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Managing your availability

The Availability tab is how you tell your agency when you can work. Recruiters and schedulers use this information to plan shifts and contact you about suitable work.

Opening Availability​

Click Availability in the sidebar. You can switch between Month and Year views. The calendar uses the legend at the top of the page to show what is recorded against each date:

  • Available - dates you have told the agency you can work.
  • Unavailable - dates you have marked as unavailable.
  • Booked - dates where you are already booked.
  • Annual Leave - holiday or planned annual leave.
  • Sickness - sickness absence.
  • Training - training days.
  • Interview - interview commitments.
  • Compliance - compliance-related activity.
  • Personal Leave - personal leave.
  • Other - any other absence or availability event type.
  • Bank Holiday - public or bank holidays shown on the calendar.

Dates with no coloured marker do not currently have an availability or absence event recorded.

Setting recurring weekly availability​

The fastest way to keep your availability up to date is to set a recurring weekly pattern, then make exceptions only when something changes.

  1. Click Set weekly pattern at the top.
  2. For each day of the week, choose your default:
    • All day available.
    • Available within hours (specify start and end).
    • Unavailable.
  3. Click Update availability.

The pattern is applied to every future week until you change it.

Declaring specific dates​

To override the recurring pattern for a single date:

  1. Click the day on the calendar.
  2. Pick the new status.
  3. Optionally add a note (for example, Only available after 2pm).
  4. Save.

The day now shows your override instead of the default.

Marking holiday or sick leave​

For longer periods off (a holiday or planned leave):

  1. Click Add absence at the top.
  2. Pick the type: Holiday, Sick leave or Other.
  3. Choose the start and end dates.
  4. Optionally add a note.
  5. Save.

The affected dates use the relevant leave or absence colour from the calendar legend. If you're already booked into shifts during the period, your recruiter is notified so they can find cover.

How your agency sees this​

The availability you set in the portal flows straight into your agency's Scheduling views. Your agency sees it instantly, and it also contributes to you becoming qualified and available for matching work. When a recruiter is looking for someone for a shift, candidates who are available on that day appear first in their search. Schedulers use the same data to fill rosters.

More availability, more work

The more days you're available, the more shifts your agency can offer you. If your situation changes (a new course, a child-care arrangement), update the calendar straight away so you don't get offered work you can't do.

The impact on shift bookings​

If you mark yourself unavailable on a day you're already booked into a shift, the portal warns you and your recruiter is alerted. You should also message your recruiter directly to confirm what you'd like to happen with the existing shift.