Managing Your Availability and Preferences

This article is for Security Guards.

Attlock lets you communicate your availability and work preferences directly to your scheduling team — so shifts are assigned in a way that works for your life. Whether you have regular days off, prefer certain sites, or need to block out time for personal commitments, this guide explains how to manage it all from the app.

Why Availability Management Matters

Schedulers work with dozens or hundreds of guards. The more clearly you communicate your availability, the better your schedule will reflect your actual constraints. Keeping your availability up to date:

• Reduces scheduling conflicts and last-minute swap requests.
• Helps your employer plan coverage more effectively.
• Ensures you're only offered shifts you can actually work.
• Creates a documented record of your stated availability.

Setting Your Regular Availability

Your regular availability tells the scheduling team which days and times you're generally available to work each week.

1. Tap the Profile tab at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Availability (or go to More > Profile > Availability depending on your app version).
3. You'll see a weekly grid showing days and time blocks.
4. For each day, tap to toggle your availability:
   • Available — you can work this day.
   • Unavailable — you cannot work this day.
   • Preferred — you prefer to work this day (some configurations support this).
5. For days you're available, set your available hours — the earliest you can start and the latest you can finish.
6. Tap Save when done.

Your availability is visible to your scheduling team immediately after saving.

Note: Setting availability does not guarantee you will or won't be scheduled. It's a guide for your scheduling team, not a binding constraint. If you have a hard commitment, submit a Time Off Request instead.

Updating Your Availability

Life changes — and your availability should reflect that. Update it whenever your regular schedule changes:

1. Go to Profile > Availability.
2. Make your changes.
3. Tap Save.

Changes take effect immediately. If you have upcoming shifts that conflict with your new availability, they won't be automatically cancelled — contact your supervisor to discuss any conflicts.

Setting Work Preferences

Beyond availability, you can communicate preferences that help schedulers assign you to the right shifts:

Site Preferences

If you have preferred or non-preferred sites:

1. Go to Profile > Preferences.
2. Under Site Preferences, you can mark sites as:
   • Preferred — you'd like to work here when possible.
   • No Preference — neutral.
   • Avoid — you'd prefer not to be assigned here (note: this is a preference, not a guarantee).

Shift Type Preferences

Indicate whether you prefer day shifts, evening shifts, or night shifts. This helps schedulers match you to shifts that suit your lifestyle.

Maximum Hours

If you have a maximum number of hours you want to work per week (for personal, health, or secondary employment reasons), you can note this in your preferences. Your scheduling team will see this when building the roster.

Blocking Out Specific Dates

For one-off unavailability (a medical appointment, a family event, a planned trip):

• Short-term (a few hours or a single day): Submit a Time Off Request via More > Time Off > New Request. This is the formal way to block out specific dates.
• Recurring blocks (e.g., every Tuesday evening): Update your regular availability to reflect this.

See the Requesting Time Off article for full details on the time off request process.

Communicating Constraints to Your Supervisor

Some constraints are better communicated directly rather than through the availability system:

• Temporary changes (e.g., "I can't do nights for the next two weeks due to a family situation") — message your supervisor directly.
• Transportation constraints (e.g., "I don't have a car and can only work sites on the transit line") — note this in your profile preferences or discuss with your supervisor.
• Certification or licensing constraints (e.g., "My firearms license renewal is pending") — inform your supervisor so they don't assign you to armed posts during that period.

Viewing Your Upcoming Schedule

After updating your availability, check your upcoming schedule to see how it's been applied:

1. Tap the Schedule tab.
2. Review your upcoming shifts.
3. If you see a shift that conflicts with your stated availability, contact your supervisor to discuss it.

Tips

• Keep availability current — outdated availability leads to scheduling conflicts and frustration on both sides.
• Use Time Off Requests for hard blocks — availability is a guide; time off requests are formal.
• Be realistic — setting yourself as available 7 days a week when you can only work 4 creates confusion.
• Communicate changes early — the further in advance you update your availability, the easier it is for schedulers to plan around it.
• Check your schedule after updating — confirm the changes are reflected in your upcoming assignments.

Related Articles

• Requesting Time Off
• Viewing Your Upcoming Schedule
• Accepting and Declining Shift Offers
• Requesting a Shift Swap
• Managing Your Profile and Settings