Overview
Shiftlab’s automation tools allow you to generate optimized schedules using your company’s rules, forecasting data, and employee preferences. Automation ensures consistency, labor efficiency, and alignment with your company’s scheduling standards.
When to Use This
Use automated scheduling when:
Employee availability and preferences are already entered
Your company has configured scheduling rules, labor targets, or forecasting settings
You want to quickly generate a full weekly schedule
You need a data-driven, optimized schedule with minimal manual adjustments
Step-by-Step Instructions
Video Instruction
Before using automation, make sure:
All employee preferences are added
Required rules and parameters are set by your Company Admin
Forecasting data is ready (Shiftlab uses this to place the right roles at the right times)
1. Run Auto-Build
Open the schedule you want to automate.
Select Auto Build.
A list of employees assigned to the location will appear.
Check the employees who should be scheduled for the week.
Uncheck anyone who should not be included.
Example: A district manager listed at the location can be unchecked if they are not working that week.
Select Generate Schedule.
Confirm by selecting OK.
Shiftlab will then create the most optimized schedule possible based on forecasting, rules, coverage requirements, and company standards.
2. Review the Automated Schedule
Automated shifts appear with a circled “A” icon.
If you manually edit a shift, the circled “A” is removed to indicate the shift has been modified.
Key Definitions
Automation (Auto Build): Shiftlab’s scheduling engine that builds a data-driven schedule using rules, preferences, roles, and forecasted demand.
Forecasting: Predicted traffic, sales, or workload used to optimize shift placement.
Preferences: Employee availability and scheduling requests that guide automated decisions.
Circled “A”: A visual marker showing that a shift was automatically generated.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
What is Auto Scheduling?
Auto Scheduling is a feature that builds optimized schedules based on demand forecasts. It automatically places shifts on the most effective days and times, assigning them to the best-suited employees to maximize performance and profitability—all with a single click.
How does Auto Scheduling work?
Shiftlab automatically assigns shifts while taking into account:
Store hours
Required opening and closing time
Weekly and daily employee hour limits
Hourly business demand patterns
Top performer rankings
Employee unavailability and approved days off
Compliance rules such as breaks and coverage requirements
Shiftlab combines all of this information to build the strongest performance-based schedule possible.
Are store hours accounted for in scheduling automation?
Yes. Store hours are fully considered when Shiftlab generates your schedule.
Will opening and closing shifts include extra time?
Yes. ShiftLab factors in required prep and closing time based on your store’s configuration (e.g., openers arrive 15 minutes early, closers stay 30 minutes late).
Will someone always be scheduled while my store is open?
Yes — unless your company admin has configured rules differently, at least one employee will be scheduled during all open hours.
How are breaks scheduled?
Break rules are set at the company level (e.g., “all shifts over 6 hours get a 30-minute break”). Automation applies breaks during the slowest periods of the day.
Can I edit an automated schedule?
Absolutely. You can adjust any shift after the schedule has been generated.
How do I schedule floating employees?
Schedule the employee in their primary store first. When you navigate to their secondary location, auto-build will work around the shifts already assigned in other stores.
Are employee scheduling preferences included?
Shiftlab currently honors PTO and Days Off. Time-specific preferences (e.g., “cannot work after 3 PM”) may require minor adjustments after auto-building.
How does automation handle time-off requests?
Use your internal process to request and approve PTO outside of Shiftlab.
Enter the PTO shifts manually into the schedule.
If an employee is out for the entire week, simply deselect them before running auto-build.
Shiftlab will work around manually entered PTO and Days Off.
How often are top performers evaluated?
Rankings update in real time with every sale reported from your POS—meaning performance is continuously evaluated.
Who can I contact with questions about automation?
You can reach the Shiftlab Support team anytime via the in-app chat. We’re always happy to help!