The difference at a glance
| Weekly availability | Time-off request | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | The days and hours someone can usually work. | Specific dates, or a range of dates, someone can't work. |
| Lasts | Until it's changed. Usually a term, a season or longer. | Only the dates in the request. |
| Starts | On the date the change takes effect. | On the first date in the request. |
| Who decides | Usually the employee, often with a manager's approval for changes. | The manager approves or denies it. |
| What the schedule does | Every week is built around it. | Those dates are left out once it's approved. |
A third thing often gets mixed in: the number of hours someone wants. Being free six days a week isn't a request for six shifts. Keep the hours someone would like separate from both.
Six common cases
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Classes every Monday and Wednesday this term | Availability, starting the first day of term | It repeats every week until the term ends. |
| A dentist appointment next Thursday at 3 PM | Time off for that date | It happens once. |
| A week away in July | Time off for the date range | One block of dates, then back to normal. |
| A second job on weekends, starting next month | Availability, with the date it starts | It repeats, and it starts later. |
| Sick this morning | Neither: contact the manager now | An absence today needs a person, not a form. |
| Free all summer and wants more hours | Availability, plus telling the manager the hours they'd like | Availability says when; hours wanted say how much. |
If staff aren't sure, a simple test works: “Will this still be true next month?” If yes, it's availability. If it's about particular dates, it's time off.
Pending is not approved
A time-off request is a question until the manager answers it. Two rules keep everyone on the same page:
- For staff: until it's approved, plan to work whatever is on the published schedule.
- For managers: answer requests before you publish the week they fall in, and tell the person either way.
The same applies to a change in availability. It counts from the date you agree it starts, not from the day someone mentions it.
After the schedule is published
A new availability or time-off request doesn't move shifts that are already published. Decide the request, then handle the affected shift on its own: edit it, or let the employee ask a coworker to cover it with a shift coverage request. For two people trading shifts, see how to handle shift swaps.
If you collect availability on paper, the employee availability form has a start date for each version and a separate section for one-off dates.
How it works in Zchedule
- Weekly availability: each employee sets it in the iPhone app or on the web, with one window per day. Depending on your team's settings, a change can go to a manager to approve, along with the date it starts.
- Time off: an employee requests a date range as vacation, sick, personal or unpaid time. It stays pending until a manager approves or denies it.
- While you schedule: the publish check lists shifts that clash with weekly availability. It doesn't check time off, so look over approved requests for the week before you publish. The schedule generator, on Pro, won't place anyone on approved time off.