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In UKG Pro Workforce Management (WFM), an open shift is a scheduled time slot for a particular job, date, and time that has not yet been assigned to an employee. Managers view and create open shifts from the Schedule Planner (Main Menu > Schedule), using the Add Shift slider, Table View entry, or shift templates. Viewing open shifts also gives managers immediate visibility into coverage gaps, making it easier to confirm that every essential position is staffed before the schedule is published.
Open shifts are essential for scheduling employees because they act as stand-ins for shifts that must be covered. This guide offers detailed instructions on efficiently viewing, creating, and managing open shifts using various techniques.
Viewing Open Shifts
- Navigate to the Schedule Planner:
- Main Menu > Schedule > Select the applicable Schedule Planner.
- Ensure Visibility of Open Shifts:
- Confirm that open shifts appear on the Schedule Planner page.
- Show Open Shifts Option:
- If necessary, enable the option to show open shifts in the schedule.
- Select Show/Hide in the toolbar.
- Check the Open Shifts box.
- Select Apply.
- If necessary, enable the option to show open shifts in the schedule.
- Total Open Shifts:
- The total number of open shifts for the viewing time period appears in the Open Shifts row.
- Expanded View:
- Expand the Open Shifts list to view and manage open shifts effectively.
- Job Representation:
- Jobs with open shifts are represented as separate rows beneath the Open Shifts header row.
- Jobs with open shifts are represented as separate rows beneath the Open Shifts header row.
Creating Open Shifts with All Options
- Navigate to the Schedule Planner:
- Main Menu > Schedule > Select the applicable Schedule Planner.
- Expand Open Shifts:
- On the Open Shifts row, right-click a date cell in the schedule.
- Access Add Shift Slider:
- In the shift glance, select “Add Shift.”
- Confirm “Unassigned” in the Employee Name field.
- Enter Shift Details:
- Enter Start Time and End Time.
- Select Transfer to choose the transfer details.
- Add Business Structure and select the required job.
- Select Ok.
- Apply Changes:
- Click Apply and then Save to create the open shift.
- Click Apply and then Save to create the open shift.
Creating Open Shifts in Table View
- Navigate to the Schedule Planner:
- Main Menu > Schedule > Select the applicable Schedule Planner.
- Access Table View:
- Select Table View from the Schedule Planner page.
- Expand Open Shifts:
- Expand the Open Shifts area.
- Manual Entry:
- Select a cell in the job row and enter:
- The name of a shift template or
- Start and End time separated by a hyphen (e.g., 8a-4p).
- Save Changes:
- Click Save to add the open shift manually.
Creating Open Shifts from a Template
- Navigate to the Schedule Planner:
- Main Menu > Schedule > Select the applicable Schedule Planner.
- Expand Open Shifts:
- Expand the Open Shifts area.
- Quick Action for Shift Templates:
- Select Quick Actions.
- Choose Insert Shift Template.
- Select Template:
- Choose the applicable shift template from the list.
- Create Open Shifts:
- In the job row, select date cells to create open shifts.
- Stop Quick Actions:
- Select Quick Actions again to stop creating open shifts.
- Save Changes:
- Click Save to finalize the addition of open shifts.
By following these detailed steps, you can efficiently manage open shifts, ensuring your schedule meets coverage needs and remains flexible to changes.
- Click Save to finalize the addition of open shifts.
Other Ways to Create Open Shifts
Beyond the three methods above, open shifts are also generated when you unassign a shift from an employee, when paycodes are applied to employee shifts in certain configurations, and by copying and pasting existing open shifts into other date cells with Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V directly in the Schedule Planner.
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Filling Open Shifts
Creating the shift is half the job — getting it covered is the other half. Employees can request to fill an open shift, and managers can use push notifications to fill open shifts or assign open shifts to employees directly.
Stop chasing coverage manually
If open shifts routinely sit unfilled until the last minute, the bottleneck is usually communication, not scheduling. CloudApper’s Shift Bidding and Shift Confirmation solutions for UKG notify eligible employees about open shifts automatically and let them claim or confirm from any device — so coverage gaps close themselves instead of waiting on phone calls.
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See a free demo of CloudApper shift solutions for UKG
FAQ: Open Shifts in UKG Pro WFM
What is an open shift in UKG Pro WFM?
An open shift is a scheduled time slot for a specific job, date, and time that has not yet been assigned to an employee. Open shifts act as placeholders for coverage that still needs to be filled, and they appear in their own row in the Schedule Planner.
Why don’t open shifts appear in my Schedule Planner?
Open shift visibility is a display option. In the Schedule Planner toolbar, select Show/Hide, check the Open Shifts box, and select Apply. The total number of open shifts for the visible period then appears in the Open Shifts row.
What are the ways to create an open shift in UKG Pro WFM?
You can create open shifts with full options through the Add Shift slider (right-click a date cell in the Open Shifts row), by typing a time range or shift template name directly into a cell in Table View, or in bulk using Quick Actions with Insert Shift Template. Copying and pasting existing open shifts with Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V also works.
How do open shifts get assigned to employees?
Managers can assign open shifts directly from the Schedule Planner, notify eligible employees through push notifications, or let employees submit requests to fill open shifts, which the manager then approves.
