What is Off-Hours Work?

Table of Contents

Overview
Purpose of Off-Hours Work
Where to Change Off-Hours Work Settings
How the Off-Hours Work Checkbox Affects Calculations
When to Use Off-Hours Work
Examples of Off-Hours Work Usage

Overview 

Off-Hours Work, also referred to as Background Work, is an additional assignment status that allows for work scheduling outside of standard utilization and overbooking calculations. It is particularly useful for tasks like software maintenance, preparation, or other supplementary work that should not impact a staffer’s availability for primary assignments.

Off-Hours Work, also referred to as Background Work, is an additional assignment status that allows for work scheduling outside of standard utilization and overbooking calculations. It is particularly useful for tasks like software maintenance, preparation, or other supplementary work that should not impact a staffer’s availability for primary assignments.

Purpose of Off-Hours Work

• Schedule work without contributing to the staffer’s utilization percentage.
• To avoid this work affecting overbooking calculations, ensure that critical assignments remain prioritized.

For instance, if a team member has regular project commitments but needs to perform maintenance tasks that are not part of their main capacity, you can assign them as Off-Hours Work.

Where to Change Off-Hours Work Settings

To configure how Off-Hours Work interacts with utilization and overbooking:

1. Click on the Three Dots next to your profile name.
2. Select My Settings.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page to locate:
   • Scheduled Utilization Settings
   • Overbooking Settings
4. Adjust these settings to define how Off-Hours Work assignments are calculated.

How the Off-Hours Work Checkbox Affects Calculations

1. Utilization Calculation 

   When the Off-Hours Work checkbox is selected for an assignment:

   • The assigned hours will not count towards the staffer’s scheduled utilization percentage.
   • This ensures that the primary workload metrics remain unaffected.

2. Overbooking Calculation 

   When enabled, the checkbox prevents Off-Hours Work from being included in overbooking thresholds.

   • This allows additional tasks to be scheduled without flagging the staffer as overbooked.

When to Use Off-Hours Work

• Scheduling supplemental tasks that are not part of regular project commitments.
• Assigning low-priority tasks without disrupting capacity planning for higher-priority work.
• Tracking background activities without inflating utilization percentages or triggering overbooking alerts.

Examples of Off-Hours Work Usage

1. Example One: Off-Hours Work Disabled
   • Result: All assigned hours are included in utilization and overbooking calculations, affecting the staffer’s availability for other tasks.
2. Example Two: Off-Hours Work Enabled

   • Result: Hours assigned to this status are excluded from utilization and overbooking calculations, preserving availability for other assignments.

     

3. Example Three: Off-Hours Settings Unchecked (Globally)

   • Result: Regardless of assignment-specific settings, all hours are calculated normally.

     

4. Example Four: Off-Hours Settings Checked (Globally)

   • Result: The global settings ensure that Off-Hours assignments do not influence utilization or overbooking, regardless of individual assignment settings.

     

     In summary, configuring the Off-Hours Work status for an assignment determines whether that assignment affects staffer availability. You should configure this status based on your organization’s needs and processes.