Shift Swapping

Team members can now offer and swap shifts directly from the Team App, with built-in eligibility checks, manager approvals, and automatic roster updates.

🔐 What You'll Need

🔑 Manager permissions to change Team App settings, and Time + Payroll permissions to approve shift offers and swaps.

If you don't have access to your Company Settings, ask someone with Manager permissions to update your access.

Feature Overview

Shift Swapping is ready to use today. We're putting the finishing touches on a couple of final pieces that we'll keep up to date here:

✅ = ready to use · 🦺 = coming soon

Team App Settings

Head to Venue Settings → Team and scroll to the Team App section. Review these settings before your team starts shift swapping:

Downloading the Team App

Loaded's Team App is where staff members offer and swap shifts. Here's how they get set up:

1. Publish the roster via email: the bottom of the email has a link to download the app

2. Download the app from your device's app store

3. Log in with the same email address your rosters are sent to

4. Enter the team access code included in the roster email

5. Check your email for the one-time passcode, or follow the link in the email

6. Create a PIN you'll remember: you'll use this to unlock the app

Shift Eligibility

Eligibility determines which staff members appear in the list a shift can be offered to or swapped with. Loaded checks:

• Rostered shifts: the staff member isn't rostered for another shift (at any venue) at the same time

• Availability: no unavailability overlapping the shift

• Leave: no leave overlapping the shift

• Role, Team or Labour Group (if restricted): only staff who can work the same role, or a role in the same team or labour group, are eligible

Offering a Shift to Someone

To offer a shift to a specific staff member:

1. Head to Shifts → My Shifts and select the shift

2. Click Can't work this shift?

3. Choose Offer to Someone

4. Select the team member to offer the shift to

5. Enter the reason for the offer, then click Offer

6. Head to Requests → My Requests to see the offered shift. The status updates once it's accepted, then approved (if manager approval is required)

To accept an offer:

1. Head to Shifts → Requests → Incoming

2. Click Accept

3. Once approved (if required), the shift appears in your rostered shifts

Offering a Shift to Everyone

To offer a shift to all eligible staff members:

1. Head to Shifts → My Shifts and select the shift

2. Click Can't work this shift?

3. Choose Offer to Everyone

4. Enter the reason for the offer, then click Offer

5. Head to Requests → My Requests to see the offered shift. The status updates once it's accepted, then approved (if manager approval is required)

Swapping a Shift

To send a shift swap:

1. Head to Shifts → My Shifts and select the shift

2. Click Can't work this shift?

3. Choose Swap Shift

4. Select the team member you want to swap your shift with

5. Select the team member's shift you want to swap yours for

6. Enter the reason for the swap, then click Request Swap

Counter swaps: If a shift is offered to a staff member (as an offer to one person or to everyone), that staff member can propose a swap with one of their own shifts instead of just accepting the offer.

Managing Requests & Notifications

Head to Shifts → Requests to see all incoming and outgoing shift offers and swaps. Status tags:

• Offer sent: waiting for a response from a team member

• Swap requested: waiting for a response from the person the swap was sent to

• Pending approval: accepted by the team member, now awaiting manager approval; the roster isn't updated yet

• Covered / Swapped: approved and confirmed; the roster will be updated

• Declined: the offer or swap was declined by the recipient or a manager

When a staff member accepts an offer or swap, the person who initiated it receives an email confirming the acceptance and noting it's awaiting manager approval.

Approving Shift Offers and Swaps

If Require manager approval for shift swaps is on for your venue, every shift offer and swap must be approved by a manager before it's confirmed.

• Via Email (requires Approval Emails permission): approve or decline a shift offer or swap straight from your inbox

  

• Via Loaded Hub → Approvals (requires Time + Payroll permissions): head to Team → Workforce → Approvals, open the Shift Swapping tab, click a row to review it, then approve or decline

  

  

Roster Updates

The roster shows shifts that have been picked up or swapped with other staff members as:

• Offered (one arrow): the staff member accepted a shift offered to them

• Swapped (two arrows): the shift was swapped with another staff member's rostered shift

Offering a Shift on Behalf of a Staff Member

A manager can kick off the shift offer process from the roster in Loaded:

1. Head to the Roster Editor

2. Click the shift you want to offer and select Offer Shift

3. Choose Everyone eligible or Someone specific

4. Enter the reason for the shift offer (optional)

5. Click Send Offer

The staff member(s) the offer was sent to will receive an email and can accept the offer in the Team App. The roster updates once the offer is accepted.

Known Limitations

• No in-app approvals yet: all shift offers and swaps can currently be approved via email or in Loaded Hub under Team → Workforce → Approvals. We're working on letting managers approve transfers from the Team App itself.

• Push notifications are still coming: for now, team members are notified about new offers and swaps by email, with a link to the offer or swap in the Team App.

• If a staff member tries Offer to Everyone but there are no eligible staff members, they'll see a generic error message rather than an explanation of why the shift can't be offered.

What's Next?

• Loaded's Team App

• Create a Roster

• Leave & Availability: Requests and Approvals

• User Permissions