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Using a simple staff coverage planner when scheduling

Lisa Kirby
  • Updated

When creating a schedule, managers can now use the Staff Coverage model to set the amount of staff required and ensure there is adequate coverage across all areas of the business.

This article will cover:

 

Activate coverage view in the schedule

1. In Schedule, use the location selector to select a specific location (do not select "All locations") and choose a schedule with an Area view (Week, 2-Week or Month) displayed. Read more about filtering or viewing the Schedule.

2. Click on the dropdown menu next to Insights.

3. Select the Show coverage in areas option. This will trigger boxed numbers to appear for each area for each day showing how many shifts are scheduled in each area.

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Set up required staff amounts

Click on any of the numbers (circled in red in the example above) to activate the Staff Coverage popup, where you can enter your shift count requirements for each area, then click Done.

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Note: the numbers you enter are retained in Staff Coverage ongoing until you edit or delete them, even if you decide to deactivate the coverage view itself. You don't need to re-enter them every time you set up a new schedule.
 

How this is reflected in the Schedule

On the Schedule, with an Area view (Week, 2-Week or Month) displayed, the required number of shifts to be filled is shown in the coverage panel for each day in each area.

The panel colour reflects the staff coverage in each area:

  • Understaffed areas are coloured RED
  • Areas with enough (or more than enough staff) are coloured GREY
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Tip: managers can quickly check that all areas have the required number of shifts filled using the staff coverage panel. Here's how:

1. On the Schedule tab, select an Area view for Week, 2-Weeks or Month, depending on the period you wish to view.

2. Click on the Options (cog icon) menu and select Expand / Collapse areas.

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3. At a glance, managers can see which areas have red coverage panels and are understaffed for each day of the period displayed.

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How to deactivate the coverage view

If you decide you want to revert to a Schedule view without the coverage panels showing, just click on the dropdown next to the Insights button and click on Show coverage in areas and it will toggle the feature off and remove the coverage panels. 

Note: the number of required staff you entered in the Staff Coverage popup are still retained when you toggle this view off, just in case you want to reactivate the feature again.

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