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AUTOFILL – How it Works

Don’t see the AutoFill button? Make sure you are on an UnPublished weekly view.
-Some multi-week schedule views do not have an AutoFill button.
-Your main manager may not have set your permissions to allow you to AutoFill.

WhenToWork’s AutoFill feature was developed by a team of math Ph.D.s and is the most advanced scheduling engine in the industry.

Unlike other programs, W2W AutoFill automatically assigns open shifts and considers, balances and optimizes:

  • who is allowed to work each shifts’ position
  • each employees’ “position preferences”
  • minimum time off between shifts (if set)
  • maximum hours/shifts per day/week
  • granted time off
  • employee work time preferences in 15 minute increments for:
    • prefer
    • dislike
    • and cannot work times

AutoFill assigns the shifts and then optimizes the assignments to find the best possible schedule for everyone, and it does it in a matter of seconds with one click! 

You can AutoFill any unpublished schedule of shifts based on:

You can set each employee’s daily and weekly maximums for AutoFill. The system defaults to 40 hours/7 days per week and 1 shift/14 hours per day.

AutoFill can automatically assign employees to shifts based on these maximum settings and also one of these three options: 

  • Using Equal Priorities (Default) – This is the option used by most companies – all employees are treated the same if they have entered preferences. AutoFill will assess the best schedule with everyone in mind – trying to distribute the shifts as evenly as possible within each employee’s maximum hours/shifts/days and based on their work time preferences (prefer, dislike & cannot work).

  • By Priority Group – Takes employees in Group One – gives all of them their most preferred schedule based on their work time preferences (up to their maximum hours per week) and then takes the next group and schedules them with their best possible schedule up to their maximums, etc.

  • By Seniority (Hire Date) – Takes the most senior employee (with oldest hire date) and gives them their most preferred schedule, then takes the next most senior employee and fills in with their best schedule, etc. 

You also have the option to ignore employee “prefer and dislike times” and “Position Preferences” when you AutoFill. When these are checked, AutoFill does not consider any employee “prefer” and “dislike” time preferences or position preferences that have been entered for employees.

You can AutoFill, then Clear the assignments and AutoFill again to try out the different options.

AutoFill is designed to have a somewhat randomizing effect so that if you were to repeat AutoFill for the same schedule, you may get slightly different results if no employees have entered preferences. (If any employee has entered work time preferences, then AutoFill will not schedule as randomly because it will repeatedly accommodate those few preferences added).

You can visually compare your shift assignments to current work time preferences and constraints by going to the Grid View or Sortable List view and clicking the Analyze button. 

Advanced details about how AutoFill works

 

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