Weekly scheduling checklist
Work through these steps in order before finalizing and sharing each week's schedule. Print and check off each item, or copy into a digital task list.
Before you build the schedule
- Check all employee availability records. Note who has updated availability since the last schedule.
- Review approved time-off requests for this week. Mark those employees as unavailable.
- Identify any statutory holidays, promotions, or unusual events that will affect staffing requirements.
- Confirm minimum and maximum hours for each employee (contracted hours, preferences, or legal limits).
- Note any pending shift swap requests that need resolution before this week's schedule is finalized.
Building the schedule
- List all required shifts and staffing requirements for each day.
- Fill mandatory roles first (e.g., opener, closer, supervisor).
- Fill remaining shifts using available employees, respecting availability and time off.
- Mark any unfilled shifts as open so you know who to contact for coverage.
- Verify total hours per employee against their contracted or preferred minimum and maximum.
- Check for any unintentional overtime.
- Check for rest-period requirements between shifts (varies by province).
Before sending the schedule
- Review the full schedule once more for any gaps or conflicts.
- Confirm the schedule is based on current, approved availability (not availability from three months ago).
- Confirm all approved time-off periods are reflected.
- Identify any shifts you were unable to fill and plan outreach for open-shift coverage.
Notifying employees
- Share the completed schedule with all employees via your preferred method (text, email, posted copy, shared document).
- Send open-shift notifications to eligible employees for any unfilled slots.
- Confirm receipt from employees who need coverage-critical shifts (opener, closer, key roles).
How many of these steps can be automated?
Every item in the "Before you build" section is information Opyris already has—approved availability, approved time off, upcoming events configured in Demand Scheduling. Every item in the "Notifying employees" section is handled automatically when Opyris publishes the schedule.
When Opyris runs the automatic scheduler, it uses all of this information without a manual checklist step. The schedule goes out on the cadence you set. Employees are notified. Open shifts are sent to eligible staff. The checklist gets shorter every week—and eventually you stop needing it.
The schedule that builds itself every week.
Set your staffing rules once. Opyris checks availability, respects time off, fills the shifts, and notifies your team—automatically.