Publishing Schedules
Make your schedule visible to employees and send notifications so everyone knows when they're working.
Draft vs Published
Schedules exist in two states:
Draft
- • Only visible to managers
- • Can be edited freely
- • Employees don't see it yet
- • No notifications sent
Published
- • Visible to all employees
- • Changes trigger notifications
- • Shows in employee apps
- • Syncs to calendars
How to Publish a Schedule
- 1
Review your schedule
Check for coverage gaps, unassigned shifts, and conflicts
- 2
Click the Publish button
Find it in the top right of the schedule view
[Screenshot: Publish button location] - 3
Choose notification options
Select how to notify employees:
- 4
Add an optional message
Include any notes or reminders for your team
- 5
Click "Publish Schedule"
Your schedule goes live and notifications are sent
Pre-Publish Validation
Before publishing, SimpleStaff checks for potential issues:
Blocking Issues
Must be fixed before publishing: unassigned shifts, double-booked employees, rule violations
Warnings
Can publish with warnings: coverage below minimum, overtime hours, late schedule
Ready to Publish
All checks passed, schedule is ready
Making Changes After Publishing
Need to update a published schedule? Here's what happens:
Minor Edits
Small changes like updating shift notes:
- • Make the change directly
- • Affected employees are notified automatically
Shift Changes
Time changes, cancellations, or reassignments:
- • Make your changes
- • Click "Publish Updates"
- • Choose to notify all or only affected employees
- • Add a reason for the change (optional)
Major Revisions
Significant schedule changes:
- • Click "Unpublish" to revert to draft mode
- • Make all your changes
- • Publish again when ready
Important
Employees see changes in real-time once published. Communicate significant changes proactively!
Publishing Settings
Configure publishing behavior in Team Settings → Publishing:
Publish Deadline
Remind managers to publish X days before the schedule week
Auto-Publish
Automatically publish the schedule on a specific day
Default Notifications
Pre-select notification methods when publishing
What Employees See
When you publish, employees receive:
Push Notification
"Your schedule for Dec 9-15 is ready! You have 5 shifts totaling 32 hours."
Email Summary
Weekly schedule overview with all shifts, times, and your message
Calendar Sync
Shifts automatically appear in their synced calendar apps
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Need help with publishing?
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