The "This job may be scheduled in combination with..." setting allows you to specify that the same person may be scheduled in two different jobs at the same shift. This setting is easy to understand intuitively but the specific behavior is a little complex, which is why we have this special article explaining how it works! There are three variants of this setting that behave slightly differently.

ONLY WHEN NEEDED

When the "schedule in combination with" setting is set to "Only when needed", VSP will only schedule the same person for two jobs if there are not any other volunteers available for the second role.

WHENEVER POSSIBLE

When the "schedule in combination with" setting for Job A is set to "WHENEVER POSSIBLE" with Job B, a volunteer cannot be scheduled in an empty Job A position at a service unless:

1) they can also be scheduled in Job B (if they are qualified for this job)

or

2) there are more empty positions in Job A than in Job B

So, for example, if a volunteer is only qualified as a Trainer and not a Check-in Host and there is only one open position in both jobs, then the volunteer cannot be scheduled as a Trainer at that shift. However, if there were two open Trainer positions, then the volunteer could be scheduled in one of those empty positions.

The only exception to this rule is if the volunteer is 1) not qualified for Job B, and 2) the total number of positions (empty + filled) required in Job B at the service is greater than the total number of positions in Job A. For example, if a volunteer is only qualified as a Concession Manager and not an Equipment Manager and there is only one Concession Manager position required total at the service but four Equipment Managers, then the volunteer can be scheduled in an empty Concession Manager position at that service (even if all the Equipment Manager positions have already been filled).

ALWAYS

The "ALWAYS" setting is similar to the "WHENEVER POSSIBLE" setting, but more strict. When the "schedule in combination with" setting for Job A is set to "ALWAYS" with Job B, all of the requirements for "WHENEVER POSSIBLE" must be met in order for the volunteer to be scheduled. In addition, if a volunteer is qualified for both Job A and Job B, then they MUST be scheduled in both jobs whenever they are scheduled for one of them. For example, if a volunteer is qualified as both Set Up and Tear Down, and there are four open Set Up positions and no open Tear Down positions, the volunteer could not be scheduled as a Set Up, since there is no room for them to be scheduled as a Tear Down at that same shift.