Shift Swapping

Learn how to swap shifts with coworkers, request trades, respond to swap offers, and manage the approval process to adjust your schedule while maintaining proper coverage.

Overview

Shift swapping allows you to trade assigned shifts with qualified coworkers when you’re unable to work your scheduled time. This feature helps maintain shift coverage while giving you flexibility to address personal needs or scheduling conflicts. Both direct swaps and marketplace trades are supported.

Understanding Shift Swapping Types

Direct Swap vs. Marketplace

The Shifts platform supports two types of shift exchanges:

• Direct Swap: Trading a specific shift with another specific employee
• Marketplace Listing: Offering your shift to anyone qualified to take it

Direct swaps are ideal when you already know who can cover your shift, while marketplace listings help find available coworkers you might not have considered.

Starting a Direct Shift Swap

Requesting a Swap with a Specific Coworker

1. From your dashboard, go to My Schedule
2. Find the shift you need to swap
3. Click the Options menu (three dots) and select Request Swap
4. Choose Direct Swap as the swap type
5. Select the coworker you want to swap with from the dropdown
6. Optionally, select which of their shifts you’re willing to take in exchange
7. Add a note explaining your request (optional but recommended)
8. Click Send Swap Request

Your coworker will receive a notification about your request.

Creating a Marketplace Listing

Offering Your Shift to All Eligible Coworkers

If you don’t know who can take your shift:

1. From your dashboard, go to My Schedule
2. Find the shift you need to swap
3. Click the Options menu and select Request Swap
4. Choose Post to Marketplace as the swap type
5. Decide whether you’re willing to:
   • One-way offer: Give up your shift without taking another
   • Equal exchange: Only give your shift if you get one in return
   • Flexible: Either option is acceptable
6. Add notes about your request (special conditions, urgency, etc.)
7. Click Post to Marketplace

Your shift will appear in the Shift Marketplace for eligible coworkers to claim.

Responding to Swap Requests

When Someone Asks to Swap With You

If you receive a direct swap request:

1. Check your notifications or go to My Schedule → Swap Requests
2. Review the swap details, including:
   • Which shift they’re offering
   • Which of your shifts they want
   • Any notes they’ve included
3. Choose to:
   • Accept: Agree to the swap as proposed
   • Counteroffer: Suggest a different shift to trade
   • Decline: Reject the swap request
4. Add a note explaining your decision (optional)
5. Submit your response

Finding Shifts to Pick Up

To browse shifts that others have offered:

1. Go to Shift Marketplace from your dashboard
2. Browse available shifts sorted by date
3. Filter shifts by:
   • Date range
   • Location
   • Shift type
   • Department
4. Click on a shift to see details
5. Click Apply to Take if you want the shift

Swap Rules and Restrictions

Eligibility Requirements

Not all swaps are permitted. Typical restrictions include:

• You must have the same role or qualifications for the shift
• You cannot swap shifts that would create overtime
• You cannot swap shifts that would violate rest period rules
• You must belong to the appropriate department or location
• You cannot swap shifts that have already started

The system will automatically check these rules when you attempt a swap.

Manager Approval

Depending on your organization’s settings:

• Some swaps may require manager approval before becoming final
• Others may be automatically approved if they meet all eligibility requirements

After a swap is accepted by both parties, you’ll be notified if:

• The swap is immediately confirmed
• The swap is pending manager approval
• The swap was rejected due to rule violations

Tracking Your Swap Activity

Viewing Swap History and Status

To check on your swap requests:

1. Go to My Schedule → Swap History
2. Here you’ll see all your swap activities:
   • Swaps you’ve initiated
   • Swaps others have requested from you
   • Current status of each swap (pending, approved, rejected)
   • Reason for any rejected swaps

Canceling a Swap Request

If you need to cancel a pending swap request:

1. Go to My Schedule → Swap Requests
2. Find the pending request you want to cancel
3. Click Cancel Request
4. Add a reason for the cancellation (optional)
5. Confirm the cancellation

You cannot cancel a swap that has already been approved.

Special Swap Situations

Partial Shift Swaps

If your organization allows partial shift swapping:

1. When requesting a swap, select Partial Shift option
2. Specify the hours of your shift you need covered
3. The process otherwise follows regular swapping procedures

Urgent Swaps

For last-minute situations:

1. When creating your swap request, check the Urgent box
2. This will highlight your request in the marketplace
3. Eligible coworkers may receive additional notifications
4. Managers are alerted to urgent swap requests

Best Practices

For successful shift swapping:

1. Request swaps early - The more notice, the better chance of finding a replacement
2. Be clear in your notes - Explain why you need the swap and any special considerations
3. Be reciprocal - Helping others with their swaps makes them more likely to help you
4. Check eligibility before requesting a swap to avoid rejected requests
5. Confirm the swap went through before making personal plans
6. Communicate directly with your swap partner to ensure understanding

Related Resources

• Shift Marketplace Overview
• Picking Up Available Shifts
• Posting Shifts to the Marketplace
• Shift Trade Rules
• Resolving Availability Conflicts

This article should be updated when:

1. The shift swapping process or workflow changes
2. Eligibility rules for swaps are modified
3. New swap types or options are added
4. The marketplace interface is redesigned
5. Approval process for swaps changes