Qualification-Based Activity Restrictions

Overview

Qualification-based activity restrictions prevent an employee from being assigned to a post or activity they are not qualified for. When an activity has a qualification requirement set, Hero Schedule will block assignment — including regular shift assignments, overtime requests, and open shift invitations — unless the employee is a member of the designated group.

How it works

Each activity can be configured to require membership in a specific group. Groups in Hero Schedule are flexible: you can use existing groupings or create new ones. The most common grouping types used for qualifications are Specialty Groupings and Certifications Groupings. Employees who are members of the required group are permitted to work the activity; everyone else is blocked.

Setup steps

Step 1: Create or verify your group

Go to Menu → Setup → Groups. Select the grouping type you want to use (for example, Specialty Grouping). If the group already exists, confirm it contains the correct members. If you need a new group, click Add Group and add the qualified employees to it.

Groups and grouping types are fully customizable per agency. You can create multiple grouping types (Specialty, Certifications, etc.) and multiple groups within each type.

Step 2: Enable the qualification on the activity

Go to Menu → Setup → Activities. Find the activity you want to restrict and click the edit pencil icon. Check the Qualification checkbox. A dropdown will appear — select the grouping type, then select the specific group within that type. Click Save.

Repeat this for any additional activities that require the same or different qualifications.

Step 3: Verify enforcement

Once saved, Hero Schedule enforces the qualification in three places:

• Regular shift assignment: Attempting to assign an unqualified employee to a restricted activity will show a warning: "Qualifications have not been met for [Activity Name]."
• Overtime requests: Submitting an overtime request for a restricted activity will be blocked if the employee is not a member of the required group.
• Open shifts: Use an Open Shift Pool that contains only qualified employees so that the open shift invitation is only sent to eligible officers (see below).

Open shifts and qualification filtering

For open shifts, create an Open Shift Pool group that contains only the qualified employees. When creating the open shift, select that pool in the shift pool field. Only members of that pool will be invited to the shift, naturally filtering out unqualified employees.

To set up an Open Shift Pool, go to Menu → Setup → Groups, select Open Shift Pools from the grouping dropdown, and create or edit the pool to include the qualified employees. Then when you go to Menu → Create Open Shift, select the appropriate pool to invite only those members.

Note: A future update will also prevent administrators from accidentally assigning an unqualified employee from within the open shift invitation view. In the meantime, using a properly configured Open Shift Pool achieves the same outcome.

Grouping types supported

The qualification dropdown includes all grouping types configured in your account. Common options include:

• Specialty Grouping — custom groups defined per agency (e.g., K9, SWAT, DRE)
• Certifications Grouping — tied to Hero Schedule's Certifications feature, which can link employee certifications directly to activity eligibility

You can create new grouping types and new groups within those types to match your agency's structure. For more information on setting up and managing groups, see the Groups help documentation.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I try to assign an unqualified employee?

A warning message will appear stating that qualifications have not been met. The assignment will not be saved unless you cancel or change the activity to one the employee is qualified for.

Can an employee be added to the group after the restriction is set?

Yes. Adding an employee to the required group immediately grants them access to that activity. You may need to refresh the page for the change to take effect.

Can I use certifications instead of specialty groups?

Yes. The Certifications Grouping type in the qualification dropdown connects to Hero Schedule's Certifications feature. This allows you to tie activity eligibility to specific certifications on an employee's record. Contact your Hero Schedule representative for more information on the Certifications feature.

Does this apply to all assignment types?

Yes — regular shift assignments and overtime requests are enforced automatically. For open shifts, enforcement is achieved by using an Open Shift Pool that limits invitations to qualified employees. Full open-shift enforcement (blocking assignment of unqualified employees from within the invite view) is coming in a future update.