---
title: Availability and preferences
description: Let employees declare when they are unavailable or prefer to work, and understand what it changes in the schedule.
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-availability/"
updated: "2026-11-01"
category: Scheduling
---

# Availability and preferences

Your employees can say when they are not available and, if you allow it, when they prefer to work. The scheduler takes this into account when building the schedule. This article explains how to declare availability and what it changes; it is for employees and schedulers alike.

## Before you start

- Availability must be enabled in the module settings, by someone who holds the "Scheduling module settings" right.
- Employees declare their availability in "My schedule": they need the "Scheduling module — Access" right.

## Enabling availability

Availability is set in **Settings › General**.

![General Scheduling settings: Enable Availability and its two modes](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/scheduling-availability-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
"Enable Availability" and the choice of mode.

1. Turn on "Enable Availability".
2. Choose the mode:
   - "Users mark unavailability": unmarked days mean the employee is available;
   - "Users mark unavailability and when they prefer to work": the employee can also say when they prefer to work. Unmarked days mean they are available, with no preference.
3. Click "Save".

The availability freeze is set in **Settings › Limitations** (see below).

## Declaring availability

In "My schedule", the "My availability" section shows the week's declarations.

1. Click "Add an unavailability". If preferences are on, the button becomes "Add an unavailability or a preference".
2. If preferences are on, choose the type: "Unavailable" or "I prefer to work". Otherwise, the declaration is an unavailability.
3. Choose the duration: "All day" or "Time slot", with a start and an end.
4. Choose the repetition:
   - "Once", for a single date;
   - "Every week", with the days of the week and an end date. A weekly declaration cannot exceed one year.
5. Add a reason if needed, for example "medical appointment" or "evening class".
6. Click "Save".

A declaration is changed with "Edit" and removed with "Delete".

![Unavailability form open in My availability: date, duration, repetition and reason](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/scheduling-availability-03.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
Declaring an unavailability in "My schedule".

## What is refused

An employee cannot declare themselves unavailable for a time slot where they already have a published or confirmed shift. The server refuses the declaration, with a message. Draft shifts do not block: the employee does not know about them yet.

To change a published shift, the employee can decline it, hand it over or swap it, depending on your settings: [Open shifts and replacements](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-open-shifts-and-replacements/).

## The availability freeze

The freeze prevents last-minute changes. By default, it is on and set to 7 days: an employee can neither add, change nor remove an availability with a date in the next 7 days. The delay is counted in the schedule's time zone.

For a weekly declaration:

- dates already frozen stay as they are;
- a change applies to the following dates;
- a deletion removes all dates, except those already frozen.

The freeze is set in **Settings › Limitations**, on the "Availability freeze" line. You can turn it off or change the number of days.

## What the scheduler sees

In the grid, unavailability appears on the days concerned, with its reason. Preferences are shown too when the mode includes them.

A shift placed on an unavailability is flagged as an "Unavailability" conflict. As for every conflict, the scheduler is warned but never blocked: they can still assign the shift. The conflict appears in the "Conflicts" section ([Creating and publishing a schedule](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-create-and-publish/)).

The scheduler can also be notified of each declaration. The events "A user has marked an unavailability" and "A user prefers to work" are set in **Settings › Notifications**. The notification goes to the people who can schedule the employee.

## What it changes for the employee

An unavailability protects the declared time slot:

- the employee cannot claim an open shift in that time slot;
- they cannot accept or receive a replacement in that time slot.

The reason shown is: "You declared yourself unavailable during this time slot."

A preference is indicative. It is shown to the scheduler. It also gives the employee priority in the auto-assignment of open shifts: all rules being equal, the one who prefers to work in that slot comes first.

## On the phone and through the API

The "My availability" section can also be used from the phone's browser, with the same actions.

Declared availability can be read through the public API, with the read scope: [Scheduling public API and webhooks](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-api-and-webhooks/).

## In short

- **Unavailability**: blocks the employee (open shifts, replacements), warns the scheduler.
- **Preference**: indicative, takes priority in auto-assignment.
- **Freeze**: no change less than N days ahead (7 by default).
- **Published shift**: prevents declaring unavailability for its time slot.

## Good to know

- Availability is not an absence request. It is declared without approval, with no effect on pay or absences. For a day off, use Absences.
- Availability applies to the person, and therefore to all their contracts.

### *Similaire*