Set scheduling

We have self-scheduling at my job. We work every other weekend and must work some

Fridays and Mondays, too. Our Shift is set. We fill in the blank schedule with our preferences, taking into account preferences of those who have already filled in their schedule. Management then makes the schedule around our requests.

We have set and "flex" scheduling in my ER. We work 2 day crews and 2 night crews. If you are set on Crew 1 you might work Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday with our weeks being Sunday through Saturday. If you work the opposite crew, you obviously work opposite of Crew 1. There are a few people that work Crew 1 but will have maybe one day per 2 weeks on Crew 2.

If you are a flex employee you are just required to work your three week days but have to work 5 weekend days per scheduling period (4 weeks) and one day has to be a Sunday and one has to be a Saturday. Other than those required days, you can work whichever days you want. The only caveat to flexing is that you have to schedule yourself and the schedule releases at midnight on the specified day of the month. If it is a big holiday month everyone is scrambling to get his/her hours as the schedule releases. I've never once had a problem getting the days I wanted. Even when I forgot for 2 days, I could still get my days.

No matter which schedule you work, you are assigned a crew and will work the holidays that crew is scheduled for and cannot flex off that day. For example, my crew is on for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day this year and I won't be able to flex off of those days.

There are good and bad about both but those that flex LOVE it and those that are set love their schedule too. I personally love being able to flex and have an opportunity to be off 4-5 days in a row w/o taking any ETO. It works for me and my family.

I don't work ER (I am ICU) but I have set scheduling. Actually, that is the only way I will work. I always know when I will be working. (two weekends per month.) I even know well in advance what holidays I will have off. I don't ever want to work where they change my days up again. I have been screwed over too many times in the past, such as needing a certain day off, then finding they scheduled me for that day anyway...