# Managing Availability Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/managing-availability > Manage Support Worker availability and leave requests, as one-off or recurring. Scheduling add-on - This feature requires the Scheduling add-on, which is available on Astalty Premium. See How to enable Scheduling. ## Overview Use Availability to record when Support Workers can work and to review their requests. Workers can submit availability and leave requests in the app. Manage one-off or recurring requests from their user profile or from Scheduling, then check how approved time off affects the roster. ## Creating Availability Add an Availability or Leave entry from a user's profile: - **Your own profile** - select your initials at the bottom of the main menu, then **My Profile**, select **Unavailability**, then select **Create Unavailability**. This button only shows if you can create your own Availability and Leave requests. - **Another user's profile** - open their profile under [**Users**](https://app.astalty.com.au/users), select **Unavailability**, then select **Create Unavailability**. This button only shows if you can create Availability and Leave requests for other users. ![A user's own profile with the Unavailability menu item highlighted in the side menu, and an arrow pointing to the Create Unavailability button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-own-profile-unavailability-menu-guide.png) > **Support Workers** > > Users with the Support Worker role can also manage and create their own Availability directly within the Astalty App. > **Notice periods still apply to your own request** > > Creating a request on your own profile follows your organisation's [notice period](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/scheduling-settings#notice-periods) for Availability and Leave, the same as a request made in the Astalty App. A request you create for someone else isn't affected by the notice period. Choose the **Type** first: - **Unavailability** can be **Once-off** or **Recurring**. A once-off entry can cover one day or multiple days. A recurring entry can have an end date or be **Ongoing**, and can repeat every week or fortnight on selected days. - **Leave** is a once-off entry. Select a **Leave Type**, then choose one day or multiple days. Leave cannot be recurring. For either type, select **All day** or enter **From Time** and **To Time**. For Unavailability, you can also turn on **Available upon request** when the worker may still be contacted about work during that period. ![The Create Unavailability drawer, opened from a user's Unavailability page, with the Frequency options Once off and Recurring highlighted below the Unavailable and Leave Type options.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-on-request-create-availability-freq.png) Enter a reason, review the dates and times, then select **Create**. ![The Create Unavailability drawer for a single day on 13/11/2026 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, with Available upon request ticked and a Reason entered highlighted, and an arrow pointing to the Create Unavailability button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-request-create-availability-submit.png) > **Get told before a recurrence ends** > > [Recurring Unavailability Ending Soon Notifications](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/notifications/recurring-unavailability-ending-soon-notifications) alert you before a recurrence ends, so you can extend it or roster the worker back on. They only cover recurring entries with a **Type** of Unavailable and a defined end date - anything recorded as Leave, or marked as ongoing, is never included. ## Viewing Availability Once submitted, availability entries appear in the **Unavailability** section of the user's profile and in Scheduling. The type is indicated by a coloured tag: - **Red 'Unavailability' tag**, indicates the Support Worker is unavailable. - **Orange 'Unavailability' tag with a phone icon**, indicates the Support Worker is *available upon request*. - **Green 'Available' tag**, indicates the Support Worker has not got any conflicting availability. ### Viewing Availability in the User Profile Each entry in the user's **Unavailability** section shows its type, time, date range, and status. Use the **Timeframe** filter to switch between **Current** and **Ended** entries. #### Current Availability All current and future Availability of the User - this includes one-off and recurring entries the end either today or in the future. ![A user's Unavailability page, opened from the highlighted Unavailability menu item, with the Timeframe filter set to Current and entries listed by Status, Type, Time and Date.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-current.png) #### Past Availability Past one-off entries that have finished prior to today. This includes recurring Availability that have a finish recurrence date prior to today. ![A user's Unavailability page, opened from the highlighted Unavailability menu item, with the Timeframe filter set to Ended and a past weekly recurring entry with an Approved status.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-past.png) #### Editing Availability The Availability entries found within the User Profile can be edited by selecting the 3 dot menu at the end of the row, and then 'Edit'. ![A user's Unavailability page with the three-dot menu at the end of an entry's row highlighted and open, and an arrow pointing to Edit.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-current-edit.png) ### Viewing Unavailability Requests Open [**Scheduling > Unavailability Requests**](https://app.astalty.com.au/scheduling/availability-requests) to review requests for a period. The **Status** filter defaults to **Pending**; change it to see requests at other stages of the approval process. The list of Unavailability Requests displays the user, time, date range, when it was created, and the current approval status. ![The Unavailability Requests page filtered to Pending for 2 - 29 Nov 2026, listing requests by Status, Type, User, Time, Date and Created, with a tooltip on an orange Unavailability tag reading Worker has unavailability at this time but may be available upon request.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-request-within-avail-request.png) **Example of hovering cursor over tag to view context** ![A user's Unavailability page with an arrow pointing to an orange Unavailability tag with a phone icon, and its tooltip reading Worker has unavailability at this time but may be available upon request.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-request-view-user-availability-hover.png) ## Actioning the Availability Request Before you decide to approve or deny the request, you can select the pending Availability to view the: - Reason for the request (alongside the other details of the request), - Affected shifts - What rosters or Participant supports may be impacted by this availability, listed in date order. You choose which of them to keep when you approve - see [Choosing Which Shifts to Keep](#choosing-which-shifts-to-keep). ![The User Unavailability Details page for a pending Unavailability request, with the Decline and Approve buttons, the Reason, and the Affected Shifts tab listing overlapping shifts by date all highlighted.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-on-request-selected-availability-within-avail-request.png) - Unavailability Calendar - This view displays all current Support Workers and their availability in a calendar format. Approved leave is shown in **red**, pending availability requests are shown in **orange**, and declined availability requests are shown in **grey**. ![The User Unavailability Details page with the Unavailability Calendar tab highlighted, showing each Support Worker on a timeline with an approved entry as a red bar, a pending entry in orange and a declined entry as a grey band.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/unavailability-calendar-2.png) Once you have made your decision, you can choose either to Approve or Decline the request. > **Review pending requests from the Schedule** > > You can also review, approve, or decline a pending request directly on the [Schedule](https://app.astalty.com.au/scheduling/schedule). Pending leave and unavailability appears there with a dashed outline and a distinct colour, and clicking it opens the same review panel (including affected shifts) inline. See [Pending Leave & Unavailability on the Schedule](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/viewing-the-schedule#pending-leave--unavailability-on-the-schedule). ### Choosing Which Shifts to Keep Approving a request unassigns the worker from every affected shift, unless you say otherwise. The approve screen lists each affected shift under **N affected shifts**, ticked by default - untick a shift to keep the worker on it instead. An **Unassign all** checkbox appears above the list once there are two or more shifts, for releasing or re-ticking all of them at once. If you untick nothing, every affected shift is unassigned, same as before this list existed. Affected shifts are listed in date order and cover the request's whole last day; shifts that have already finished are left off the list. An unpaid break is kept only when a kept shift touches it - the shift ends where the break starts, or starts where it ends - every other affected break is removed regardless of which shifts you keep. A kept shift is never unassigned, so it drops out of [shift board broadcasting](#broadcasting-affected-shifts-to-the-shift-board) below. ![The Approve Leave drawer listing six affected shifts, five ticked to unassign and one unticked and highlighted to keep the worker on it, with an Unassign all checkbox above the list showing 5 of 6 to unassign](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-approve-keep-shifts.png) ### Broadcasting Affected Shifts to the Shift Board If the request has future support or group support shifts, your account has the [Shift Board](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/shift-board-workflow) switched on, and you can create shift broadcasts, the approval screen offers **Broadcast N affected shifts to the shift board** - off by default. Switching it on unassigns the worker and offers each shift to other workers in the same step, instead of broadcasting them one by one afterwards. Eligible shifts are future shifts that aren't unpaid breaks, aren't internal shifts, haven't started, and aren't already on an active broadcast. Shifts are grouped one row per Participant, with a recurring group support series shown as a single row. Each row shows its shift count and date range, and starts pre-selected with compatible workers - available, qualified, not marked **Incompatible**, and passing the Participant's preferences. Select **Review workers** to open the full worker suggestions table and change the selection; it counts **Future shifts** across every shift in that row, not just one, and leaves the worker going on leave out of the list. **Notify me when a support worker expresses interest** is ticked by default, so you hear about interest as it comes in. ![The Approve Unavailability drawer with Broadcast 5 affected shifts to the shift board ticked, listing one row per Participant with its shift count, dates, workers selected and a Review workers button](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-broadcast-affected-shifts-approve-guide.png) Broadcasting happens after you approve, shift by shift, earliest first. Each shift is re-checked before it goes out, so a worker you selected is skipped for a shift they've since been rostered on, gone on approved leave for, are missing a required qualification for, are marked **Incompatible** for, or fail a required preference for. A shift left with no eligible worker isn't broadcast. ### Availability Approval Notifications When a request is approved, the worker can receive an app notification and email according to the organisation's notification settings. If you kept any shifts, the notification tells the worker how many they're still rostered on - "You are still rostered on 2 shifts; any others were unassigned." - so a kept shift doesn't read as released. The wording is unchanged when nothing was kept. ![An email to a worker telling them their unavailability has been approved.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/image2-1757992799.jpg) ## Availability when assigning Staff to a Shift The [Schedule](https://app.astalty.com.au/scheduling/schedule) and [Unassigned Shifts](https://app.astalty.com.au/scheduling/unassigned-shifts) show availability while you assign a worker. A red **Unavailability** tag marks a conflict. An orange **Unavailability** tag with a phone icon means the worker may be available on request. Hover over the tag for the recorded reason and time. **Example via a shift in the Schedule** ![The Select Support Workers drawer opened from a new shift and filtered to one Region, with the Availability column highlighted, showing three green Available tags, an orange Unavailability tag with a phone icon and a red Unavailability tag.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-request-assigning-staff-with-availability-within-schedule.png) **Example via the Unassigned Shifts within Scheduling** ![The Support Workers list on an unassigned shift, with an arrow pointing to an orange Unavailability tag with a phone icon and its tooltip reading Worker has unavailability at this time but may be available upon request, with the Time and Reason.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-request-assigning-staff-with-availability-within-unassigned.png) ### Confirming an Unavailable Worker When You Create a Shift If a worker you've selected has approved leave, recorded unavailability, or a pending leave or availability request overlapping the shift, Astalty asks you to confirm before creating it. This applies when creating a Direct Support, Group Support, Flexible Group Support, or [Shift (internal or non-support)](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/adding-shifts/adding-a-shift-internal-or-nonsupport) - including when you add attendees to an existing internal event. It doesn't apply to Unpaid Breaks, since a break doesn't roster the worker onto anything. The dialog names each affected worker and the reason: ![A Confirm dialog over the shift creation form reading Aisha Rahman is not available during this shift, and Harriet Lawson has a pending leave request during this shift, asking Are you sure you want to continue, with Cancel and Confirm buttons](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-confirm-rostering-unavailable-worker.png) Select **Cancel** to go back and change who's assigned, or **Confirm** to create the shift anyway - this is a warning, not a block, so you can always proceed with the worker you chose. For a repeating shift, Astalty checks every occurrence in the series, not just the first. When only one occurrence is affected, the message names its date (for example *"is not available during the shift on 24 Aug 2026"*); when more than one is affected, it names how many (*"is not available during 3 shifts in this series, from 9 Mar 2026"*). ## Cancelled Availability If a Support Worker has cancelled their availability (including approved requests), it will be flagged as Cancelled in the Status. You can also use the available Status Type filter to find all Cancelled availability. Once they have canceled their availability request, its disappears from their Availability Requests page in their app. These cancelled Availability Requests can be viewed in both the: **Unavailability Requests** ![The Unavailability Requests page with the Status filter set to Cancelled, listing a request that shows a Cancelled status.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/cancel-availability-4.png) **User Profile** ![A user's Unavailability page with the Cancelled status highlighted on an Unavailability entry.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/cancel-availability-3.png) ### Managing your Availability Requests via the App See [Availability Requests in the Support Worker App](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/support-worker-app/schedule-and-availability/availability-requests) for the worker workflow. ## Viewing Unavailability in the Schedule View Approved unavailability appears directly within the Schedule view so you can see it while planning and allocating supports. **Pending** requests also appear on the Schedule (shown with a dashed outline and a distinct colour) and can be reviewed inline, provided the **Show Pending Leave on Schedule** setting is enabled. See [Viewing Unavailability in the Schedule View](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/viewing-the-schedule#viewing-unavailability-in-the-schedule-view) and [Pending Leave & Unavailability on the Schedule](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/viewing-the-schedule#pending-leave--unavailability-on-the-schedule) for details. Unavailability entered for specific times sits in time order between the shifts before and after it, while **All day** unavailability stays at the top of the day. See [Where Unavailability Sits in the Day](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/viewing-the-schedule#where-unavailability-sits-in-the-day).