Shift Swaps Done Right: A Manager's Guide

Why Shift Swaps Matter

Life happens. Kids get sick, cars break down, and sometimes your Tuesday person needs to be your Thursday person instead. A good shift swap process keeps your schedule intact without turning every change into a crisis.

The Old Way (It's Painful)

1. Employee texts the group chat: "Can anyone cover Tuesday?"
2. Crickets for 3 hours
3. Someone replies "maybe"
4. Manager gets looped in via a separate text thread
5. Confusion about whether the swap actually happened
6. Someone doesn't show up

Sound familiar?

Building a Better Swap Policy

Set Clear Rules

• Swaps must be between employees with the same role/skills
• Both parties must agree before it's official
• Manager approval required (but make it easy to approve)
• Minimum notice period (e.g., 24 hours before the shift)

Make It Digital

Stop relying on group texts and sticky notes. Use a tool that lets employees:

• Request a swap with one tap
• See who's available and eligible
• Get instant manager approval
• Have everything documented automatically

Trust Your Team

The more autonomy you give employees over their schedules, the more engaged they'll be. Don't micromanage every swap — set the guardrails and let them handle the rest.

Skedji's built-in shift swap feature is designed to handle all of this automatically — request, approve, and document, all in one place.