This article covers both adding several shifts to one staff member at once, and adding a single shift on a specific day.
Before you start
You need Scheduler or Administrator permissions for the community. If you can't find + Add New Shifts in a staff member's three-dot menu, ask an admin to update your role — see How to Manage User Permissions.
Manually added shifts save as drafts, only visible to Schedulers and Administrators, until you publish them. Staff don't see the shifts until you Publish them see — Apply Schedules vs Publishing Shifts.
If you find yourself adding the same shifts every period, add a recurring schedule for that staff member instead — Apply Schedules will then create those shifts each period. See How to Add Staff Schedules and Build the next schedule with Apply Schedules.
Add multiple shifts for one staff member
Use this when one person needs several shifts at once (e.g., a new hire ramping up over their first two weeks, a substitute covering a vacation, or filling a stretch the recurring schedule doesn't cover).
In the left sidebar, click Schedule.
Find the staff member's row, then click the three dots to the right of their name.
From the menu, click + Add New Shifts.
In the calendar, click each date you want to add a shift to. Click a date again to remove it from the selection.
Pick the Position the shifts are for.
Confirm the Assigned worker
Pick a Shift Template (a saved start/end time pairing — for example, "Day 7a–3p"). To use a one-off start/end time instead, enter a custom timeframe.
Optional: add Areas (the unit, station, or section the worker is covering), Assignments, or Notes.
Click Save.
Note: The Assigned Worker field is pre-filled with the staff member whose row you opened. Change it only if you started from the wrong row.
You'll see a new draft shift on each date you picked, in that staff member's row. Drafts only appear to Schedulers and Administrators until you publish them — see How to Publish the Schedule.
Note: The shifts will remain as drafts until you publish your schedule. To learn how to Publish Your Schedule, read the article here
Add a single shift on a specific day
Use this for a one-off (e.g., extra coverage on a busy day, a one-time shift for someone whose recurring schedule is already set, or filling a single gap).
In the left sidebar, click Schedule.
Find the staff member's row, then click the day you want to add the shift to.
In that cell, click the + icon.
Pick the Position for the shift.
Confirm the Assigned worker
Note: The Assigned Worker field is pre-filled with the staff member whose row you clicked. Change it only if you need a different person.
Pick a Shift Template (e.g., "Day 7a–3p"), or enter a custom timeframe.
Confirm the Date (it's pre-filled to the day you clicked).
Optional: add Areas, Incentive, Notes, or toggle if they are In training.
Click Save.
Note: The shifts will remain as drafts until you publish your schedule. To learn how to Publish Your Schedule, read the article here
Common questions
Q: What's the difference between manually adding shifts and using Apply Schedules?
A: Apply Schedules creates draft shifts in bulk from each staff member's recurring schedule — it's the routine first step each scheduling period. Manually adding shifts is for one-offs that fall outside those patterns (a new hire mid-period, extra coverage, a substitute, etc.). For the routine flow, see Build the next schedule with Apply Schedules.
Q: Can I add shifts for a staff member who doesn't have a recurring schedule set up?
A: Yes. Manually adding shifts works for any active staff member, with or without a recurring schedule. If you'll need to add their shifts every period, save the repeat work by setting up a schedule for them — see How to Add Staff Schedules.
Q: Can I add the same shift to several staff members at once?
A: No. Each manual add puts shifts on one staff member's row at a time. To put a similar shift across several staff members, repeat the flow for each one, or share an open shift to a group (see How to Share Open Shifts).
Q: I added a shift but I don't see it on the Schedule. Where is it?
A: Check the filters at the top of the Schedule page. If the Status filter is set to show only published shifts, your draft won't appear. The Position, Department, or Date Range filters can also hide the shift. See How to use the Schedule Filters.
Q: How do I change a manually added shift after I've saved it?
A: Open the shift on the Schedule and edit it the same way as any other shift. See How to Edit a Shift on your Schedule.