What is a Staff Availability Exception?
This article outlines what a 'Staff Availability Exception' is and where Availability Exceptions appear in SupportAbility once created.
Audience: All
Summary
The following list summarises the content of this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:
- What is an 'Availability Exception'?
- How are Availability Exceptions indicated when rostering Staff?
What is an 'Availability Exception'?
'Availability Exceptions' are any changes to a person's Standard Availability. This functionality is an optional feature in SupportAbility designed to assist when rostering Staff and to assist with managing payroll.
When an organisation is using the Availability functionality, 'Standard Availability' may be recorded on the 'Availability' tab of a Staff Account to indicate the 'standard' weekly working hours of that Staff Member i.e. times and days of the week they are available for rostering:
'Availability Exceptions', also recorded on the Availability tab, indicate either negative or positive Exceptions to their Standard Availability.
Unavailable
This type of Availability Exception reflects 'Unavailable' periods (e.g. personal or annual leave) when a Staff Member is not available when they usually would be, and these are highlighted in red:
Available
Alternatively, Availability Exceptions may reflect 'Available' periods (e.g. University holidays), when a Staff Member is available for periods of time in addition to their Standard Availability, and these are highlighted in green:
Can Staff be added to an Activity if there is an 'Unavailable' Availability Exception?
Staff can still be added to an Activity if there is an 'Unavailable' Availability Exception:
However, various indications of the Availability issue will display in the Activity to alert Staff when managing the Roster, as follows:
- A 'Warning' bar will appear at the top of the Activity record displaying the relevant badge e.g. '1 Staff unavailable':
- The airplane Activity icon indicating there is a Staff Availability issue will display in line with the relevant Staff Member in the 'Availability' column in the Staff section of the Activity:
N.B. Selecting either the Warning bar at the top or the Availability issue icon in the Staff section will open the 'Activity Warnings' window displaying the details of the relevant Staff Member's 'Standard Availability' and the applicable 'Leave (Exceptions)'.
More detailed information about both 'Available' and 'Unavailable' Availability Exceptions and where they display in SupportAbility is outlined below.
How are Availability Exceptions indicated when rostering Staff?
When rostering Staff in an Activity, Availability Exceptions are indicated in several places and in various formats when a Staff Member has an Exception corresponding to the date and time of the Activity.
'Unavailable' Exceptions are displayed in the Activity creation wizard, the Staff section of an Activity, the 'Change Activity Staff' window, and Activity related Searches and Reports. Either the Exception details will display, or the Availability issue Activity icon and Warning bar will display, which when selected display details of the 'Unavailable' Exception.
'Available' Exceptions are displayed in the Activity creation wizard only.
Activity creation wizard
When creating a new Activity and adding Staff in Step 2 of the Activity creation wizard, the 'Availability' column displays the Availability status for all Staff who work in the Site/Service related to the Activity.
Those 'Available' for rostering are highlighted in green and those who are 'Unavailable' are highlighted in red. Information about Availability Exceptions is always displayed below the Staff Member's name for reference:
Leave (Exceptions)
'Leave (Exceptions)' refer to Availability Exceptions where the Staff Member is 'Unavailable'.
Selecting the drop-down arrow in the Availability column will also display their ‘Standard Availability’ i.e. the hours the Staff Member would usually be available.
For example, Jem would usually be available on a Saturday, however, he has an Approved 'Leave (Exception)' corresponding to the date and time of this Activity:
N.B. If a 'Leave (Exception)' has been recorded in a Staff Account but has not yet been 'Approved' it will have a status of 'Pending' and will display in orange in the Activity creation wizard as shown here:
Additional Availability (Exceptions)
'Additional Availability (Exceptions)' refer to periods where the Staff Member is 'Available' in addition to their Standard Availability.
For example, Stevie has an Approved 'Additional Availability Exception' corresponding to the date and time of this Activity:
N.B. If an 'Additional Availability (Exception)' has been recorded in a Staff Account but has not yet been 'Approved' it will have a status of 'Pending' and will display in orange in the Activity creation wizard as shown below.
Selecting the drop-down arrow in the Availability column will also display their ‘Standard Availability’ i.e. the hours the Staff Member would usually be available.
Existing Activity
'Unavailable' Availability Exception - Approved
When a Staff Member with an Approved 'Unavailable' Availability Exception has been rostered into an Activity various indications are displayed to alert Staff managing the Roster, as follows:
- A 'Warning' bar will appear at the top of the Activity record displaying the relevant badge e.g. '1 Staff unavailable':
- The 'Staff Availability issue' icon will display in line with the relevant Staff Member in the 'Availability' column in the 'Staff' section of the Activity:
Selecting either the Warning bar at the top or the Availability issue icon in the Staff section will open the 'Activity Warnings' window displaying the details of the relevant Staff Member's 'Standard Availability' and the applicable 'Leave (Exception)':
'Unavailable' Availability Exception - approval Pending
Staff Members with an 'Unavailable' Availability Exception awaiting approval i.e. have a status of 'Pending', can be rostered into an Activity.
In these instances, the Availability issue Activity icon will not display in the Availability column of the Staff section:
The Warnings bar, however, will appear at the top of the Activity record displaying the badge '1 Staff with pending availability' to alert Staff managing the Roster:
Once the Availability Exception has been approved on the Availability tab of the relevant Staff Account and the Activity is either saved or the Activity window refreshed the following will be updated:
- the Availability issue Activity icon will display in the Staff section:
- and the badge on the Warnings bar will update to '1 Staff unavailable':
Change Activity Staff
Availability issues will also display when updating a Staff Member rostered into an Activity.
When the 'Change' button is selected:
The Change Activity Staff window will open. Availability of Staff is displayed here to assist with rostering. Selecting the down arrows will display details of their Standard Availability, and any Leave Exceptions:
Activity Searches and Reports
When a Staff Member has been rostered into an Activity where there is an Availability issue for that Staff Member, the 'Staff Availability issue' icon will display in the 'Status' column of the following Searches and Reports:
- Activity Search - to indicate one of the Staff Members rostered for this Activity has an Availability issue:
- Activity Report - to indicate one of the Staff Members rostered for this Activity has an Availability issue:
N.B. This information will also be noted in the. ' column in the export. - Activity Staff Report - the Availability issue icon displays on the line of the relevant Staff Member who has the Availability issue:
N.B. This information will also be noted in the. ' column in the export. 