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Shift preferences

A shift preference lets an employee tell the scheduler which shift template they would like on a specific day. The preference is a soft constraint - Smart Schedule tries to honour it, but it may still assign a different shift if that's the only way to cover staffing needs.

Preferences use the Preferred shift request type, which is created automatically by WFM during installation. They are auto-accepted - no manager approval is needed.

Submit a shift preference

  1. Open + Add Request as you would for any other request (from the Dashboard, your schedule, or People > Requests).
  2. Select the request type Preferred shift.
  3. Pick the Workplace, then the Shift template you prefer (e.g., "FO Poranna 08:30-16:30").
  4. Choose the Date the preference applies to.
  5. Add a description if needed.
  6. Save.

The request is accepted immediately. The list of requests now shows it with its abbreviation (default PRF).

Note

Submit the preference before Smart Schedule generates the plan for that period. If a plan covering that date is already generated, WFM shows a warning - the preference is still saved but the solver will only consider it when you re-run Smart Schedule.

How preferences affect the schedule

When Smart Schedule runs, it evaluates each accepted preference:

  • If it can place the employee on the preferred shift template on that date without breaking any hard constraint (contract, skills, allowed shifts, vacations, other workplace shifts), it will.
  • If the only way to cover the needs is to assign a different shift, the preference is not honoured.
  • Preferences whose date falls outside the period, whose shift is not allowed at the workplace, or which overlap an approved vacation are ignored.

Check whether a preference was fulfilled

The Requests list and the Requests tab on an employee detail include a Fulfilled column for Preferred shift requests:

  • Yes - The solver assigned the requested shift template on that date.
  • No - The preference was saved but no matching shift was assigned (either the plan has not yet been generated, or the solver chose a different shift to cover needs).

The Fulfilled value is recomputed every time Smart Schedule runs over a period that contains the preference.