> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://guide.garde.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scheduling

> Build the weekly schedule and review shifts.

The schedule you build this week is next week's [labor number](/dashboard/labor). **Schedule** in the sidebar is where managers build it; staff see it in the [Garde app](/mobile/schedule) the moment you publish.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/garde-590480cc/_mqzEGtuOpABOw5M/images/screenshots/schedule-week.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_mqzEGtuOpABOw5M&q=85&s=45c6e17808c4f443e2d8c5175411f482" alt="The weekly schedule builder: employees down the side, shifts across the week, budget vs. scheduled totals along the bottom" width="1600" height="1065" data-path="images/screenshots/schedule-week.png" />

## The week view

* Rows are employees, columns are days. Each cell is a shift: time, role, location.
* The totals along the bottom track scheduled hours and cost against budget as you build. You know the week's labor cost before it happens, not after.
* Switch weeks with the date picker. Copy a previous week when the pattern repeats, then edit the deltas.

## Build the week

1. Open the weekly view and pick the week.
2. Before placing a single shift, check two things:
   * [By-hour sales](/dashboard/sales) for when demand actually hits. A store that peaks 8 to 10 PM doesn't need a full crew at noon.
   * Staff availability and approved time off (submitted through the Garde app). Scheduling around an approved request you didn't read is a no-show you caused.
3. Place shifts against demand. Open the day/week detail view for fine-grained edits.
4. Watch the bottom totals. Over budget on Tuesday? Fix it now, while it's a drag-and-drop.
5. Publish. Staff see it in the app immediately.

## Handle requests

Availability changes, time-off requests, and shift swaps come from staff phones. Review them promptly:

* Requests you sit on become no-shows.
* Approving a swap in the app beats a group text every time. The app blocks trades that create double-bookings; the group text doesn't.
* Open shifts are shifts nobody owns yet. Post them and let staff claim them instead of calling down the roster.

## Keep an eye on cost

* Check the [overtime table](/dashboard/labor) midweek and adjust the remaining shifts before overtime happens, not after.
* Compare scheduled vs. actual hours at week's end. A chronic gap means shifts are running long on the floor, and the schedule isn't the problem.

## Know-how

* Publish by the same day every week (say, Thursday for the following week). Staff plan their lives around it; a late schedule is a morale tax.
* The location switcher scopes the schedule. Staff working multiple stores appear per location; watch their combined hours or overtime will surprise you.
* Missing an employee? They need to exist in the system first, and their mappings need to be intact. Check **Employee Mappings** in [Settings](/dashboard/settings).