Allocating Workers (Dispatch)

Overview

In MyApprentice, you allocate work at the shift level — assigning one or more workers to a specific visit on a specific date and time. The Allocate / Dispatch tooling is the bridge between scheduling and the field: it lets you assign new shifts, fill in unassigned shifts, reassign existing ones, and clean up unallocated work from the dashboard.

Who uses this feature

Business Owners and Supervisors. Workers themselves do not allocate.

When to use this feature

• A new shift is being created and needs a worker.
• A shift exists but has no worker (Needs Worker).
• A worker is unavailable and the shift needs to be reassigned.
• Unallocated jobs need cleaning up from Needs Your Attention.

What you can do with this feature

• Allocate a worker as part of creating a new shift.
• Allocate a worker to an existing unassigned shift.
• Reassign a shift to a different worker.
• Add additional workers to a shift without removing the first.
• Review and clean up unallocated jobs and unassigned shifts from the dashboard.

How the feature works

Three pathways for allocation

Pathway	Use when
From a new shift	You are creating a shift and want to assign workers in the same step.
From an existing unassigned shift	A shift was created without a worker and now needs allocation.
From the Job card on an existing shift	You are reviewing a job and realise a shift needs a worker added or changed.

Allocate when creating a new shift

See Scheduling Work — the Assign Workers step in Fast Schedule or Choose on Board.

Allocate an existing unassigned shift

1. Navigate to the Schedule page or the Jobs page.
2. Find the shift marked Needs Worker on the schedule board, or in the job’s Schedule card.
3. Click the shift to open the detail panel.
4. Click the Assigned Worker field or Assign Workers.
5. Tick the required worker(s).
6. Select Save or Save Shift.

Reassign a shift

From the Schedule page:

1. Select Schedule from the sidebar.
2. Locate the shift using Day, Week, or Person view.
3. Click the shift to open the detail panel.
4. In Assigned Worker, remove the current worker (click the x next to their name).
5. Click the field and select the replacement worker.
6. Select Save Shift.

Add a second worker without removing the first by ticking the additional worker without un-ticking the original.

After reassigning, confirm with both the outgoing and incoming workers — they receive notifications, but a quick message keeps the change visible.

Manage unallocated work from the dashboard

Unallocated work surfaces in the Needs Attention panel:

• Jobs with no shift — open the job, scroll to the Schedule card, and add a shift.
• Shifts with no worker — open the shift detail panel and assign a worker.

Role-specific notes

• Business Owner: full allocation rights including unallocated work view.
• Supervisor: can schedule and assign within their team scope.
• Finance: read-only schedule access — cannot allocate.
• Tradies and Apprentices: see only their own assigned shifts — cannot allocate or reassign.

Related workflows

• Scheduling Work
• Creating and Managing Jobs
• Using the Dashboard and Notifications

Important notes

• Use Choose on Board before assigning to check availability and avoid double-booking.
• Workers receive an email notification each time they are assigned or their assignment changes.