New Shifts: View and Sign up for Shifts

New Shifts: View and Sign up for Shifts

Filtering and Viewing Shifts

Important Note: In 2024, iCarol released an update to the Shifts feature within iCarol. This update includes a mobile responsive design, modernized and simplified workflows, and enhancements for filtering and viewing the Shift Calendar. iCarol Support is working with individual customers to upgrade their Shifts to the new functionality. The instructions below are specific to the Shifts upgrade. If your iCarol system has not yet been upgraded, please view the legacy Shifts knowledge base articles

  1. Not all Shifts are available to every volunteer-staff user. If Program Restrictions are enabled, some Shifts may only be available to Volunteer-Staff users in the same Program. Other Shifts may be limited to those who can sign up for “On Call” shifts. When a volunteer-staff user clicks on Shifts from the left menu, they will see all Shifts available to that user, based on their permissions.

  2. Volunteer-Staff users may choose to filter displayed shifts. Filtering Shifts can make it easier to locate desired shifts. Supported filters include:

    • Programs, if Program restrictions is enabled 
    • Shift Template Name
    • Time Span including Any Time, Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Over Night
    • Shift Type including Normal Shifts and On Call / Support Worker
    • Shift Duration including shifts that are less than 1 hour, 1 to 4 hours, 4 to 8 hours, or more than 8 hours
  3. In addition, Volunteer-Staff users may choose to enhance filters by the following:
    • My Shifts
    • Open Shifts
    • Training Shifts

Or, quickly open the details of a Shift they are already signed up for from the filter menu



Tip: Select the “My Shifts” filter, then the “Month” or “Planner” view to view your Shift Calendar.

Example of Shift Filters



Viewing Shift Details on the Calendar

All shifts displayed on the Shift calendar include basic information:

  • Color and Icon as defined on the Shift Template
  • Number of people signed up for or assigned to the Shift, and the total number of Shift Workers needed (e.g. “0/2” means zero of the 2 people needed for this Shift have signed up; “1/2” means 1 of 2 people needed have signed up)

  • Start time of the Shift, in your iCarol System time (e.g. “2:00 p.m.”)
  • Shift Template Name (e.g. “Weekday Afternoons”, “Crisis Line”, “Follow Up Program”)
  • Names of volunteer-staff user(s) signed up for the shift                                                                                                              

  • Hand icon identifies shifts with a substitution request.

  • Faded shifts are shifts with start times in the past

  • (Month View) Calendar icon identifies days with open shifts, if there is no calendar icon all shifts are filled. The icon will be grey for any shift 7 days or greater into the future, or red if its within 7 days.
 
  • (Month & Planner View) When more Shifts exist in a single day, than can be displayed a link will be displayed. (e.g. “+2 more”, “+5”). Clicking on the “more” link will display a list of all Shifts for that day

 

TIP: Additional ways to use the Month and Planner view

  1. Quickly identify shifts with substitution requests: The “Hand with Heart” icon shows.


  1. Get a quick view of “My Shifts”: Enable the filter “My Shifts”, to see just your shifts on the Month or Planner view


  1. View your annual Training Shift schedule: Enable the filter “Training Shifts” to see just the shifts which are for training throughout the year. (Note: Two Shift Templates were used to create this Training Shift schedule, one for the Spring months and another for the Fall)



Vol-Staff Signing Up Shifts

Volunteers and staff user can sign up for Shifts available to them from the Shift calendar based on their permissions.

 To sign up for a shift:

  1. Log into iCarol as a user with access to Shifts
  2. Click on “Shifts” from the left menu
  3. Navigate to and/or apply any filters to find the desired Shift
  4. Click on the displayed Shift to open the Shift Details view
  5. Click on  “Sign up” button
  6. If the Shift start time is soon, you may be asked to “Confirm”




Export Shift to your external Calendar

If you would like to export the Shift to your external Calendar, such as Microsoft Outlook, Google, etc. you can click on “Export” to download a universal .ics file, which can create the appointment on your Calendar.

 To download the Shift

  1. Log into iCarol as a user with access to Shifts
  2. Click on “Shifts” from the left menu
  3. Navigate to and/or apply any filters to find the desired Shift
  4. Click on the displayed Shift to open the Shift Details view for any shift you are assigned
  5. Click on   “Export” to download the “ics” file of the Shift
  6. Open the downloaded file using your preferred Calendar tool (Note: Double clicking will often open the file in your default calendar)

 Shift Substitution

Based on Shift calendar settings, users may request a Shift substitution where they are still assigned to the Shift until someone else accepts the request.

 When there is a Substitution request for a Shift, a “hand with heart” icon will display with the Shift on the Calendar.

 


To request a Shift substitution (when available):

  1. Log into iCarol as a user with access to Shifts
  2. Click on “Shifts” from the left menu
  3. Navigate to and/or apply any filters to find the desired Shift
  4. Click on the displayed Shift to open the Shift Details view
  5. Click on  “Substitution” button
  6. If the Shift start time is soon, you may be asked to “Confirm”

 

To cancel a Shift substitution request (when available):

  1. Log into iCarol as a user with access to Shifts
  2. Click on “Shifts” from the left menu
  3. Navigate to and/or apply any filters to find the desired Shift
  4. Click on the displayed Shift to open the Shift Details view
  5. Click on  “Cancel pending substitution” button
  6. If the Shift start time is soon, you may be asked to “Confirm”

Accept Substitution Request

  1. Log into iCarol as a user with access to Shifts
  2. Click on “Shifts” from the left menu
  3. Navigate to and/or apply any filters to find the desired Shift
  4. Hand icon identifies shifts with a substitution request.                                                                                                                                                                                                                
  5. Click on the displayed Shift to open the Shift Details view
  6. Click on   “Calender button to assign the shift to yourself
  7. If the Shift start time is soon, you may be asked to “Confirm”

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