Open shifts

An open shift is a shift that has been scheduled by a manager and made available to claim by eligible members of staff, as opposed to being assigned to a particular team member. Open shifts are commonly used at businesses that make use of staff scheduling software to organise their teams.

As well as reducing the burden on managers’ time when it comes to planning staff rotas, open shifts give staff extra flexibility as they’re able to pick up the shifts that most appeal to them, making an important touchpoint in the overall employee experience offered by businesses.

Staff whose employers use people management software like RotaCloud will receive email or push notifications whenever an open shift that they’re eligible to claim (managers can limit open shifts to staff who work specific roles) become available.

Similarly, whenever a member of staff claims an open shift, the rota will update automatically to reflect this, with managers notified that a shift has been claimed.

As well as being great for staff like delivery drivers, who often prefer to work more flexibly, open shifts are a great way for managers to avoid claims of favouritism when it comes to assigning shifts, since staff can claim them on a first come, first served basis.