:

Select the project from dropdown
Clear date filters for full history

See today's active work:

Set start/end to today
Status: "In Progress"

Find available employees:

Review who's NOT scheduled
Check availability records

Best Practices

Daily Planning

Review tomorrow's schedules each afternoon
Confirm assignments with employees
Check for conflicts

Weekly Planning

Schedule the upcoming week on Friday
Allow buffer time between projects
Consider travel time

Communication

Use Notes field for special instructions
Update status as work progresses
Mark completed when done

Conflict Management

Address conflicts immediately
Don't ignore warnings
Communicate changes to affected employees

Availability Management

Enter PTO/vacation as soon as known
Keep availability current
Plan around known unavailability

Common Questions

Can I schedule the same employee on two projects the same day?

Yes, but you'll receive a conflict warning. This is allowed for cases where an employee splits time between projects.

How do I see who's available on a specific date?

View the calendar for that date and look for employees without assignments. Also check the availability records for PTO/vacation.

Can employees see their own schedules?

Employees with appropriate permissions can view schedules. The visibility depends on your permission settings.

What happens if I delete a schedule?

The schedule is permanently removed. Consider using "Cancelled" status instead to maintain historical records.

Can I copy a schedule to another week?

Currently, use recurring schedules for repeated patterns, or manually create new schedules.

Equipment Scheduling - Schedule equipment and vehicles
Understanding Users and Permissions - Permission setup
Creating Projects - Project management