Basic validations

Basic validations are performed when users perform billboard actions. These validations determine if the user's action is a valid request according to the Shift Billboard configuration. If an action fails the basic validations, a message is displayed and the action is prevented from starting the relevant workflow.

These basic validations are performed for each action:

Manager posts one or more shifts

These validations for manager shift posts determine if the button is available to post a given shift. The validations are performed again when the manager attempts to post one or more shifts. This ensures that no schedule or configuration changes have occurred that make the shifts un-postable.

  • Billboard group configuration: Shifts must be for a team that allows manager posting on the shift date.
  • Shift expiry: Shifts must have a shift start time that has not already passed.
  • Shift assignment: Shifts must be unassigned.
  • Shift already posted: Shifts that are already posted for all valid billboard groups cannot be posted again.

Employee posts a shift

These validations determine if the button is available for an employee to post a shift that is assigned to them. The validations are performed again when an employee attempts to post a shift. This ensures that no schedule or configuration changes have occurred that make the shifts un-postable.

  • Billboard group configuration: Shifts must be for a team that allows employee posting on the shift date.
  • Employee posting window: The start and end times of the posted shift must be within the employee posting window.
  • Pending time off requests: Shifts cannot be posted if there are pending time off requests for the whole shift or part of the shift.
  • Pending shift swaps or giveaways: Shifts cannot be posted if they are in a pending shift swap or giveaway process.
  • Schedule compliance: Shifts with approved schedule compliance warnings can be posted. Shifts cannot be posted if they have any schedule compliance errors or unapproved warnings.
  • Shift already posted: Shifts that are already posted cannot be posted again.
In addition to the validations listed above, these validations are only performed when an employee attempts to post a shift. These validations do not affect if the post a shift button is displayed on a given shift. If one of these validations fail when a user attempts to post a shift, a message is displayed to notify the user that their shift post was rejected.
  • Posting times outside original shift time: When posting a shift or a portion of a shift, employees must select a start time and end time for the posting that are within the original start and end times of the shift.
  • Shift in Action Required status: Employees cannot post shifts that are in Action Required status or that are associated with a shift in Action Required status.
Note: Security controls also determine if employees can post shifts. To access the Post a Shift icon, an employee must be a member of a security group with the appropriate permissions. See Restricting employee shift posts by security group.

Employee claims a shift

These validations for employee claims are handled as filters that determine if an employee can claim a shift on the billboard. Shifts are not displayed to an employee unless they pass these validations:

  • Billboard group configuration: The employee must be allowed to claim shifts from at least one of the billboard groups that the shift has been posted to.
  • Schedule conflicts: The shift must not overlap with any of the employee's existing shifts or LTAs.
  • Qualifications: The employee must have the job qualifications required by the shift. For MVS shifts, the employee must also have the skill qualifications required by the shift.
  • Employee termination: The claiming employee must be active and the claiming employee's termination date must be after the shift date. For employee-posted shifts, the posting employee must be active and the posting employee's termination date must be after the shift date.
  • Schedule locking: For employee-posted shifts, the shift may not be during a schedule period when the posting employee's schedule is locked.

The same validations are also performed when an employee requests to claim a shift. This detects schedule changes that have occurred between when the shifts are displayed on the calendar and when the claim request is made. The claim is validated again when the claim request is accepted but before the shift is reassigned. This prevents situations where the shift claim would put the schedule into an non-allowed state due to schedule changes between when the claim request occurs and when the request is accepted.

In addition to the validations listed above, these validations are performed on claim requests and when a claim request is accepted:
  • Claims by other employees: The shift must not have been successfully claimed by another employee.
  • Shift withdrawn: The shift must not have been withdrawn by the posting employee, by a manager, or by the job scheduler tasks.
  • Schedule locking: The shift may not be during a schedule period when claiming employee's schedule is locked.
  • Employee cut off date: The shift must be on or after the cut off date defined by the employee's pay group.
  • Employee balances: For shifts that consume balance, the employee must have sufficient balance to cover the shift.

Schedule compliance also determines if an employee can claim a shift on the billboard. The Claim button is not available for shifts that would cause a schedule compliance error if added to the claiming employee's schedule.