Shift swaps, open shifts and approvals

A published schedule will change. The important distinction is between a request, an employee's acceptance and the manager's final approval. Without those states, the team can end up with several versions of who is working.

Three different workflows

A shift swap starts with an employee who wants another employee to take a scheduled shift. An open shift starts with uncovered demand that suitable employees can express interest in. A manager change starts with an operational need after publication.

The workflows may look similar, but responsibility differs. A colleague accepting a swap is not necessarily the business approving it.

Until a manager approves the change, the published schedule remains current. Employees need that distinction so a request is not mistaken for release from the original shift.

A clear approval flow

1. Create the request against a specific shift.
2. Allow relevant employees to respond or accept.
3. Let the manager review role, department, overlap and staffing impact.
4. Approve or reject the request.
5. Update the published schedule and notify affected employees.

Use conflict checks to find overlaps, role mismatch and known absence. The manager must still review notice, rest periods and the agreement that applies.

Example: A swap that should not be approved

Sara wants to swap a Friday evening with Jonas. Jonas accepts, but his Thursday shift ends late and he is already scheduled on Saturday morning. The manager checks rest time, role fit and coverage before deciding. If the swap is rejected, Sara remains assigned to the original shift.

Do not leave the decision in chat

Team chat is useful for coordination and context. It should not be the only record of the final change. Once decided, write the change back to the schedule so time tracking and later review use the current shift.

Practical rule: Use chat for the conversation and the approval workflow for the decision.

Check notice and the employee's terms

Post-publication changes may be subject to the employee's contract, collective agreement or notice rules. Review the guide to schedule notice in Denmark. For sickness and approved absence, see leave and absence in the schedule.

With employee scheduling in Monoplan, changes, open shifts and approvals remain connected to one plan.

Practical rule: The published schedule remains current until a change is approved and written back to the plan.