Shift optimization rules overview

When an employee request that adds or removes time from a shift Work period in WFM that has a definite length. is approved, the system checks whether to apply a shift optimization rule.

Shift optimization rules determine the circumstances under which working or non-working shift events in the shift assignment are optimized. According to a defined shift template, shift optimization rules place shift events in the optimal time slots in the updated shift assignment.

Shift optimization rules avoid the manual process of reviewing each shift after the approval of a request that results in a longer or shorter shift. These rules also take advantage of the shifts you already use in your environment to determine the number and placement of shift events within the updated shifts.

Shift optimization of non-working shift events

When a shift optimization rule is applied to a shift with non-working shift events, all existing shift events are removed from the shift, and the non-working shift events defined in the rule are placed in the optimal time slots in the updated shift.

There could be a scenario where the original shift does not have any non-working shift events, but the system places non-working shifts in the shift after applying the shift optimization rule.

Shift optimization of working shift events

When a shift optimization rule is applied to a shift with working shift events, the system first checks whether the shift template defined in the rule contains the same activity Core component of both schedules and time records in Workforce Management (WFM). When an employee performs any kind of work, activities specify the scheduled work and capture employee adherence to their schedule. as each working shift event Time period in WFM when employees are scheduled for specific activities, other than the main shift activity. Shift events can either be productive or unproductive, and can be associated with activities such as Phone, Email, Break and Lunch..

At this point, one of the following occurs:

If the defined shift template does not contain the working shift event activity, the system does not apply the shift optimization rule for that activity. The scenario usually occurs because this working shift event is an exception that was added manually by a user or process, and therefore, the system does not undo these updates by applying an optimization rule.
If the defined shift template does contain the working shift event activity, the system applies the rule, merging the working shift event activity with any other working shift events that exist in the shift and not in the template.

The system first removes the event from the original shift, and then places it back into the shift in potentially a different time slot and order, according to the shift event rules. For example, it is possible that according to the rule, the event needs to be placed on top of another working shift event. However, the system cannot schedule two overlapping working shift events. Therefore, the solution is that the system merges these two working shift events together, which can be done by making one shift event shorter to fit in the other shift event.

If non-working shift events are also selected to be optimized, the system adds any new non-working shift events that are defined by the shift template.

Request types to which shift optimization rules are applied

Any or all request types can be included in a shift optimization rule. These rules are effective regardless of how the request is approved (whether by auto processing approval, manual approval, or waitlist scan).

Except for Shift Request & Change, all request types can include withdrawals in the rule. When a Shift Request and Change withdrawal is approved, the original shift is restored.

Different shift optimization rules can apply to each side of a shift swap request, due to different shift lengths or organization assignments for the employees.

Shift optimization rules do not apply to schedule changes using other tools and system features, such as Mass Schedule Editor Tool in WFM that allows adding, editing or deleting scheduled events by filtering and grouping calendar information. This grouping allows you to make multiple edits for scheduled events. or Schedule Import.

Shift optimization rules effect on adjustable breaks

If the shift in the shift optimization rule contains the same adjustable break as the flex time or shift request and change, the adjustable break is optimized. The shortened break duration from the request is not updated. However, the start time can change.
If the shift in the shift optimization rule contains a different adjustable break from the flex time request or shift request and change, the adjustable break is removed.

Adjustable break activities are created when the Allow Extensions field is set to Yes, treat as an adjustable break. (This field is on the Activity Details page, under the Request Management Usage section.)

Shift optimization rules effect on gaps

After shift optimization runs on a request for an extension in a gap during the shift, the shortened gap and its start time are not changed. An exception to this behavior is if the extension starts at the beginning of a gap. In this case, the gap start time is different. Each split shift is optimized separately. A different shift optimization rule can be applied to each split.

In addition to shift/overtime gaps, you can have custom gap activities. These activities are created with the Allow Extensions field set to Yes, treat as a shift gap. (This field is on the Activity Details page, under the Request Management Usage section.)

An extension can be requested during either a shift/overtime gap or a custom gap activity in the following:

Flex time requests
Shift swap requests
Swap postings to pick up a shift
Shift requests and changes

In shift bidding Feature in WFM that allows employees to submit requests (bids) for selected shift assignments. requests, an extension can be requested only in a shift/overtime gap.

Conflict checking when a rule is created

When a shift optimization rule is created for an organization, the system checks to see if the new rule conflicts with an existing rule. A conflict occurs when the request type matches and the continuous shift length overlaps.

If the status of the existing rule is changed to inactive, another rule can be created in the same organization with a matching request type (or types) and an overlapping continuous shift length. If the status of the existing rule is changed back to active, the system identifies a conflict and prevents the status change.

Rule selection during the approval process

Both a parent organization and a sub-organization can create a rule with matching request types and overlapping shift lengths.

When a request is being processed for approval, the shift optimization rule created in the nearest organization to the employee's organization is selected. The selected rule could have been created in either the employee's organization or another organization higher in the organization scope tree.