Before you start
Staff set their own preferences in the Veras mobile app. A Scheduler cannot set preferences for someone else.
Preferences must be set before they show up on the assign open-shifts screen — the staff step comes first.
Preferences are a guide, not a rule. Veras never blocks you from assigning a shift a staff member marked unavailable.
To assign shifts, you need scheduling permissions (Schedulers and Administrators).
Staff: Set schedule preferences in the Veras app
Staff: Set schedule preferences in the Veras app
This part is for staff. You set your own preferences on your phone. A Scheduler can't set them for you — each person marks their own preferred and unavailable times, and Veras considers them when building the schedule.
Open the Veras app. On the home screen, tap Schedule at the bottom.
On the Schedule tab, tap the three-dot menu in the top right.
Tap Manage Schedule Preferences.
On the Schedule preferences calendar, tap the day you want to set.
Choose Preferred for a time you want to work, or Unavailable for a time you can't work.
Set the Starts and Ends times for that preference.
To apply the same preference to future days, turn on Repeat, then set Repeat Every and an optional Repeat Until date.
Tap Add Preference to save.
Your saved preferences show on the calendar — green for preferred days, red for unavailable days.
Schedulers: Assign open shifts by preferences on the web
Schedulers: Assign open shifts by preferences on the web
This part is for Schedulers and Administrators. You assign open shifts from the Schedule page. Once a staff member has set preferences, you'll see them right on the assign screen. To create the open shifts you're assigning, see Build the next schedule with Create Schedules.
In the left sidebar, click Schedule.
Find the staff member's row, then click the three-dot menu next to their name.
Click Assign open shifts.
Read the grid in the Assign open shifts window. The Scheduled Shifts row shows shifts already assigned to this person. The Preferences row shows the times they picked. Each row below is an open shift they can work, based on their role.
Read the preference colors. Green marks a preferred time. Red marks an unavailable time. A blank box means no preference was set. Hover over a marker to see the exact time, and scroll right to see more dates.
To narrow the open shifts to one part of the building, click Select area and pick an area.
Click a + box to select an open shift for that day. Veras shows how the shift matches the staff member's preferences, but it does not block you — you can still assign a shift on an unavailable or non-preferred day.
When you've selected every shift you want, click Assign shifts. The button shows how many shifts you've picked.
You'll see an Assigned [number] shifts message. The shifts appear on the staff member's row on the Schedule, and the open-shift count drops. To change a shift after assigning it, see How to Edit a Shift on your Schedule.
Common questions
Q: Can a Scheduler set a staff member's preferences for them?
A: No. Each staff member sets their own preferences in the Veras app. Preferences have to be set before they appear on the assign-shifts screen.
Q: Does marking a time "unavailable" stop me from assigning that shift?
A: No. Preferences are a guide, not a rule. Veras shows how a shift matches the person's preferences but still lets you assign it, so use your judgment.
Q: What do the colors on the Preferences row mean?
A: Green means the staff member prefers to work that time. Red means they're unavailable. A blank box means they set no preference for that date.
Q: A staff member set preferences, but I don't see them on the assign screen. Why?
A: Check that the preference saved in the app — a green or red marker should show on their calendar. Then confirm you're looking at the right dates and scroll right to see more. Preferences only appear after they're saved.
Q: Can staff set a preference that repeats?
A: Yes. When adding a preference, turn on Repeat, then choose how often it repeats and an optional end date.
Q: I need to take a worker off a shift, or share it out instead. Where do I do that?
A: Assign open shifts only adds shifts. To pull a worker off a shift or hand a shift to the team, see How to Fill an Open Shift and How to Share Open Shifts.