Offer an open shift to the people who can work it

A shift nobody is on goes to the people who could actually take it. They answer on their phone, and the shift is still yours to give: the first yes does not win it.

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Shown with sample staff, hours and rates.

What it does

An unfilled shift, or one somebody dropped, offered to a shortlist
The shortlist ranked by venue, job title, availability, hours and punctuality
Staff answer yes or no on their phone, and can change their mind until it is given
You give it to one person, and everybody else is told it has gone
An offer closes itself when the shift starts, and says so to whoever volunteered
The shift is created through the same clash checks as one you place by hand

Why it works this way

The decisions behind it, and what they are better than.

The first yes does not winRostering somebody is a judgement about training, about overtime and about who is having a hard month, and none of that is in a database. Staff put their hand up; the decision stays with you.

Two people cannot both get itThe moment a shift is given, the offer closes in the database itself rather than in the screen. A second manager pressing give at the same second is refused, not merged.

Offering a shift never takes one awayPassing on a shift somebody dropped copies the hours and leaves their roster alone. Removing a published shift is its own decision, with its own notice to the person who loses it.

What you get out of it

One message instead of elevenThe people who could work it hear about it at once, and you stop ringing down a list in the order you happen to remember.

Nobody is asked who cannot say yesApproved leave, a clashing shift and an hours cap keep somebody off the list before the message goes out.

You can see who answeredWho was asked, who said yes, who said no and when, on one screen, months later.

How it works

1Open the shiftFrom the roster, on a shift nobody is on.

2Check the shortlistRanked, with the reason beside each name. Take anybody off it before you send.

3Give it to one of themThey are told it is theirs, and it lands on their roster when you publish the week.

A care worker in scrubs checking a phone

What it does not do

Said plainly here, so nobody finds out after they have set it up.

The first yes does not win it. A manager gives the shift to one person
An offer closes when the shift starts, whether or not anybody has taken it

Go further

Open shiftThe term, and how it differs from a swap.Pubs and clubsFilling a busy Saturday at short notice.Shift swap request formWhen the shift already has somebody.

Where open shifts comes up

The words it uses, defined.

Open shift

Questions about open shifts

What is an open shift in Roster Flow?

A shift nobody is on, or one somebody dropped, offered to a shortlist of the staff who could work it. They answer yes or no on their phone, and a manager gives the shift to one person.

Who is on the open shift shortlist?

Staff ranked by venue, job title, availability, hours and punctuality. Approved leave, a clashing shift and an hours cap keep somebody off it, and you can take anybody off before the offer goes out.

Does the first person to say yes get the open shift?

No. Staff put their hand up and a manager decides who gets it. Everybody else who answered is told the shift has gone.

What happens if nobody takes an open shift?

The offer closes itself when the shift starts, whether or not anybody has taken it, and whoever volunteered is told it has closed.