This article was last reviewed on November 7, 2023.
Admin and Managers using the Business version of Sling have access to an auto-assign function. The auto-assign button also includes the option to make unassigned shifts available, which is available in all versions of Sling.
Sling's auto-assigning feature helps you schedule faster by taking the unassigned shifts you've created and assigning them to employees based on their unavailability and time off. It matches shifts to employees' positions and locations, ensuring they are compatible.
To use the Auto-Assign Feature, make sure you are viewing the date range you want to assign, and apply any filters to hide or show certain parts of the schedule.
For access to the auto-assigning function, you must have at least one unassigned shift within your schedule page.
When you're ready to distribute your unassigned shifts with the employees in view, click the Auto icon and choose the Auto-assign option.
Next, you can indicate whether you wish to allow Sling to assign multiple shifts to an employee for a single date. If you do not want to allow this, simply leave the box unchecked. Once you are ready, click to Proceed.
Once you click to proceed, Sling will do all the work in a matter of seconds!
Remember, employees will not receive notifications for any new shifts assigned to them until those shifts have been published to the schedule. So if you need to make changes once Sling auto-assigns the shifts, as long as they are unpublished you can do so without notifying the employee.
Good to know:
It is possible to auto-assign a selection of unassigned shifts. Select the shifts you want to assign by hovering over them in the web app, clicking the box that appears at the left of the shift block, and the feature will only take the selected shifts into account.
Sling will also take filters into account. So you will always only auto-assign what is visible on the schedule and only to those employees who are currently visible.
Sling will always let you assign shifts manually if there are any conflicts. Schedulers will need to pay close attention to the option for Sling to show conflicts, and then also for messages regarding any conflicts that come up when auto-assigning.
If you're not satisfied with the result, you can always revert these assignments by clicking the undo button located near the top right of your schedule grid.
At the moment, this feature works best if you isolate one Position at a time to distribute shifts.
Helpful links
Not sure what the difference is between unassigned and available shifts? Check here for more details.
Need a refresher for how to apply filters in the schedule page? Go here.
Are there employees you need to designate as managers so that they can create, edit, and delete shifts from your company's schedule? Check here for more info.
Review details for publishing shifts here. If you only need to publish specific shifts, check here instead.
Not seeing what you need? Use the chat icon in the lower right of your Sling web app to reach Sling Support, or send us an email for more assistance.