#The shift exchange how to#
#The shift exchange software#

#The shift exchange how to#

It’ll walk you through the process and how to configure the settings to best serve your business.⚠️ Note: The exchange is not final until the manager has given approval. To learn more about how TimeForge handles shift swaps, check out this handy how-to guide. Once completed and approved, TimeForge automatically updates the schedule to reflect the swap so your managers don’t have to. If appropriate, TimeForge can require all swaps to be approved by a manager or to be made a certain amount of time in advance. It will also inform management when a swap will result in overtime. For example, it ensures that both trade partners are equally matched in their skill level, so your shifts will run as smoothly as possible. It can also help catch requests that won’t work in your favor. TimeForge does the work for you by giving employees a platform in which to make their swap requests. Ideally, it would be able to automate the entire process to help save you even more work.įortunately, such a program already exists.

#The shift exchange software#

Using shift swaps to their fullest advantage is easy when you use a labor management software program with built in shift swap functionality. Tip: TimeForge allows you to do all of the above – painlessly. Learning more about shift swapping policies and best practices can help you avoid making mistakes. Make sure you’ll still have a good team before approving a trade between a newbie and a more experienced employee. Carefully consider the training level and skill sets of the staff on a shift. Also be sure to avoid any trades that might result in shifts that aren’t adequately staffed. You’ll want to make sure trades don’t start costing you in overtime. Once your employees decide which shifts to trade and who to trade with, it’s still a good idea to require a manager’s approval before proceeding. Shift swapping is usually a win-win, but there are a few things you need to be cautious about. Allowing employees to figure out minor schedule changes in a way that works best for them can save your managers a lot of conflicts, headaches, and time. Your employees will benefit from the opportunity to problem-solve on their own and your managers won’t drown in rewriting the schedule every other day. When employees are able to trade shifts, they can work together to find a solution within the schedule that works for everyone instead of relying on a manager to do it all for them every time. They save time and give your employees an extra opportunity to work as a team to solve problems. They are a simple and effective way to solve many employee scheduling issues. Shift swaps are also conducive to good workforce management. This freedom and flexibility is good for morale and productivity.

Allowing employees to swap shifts gives them more control over their work schedule and more flexibility for their personal lives. Shift swaps are an excellent opportunity to empower your staff members in a way that benefits them and your business. If you and your employees aren’t all that enthusiastic about swapping shifts, you could be missing out! It’s a great tool and has many benefits beyond the obvious for employees and employers alike. Shift swapping is a simple and common practice in many workplaces. In short, it improves employee retention. It keeps the schedule and managers happy with adequate staffing, gives employees a chance to solve their scheduling conflicts, and makes it so they can have the needed time off without giving up an entire shift’s worth of pay. When those last minute plans pop up and you need to get out of a shift fast, swapping with a coworker is the perfect solution. It’s nice to have that option when you didn’t have time to make an official time off request. What you might not know, however, is how beneficial it can be to your employees and business.Īnyone who’s worked in retail, restaurants, or grocery has probably exchanged shifts with a coworker at least once or twice. Most of us know what a shift swap is and how it works. A “shift swap” (sometimes written incorrectly as “shift swop”) is what we call it when employees trade shifts with each other.