Take Open Shift - Shifton Help

Employees can claim available shifts from the Open Shifts row, filling gaps in the schedule on their own initiative.

What Is This?

Open shifts are unassigned shifts that appear in a dedicated Open Shifts row at the top of the schedule. When this feature is enabled, employees can browse available open shifts and request to take one. Depending on your settings, the assignment may happen automatically or require manager confirmation first. This helps fill schedule gaps quickly without requiring managers to manually assign every shift.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Module	Schedules module must be active
Setting	“Allow employees to take shifts from the Open Shifts list” must be enabled
Open Shifts	At least one open shift must exist in the schedule

Step-by-Step Instructions

Enabling the Feature (Manager/Admin)

Navigate to Schedules from the left sidebar.

Open the relevant schedule and click Settings (gear icon).

Find the “Allow employees to take shifts from the Open Shifts list” option and enable it.

Optionally, enable “Require manager confirmation” if you want to review claims before they are finalized.

Save the settings.

Setting	Effect
Allow employees to take shifts from the Open Shifts list	Employees see a “Take shift” option on open shifts
Require manager confirmation	Claims go to a pending queue for manager review before assignment

Taking an Open Shift (Employee)

Open your schedule view.

Look at the Open Shifts row at the top of the schedule.

Click on an available open shift.

Review the shift details (date, time, position, location).

Click “Take shift” or “Request shift” (depending on whether manager confirmation is required).

If confirmation is required, your request enters a pending state. If not, the shift is assigned to you immediately.

Approving an Open Shift Request (Manager)

If manager confirmation is enabled, open the Dashboard > Employee Requests > Open Shifts tab.

Review the pending request, including the employee and shift details.

Click Approve to assign the shift to the employee, or Reject to deny the request.

The employee is notified of the decision.

Access Permissions

Role	Enable Setting	Take Open Shift	Approve/Reject Request
Owner	Yes	Yes	Yes
Administrator	Yes	Yes	Yes
Manager	Yes (assigned schedules)	Yes	Yes (assigned schedules)
Employee	No	Yes (when enabled)	No

FAQ

Q: Can multiple employees request the same open shift?
A: Yes. When manager confirmation is required, multiple employees can submit requests for the same shift, and the manager decides who gets it. Without confirmation, the first employee to claim it is assigned.

Q: Will I get a notification when open shifts become available?
A: This depends on your company’s notification settings. Ask your manager if open shift notifications are enabled for your team.

Q: Can I take an open shift that overlaps with my existing shift?
A: Shifton will typically warn you about scheduling conflicts. Overlapping shifts may be blocked depending on your schedule settings.

Q: What positions can I take open shifts for?
A: You can only take open shifts that match positions you are qualified for. If a shift requires a position you do not hold, it will not be available to you.

Q: Can I cancel my request after submitting it?
A: If the request is still pending manager approval, you may be able to cancel it. Once approved and assigned, contact your manager to make changes.

Possible Issues and Solutions

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
No open shifts visible	No unassigned shifts exist in the schedule	Open shifts must be created by a manager or posted by another employee
“Take shift” button not showing	Feature is disabled in schedule settings	Ask an admin to enable “Allow employees to take shifts from the Open Shifts list”
Request stuck in pending	Manager has not yet reviewed the request	Reach out to your manager to review pending open shift requests
Conflict warning when claiming a shift	The open shift overlaps with your existing schedule	Choose a shift that does not conflict, or ask your manager for help
Shift was taken by someone else	Another employee claimed it first (no confirmation mode)	Check for other available open shifts, or ask your manager to create one
Cannot see Open Shifts row	Row may be hidden in display settings	Check the schedule’s Show/Hide options to ensure the Open Shifts row is visible