Shift Cover Requests
The Shift Cover feature helps team members find replacements for shifts when they are unable to work. This means no more calling down a list to find replacements.
Choosing your Shift Cover Request Settings
Creating a Shift Cover Request
Identifying Shift Cover Requests
Picking Up a Shift Cover Request
Customizing Data on the Shift Cover Requests page
Overview of Shift (Swap) Covers
Here's how shift covers work:
- A team member requests a shift cover for a shift in the future. They select who they want to offer the shift to, or put it out for public offer- offered to anyone who is assigned to the same position and location as the shift.
- A supervisor approves (or denies) the request to cover.
- If approved, the team member(s) who are offered the shift are notified.
- The shift is picked up by another team member, completing the cover.
Note: Available shifts are first come, first serve.
Choosing your Shift Cover Request Settings
Before team members begin creating shift covers, as a manager/supervisor you will want to make sure you have your settings like you want them. You can find Shift Cover Request Settings in Settings>Shift Cover Requests.
Your Shift Cover Request settings will open in the box below.
Creating a Shift Cover Request
You can create a shift cover request from your Home or Schedule screen. Just simply click on the shift you need coverage for.
Managers and Supervisors will see all of these options at the bottom of the shift. Just click New Shift Cover.
Employees will see this when they click on one of their scheduled shifts. Just simply click Create Shift Cover Request.
All Team Members will then see a box like this open up.
Public Offer- If this is on the shift will be offered to all team members who qualifies for it. Qualification is based on if they fit the position and location of the shift. Team Members may not be offered the shift, even if they meet the above qualifications, if they have conflicting availability, if they are also scheduled for another shift, of if that would make them go into overtime (This all depends on what your Shift Error Rules say).
Offer to Team Members- If Public Offer is toggled off, can you choose who you want to offer the shift to.
When you click Create the Shift Cover will either move to Pending (Awaiting Approval from management-if that setting is on), or will be published if no approval is required. Team Members can then pick up the shift.
Identifying Shift Cover Requests on the Schedule
When a shift cover request is approved Team Members will be notified on the schedule-Yours that the shift is available to them. It will look like this.
On the Schedule-All shift covers are distinct due to their purple color. (Please note- If all team members are able to view the Schedule-All, they may see shift covers on the schedule even though they are not qualified to pick them up. If they click a Shift Cover they are not qualified for, they will see a message telling them they cannot pick up the shift.)
(Approved- Green A)
(Denied- Red D)
*Note- The symbol next to the D means the shift is that day. This is meant to draw your attention, especially for shifts that have not been reassigned yet.
(Pending- Orange P)
(Reassigned- Purple R)
"Picking up" a Shift Cover Request
Employees- If you want to pick up a shift cover request that is offered to you, and work that shift. Simply click on the Available Shifts icon on your Schedule-Yours. This box will pop open. It will list all shifts that are available to you on that given date.
Simply click the rectangle that contains the shift you want to pick up.
Then choose Pick Up Shift to make it official.
Managers/Supervisors- If you want to pick up an available Shift Cover Request for yourself or another employee you can click on the Shift Cover Request from any Schedule page or from the Shift Cover Requests Page. You will see the Edit Shift Box open up, as seen below.
In this box you can edit any details of the shift, Pick Up the shift for yourself, choose Edit Shift Cover to offer it to specific team members or make it Public Offer, or simply change the Team member to reassign it yourself. Then click Save.
*Once a shift is picked up it will lose its purple color on the schedule-All page. It will then look like every other regularly assigned shift.
Managing Shift Cover Requests
You can manage your shift cover requests from the schedule-All or from the Shift Cover Requests page. You can get to this page by clicking Schedule>Shift Cover Requests.
The Shift Cover Requests Page can be viewed in Calendar or List format.
Calendar
List
The list view is helpful for pulling a unique set of data, versus just viewing month to month. You can grab any period of time with this view, allowing you to gather past data, or approve things far ahead of time. You can do this by using the date picker.
Customizing Data on the Shift Cover Requests Page
Add Filter- Use this to gather information for a specific Team Member, Position, or Location.
Choosing Information Categories on List View- Click the small book on the left of the list to pull down options for the information you want to see. This allows you to get the information you want quickly.
Filtering types of requests- Toggle between All,Yours, and Awaiting Response
All- This will show all Shift cover requests that are Approved, Denied, reassigned, or Pending
Yours- This will only show your shift cover requests
Awaiting Response- This will show any Shift Cover Requests waiting for Approval.
*Tip- Want to know who has made changes to a Shift Cover request or approved/denied it?
Click the Shift Cover Request you want this information for when on the Time Off Requests Page and use the History button on the bottom left of the Shift Cover Request box that pops up.
It will open a box that tells you when it was created, by whom, and what the information was at the time of creation. Then above that will be a timeline up to the most recent with any changes to the information or status of the request.
If you didn't find the answers you were looking for in this article, please reach out to Support for further assistance.