Staffing Needs are the minimum required shifts you need filled each week — defined by role, day, and time. They help you keep track of coverage and give you a foundation to build schedules from. When you create a schedule, you can choose to import your Staffing Needs as a starting point, so you don't have to build from scratch every week. Any shifts not assigned to an employee will be added to the schedule as open shifts.
Common example: if you always need three Bartenders on weekday evenings and four on weekends, you'd set that up once in Staffing Needs and pull it in every time you build a new schedule.
Getting There
From the left navigation, click Shifts & Alerts, then select Staffing Needs.
Adding a Staffing Need
Click Create Shift
Select a Role — the position this shift is for
Optionally add a Title to give this shift a specific label
Choose a Shift Type from the dropdown to set the time, or select a custom time if needed
Enter how many of that shift you need for each day of the week — for example, 3 on Monday through Friday and 4 on Saturday and Sunday
Click Save
💡 Staffing Needs are optional — but setting them up before building your first schedule makes scheduling significantly faster. You can come back and update them any time your typical weekly coverage requirements change.
Using Staffing Needs in Your Schedule
When you create a new schedule, Teamsly gives you the option to add required shifts — this pulls in your Staffing Needs as a set of open shifts that need to be filled. From there you can assign them to employees manually, use AI Auto Schedule to fill them automatically, or leave them as open shifts for employees to pick up.
Using Staffing Needs with Schedule Templates
Staffing Needs also work together with Schedule Templates. In the Schedule Templates tab, you can assign your predefined staffing need shifts to specific employees — ideal for team members who work the same schedule every week or every two weeks. Once set up, you can apply the entire template when creating a new schedule, so recurring schedules are built in seconds.
📅 For employees with a fixed weekly or bi-weekly schedule, assign their shifts in a Schedule Template. Any staffing need shifts left unassigned will automatically be added to the schedule as open shifts when you apply the template.
Editing or Deleting a Staffing Need
Use the pencil icon next to any staffing need to update the role, shift type, or day counts. Use the trash icon to remove it.
What to Read Next
Schedule Templates — Assign staffing needs to employees for reusable weekly schedules
How to Create Schedules — How to build and publish your team's schedule
Creating Shift Types — Set up the shift patterns used in your staffing needs
Need help? Click Book a Call in the top right of the app to talk with the Teamsly team.