Block Time / Availability

Use My Schedule to tell your manager which hours and days you cannot work. Review the next few weeks regularly, and enter conflicts as soon as you know about them.

• Block only the unavailable hours if you can work the rest of the day.
• Block the whole day if you cannot work at all that day.
• Remove or update a block when your plans change.

Blocking a Day

1. Open My Schedule.
2. Use the week arrows to find the date, then tap the day to expand it.
3. Add an optional reason, such as an appointment or travel.
4. If you do not have a shift that day, choose Full Day Off to save the block.

Your block appears on the manager's schedule view. If you already have a shift, use Request Off and contact your manager instead of assuming the shift has been cancelled.

Blocking Specific Hours

1. Expand the date in your weekly schedule.
2. Select the hours you cannot work on the time bar.
3. Add an optional reason, then choose Block Selected Hours.
4. Check that the saved block covers the intended hours.

For example, if you have an appointment from 2 PM to 4 PM but can work afterward, block those hours rather than the entire day. All times are Eastern Time.

Using the Time Off Calendar

You can also use the Time Off calendar in My Schedule's availability controls:

1. Move to the correct month and tap the date.
2. Choose Unavailable.
3. For a whole-day block, leave the times empty. For part of a day, open Customize and enter the start and end times.
4. Optionally add a reason, then choose Save.

Repeat for the other unavailable dates over the next few weeks. If your block overlaps an existing shift, it needs manager approval.

Removing a Block

1. Find the blocked day in your schedule (shown with a red/orange indicator)
2. Tap on it
3. Choose Unblock. In the Time Off calendar, choose Available to clear the block, then Save. For a pending request, use Cancel Request.

If You Are Already Scheduled

A block that overlaps an existing shift becomes a pending request for manager review. It does not remove the shift. Contact your manager and check the request status and the current schedule before treating the time as approved off.

Active owners, admins, and managers receive an email with your request details, the conflicting shift times, and a staff-portal link to review it. This review alert is sent promptly; it does not use the 90-minute wait for schedule-change emails.

If your request is denied, that time has not been approved off. Talk to your manager if you still cannot work it.

Block vs. Time Off Request

Feature	Block Day	Time Off Request
Purpose	"I can't work this day"	Unpaid time-off request for vacation, illness, or personal needs
Approval needed?	When it overlaps an existing shift	Yes, requires approval
Creates paid hours?	No	No -- part-time employees do not receive PTO
Best for	Schedule conflicts, appointments	Vacations, sick days

For Recurring Unavailability

If you're always unavailable on certain days (e.g., school on Mondays), use Preferences instead — it's more efficient than blocking the same day every week.

Review specific dates over the next few weeks too, especially holidays, appointments, or changes to your regular pattern. Recurring preferences do not cancel shifts already on your schedule.

Checking Schedule Updates

Shift changes appear in My Schedule immediately. A schedule-update email follows about 90 minutes after your last shift change, combining recent edits into one message. Keep using My Schedule for the latest details. See Schedule Changes and Email Updates for how these messages work.

TIP

Block time as early as possible! The AI scheduling system and your manager both check blocks when creating the weekly schedule.