Enter how you prefer to work

Enter how you prefer to work in the Preference view in MyTime. The validation feedback helps you ensure that your preferences do not break any contract work rules. The resource planner will then schedule you with the shifts you prefer, if it's possible considering the staffing situation.

Set a preference day as a must have to give input on which of your preferences that are the most important to you.

If there is a defined bank holiday within the period, the date is marked in red. If the period includes today's date it will be marked in blue.

NOTE   That you select a day as a must have day is no guarantee that you will be scheduled according to this preference. When scheduling, the resource planner can still choose to disregard it if needed due to the staffing situation.

Create a preference template to reuse a detailed preference more than once.

EXAMPLE   There are a couple of days a week when you need to work a day shift and leave 16:30 at the latest to pick up your kids from daycare. Create a template that includes the Day shift category and set the latest end time to 16:30.

Preferences are always entered one schedule period at the time. Above the calendar view you can see validation feedback that helps you ensure that your preference fulfills the contract for the schedule period.

Video Overview: Preferences (length 03:37)

Prerequisites

This feature is available to Calabrio GovSuite users.

  • You have the MyTime permission and the underlying Standard preferences permission.
  • Your workflow control set includes:
    • An open period for preferences.
    • Which days off, shift categories and absences that are available for preferences.
  • To enter preferences regarding start and end time, shift length and lunch:
    • You have the MyTime > Extended preferences permission.
    • It is set on the workflow control set which activity you can enter extended preferences for.
  • To enter which preferences that are the most important, you need to have at least one must have for the schedule period in People.

Page location

WFM > MyTime > Preferences tab

Procedures

Enter when and how you prefer to work

Select whether you want to work or not and what shift category you prefer.

  1. Select the period to enter preferences for.
  2. Click the Preference button.
  3. Select a day to enter a preference for. To enter the same preference for more than one day, select multiple days. Use drag and drop or hold Ctrl while you click to select days.
  4. Open the drop-down Preference menu and select a shift category, a day off or an absence.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for all dates you want to add a preference to.
  7. Check the validation feedback.

Enter detailed preferences

Enter preferences regarding start and end time and length for the shift and start and end time and length for an activity.

  1. Select the period to enter preferences for.
  2. Click the Preference button.
  3. Select a day to enter a preference for. To enter the same preference for more than one day, select multiple days. Use drag and drop or hold Ctrl while you click to select days.

  4. Set up intervals for your preferred start time, end time and duration of the shift.

    NOTE   You don't have to set all values, only the ones that are important to you.

    EXAMPLE   To enter a preference to not start before 08:00, state 08:00 in the Earliest start time field.

  5. To give preferences for start time, end time and duration of an activity, open the drop-down Activity menu and select the activity.
  6. Set up intervals for your preferred start time, end time and duration of the activity in the fields under the Activity menu.
  7. Click Apply.

Define the most important preferences

Use the must have heart to define which preferences that are the most important to you.

NOTE   How many days you can set as Must have for a period is shown in brackets on the Must have button.

  1. Select a day to set as a Must have. To enter must haves for more than one day, select multiple days. Use drag and drop or hold Ctrl while you click to select days.
  2. Open the Must have menu and select Add must have. The days selected as Must have are indicated with a heart symbol.

Remove set preferences

Remove preferences that are no longer valid.

  1. Select the days to remove preferences from.
  2. Click the Remove button.

Remove set must haves

Remove previously set must haves if you need to set other days as the most important.

  1. Select the days to remove the must have from.
  2. Open the Must have menu and select Remove must have.

Check the validation feedback

The colored field above the calendar view helps you understand if the preferences you have entered match with your contract.

The color of the validation feedback field indicates if the possible work schedule based on the entered preferences fulfills your contract.

  • Red means the preferences you have entered result in too many or too few work hours or days off, or that a work rule is broken.
  • Purple means the preferences you entered fulfills the contract.

NOTE   If you only enter preferences on a few days and you don't add the number of days off that is stated in the contract, the validation will be red. If there are still days without shift preferences, where days off can be scheduled, the preferences are still valid.

The validation field information states the details.

  • The number of hours to work according to your contract, and the possible number of work hours according to the entered preferences and the shifts available to you.
  • The number of days off according to your contract, and the number of days off entered as a preference.
  • If any work rules, for example the nightly rest or the weekly work time limit are broken by the currently entered preferences. If the nightly rest is broken, it is indicated by a red line on the days where this rule is not fulfilled.
  • The period you can add preferences for and for how long this preference period is open.

Understand the intervals shown for each day

On each day where you have entered preferences, three intervals are shown. The intervals are all based on the entered preference and the shifts available to you. If the day has no entered preference, the presented intervals are based on the agent's shift bag.

  • The first interval states the possible start times.
  • The second interval states the possible end times. If it ends with +1, it means the interval crosses midnight to the next day.
  • The third interval indicates possible shift lengths.

NOTE   If the text No available shifts is displayed, there are no shifts available to you that match the entered preference. This can happen for example if details in your entered preference are in conflict, or if there is an already scheduled meeting on that day which does not match with your entered preference. If this happens, hover the mouse pointer over that day to show if there are any scheduled meetings or other activities. Then remove the preference or enter a new preference for this day.

Create a preference template

Create preference templates for preferences that you use often.

  1. Set up the preference settings you want to save in a template. For example, a shift category in combination with an earliest start time or lunch length.
  2. Click the Save as template button with the plus sign.
  3. Enter a name for the template.
  4. Click Save.

Apply a preference template

Apply a previously created preference template.

  1. Select the days to apply the preference template to.
  2. Open the Extended preferences template menu next to the plus sign and select the template to use.
  3. Click Apply.

Delete a preference template

Delete preference templates that you no longer need.

  1. Select the preference template in the Extended preferences template menu.
  2. Click the Delete button.

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