Open Shift is one of Deputy’s most loved scheduling features — and for good reason.
In just a few minutes, setting an unassigned shift to “open” sends a notification out to all available, recommended employees who can quickly claim the shift on a first-in, first-served basis.
This feature worked really well for two people — managers who need a shift filled as quickly as possible (like when someone calls in sick), and for the employee that happened to have their phone in their hand when the notification came through.
Open Shift didn’t work so well for the working parent that would’ve loved to pick up an extra shift but was busy putting the kids to bed when the notification came through. Or the college student who had their phone on silent during class, only to find out they’d missed out later on.
From a manager's perspective, we also know that there are numerous other use cases for an open shift outside of a last-minute replacement.
In most cases, the preference would be to understand who is interested and available in picking up an additional shift, without the pressure of having it filled automatically and without any final sign off.
We’ve been listening to our customer’s feedback, and we know we can do better. This is why we’re pleased to share that we have newly introduced Approvals into our Open Shift process.
Here’s why you’ll love it.
Keep shift offers fair across your team
Unless a shift needs to be filled immediately, there’s no reason an employee should be at a disadvantage because they’re not on their phone when it comes through.
Using manager approvals for Open Shifts provides all employees with a reasonable window of time to express their interest in working the shift, rather than simply awarding it to the fastest employee to accept it.
Having this new holding period in place before an open shift gets assigned creates a much fairer system for employees wanting to pick up additional shifts.
Fill each shift with the right person, every time
While Deputy can help with some of the logic in recommending the right person for a shift, there are many factors that you think are important when considering allocating an extra shift.
Using Open Shift with Approval not only gives managers visibility over all the recommended candidates that have opted in as available to work that shift, but also importantly gives managers the final say over who is allocated the shift based on the discretionary knowledge and insight they have about their team.
Create flexible, resource-efficient schedules
From retail stores and dining venues, to medical clinics and call centers, businesses have a hard time ensuring balanced staffing levels, especially through changing consumer behavior and demand.
Building flexibility into schedules is critical, and Open Shifts with Approval is a key way to help.
After building out your core schedule (with the minimum number of staff you require), Open Shifts with Approval can then be added as placeholder shifts. That allows you to plan without having to commit to having those shifts filled until closer to the time.
Now you can provide employees with a better idea of what their minimum shifts are for the weeks ahead. And they’ll still have the option to accept additional shifts — rather than planning around shifts which later need to be removed.
With just a click, you can create schedules with lower costs and the most qualified staff. To learn more about how Deputy can help you find the right staff for every shift, sign up for a free trial today. Or use our 24/7 chat to speak with someone directly. And if you want to learn more about how start using Open Shifts, check out this help article.
