Overview

This article describes how to make and publish your first schedule from a computer. While you can also use your mobile device (iPhone, iPad, or Android phone) to start scheduling, we recommend using a computer because the extra screen size greatly speeds up the process.

If you’re an employee and need to get your schedule via When I Work, register with your workplace to get started.

Before you begin

• Check out our introduction to scheduling.
• If you haven’t used When I Work before, sign up for a free account.
• Consider setting up separate schedules in When I Work before you continue. You might want to set up multiple schedules if your business operates out of different physical locations/regions or you want to build separate schedules for different teams/departments.

Step 1: Sign in to When I Work

Step 2: Add positions

Positions tag employees and shifts to a particular duty or skill. For example, a restaurant might have separate positions for cashier, waiter, and cook. Keeping employees and shifts separated by position helps you ensure that your business has the skill coverage that you need.

Create a position for each type of employee that works in your business.

Step 3: Add employees

Now you’re ready to add your employees. There are several ways to add employees:

• Add employees one at a time: Use this method if you know your employees’ contact information (email address and phone number).
• Import multiple employees at the same time: Use this method if you know your employees’ contact information (email address and phone number) and you want to save time entering a lot of employees.
• Tell your employees to register with your When I Work account:
  • Use this option if you don’t know your employees’ contact information.
  • When employees register without being explicitly invited, you must approve their accounts.

Step 4: Create shift templates

Shift templates let you easily schedule shifts that consistently start and end at the same time. With shift templates, you can schedule a shift with a single click!

Create a shift template for each standard shift at your business. We recommend tagging shift templates to a particular position to make sure your business has the right coverage.

Step 5: Schedule shifts for a week

Use the scheduler to add shifts to your first weekly schedule.

Step 6: Publish the schedule

When your weekly schedule is complete, publish the schedule to notify your staff about their shifts.

Next steps

Now that you’ve scheduled your first week, you might want to:

• Create a schedule template based on this week.
• Add OpenShifts to create shifts that can be picked up by eligible employees.
• Encourage your employees to add their availability preferences from the web app, iPhone/iPad, or Android phone. You can also add their availability preferences for them. Employees’ availability preferences can help you decide when to schedule their shifts.
• Use the shift confirmation feature to determine whether employees have seen their shifts.
• Configure your company logo and preferences in the General Settings.