How to Set Up an Alternating (On-Again, Off-Again) Worker Schedule

How to Set Up an Alternating (On-Again, Off-Again) Worker Schedule

Overview
If a worker has a recurring schedule where they work every other week (for example, every other Friday), you can use Custom Hours to automatically mark those alternating days as Days Off. This saves you from having to manually block the worker's schedule each week and ensures they are only available when they're scheduled to work.

Before You Begin
First, make sure the worker's regular hours reflect the days and times they do work.
Example:
If your worker is scheduled to work every other Friday from 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, set their Friday hours to 9:00 AM–5:00 PM in their regular schedule.
Why?
The recurring Days Off rule will temporarily remove the worker from the schedule every other week, while their regular hours remain available during the weeks they are working.

Set Up the Alternating Schedule
  1. Navigate to Setup > Setup Worker Details.
  2. Select the worker you want to edit.
  3. Open the Hours tab.
  4. Select Add Custom Hours.
  5. In the first drop-down menu, select Days Off.
  6. Choose the Start Date.
    • Select the first day you want the alternating schedule to begin.
  7. Choose an End Date.
    • This can be a few weeks, several months, or up to a year in advance.
  8. Check Repeat Weekly.
  9. Change Every 1 Week to Every 2 Weeks.
  10. Select the day(s) the worker will be off.
  11. (Optional) Enter a note for your records.
  12. Select Save.
  13. Select Save again in Worker Details.
Example
A worker is scheduled to work every other Friday from 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
  • Regular Friday Hours: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
  • Start Date: The first Friday they will be off
  • End Date: Any date you'd like the alternating schedule to stop
  • Repeat: Every 2 Weeks
  • Days Off: Friday

 

Inspire will automatically make the worker unavailable every other Friday while keeping them available on the alternating Fridays they are scheduled to work.

Verify the Schedule
To confirm the schedule has been set up correctly:
  1. Open the Appointment Calendar.
  2. Switch to Week View.
  3. Navigate through the upcoming weeks.
You should see:
  • ✅ The worker appears during the weeks they are scheduled to work.
  • ✅ The worker does not appear on the alternating weeks they are scheduled to be off.





Tips
  • You can create recurring Days Off for multiple days if a worker has an alternating multi-day schedule.
  • If the alternating schedule changes, simply edit or remove the Custom Hours entry.
  • Optional notes can help you remember why the recurring schedule was created, especially if multiple managers maintain worker schedules.

AlertNote: Custom Hours cannot overlap for the same worker. If a new Custom Hour falls within the date range of an existing one, you'll need to update the existing entry first.

InfoTip: Making changes to an alternating schedule. If you need to adjust an existing alternating schedule, first edit the current Custom Hour and shorten or remove its End Date so it no longer overlaps with the new schedule. Once the original Custom Hour no longer conflicts, you can create a new Custom Hour with the updated alternating schedule.

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