How to configure Staff Standard Availability
This article outlines how to configure Staff Standard Availability and the different ways in which this can be managed.
Privileges: One of the following privileges is required to access the Availability tab and update the Standard Availability:
- 'Team Leader' at the relevant Site/Service level or global 'Team Leader for ALL Services'
- 'Human Resources' at the relevant Site/Service level or global 'Human Resources For ALL Staff'
Audience: HR Specialists, Team Leaders
Summary
The following list summarises the content of this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:
- How to update Staff Standard Availability
- Managing Staff Availability which changes regularly
- Managing Standard Availability for Staff who do not work directly with Clients
How to update Staff Standard Availability
To update the Standard Availability for a Staff Member, navigate to the 'Availability' tab of the relevant Staff Account:
Standard Availability Preferences and the Staff Member's Standard Availability are set here:
Standard Availability Preferences
There are two Standard Availability Cycles available: 7 Days or 14 Days. By default, the 7 Day cycle is utilised; however, if the Staff Member has a fortnightly availability schedule, this can be selected here.
When 14 Days is selected, this makes a copy of the default 7 Days listed, and displays this under 'Week Two':
By default, all Staff are set to be available 24/7, with all Days of the week selected, the From Times set to 12.00 AM, and the To Times set to 11:59 PM for each day.
This may be updated to reflect the hours the Staff Member works or is available to be rostered.
Deselect any days of the week when the staff member is not available. For example, Corina is not available on Mondays in Week One:
If the Staff Member is only available between certain hours of the day, then the From and To Times can be updated accordingly, e.g. 8 am - 6 pm:
Standard Availability Time Periods
By default, a single time period is listed, but up to four periods of time during which a Staff Member is available in each 24-hour period can be added.
For example, Corina is available in the morning on Wednesdays between 6 am and 10 am, and then again in the afternoon between 4 pm and 10 pm:
Shared Notes
Any relevant notes may be added in the Shared Notes field if required:
N.B. It is important to note that these Notes will appear in the Availability tab of the individual's My Staff Account section of SupportAbility for reference and are visible to the Staff Member.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks are a useful tool for setting reminders for updating Standard Availability where required. These can be added to the Availability tab:
Bookmarks Notifications display on the Dashboard of the person the Bookmark has been set for:
Once the required action has been completed, the Bookmark can be deleted.
More detailed information on the Bookmarks functionality is outlined in the Bookmarks article linked below for reference.
Managing Staff Availability for Staff with Availability that changes regularly
In the case where a Staff Member has availability that changes regularly, some providers choose to de-select all days of the week so the person is not available by default:
The onus is then on the Staff Member to enter in an 'Available' Availability Exception to advise the organisation of specific days and times they are available to work.
This is completed in the 'Availability Exceptions' section on the Availability tab in My Staff Account:
For more information about adding Availability Exceptions please review the How to create an Availability Exception article, linked below for reference.
Managing Standard Availability for Staff who do not work directly with Clients
Some organisations choose to manage Standard Availability differently for Staff who do not work directly with Clients e.g. Admin Staff, and Team Leaders/Managers to assist with rostering.
When Staff have a Site/Service listed in the 'Sites and services where this staff Member works section' of their Staff Account e.g. Community Participation:
Along with the Standard Availability listing their regular working hours:
The Staff Member will appear as 'Available' in the Staff list for rostering, for the corresponding Activities:
Your organisation may therefore find it helpful to deselect all the days of the week in the Standard Availability section of their record, for Staff Members who do not work directly with Clients ,e.g. administrators or Team Leaders/Managers :
They will then appear as 'Unavailable' in the list of Staff for rostering when creating Activities or updating Staff in an existing Activity:
N.B. Staff Members with global access to all Client records via the ‘Team Leader for ALL Services’ Security privilege, or the ‘Edit Client Records Across ALL Services’ Security privilege and no itemised Sites and Services will not appear in the Add an Activity creation wizard as outlined above. Staff Members with these privileges will appear in the 'Change Activity Staff' window in the Activity record. Therefore, the above strategy of deselecting their Standard Availability may also be suitable for these Staff Members, as it will ensure they appear as 'Unavailable' for rostering, similar to the above screenshots.
Not Available To Roster
Alternatively, there is a setting 'Not Available To Roster' available in the HR tab that can be used for office staff or anyone who should not be displayed in the Staff list when creating Activities or updating Staff Shifts:
