Preferred hours are weekly time windows used as a scheduling guide. They are not shifts — they do not assign staff or publish work. There are two kinds: - **Profile preferred hours** — when a profile usually needs coverage. These drive **coverage gaps** on the profile schedule and **Team Schedule**. - **Staff preferred hours** — when a team member is usually available. These appear as gray bands on **My Schedule** and on that person's staff schedule. Managers see them when assigning people to shifts. Both kinds use the same editor: weekly windows plus an **effective date range**. Times follow your account’s date and 12/24-hour format settings. ## Effective dates When you open **Preferred hours**, set: - **Effective from** — the first day these windows apply - **Effective to (optional)** — leave blank for ongoing preferred hours Gray bands on the calendar repeat every week **within that range**. Coverage gaps and Team Schedule hour totals use the preferred hours that apply on each day. ### Changing hours that already exist If preferred hours are already set, a new change must start **at least 24 hours in advance**. The editor shows the earliest allowed **Effective from** date. Past preferred hours stay on record for history. Saving a new set that starts later closes the previous open-ended set the day before. You do not edit past days in place. First-time setup (no preferred hours yet) can use today — the 24-hour rule applies only when hours already exist. ## Profile preferred hours ### Who can set them Managers and Billing users can set preferred hours for profiles they can access. A Manager can also turn on **Set Profile Preferred Hours & Events** for a Staff or Guest user (Manage Team → open the person → Scheduling). That lets them edit preferred hours and add [profile events](https://support.behca.com/hc/behca-support/articles/adding-profile-events) on profiles they can access. It does not let them create or edit shifts. ### Set the weekly hours On the website: 1. Open **Scheduling**. 2. Select the profile. 3. Select **Preferred hours**. 4. Choose **Effective from** (and optionally **Effective to**). 5. Add one or more time windows to each applicable day — or leave a day blank if no preferred coverage is needed. 6. Optionally use **Copy to…** on a day to copy that day’s windows to **Weekdays**, **All days**, or specific days you pick. 7. Select **Save preferred hours**. Each window must start and end on the same day. Preferred hours cannot run overnight; split overnight coverage into a late window on one day and an early window on the next. ### Using more than one window A day can have multiple preferred windows. For example: - 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM Use separate windows when coverage is not needed for the entire period between them. ### Coverage gaps BEHCA compares profile preferred hours with scheduled shifts. Preferred time with at least 15 minutes uncovered appears as a **Coverage gap**. A Manager can select a gap from the profile calendar or **Team Schedule** board to start a shift with the gap's date and time already filled in. A gap means that preferred time is not fully covered by scheduled shifts. It does not automatically mean a staff member missed work. ## Staff preferred hours Staff preferred hours describe when a person is usually available to work. They are a guide for Managers when building the schedule. ### Who can set them - **Managers and Billing users** can always edit a team member's preferred hours from that person's staff schedule page. - **Staff and Guests** can edit their **own** preferred hours on **My Schedule** only when a Manager turns on **Set Own Preferred Hours** for them (Manage Team → open the person → permissions). Managers and Billing users always have both preferred-hours permissions. ### Set your own hours (Staff / Guest) If **Set Own Preferred Hours** is on for your account: 1. Open your user menu and select **My Schedule**. 2. Select **Preferred hours**. 3. Set **Effective from** (and optional **Effective to**). 4. Add weekly time windows for the days you are usually available. Use **Copy to…** if several days match. 5. Save. Gray bands on the **Calendar** view show those windows for the dates they apply. They do not create shifts. End time must be after start time on the same day (for example, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). ### Edit someone else's hours (Managers) 1. Open **Scheduling**. 2. Open **Team Schedule**, then open a staff member's week — or open their week from a profile schedule link. 3. Select **Preferred hours**. 4. Adjust the effective dates and weekly windows, then save. Staff preferred hours also show on the shift and rotation forms when you assign people, so you can see whether a proposed time overlaps their usual availability. ## Change or end preferred hours Open **Preferred hours** again to save a new set with a later **Effective from** (respecting the 24-hour rule when hours already exist). If a day no longer needs preferred hours, clear that day’s times so it is blank before you save. To end ongoing hours, save a set with an **Effective to** date, or start a new set that begins after the previous one. Changing preferred hours updates gray bands and (for profiles) coverage-gap calculations for the days the new set covers. It does not change existing shifts. ## Related articles - [Creating and publishing shifts](https://support.behca.com/hc/behca-support/articles/creating-and-publishing-shifts) - [Viewing My Schedule and adding it to your calendar](https://support.behca.com/hc/behca-support/articles/viewing-my-schedule-and-adding-it-to-your-calendar) - [Editing a team member's role and permissions](https://support.behca.com/hc/behca-support/articles/editing-a-team-members-role-and-permissions) - [Reviewing Team Schedule and conflicts](https://support.behca.com/hc/behca-support/articles/reviewing-team-schedule-and-conflicts)