Helpful Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ShiftGen with any browser?
Based upon our most recent experience, Internet
Explorer 9 (IE9), Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera are compatible with all functionality in ShiftGen. Oddly, there are
some non-standard javascript elements of IE8 that do not work well with ShiftGen even though IE7 appears to work
fine -- this is even after enabling Javascript and setting www.shiftgen.com as a trusted site. If you are using
Internet Explorer, we strongly recommend upgrading to IE9. To download IE9,
click here.
What kind of browser issues might I encounter?
Even in this modern era, there are variations in
browsers such that there is frequent variation despite having seemingly uniform standards. Consequently, websites
are always tuning their code differently for different browsers. As a general rule, one should always make sure
they do the following: 1) Use the most current version of whatever browser they are using (avoid old Internet
Explorer versions in particular), 2) Make sure ShiftGen is listed a trusted site in the security settings of the
browser in use (particularly important for Internet Explorer behind institutional firewalls), 3) Make sure
javascript is enabled in your browser, 4) Try a "hard refresh". You can learn more about a "hard refresh"
here.
Do you have 24/7 support available?
We do not have 24/7 support. Support is generally
available from 8 AM Pacific until 7 PM Pacific. If our support staff happens to be available outside of those hours,
we will respond. Otherwise, we will respond in a timely fashion as you can be assured that your submission has
reached us. On a daily basis, ShiftGen runs through Quality Assurance on common user functionality. Consequently,
we are generally aware of issues before we hear from our users. However, we appreciate your notifications and
feedback alerting us to any issues you may have encountered.
How do I enter or view schedule requests?
Go to the "Schedules" tab and then
select "Schedule Requests". You can then enter requests on any schedule listed as open to the entry of requests
and view others that have been closed to requests BUT not yet published. Problems associated with request entry
are often due to one of the browser issues mentioned above. If we are not available to help, please try and
troubleshoot using the tips provided above.
How do I request a day or shift off?
ShiftGen provides 3 ways to request a shift off. You can
enter a request "By Time" where you can block off any shifts during a particular time period or you can enter a request
off for a particular shift only by entering a request "By Shift". You can also enter a request that covers a span of days
(see below).
Can I enter a request for a range of days?
On the request page, when you select the box "Select
Date Range?", you can pick a start date, an end date (any other date in the scheduling period) and all days between
inclusive of the days selected will turn yellow. You can then enter a request "By Time" or "By Shift" that applies
to all of these days.
Can my request be recurring (i.e., the 3rd
Tuesday of every month)?
Yes. You simply need to select a type of repeating pattern from the
pull down menu when creating or modifying a time or shift request. For recurring time requests, you can set an end date
for the recurring pattern. Setting a date limit for a recurring shift request will be available soon.
When I try to enter a request, I get a list of warnings saying that I must open up
shifts before my request can go through. What does this mean?
If you get this pop-up warning, it means that your site
administrator has indicated that you are required to leave a certain number of shifts open for each shift you are expected
to work. Talk to your administrator if you have questions about why this requirement has been placed on you.
If I create a recurring request, is my request page pre-populated
for every future scheduling period?
Yes. When you create a recurring request, it will
be applied to any future schedule request entry automatically until you delete it or until a preset end date (see
above) has been surpassed.
Can I make the request apply to all ShiftGen sites
where I work rather than indicating the request separately at each site where I work?
Yes. When you create a request by clicking
on the "By Time" tab, you will see an option labeled "Apply to ALL of my ShiftGen sites". If you select this
option, when you save the request, the request will be applied to all ShiftGen sites you work. When you
delete the request, the deletion will take place at all ShiftGen sites where you work.
Can I request to be scheduled for a particular
shift?
Yes. You can request a shift off or you request to work a particular shift.
Your schedule administrator and the constraints of the schedule for the particular scheduling period will
determine the degree to which the request can be respected.
Can I view the app and use it on my iPhone?
Yes. We have found that it runs fast on 3G and
it is even fairly fast on the Edge network.
How do I request a certain number of shifts for a month?
In ShiftGen, each of you has a defined maximum
total shifts per month (a "ceiling") and a minimum total shifts per month (a "floor"). Month to month, it is easy
for the scheduler to modify these numbers. Having said that, on the request entry page, there is a text-box to
convey any particular message to your scheduler and you can request the number of shifts that you want to work in
a particular scheduling period. That request is subject to approval by the administrator, but the administrator will
have an easy way to view both your numeric request and any text based remarks you want to convey.
I used to mark "Unavailable for All" and then go clear
myself for certain days as appropriate. How do I do that now?
If you tend to have a highly constrained schedule,
you can enter a "time based request" for the whole day off for each of the 7 days in a week and save that as a
repeated request. Now, every time you select "Enter Requests" for a new schedule, this pre-populated state with
all shifts marked off every day of the month will pop up. You can then individually enter a shift request
indicating availability for those particular shifts on days that you are available
What happens if I do not enter a request for a particular
shift?
If you do not specifically enter a request to be
off or on for a particular shift, the system assumes you are available.
How can I stop the daily reminders to enter my schedule requests?
These daily reminders have been requested by your administrator.
The process of gathering requests from all users on the site is critical to timely schedule generation. You can stop these
reminders by entering your schedule requests for the schedule in question, clicking the "I'm Done Entering My Requests" button on the page. As long
as you select the "I'm Done Entering My Requests" button, the schedule request entry reminder messages will stop. Remember that anytime before the
schedule request due date (which is displayed at the tope of the request entry page), you can always modify your schedule requests
even if you have already selected the "I'm Done Entering My Requests" button.
Can I change my schedule requests after I hit the submit button?
Yes. You can change your schedule requests as
many times as you like up to the date the administrator closes the schedule to any further requests
Can I opt out of shift reminders and other messages?
For the large part, no. If that is an option amenable
to your modification, it will appear on your settings page. Generally, this is a parameter set by your schedule
administrator so you will have to direct such a request to your administrator.
Aside from email, how else can I receive messages?
You can indicate a preference for text messaging for
messages that have to do with items like a shift reminder. You enable this by altering your profile. You will
have to not only give us your mobile number, but also your service provider (i.e., ATT, Spring, Verizon, etc.).
Certain messages, such as when a schedule is published, are not amenable to view in a standard text message due
to the additional information embedded in the message or attachments.
How do I change my password, preferred name, contact
information?
Yes. Generally speaking, under the
"Settings" tab, anything that you are allowed to change is available for you to modify. You can also change
this through the login page that sends a secure message to your registered email account.
How do I view schedules for a particular scheduling
period?
Go to the "Schedules" tab and select "View Schedules"
How do I document a shift swap or change after a
schedule has been published?
Under the "Schedules" tab, select "Shift Changes".
You can then select whether you want to initiate a "swap" or simply give away or take a shift without a swap. The
application will then march you through the appropriate steps sending out a notification to involved parties as
appropriate (i.e., an email to reject or accept the proposed swap to the other individual involved in the swap).
When the other party involved in the change acknowledges the change by accepting or rejecting it, you will be
notified by an email.
How do I clock in and clock out for a shift?
Under the "Schedules" tab, select "Clock In/Out".
ShiftGen will present you with shifts that you have not clocked in for and shifts that you have clocked in for,
but have not clocked out. If you clock out on a shift at a time that exceeds the duration of the shift, you
will have the ability to submit a comment to your supervisor explaining why. The supervisor will then have
the option to approve the overtime request, modify it and approve it, or reject it outright.
Where can I see a listing of existing swaps and
changes?
Under the "Schedules" tab, select "Shift Changes".
You will see a list of proposed swaps or changes where you either initiated them or you are involved in the change
and are, therefore, expected to respond. A link on the page will allow you to quickly respond to the ones to which
you are expected to respond.
Can I split a shift with someone else rather than
doing the whole shift? If so, will it be tracked appropriately?
If you contact your supervisor about splitting
a shift, the supervisor can enter the split for you. You will receive credit for the fraction of a shift you worked
and that will be tracked accurately in ShiftGen. You can split a shift into whatever portion of the full shift
that you choose. If desired for some reason, the sum of hours over all of the splits of a shift can exceed the total
time of the original shift itself.
Can I print the schedule?
Under the "Schedules" tab, you select "View Schedules".
Any schedules available for view will have an option to print and you can even select a particular print range of
days over which to print the schedule. The default is to print the whole schedule. The printing utility will
generate a simple black print on white background version of the schedule that is formatted to generally fit on
one page, but may exceed one page depending upon the number shifts at your facility.
I just swapped a shift and my calendar feed isn't
updating my calendar correctly? What's happening
Each calendar application has an internal update
frequency. On your smart phone, this is often a setting on how often your phone or calendar application
pings our servers for updates. Default time delay is at least 15 minutes and may be more if you have
battery saving settings on that prevent frequent updates. There is another known issue that is specific to
Google Calendar where changes to your schedule do not show up even after waiting a generous amount of time.
This is a known issue with Google calendar and it has to do with caching. Caching is basically a way to
speed up web page delivery by remembering what it looked like before. Since the calendar feed is essentially
a web page returning an iCal file for Google calendar to parse, it is storing the web page results for all
Google users. That's why even if you delete the calendar feed calendar and try to re-add it, the missing
event will not show up, but loading it in Apple iCal or Outlook, will show that it appears as expected.
Work-Around Solution for Google Calendar Issues:
First and foremost, this is a Google issue that they have to fix. A workaround is to periodically add "?[random string of characters]" onto the end of the url string whenever an event fails to display. So, for example, it would be: [Your calendar feed url]?[any string of characters of any length]. You would do this only when you see a failure of an expected event to load even after waiting at least a few hours after the shift change has occurred. You would ideally change the random characters after the question mark and try not to rotate the string of characters that you use -- which should not be hard because the characters you add can be any random set of characters which includes numbers and letters. One easy option is to choose the current date using dashes instead of forward slashes. For example, you might use: [Your calendar feed url]?12-30-2013 The reason this works is that it makes Google calendar think this is a new url that it never has seen before so this essentially thwarts Google calendar from serving up a previously cached calendar page. IDEALLY, Google would fix this problem. However, it has been a known problem on the forums for many years and has yet to be fixed. So, in short, don't hold your breath.
Work-Around Solution for Google Calendar Issues:
First and foremost, this is a Google issue that they have to fix. A workaround is to periodically add "?[random string of characters]" onto the end of the url string whenever an event fails to display. So, for example, it would be: [Your calendar feed url]?[any string of characters of any length]. You would do this only when you see a failure of an expected event to load even after waiting at least a few hours after the shift change has occurred. You would ideally change the random characters after the question mark and try not to rotate the string of characters that you use -- which should not be hard because the characters you add can be any random set of characters which includes numbers and letters. One easy option is to choose the current date using dashes instead of forward slashes. For example, you might use: [Your calendar feed url]?12-30-2013 The reason this works is that it makes Google calendar think this is a new url that it never has seen before so this essentially thwarts Google calendar from serving up a previously cached calendar page. IDEALLY, Google would fix this problem. However, it has been a known problem on the forums for many years and has yet to be fixed. So, in short, don't hold your breath.