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Shift Swapping

Our Shift Swapping feature allows employees to swap shifts with colleagues, both on the internet browser πŸ’» and the mobile app. πŸ“±

Matt Taylor avatar
Written by Matt Taylor
Updated over a week ago

Opsyte's shift swapping feature allows staff members to swap shifts with colleagues who have the same job role.

Management can still have overall control too, by choosing who is able to use shift swapping, as well as having the ability to lock the rota and prevent further shift swapping from happening.

If you would like to enable shift swapping for your company, please contact customer support!

This article will cover:

If you have any further questions that aren't answered after reading this article, please contact customer support.

How to use Shift Swapping - internet browser πŸ’»

This section covers:

Where to Shift Swap

When you first log into Opsyte as an employee, you will see your employee dashboard. This will show you your details, clock in code, holiday and upcoming shifts (dashboard pictured below).

If you don't see this dashboard, you may not have the correct settings enabled to use Shift Swapping. In this case, please contact your site's admin or our Customer Support.

How to Offer Shifts

You can view your upcoming shifts in the Upcoming Shifts table towards the bottom of the page.

If you wish to not work one of your shifts, you will be able to offer it up to your colleagues by clicking the green Offer button on the right-hand side. When you click the green offer button, you will see the window pictured below appear.

It will show you the shift details that you wish to offer up and will allow you to choose whether you want to offer it to all in job role (every colleague in your business who shares your job role) or alternatively, you can click the drop-down box to offer it only to a selected individual.
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Once you have set your preferences, click Offer.

If you change your mind, and no longer wish to offer the shift, you will be able to click the Cancel Offer button - but please note this button will only appear if no one has accepted your shift yet.

You are responsible for your shift until it has been accepted.

How to Take Available Shifts

If your colleagues have offered up their shifts, you will be able to see them in your Available Shifts section on your employee dashboard. This is below the Upcoming Shifts table mentioned previously.

In this table you will see the details of any offered-up shifts - if you wish to take any of the shifts in this table you can click the green Accept button on the right-hand side.

That shift will then disappear from the Available Shifts section, and appear in your Upcoming Shifts.

You are now responsible for this shift.

How to use Shift Swapping - mobile app πŸ“±

Shift Swapping is available on the Opsyte mobile app, which can be downloaded from the UK app store on both IOS and Android.

This section covers:

How to Offer Shifts

In the mobile app, you will need to navigate to Rota. You will see this option in the lower section at the bottom of your screen.

To offer a shift up for swapping, you will need to tap on the swap button.

This will bring up a window showing you two options: Offer to Department or Offer to Someone.

This is where you can choose whether you'd like to offer this shift to everyone in your job role or offer it to one specific person. Tap on the option you would like to choose.

On the shift you have offered up you will see the button Cancel Offer, you can press this if you have made or mistake or changed your mind.

You are responsible for this shift until it is accepted. The shift will no longer show in your My Shifts section when it has been taken by someone else.

How to Take Available Shifts

To view the available shifts section, you will need to navigate to the Menu on the left-hand side, where you will be able to see Available Shifts.

You will then be able to view and Accept available shifts.

The shift will now appear on your rota and is now your responsibility.

Management - How Shift Swapping Looks on the Rota πŸ“†

You will be able to see which Shifts are being swapped by looking at the rota.

Shifts that have been swapped / offered up for swapping will have this arrow icon on display.
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Note - you will only see this icon if you are not in compact mode. At the top left of your screen you will see this Compact Off text if you are in the correct mode. If yours says Compact On, simply click the text to change it.

To see more detail about the shift swap, you can right click on the shift. You will then see a blue text box which shows you who the status of the swapped shift.

If someone has taken a shift from someone else it will show:

If someone has offered up their shift and wants someone to take it, it will show:

Management - How to Lock the Rota πŸ”’

At any point, you may wish to stop employees from being able to swap their shifts. Locking your rota means that employees will no longer be able to swap shifts, but any shift swaps that happened before the rota is locked will remain in place.

Locking the rota is done per department, so you can let some departments continue to swap while preventing others. It is a weekly task, i.e. locking the rota for the current week will not lock the rota for the following weeks.

To Lock the department, click the Lock Shifts button on the right hand side of the screen.

If you would like swapping to continue, you will then be able to Unlock that department's shifts.

Management - How to Change Who Can Shift Swap

Employees must have the appropriate Permission to be able to shift swap. Permissions can be changed at any time (see our article here) - but are also set when you first hire a member of staff.

You will need admin permissions to perform this task - please contact customer support if you need help.

To enable/disable Shift Swapping for a user, you will need to give them the Shift Swapping permission. Information on how to change permissions can be found here.

The permission you will need to grant / revoke is Shift Swapping.

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