MENU
NimbleSchedule Login Ximble Login
Scheduling Time Tracking Pricing Training Videos REQUEST A DEMO

Conflicting shifts - Warning with More information & More options to address conflicts. More info = number of conflicts and date, time, location of shift conflicts. More options = give option to hold and highlight conflicting shifts and allow the changing of times instead of forcing shifts to Open Shifts or the unsaved exit of the shift you are trying to create.

I work for an aged care business that sends out carers to provide in-home care to clients at various locations. Some shifts are regular and recurring weekly or fortnightly, others are one-offs, some are for anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks. Our schedules are a lot more complicated than most.

 

1) More information in the conflict warning (number of conflicts, date, time, and location of conflicts): When there's a conflict, the warning only tells you there's a conflict, and only if the conflict is two shifts overlapping or if a shift has been created when the employee is listed as unavailable or has requested time off. It would be great if the warning told you how many shifts were in conflict (for us it might be 1 shift or 12) and even a more information option that listed the dates, times, locations, and work sites that were in conflict. Without this we have to stop creating the shift and check month by month to find where the conflict has occurred or risk putting weeks worth of shifts up into open shifts (which we never risk).  Having to exit the shift we are in the middle of creating means we lose all the settings and shift notes we have written before we realise there is a conflict, it costs us time. A draft shift, that can't be published and allows overlaps and conflicts until it is converted to a saved or published shift might be helpful here - however my preferred suggestion is:

 

2) Create and hold conflicting shifts, highlighting them and allow changes to be made as an alternative to Open Shifts:
When creating a conflicting shift, particularly a recurring one that might go for months, it would be good if Ximble alerted you to the conflict,  gave you the option to:
A) Move conflicting shifts into open shifts
B) Create the conflicting shifts, hold the older shifts in position, have the conflicts highlighted, allowing Admin to then view the conflict, move one shift to an earlier time, the other to a later or time, or simply assign to another employee or put in open shifts after viewing the conflict in more detail. 

It means we could save the draft of the shift we have begun creating, rather than lose the information entered (shift notes) or make a mess by moving several shifts into open shifts (which if they are published means every employee will get an unnecessary notification).

3) Ximble could also add an optional safety feature in settings that forces conflicting shifts  to be saved and unpublished until the conflict is corrected.

  • George Knight
  • Aug 9 2019
  • Future consideration
Why should we implement this

Will save time, allowing to keep drafts of shifts created, rather than exit and lose that information.
Prevent unnecessary notifications for published shifts forced into open shifts.
Give schedulers more information and options when conflicts occur.
Address a really annoying issue and make life easier.

  • Attach files