Managing Weekly Availability Changes

⚡ What is Weekly Availability?

Weekly Availability is how employees communicate the days and times they’re available to be scheduled—not necessarily when they’ll be working, but when they’re open and eligible for shifts. For example, an employee may be available all seven days but only want to be scheduled for five. This helps your team build schedules around true availability and avoid conflicts.

Weekly Availability can be submitted by employees or manually added by an administrator with permission. Once approved, it syncs directly into the Scheduler, so you’ll know if the timing works for your team when you assign shifts.

📌 | Note: Allowing employees to submit Weekly Availability changes is optional—but disabling this option will also prevent them from submitting Time Off Requests and Custom Availability changes. This can be managed under Scheduler Settings and with the specific toggle: Active Employees Can Update Availability.

🔎 Why Use Weekly Availability?

Here are a few ways tracking Weekly Availability can benefit your team:

• Automated Tracking: Employee availability automatically syncs to the Scheduler, reducing the need for manual updates or external tracking tools.
• Real-Time Updates: Ensure managers always have the most current availability when assigning shifts—no more second-guessing who’s free to work.
• Approval Control: Changes only take effect once approved and based on the start date, giving your team full control over when updates are applied.
• Better Shift Coverage: Align shifts with confirmed availability to reduce scheduling conflicts and last-minute changes.

🔐 Access required

Weekly availability is available to all subscription plans that have the Scheduling feature.

Who can manage Weekly Availability?

• Super Administrators: Full access to create, approve, or reject Weekly Availability requests for all employees.
• Team Administrators: Can create, approve, or reject Weekly Availability requests for employees only if they have permission to update the Schedule for specific positions. If you cannot access Weekly Availability, confirm your permissions with a Super Administrator.
• Employees Can create Weekly Availability requests via web or mobile (Push Employee App) if the account has enabled the Active Employees Can Update Availability toggle in Scheduler Settings.

📋 Topics covered in this article:

• Submitting Weekly Availability in the Platform
• Approving & Rejecting Weekly Availability Requests
• Frequently Asked Questions

📚 Related articles:

• How to Turn On Notifications for the Push Manager App
• What Do All The Settings Under Scheduler Settings Mean?
• How To Update Scheduler Settings

Submitting Weekly Availability in the Platform

Weekly Availability can be submitted in two ways, depending on your business preferences and system settings. In most cases, employees submit their own changes directly through the platform, allowing for faster updates and less admin work. However, administrators also have the ability to enter or update availability manually when needed—such as when an employee is unable or they've provided the information in person.

1. Employee-Submitted Requests: Employees can submit Weekly Availability changes using the Push Employee App or web portal (ifActive Employees Can Update Availability is enabled in Scheduler Settings).
2. Administrator-Managed Updates: Admins can input Weekly Availability on behalf of employees from their employee profile.

📌 | Do I need to manually update availability for every employee? Not necessarily! If employees are allowed to submit their own Weekly Availability requests, you’ll typically only need to step in when requests are made outside the platform—for example, if a team member is on leave or shares their changes in person.

How to Submit Weekly Availability on Behalf of an Employee

There may be instances where you need to update an employee’s Weekly Availability on their behalf, and this can be done directly through the web app. This is ideal if the employee shared their availability with you in person and you offered to update it for them—or if they’ve recently given their notice and you want to prevent them from being scheduled beyond their remaining time.

Once submitted, the system treats the request the same as any employee-submitted change. It must be approved before it takes effect and will then automatically sync to the Scheduler.

1. Click the Employees tab.
2. On the left hand navigation bar, select the appropriate Employee List: Active, Pending, On Leave, or Inactive.
3. Under Search, input the employee's name.
4. Under Edit, click the Calendar icon that corresponds with the employee.
5. Scroll to the box titled Submit New Availability.
   📌 | Note:You can view a history of an employee’s past availabilities above under the box titled Regular Weekly Availability. If no availability has been submitted yet, this section will be blank. If you need a report of past submissions across your team, check out this article: How To Generate The Weekly Availability Report.
   
6. Under Number of Days To Work, click the drop-down menu and select the number of days the employee is available to work in a week.
   📌 | Note: The default range is 1–7 days, but this may differ based on your company’s minimum and maximum workday settings in Scheduler Settings. (E.g. your policy may require employees to be available between 4–7 days.)
7. Under Maximum Hours To Work, click the drop-down menu to add the total hours the employee is available to work in a week.
8. Under Available, check off the the boxes that correspond with Mon-Sun for the days the employee is available.
9. Under Start Time, enter the earliest time the employee is available to begin a shift.
10. Under End Time, enter the latest time the employee is available to end a shift.
11. Under New Availability Effective Start Date, select the date the updated availability should take effect.
12. Under Notes, optionally add a comment to provide context (e.g. “Updated based on conversation with employee on [date]”).
13. Once complete, click Submit for Approval and a pending request will be created under Shift Approvals for review. 

Approving & Rejecting Weekly Availability Requests

Reviewing Weekly Availability requests ensures that employee availability stays up to date, making scheduling more efficient and reducing the risk of conflicts. This section will guide you through the following actions: 

• Managing Weekly Availability Requests from the Mobile App
• Managing Weekly Availability Requests from the Web app

How to Approve or Reject Weekly Availability Requests in the Push Manager App (Mobile)

Managing schedules on the go? The Push Manager App lets you review employee availability changes in real time, making it easy to stay updated without needing a computer.

1. Open the Push Manager App and log in with your email and password.
2. Tap the Three-stripe menu (☰) in the top-left corner or swipe right to open the side panel.
3. Select Availability Requests from the menu.
4. Under Needs Manager Approval, you’ll see all pending Weekly Availability Requests.
5. Each request includes:
   1. Employee Name: The first and last name of the employee.
   2. Starts: The date the employee selected for their updated availability to take effect.
   3. Mon-Sun: The employee’s available hours for each day or a note if they are unavailable.
   4. Notes: Any comments the employee included with their request.
   5. Submitted: The date and time the request was submitted.
6. To approve a request, tap the Checkmark (✔) icon.
7. To reject a request, tap the X (✖ ) icon.
8. The page will refresh, and the request will disappear from the list!
9. The employee will be notified via email and/or in-app (depending on their notification settings) that their request has been approved or rejected.
10. If approved, the Scheduler will automatically update the employee’s new availability based on the selected start date.

How to Approve or Reject Weekly Availability Requests in the Web App (Desktop)

Prefer working from a desktop? The Web App provides a full view of availability updates while allowing you to seamlessly navigate other areas of the platform—such as the Scheduler or Employee Profiles—for additional context when reviewing requests.

1. Click the Scheduler tab in the top navigation bar.
2.  In the left-hand menu, select Shift Approvals.
3. Scroll to the box titled Weekly Availability Requests.
4. Each request includes:
   1. Employee Name: The first and last name of the employee.
   2. Starts: The date the employee selected for their updated availability to take effect.
   3. Mon-Sun: The employee’s available hours for each day or a note if they are unavailable.
   4. Notes: Any comments the employee included with their request.
   5. Submitted: The date and time the request was submitted.
5. To approve a request, click the  Checkmark (✔) icon.
6. To reject a request, click the X (✖) icon.
7. The page will refresh, and the request will disappear from the list!
8. The employee will be notified via email and/or in-app (depending on their notification settings) that their request has been approved or rejected.
9. If approved, the Scheduler will automatically update the employee’s new availability based on the selected start date.

Frequently Asked Questions About Managing Weekly Availability Changes As An Administrator

Have questions about managing your team’s Weekly Availability? Whether you’re wondering how to set minimum/maximum requirements, what happens when employees submit requests, or how to handle common scenarios, this section provides quick answers to help you navigate the process.

💡| Tip: Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact our Support Team at support@pushoperations.com, or utilize our AI bot Astra for quick assistance!

Q: How can administrators review and approve Weekly Availability requests?
A: Administrators can review requests from either the web platform (desktop) or the Push Manager App (mobile).

Q: Can administrators manage Weekly Availability on behalf of employees?
A: Yes. Administrators can submit or update Weekly Availability directly in the web platform. This is useful if an employee shares their availability outside the platform (for example, in person or by email) and you want to keep records up to date. Once submitted, the request still follows the same approval process.

Q: Can we limit how many days employees are allowed to mark themselves as available?
A: Yes. In Scheduler Settings, you can set both minimum and maximum rules for Weekly Availability. For example, if your policy requires at least 3 days of availability, employees will only see options starting at 3 days in the drop-down menu. They won’t even see 1–2 days as choices. Check out our Q&A article on what each toggle means under Scheduler Settings for more details.

Q: What happens if an employee tries to submit Weekly Availability that doesn’t follow the minimum and maximum rules I've set?
A: The system won’t allow it. Employees will only see options that fit your rules. For example, if the minimum is set to 3 days, the drop-down will begin at 3, and options like 1 or 2 won’t appear at all. This prevents employees from submitting requests that don’t meet your policy and saves administrators from having to reject them later.

Q: Does Weekly Availability guarantee how many shifts an employee will get?
A: Weekly Availability only shows when an employee is able to work—it doesn’t guarantee how many shifts they’ll be scheduled for. The number of shifts is always decided by the manager or scheduler who builds the schedule. For example, an employee may mark themselves available for 5 days but only be scheduled for 3 shifts based on business needs. Their availability details show up in the Scheduler and update in real time as shifts are added or removed, helping you see if their requests are being met. The system will also give you a warning if you schedule them beyond their set availability, whether that’s in total days or total hours.

Q: Can employees update their own Weekly Availability?
A: Yes. Employees can submit their availability from either a desktop or the mobile Push Employee app. So long as the toggle Active Employees Can Update Availability is enabled in Scheduler Settings (this is turned on by default). If this setting is turned off, only administrators can make changes on behalf of employees.

📌 Note: Disabling this option also removes employee access to submit Time Off Requests and Custom Availability, since all three features are tied to the same setting.

Q: Where can I see an employee’s past Weekly Availability?
A: You can view an employee’s Weekly Availability history directly in their profile. Go to the relevant employee list, under Edit, select the Calendar icon. At the top of the page, you’ll see a drop-down showing all previously approved availabilities, listed with start and end dates. This is also the same place where you can submit new availability on their behalf. Check out the section above to learn more about how to create.

If you need to see availability across your entire team or for a specific time frame, you can run the Weekly Availability Report. This shows what each employee’s approved availability was during that period.

Q: When do changes to Weekly Availability take effect after approval?
A: Changes only take effect on the effective start date listed in the request, once approved by an administrator. For example, suppose an employee’s request says it should begin on January 1, but you don’t approve it until January 5. In that case, the Scheduler will not reference the availability on January 1 until you approve it. Once approved, the Scheduler will update automatically.

If you approve a request set to begin in the future, the Scheduler will not apply the change until that start date arrives.

Additional Information

Need further help? Contact our Support Team at support@pushoperations.com or utilize our AI bot, Astra, for quick assistance.