Overview
This article provides recommended practices for District Leaders who build schedules across multiple stores. These steps help streamline scheduling, reduce manual corrections, and keep store managers involved in the process.
When to Use This
When District Leaders build or oversee schedules across multiple locations
When using Shiftlab’s schedule approval workflow
When coordinating schedule inputs from Store Managers (preferences, unavailability, PTO)
When preparing schedules for high-volume periods
Step-by-Step Instructions
Use the Schedule Approval Process
Ensure Store Managers build their weekly schedules by a designated deadline.
Instruct managers to keep adjustments minimal (for example, no more than three edits to Shiftlab’s automated schedule).
Require unavailability and PTO submissions to respect high-demand days.
After managers finish building schedules, review each store’s schedule.
Provide feedback if adjustments are required.
Toggle the schedule to Approved once finalized.
After approval, only District Leaders and higher roles can make further changes.
Tip: Use this feature heavily during high-volume periods (e.g., Q4). Build schedules weeks in advance and lock them after approval.
Involve Store Managers Through Preferences (If Not Using Approvals)
Allow managers to enter preferences, even if they have View Only schedule permissions.
Set a consistent weekly deadline for all unavailability and PTO submissions.
Example: If you build schedules on Wednesday, require submissions by Monday.
When you begin scheduling:
Review and approve or deny availability requests.
Confirm all submissions before schedule creation.
Select Auto-Build to generate the optimized schedule once manager inputs are complete.
This approach reduces external communication (emails, texts) and keeps all schedule-related activity inside Shiftlab.
Key Details & Definitions
Schedule Approval Process: A workflow that allows Store Managers to build schedules and District Leaders to finalize and lock them.
Preferences: Employee schedule preferences added by Store Managers for visibility during scheduling.
Unavailability: Time frames when an employee cannot work.
PTO Requests: Paid or unpaid time off submissions that must be reviewed before building a schedule.
Auto-Build: Shiftlab’s automated scheduling tool that uses demand and availability to build optimized schedules.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Why can Store Managers with View Only access still add preferences?
Store Managers maintain the ability to enter employee preferences to support accurate scheduling, even without edit permissions.
What happens if a Store Manager misses the submission deadline?
Their requests may not be reflected in the schedule. You may choose to deny late requests to maintain consistency.
Can schedules be edited after approval?
Yes, but only by District Leaders or higher. This prevents unauthorized changes after finalization.
Should approval be used every week?
Yes. It creates consistency, protects schedule integrity, and speeds up multi-store scheduling.
Related Articles
Schedule Approval Workflow
Managing Availability and PTO
Auto-Build Scheduling Guide