Prepare the cleaning team and availability

Prepare team capacity before creating tasks. In Holidario, a cleaning employee and an external provider do not follow the same availability rules.

Requirements#

• The agency plan must include the cleaning and HR modules.
• Only someone with permission to manage employees, schedules, and time off can make these changes.
• Every employee who will receive cleanings must be Active and hold the Cleaning position.
• An external provider needs its own record. If they will also use Holidario, complete Give an external cleaning provider access.

Front desk staff may review planning they are authorized to see, but they must not change the team roster, shifts, or time off.

1. Check the cleaning roster#

1. Open HR > Employees.
2. Enable the active employee filter and, if needed, the cleaner filter.
3. Confirm each person's name, Active status, Cleaning position, and a recognizable nickname.
4. Correct duplicate or inactive records before planning.

If the list is empty, create the employees first. An agency user does not become a cleaner merely by having team access: they also need an employee record and the appropriate position.

2. Define the week's shifts#

Expand the Shift planner on the employee list:

1. Select an employee name when you need to open their record; the link uses the usual employee-profile access controls.
2. Select the correct week; the period runs Monday through Sunday.
3. Choose a shift type or Off.
4. Apply the shift to each employee and day cell.
5. For a split shift, complete both the second start and second end.
6. Identify cells for vacation, sick leave, or another approved absence and cells showing a holiday name. These cells do not accept shifts while the absence remains blocked.
7. Review the entire grid and select Save shifts.
8. Wait for the update message, then reload the same week to verify the result.

Validation requires each end time to be after its start time. If you use a second segment, both times must be present and its start must be after the first segment ends.

Painting one cell, filling a column or row, Fill empty days, Apply to everyone, Apply to selected, and copying a week all skip blocked dates. The server checks approved time off and holidays again when saving.

2.1. Override an absence to assign a shift#

A blocked day can be unlocked when the agency still has to cover it, for example a public holiday worked in high season:

1. On a blocked cell, select Override.
2. For a person's whole week, use the padlock on their row.
3. For an entire team day, use the padlock in that column header.
4. The cell opens for editing and keeps a notice showing the reason for the absence.
5. Assign the shift and select Save shifts.

The counter below the grid shows how many shifts remain assigned over an absence. To undo it, press the padlock or the cell padlock again: the override is cancelled and that cell's shift is removed.

An override affects only the overridden cell. The time-off record is not modified, and the rest of the week stays blocked. If an older schedule already contains a shift on a date that is now blocked, the cell shows the conflict: apply Off to remove it, or Override if the assignment was intentional.

Check the applicable employment law before overriding sick leave, maternity leave, or any protected absence. Holidario records the agency's decision but does not assess whether it is lawful.

You can also open an employee record and review Work schedules for a specific week. Use the schedule PDF when you need an operational copy, and always check the printed week.

3. Record time off#

From Employee > Work schedules, find the time-off section:

1. Select Add time off.
2. Enter the start and end dates; both dates are inclusive.
3. Choose the time-off type.
4. Set the correct status and save.
5. Confirm that the record appears under the expected year.

Only Approved time off blocks availability used by automatic distribution. Pending or rejected time off remains recorded but does not make the employee unavailable.

How Holidario interprets availability#

• An employee without a working shift on the date is unavailable to automatic distribution.
• An employee with a shift and approved time off is unavailable.
• A holiday makes the employee unavailable even if an older shift exists on that date.
• A saved shift whose absence was overridden does count as available: it enters automatic distribution, allows clocking in that day, and prints its hours on the PDF instead of the absence text.
• Employee schedules and time off do not apply to external providers.
• Manual assignment shows active cleaners but does not check shifts or time off. The person assigning work must review them first.

Do not interpret a color or a person's presence in a selector as confirmation that they can work that day.

Validate before the first task#

Use a known future date to verify:

1. the employee is active and has the Cleaning position;
2. the saved shift belongs to the correct week;
3. any relevant time off is approved;
4. the schedule PDF matches the grid; and
5. external provider availability has been confirmed directly.

Then continue with Create and assign a cleaning task.

If something does not match#

• The employee is absent from assignment: check active status, Cleaning position, active team, and that the record has not been deleted.
• The schedule does not save: look for missing times, end times before starts, overlapping second segments, and any shift that overlaps approved time off or a holiday without having been overridden.
• Time off does not block availability: confirm it is approved, that its dates cover the task date, and that the day is not overridden in the planner.
• A provider appears even when unavailable: provider availability is not managed with employee schedules; validate the commitment outside the selector.
• Access denied: do not try another record. Ask an administrator to review your role and employee, schedule, and time-off permissions.