A template is a collection of shifts that get repeated periodically, for example - every week, biweekly, monthly, etc. It dictates when and how frequently each job occurs. Note that a template is the "starting point" for a schedule, meaning that admins can remove and add ad-hoc shifts to their schedule that go outside the template.
Templates can be created and edited for each team by team admins and on the web platform only (not mobile apps).
On the Mesh AI platform, admins can access their team templates from the top Mesh AI toolbar. See:
This is where you can add regular shifts and their relations to jobs, and positions as defined for this team. Regular shifts in a template can repeat every Monday, every week, every 3 days, etc.
The template is used to fill out schedules with empty shifts when they are first created so that you can then assign them to associates (your staff) manually or using the Mesh auto-scheduler.
To add shifts to your template, the steps are as follows:
1. Click the "Shift +" button in the top right hand of the template table.
2. Fill out the required information about the shift using the fields in the pop-up.
This might include information such as:
The number of shifts
The type of job the shift should be
Time and duration - is this shift timed? Is it an All-Day shift?
This includes the number of days or hours the shift should be for
How often or "when" the shift should occur
Every Day
Every Week (Select Specific Days)
Every Week (Monday-Friday)
Monthly By Given Day (ex. The 3rd of every month)
Monthly By Given Weekday (ex. 2nd Tuesday of every month)
Every So Many Days (ex. Every 14 days starting Jan 1)
On Holidays and Special Dates (Shift will only occur on holidays)
Holidays
Should the shift not occur on holidays?
Should the shift happen on holidays?
Workload Modifier (If enabled) controls the weight of the shift
Automatically Assign (Allows you to set a member who is always assigned to that specific shift)
3. Press "Add" and the shift will be added to your template!'
You can create a 2nd (or 3rd, etc.) Template from scratch or duplicate another one and then edit it.
Simply select the "Template +" button and in the pop-up window name your template and make a copy of an already created template if needed.
This is useful if you expect to have changes made to many shifts or significant schedule format variations from time to time, like during the holiday season, emergency situations, etc.
Note that if the deviation from a given template for a particular scheduling period is small and/or not expected to repeat, later on, you are better off not creating a new template. Just manually edit the template you have and move to the next step of assigning members to the shifts in it.
Creating a new template and holding a copy of all changes to a previous template (in the new Template) is only beneficial if you can use the new template later on again.
New Feature: Template Preview
This feature allows you to see how your template will look before finalizing it. Simply click on "Preview" next to "Template +".
You can also have a Full Screen Mode for a better view and more detailed inspection. It’s a great way to ensure everything looks perfect before you proceed!
Read more about jobs here.
Read more about positions here.