An open shift is a shift that's created without being assigned to an employee.
Open shifts are useful for:
1. Allowing your employees volunteer for shifts
2. Creating a shift template
When you publish an open shift, Rota & Time Clock will send a notification to all available employees following these criteria:
The employees must have the same position and location
The employees must not have a conflicting shift in their rota
The employees must not have an approved leave request in their rota
By default, open shifts must be assigned to a volunteer by a manager, but it is possible to remove the need for approval and let them be taken on a 'first come, first served' basis.
It's also possible to allow employees with a conflicting shift in their rota to apply for an open shit. To set this option, head to Settings>Scheduling and tick the 'Employees can apply for open shifts that are in conflict with their rota' option.
Creating an open shift
In the 'Open shifts' row at the top of the Rota, click the + sign to add a new open shift on the relevant date:
You can also specify the number of employees required in the 'Quantity' field, and assign this shift to more than one volunteer if necessary.
Reminder: you must publish the open shift in order for employees to receive a notification.
Via the "Create" button
You can also create an open shift via the "Create" button in the top left corner of the planner.
You'll then be taken to the window for creating your open shift.
For help on how to assign open shifts, please see this guide.