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# Gray cells when opening a plan - causes and solution⚙️🗓️

When you open a **plan** and see **gray cells** for one or more employees, it means those dates **are not enabled for planning** for that employee. This is usually due to **hire dates** or **group assignment start dates** that are later than the days you are viewing.

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### What it means and why it happens 🚫

Cells appear gray when:

1. The employee's **hire date in haddock HR** is **later** than the visible dates in the plan.
  → The employee **cannot** have shifts **before** their **hire date**.
2. The employee's **group assignment start date** is **later** than those dates.
  → In that **group**, the employee can only have shifts **from** the date they were **assigned** to the group.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/helpdesk-haddock-images/haddock-hr/artificial-intelligence-and-shift-planning/gray-cells-when-opening-a-plan-causes-and-solution/images/01-what-it-means-and-why-it-happens.png)

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### How to fix it step by step ✅

1. **Check the employee's hire date**

  - Go to **Employees → [Employee profile]** and review the **Hire date** field.
  - If that date is **in the future** relative to the period you are viewing, the previous cells will remain gray.
  - If you find an error, **correct the date**.
2. **Check the group assignment date**

  - In the **employee profile**, under the **Group** tab, review the **"Start" date** of the **group assignment** you are opening in the plan.
  - If it is later than the visible period, you can **adjust it** if appropriate so the employee is **linked** to the group from the needed date.
3. **Refresh the plan**

  - Return to the **Plan** and click **Verify** or **reload** the page so the changes take effect.
  - From the **valid date** onward (employee start date or group assignment start date), the cells will stop appearing gray.

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### Quick tips and checks 💡

- Make sure you are checking the **correct group** if there are several groups per site/area.
- If the employee **changed groups** recently, make sure there are no **overlaps** or **gaps** between assignment dates.
- If you need to plan **before** the start date, first **adjust the corresponding date** (employee or group), save, and verify.

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### Short example 🧪

- You see gray cells from **September 10 to September 20**.
- Employee **start date** in the profile: **September 15** → cells from the 10th to the 14th appear **gray**.
- Or, a **group assignment** with start date **September 16** → you will only see cells enabled **from the 16th** for that group.

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### Summary

Gray cells mean planning is **not yet valid** for that employee on those dates: check the employee's **Hire date** and the **"Start" date** of their **group assignment**. Correct what is needed, **save**, and **verify** the plan.