NOTE:
The Auto Publish feature should be enabled for sites that have no current/pending linked/shared shifts to the subcontractor. If there are already linked shifts that are already shared with the subcontractor and they are still unpublished/yellow status, the top company can delete the shifts, create the shifts again, and auto-publish them. Please make sure to communicate the enabling of this feature to your subcontractor before enabling it.
As this is a new feature, there may be scenarios where certain steps will have to be taken to ensure a smooth transition to using this feature. Please reach out to your success manager or the GH support team for assistance.
The shift-sharing feature has undeniably shortened the rostering process for companies using subcontractors. There are real-time updates on both ends transparency to parties involved. However, sometimes top companies face challenges when shifts they are expecting to be published at certain times remain unpublished on the subcontractor's end. This prompts them to follow up on the status of the shifts given to subcontractors.
To address this issue, the auto-publish of linked shifts was added. This feature aims to:
- Ensure that all shared shifts are published allowing guards can confirm or reject the shifts early in the week.
- Bring back control of shift and schedule management to the top companies, as they are responsible to their clients for any missed shifts.
Here's how the feature will work on the Top Company's end and how the changes will reflect on the Subcontractor's end.
TOP COMPANY
- Under Organization > Subcontractor > Linked Subcontractor > Site Sharing, the view was changed to include an option to enable Auto-publish of shifts for a shared site, in addition to the Share and Delegate options.
- On the Schedule page, create shifts normally. Allocate the shift to a subcontractor if you would like to share a blank shift. For auto-published shifts, allocate a shared staff. There will be a green⚡icon beside the subcontractor's name and the shared staff's name to indicate that auto-publish is in effect.
- Save and share the shifts as usual.
SUBCONTRACTOR
- On the Subcontractor's end, there will be no changes on the Customer and Sites page. The "Linked" icon will remain as the indicator of shared sites.
- On the Schedule page, auto-published shifts will be displayed as linked with the orange/published status.
- There will be a green⚡ icon beside the name of the shared site and shared staff to indicate that the shift was auto-published. Hovering over the icon will display details.
- Notifications of shared shifts will go out to the subcontractor as normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can subcontractors still change the guard allocated by the top company to a shared shift?
A: No, when the auto publish is enabled. The rationale behind this is that the guards working on the shared sites are the same every time, and the guard allocated by the top company is the preferred staff of the top company and/or their clients. If the allocated guard is not available, the subcontractor will need to contact the top company to make the change.
Q: Are notes going to be shared with auto published shifts?
A: Yes. Position notes, Short notes, and Long notes will still be shared.
Q: Will the shift history of auto-published shifts be available on the subcontractor end?
A: No, at this time. The shift history will be disabled on the subcontractor's end for all shared shifts as all changes will be done through the top company.
Q: As the top company, can we still publish both normal linked shifts and auto-published shifts?
A: Yes, this will depend on the set-up per subcontractor. A notification will be displayed before the shifts are shared with the subcontractors.
Q: For subcontractors who are also subcontracting the work, how will the auto-published shifts appear on their end?
A: In the case of multiple-tier shift sharing, the auto-published shift will show as published on the third tier (subcontractor's subcontractor) end as published as well. However, the subcontractor (second tier) should make sure that the auto-publish feature is also enabled on their end for their subcontractor (third tier) for a smooth sharing of shifts.