Availability lets you tell managers when you can (or can't) usually work. It's a hint to help with scheduling — it doesn't book leave and it doesn't stop you being assigned a shift.
Find it under My availability on the Leave & availability page. There are two ways to record it: a repeating Weekly pattern, or one-off entries via Add.
Set a weekly pattern
Click Weekly pattern to set the times you can or can't usually work each week. For each day, tick it on, choose Available or Unavailable, then set a start and end time or tick All day. Click Save pattern.
Saving replaces your current weekly pattern. Any one-off entries you've added are kept.
Add a one-off entry
Click Add to record availability for specific dates and times. Choose:
Type — Unavailable or Available.
From and To — the exact start and end.
Repeat — One-off, Every week, Every 2 weeks or Every 4 weeks.
Note (optional) — a short reason.
How managers see it
When a manager goes to assign you a shift that falls outside your stated availability, the rota builder shows an amber Outside stated availability note: "This carer marked themselves unavailable at this time. You can still assign them, but it's worth checking first." It's advisory only — the manager can still assign the shift.
- 1Open the **Leave & availability** page.
- 2Under **My availability**, click **Weekly pattern** for a repeating week, or **Add** for specific dates.
- 3For the weekly pattern: tick each day, set **Available** or **Unavailable**, choose times or **All day**, then click **Save pattern**.
- 4For a one-off: set the **Type**, **From**/**To**, **Repeat** and an optional **Note**, then click **Save**.
- Use **Unavailable** to flag times you genuinely can't work — it's the most useful hint for your manager.
- Availability is a hint, not leave. If you need a date protected, book it as leave instead.
- Remove an entry any time with the bin icon next to it.