# Assign shifts

![Assign shifts](/files/help/manager-publish-schedule.mp4 "Open publish and leave email off until you mean to send it.")

Build the month on Assign shifts. Staff see it after you publish. Publishing does not create pay.

1. Open **Assign shifts**.
2. Drag a shift color onto a day. Or open **More** and choose **Assign a person**.
3. Choose **Suggest assignments** to fill open coverage. In the dialog, choose **Suggest assignments**, review the rows, then choose **Add 3 to draft** (the number is how many rows you kept). That writes draft shifts only. It does not publish, and staff are not notified.
4. Choose **Publish** the first time this month goes live, or **Publish updates** when a published version already exists.
5. Read the summary. **Email assigned staff** is on. Leave it on so each assigned person gets a link to their schedule. Turn **Email assigned staff** off only if you do not want email. If **Also send a text** is shown, leave it off unless you intend to text people.
6. Choose **Publish** or **Publish updates** in the dialog.

## What you should see

The month chip says Draft, Published, or Updates waiting. After a successful publish, staff can see that month. A first publish says the month is now visible to staff. An update says the updates are now live for staff.

Suggest assignments says nothing is published. **Allow hours over the weekly cap** says pay is not estimated. **Weekly patterns**, under **More**, copies a saved week. It is a different action from Suggest assignments.

**Add 0 to draft** stays unavailable when the suggestion has nothing new to place. **Undo this suggestion** removes that draft add. Staff still do not see it until you publish.

## If something looks wrong

The dialog says Resolve blocking conflicts before publishing. The publish button in the dialog stays unavailable until those conflicts are resolved.

If **Publish** and **Publish updates** are missing, there is nothing new to publish for the month you are viewing. Change the month, or assign shifts first.

If Suggest assignments asks for coverage, choose **Set coverage targets** and come back. The schedule was not changed.