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Open shifts and employee features

Available for the following EmploymentOS plans: Employment Lite, Employment Plus, Employment Unlimited
Available for the following user access level: Admin, Manager

⚠️Work Sites & Positions Rostering:This version of rostering uses work sites and employee positions instead of cost centres. It's currently available to customers who joined Employment Hero recently. Existing customers will be migrated to this system over the coming months.

The enhanced Rostering Management feature includes powerful employee engagement tools that allow staff to interact with their schedules. You can enable open shifts for employees to bid on, set up shift acceptance requirements, and allow employees to swap shifts with their colleagues. These features help improve schedule flexibility while maintaining control over work site and position requirements.

Setting up shift bidding

Enable open shifts
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Rostering Settings button.
  5. Click Shift Settings.
  6. Turn on Enable open shifts.
  7. Click Save.

Creating open shifts

Create an open shift
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click any + tile under a Position within your desired Work Site.
  5. Fill in the shift details as normal:
    • From (time): Enter the start time
    • To (time): Enter the end time
    • Work Site: Confirm the work site
    • Position: Confirm the position
  6. Check "This is an open shift".
  7. The system will auto-populate eligible employees for bidding based on the position requirements.
  8. Click Save or Save and Publish.

Note: Open shifts will appear in purple with a bid count indicator. Eligible employees will be notified automatically.

Manage open shift bids
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Look for open shifts displayed in purple with bid count numbers.
  5. Click on the open shift to view current bids.
  6. The first employee to claim the shift will be automatically assigned.
  7. Once claimed, the shift converts to a regular assignment automatically.

Employee shift acceptance

Enable shift acceptance requirements
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Rostering Settings button.
  5. Click Shift Settings.
  6. Turn on Employees must accept shifts.
  7. Optionally, also turn on Allow employees to decline shifts.
  8. Click Save.

Note: When enabled, employees will need to accept their assigned shifts before they become confirmed.

Configure shift acceptance settings
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Click the Rostering Settings button.
  5. Click Shift Settings.
  6. If both acceptance and decline options are enabled, configure:
    • Default shift actions: Set what happens when employees don't respond
    • Shift action cut off time: Set deadline for employee responses
  7. Click Save.

Shift swapping between employees

How employees initiate shift swaps

Employees can initiate shift swaps through the Employment Hero Work app:

  1. Employee opens Work App Roster Shift.
  2. Employee clicks I can't work Swap my shift.
  3. System shows only eligible swap options based on:
    • Same Work Site: Must be the same location
    • Eligible Position: Other employee must be eligible for the position
    • No overlap: No conflicting shifts
    • Certification: If required, other employee must have necessary certifications
  4. Employee selects a colleague and submits the swap request.
Manage pending shift swaps
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Look for shifts with orange or red badges indicating pending swaps.
  5. Click on a pending swap to review the details.
  6. Choose to:
    • Approve: Accept the swap request
    • Decline: Reject the swap request
  7. All involved parties will receive real-time updates on the decision.
View swap notifications
  1. Log into your Employment Hero HR platform.
  2. Click the Time menu.
  3. Click Rostering Management option, under the Rosters header.
  4. Monitor the roster for visual indicators:
    • Orange badges: Pending swap requests awaiting approval
    • Red badges: Urgent or overdue swap requests
  5. Click on any badge to access the swap management panel.

Further information

Open shifts benefits

Open shifts provide several advantages for both managers and employees:

  • Employee engagement: Staff can volunteer for additional hours when available
  • Automatic assignment: First employee to bid gets the shift automatically
  • Eligibility enforcement: Only employees qualified for the position can bid
  • Visual identification: Purple colour and bid count make open shifts easy to spot
  • Reduced admin: No manual assignment needed once claimed
Shift acceptance workflow

The shift acceptance feature creates a structured workflow for shift confirmation:

  • Employee notifications: Staff receive notifications about assigned shifts
  • Response tracking: Monitor which employees have accepted or declined shifts
  • Automatic actions: Configure default responses when employees don't respond by deadline
  • Flexibility: Allow employees to decline shifts they cannot work
  • Compliance: Ensure shifts are properly acknowledged before work begins
Shift swapping requirements

The shift swapping feature maintains workplace requirements while providing flexibility:

  • Work site matching: Swaps only allowed within the same work site
  • Position eligibility: Both employees must be eligible for the position
  • Certification requirements: System checks for necessary certifications
  • Schedule conflicts: Prevents overlapping shifts during swaps
  • Manager approval: All swaps require manager/admin approval
  • Real-time updates: All parties receive notifications about swap status changes

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