When I Work: Frequently Asked Questions
Part 2: Your Schedule
How often do I need to log in to When I Work?
We recommend that SPs actively working log in to When I Work at least once a week, to review the
next two weeks. This will give you the opportunity to look at each shift in detail, and read any
relevant notes.
How will I know when I’m scheduled to work?
As with the previous system, event managers schedule SPs for one project at a time, as far in
advance as we can manage. An alert will come through When I Work to let you know that new
shifts have been published for you. For most projects, you will receive a follow up email from the
event manager with project details, including information about logistics, training, compensation,
etc.
These confirmed dates will appear on your schedule in When I Work. So if you’re ever unsure, you
can log in and check. For more details about viewing your schedule, go to:
https://help.wheniwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/201297163-Viewing-Your-Personal-Schedule
When I Work will also send you an email reminder before each time you are scheduled to work. You
can set the reminder settings in My Profile. Please set the reminder for 24 hours before your shift. If
you want a text reminder sent to your phone, you can also check the mobile box next to Shift
Reminders. Remember to click the save button after making any changes to your settings.
I’ve been assigned shifts. How do I acknowledge them?
If you have been assigned new shifts, you will usually get a notification when you log in:
You will be unable to proceed in the program until you acknowledge the shifts displayed.
When you click Acknowledge Shift, please make sure to mark it in your own calendar. Clicking this
button lets us know you’ve seen the shift and know you’re responsible for it.
If you haven’t acknowledged a shift yet, it will show up highlighted in yellow on your schedule. You
can click the Acknowledge Shift button to let us know you’ve seen it:
How do I view shift notes?
To see the details of a shift, click on the shift from the My Schedule screen. A pop-up window will
show you the case you are doing, where you are working, and any special notes.
It is important to read these notes, as they may give you special instructions, or let you know that
you are an Alternate for that shift.
For training shifts, the notes will typically let you know what case you are training on, and who you
are training with. It’s important to check this ahead of time, so that you can come to the training
prepared.
How is training handled in When I Work?
Most SP training is scheduled in When I Work. The colored bar next to training shifts and SP
professional development workshops is light green. The shift notes on case training shifts will let you
know what case you are training in, and who the trainer is.
Training and Workshop shifts are special cases. We ask that you not swap or drop them to other
SPs, since it wouldn’t do a lot of good to have someone else attend training for you. If you can’t
make a scheduled training session, please let us know as soon as possible, so we can find a better
time for you to train.
If you are meeting one-on-one with a trainer, they may ask you to put in time off for the training, to
have the time blocked off immediately. Otherwise, the office staff will put the session into When I
Work once the SP and trainer have agreed on a time and notified the event manager
What happens if I can’t work a shift I’m scheduled for?
If the shift is for training, such as SP Case Training or Workshops, please contact the Event Manager
who assigned the shift. We’ll work with you to find another training time. Trading the shift to
another SP through the swap/drop feature won’t do much good, since the purpose is to get you
trained!
If you’re scheduled to work an event that is happening within the next 7 days, please contact your
event manager as soon as possible. If you aren’t sure who the event manager is, you can call the
iCELS main line at 774-455-3700.
If you have more advance notice, you can also attempt to trade the shift to another SP through
When I Work. You will be able to see the other SPs trained on your case who are eligible to swap
with. For detailed instructions on how to do this, go to:
https://help.wheniwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/201048288-Trade-Shifts-with-Coworkers
If you don’t have any luck finding a replacement, please contact your event manager. The shift is still
your responsibility until it has been removed from your schedule, but we’re here to help you find
coverage when needed.
We understand that the unexpected sometimes happens. If your schedule has been impacted by a
major event, please reach out to us, so we can help you find replacements.
Will I be scheduled for things at the last minute?
Our goal is to schedule as far in advance as we can. We would love to say “never” to this question,
but sometimes we do need SPs on short notice. If we want to schedule you for an event that is less
than a week away, we will reach out to you first. We’ll call or email to ask if you’re willing to work
that shift. If you can’t, we’ll understand!
What are Alternates?
SP alternates are important to helping events run smoothly. We try to have a few SPs on-call to step
in, in case of SP illness or emergency. If you are an Alternate, you will be compensated for 2 hours of
time at $18 an hour. You do not need to go in unless we call you. If we do, you’ll be paid for the full
session as well as the 2 hours of Alternate pay.
Alternate shifts appear on your schedule just like a normal shift for a case, and can be swapped with
other SPs in the usual way. However, they are color coded differently, and are marked as Alternate
in the shift notes. Because of this, it is critical that you read the notes on each shift. We greatly
appreciate your willingness to be on call, and want to make sure you don’t end up in the wrong
place!
If you are an Alternate, you will still receive a reminder just like an ordinary shift. Again, please
check your shift notes to be sure. If you ever have questions about whether you are an alternate for
a shift, please feel free to ask us.
You can read the complete Alternates policy here:
http://umassmed.edu/globalassets/interprofessional-center-for-experiential-learning-andsimulation/sp-policy-pdfs/alternates-policy.pdf
I want to carpool. Can I see who else is working?
Yes. From the main dropdown menu at the top right, select My Schedule. On the schedule screen,
you’ll see your schedule two weeks at a time.
On the days you’re working, you’ll see a little gray icon that looks a little like a person. Click the gray
icon, and a list will pop up showing who’s working that day. You’ll be able to see the times and
positions (cases) they are working. Scroll down to see the complete list.
Can I print my schedule?
Yes. Go to My Schedule. In the upper right portion of the screen, just below the gray top bar, there’s
a small printer icon (circled in red below):
Click on the printer icon. You will be taken to the Print Preview screen. By default, your printed
schedule will show colors, positions (cases), end times, and shift notes, but you can change these
options if you wish.
If there are notes for a shift, you will see a small number next to the shift times, as below:
This number will refer you to a shift note at the bottom of the page:
To print the schedule, click on the green PRINT PDF button. This will create a PDF file, which can be
printed or emailed.
There are a few computers in the observation room with signs marking them for SP use. You may
use one of these to print from, if you would like. They print to the Xerox copier.
Can I cancel Time Off?
Yes. To cancel a time off request, hover your mouse over the tray icon in the upper left part of the
screen. A drop-down menu will appear where you can Request Time Off or View Requests. To
cancel an existing Time Off request, click on View Requests. This will take you to the Requests
screen:
From this screen you will be able to see your time off, as well as swap and drop requests. Click on
the request that you want to cancel. One the next screen, you will have the option to cancel that
request—just click the red Cancel button.
They system won’t allow you to put in a new Time Off request if it overlaps time that you have
already taken off. For example, if you’ve taken Wednesday off, but now need to take the whole
week off, the system might not accept your request. One way to get around this is to cancel the
original request, so that the new one will go through.
How do I navigate the app on my mobile device?
Because the app might display information differently depending on the device you are using, we
can’t give exact instructions for how to use it. All of our instructions are based on the When I Work
website version, at http://app.wheniwork.com.
If you need to, you’re welcome to use a computer in the observation room to access the website.
You may also want to contact the When I Work customer support center. Their staff can answer
specific questions about the mobile app. You can submit a help request at:
http://help.wheniwork.com.
Can I contact other SPs?
Yes, if they have chosen to make their contact information available to other SPs. On the left side of
the grey bar at the top of the screen, there is an icon that looks like a group of three people:
Click on that icon to go to the Coworkers screen. There you can see the names and photos of your
coworkers. If they have chosen to share their contact information, you will be able to see it here.
Just as a reminder, you can choose to share your contact information by turning off the Privacy
setting in your profile.
Can I see who is working on days I’m not scheduled?
Yes. To the left of the Coworkers icon in the top bar, there is an icon that looks like a circle with
three lines in it. This is the Schedule icon. If you hover you mouse over it, you’ll see a drop-down
menu with the option Full Schedule.
Clicking on Full Schedule will bring you to a screen that looks like this:
Clicking the words Load Full Schedule in the center will allow you to see the entire SP program
calendar for a given week. It’s very large, so can be slow to load.
If you only want to see certain cases or projects, you can select them in the Positions list to the left.
Clicking the box next to a position selects or unselects it. If you click on the name of the position (not
the box), it will select that position and unselect everything else. Once you’ve selected the positions
you want to see, click on Load Full Schedule.