Replacement Requests
Replacement requests are a Plus feature. You need a Plus subscription or higher to use this feature.
With replacement requests, employees can independently find replacements for their shifts – without admin intervention. You can either ask all colleagues in your department or target specific people. The requested colleagues are automatically notified and can take over the shift directly.
Finding the Feature
As an employee, you can find the replacement request here:
- Go to Schedule in the main menu
- Open a schedule
- Click on one of your own shifts
- In the shift detail dialog, you'll see the Find Replacement button
Finding a Replacement
If you can't make it to a shift, start a replacement request:
- Click on your shift in the schedule
- Click Find Replacement
- The replacement search dialog opens with a list of your colleagues
- Choose who you want to ask (or leave everyone selected)
- Confirm with Find Replacement
Prerequisites
| Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Your own shift | You must be assigned to the shift |
| Published | The shift must be published (not in draft) |
| In the future | Past shifts cannot be given away |
| No active request | Only one replacement request can be active per shift at a time |
Targeted Replacement Search
In the replacement search dialog, you'll see a list of all colleagues in your department. Here you can choose exactly who you'd like to ask for a replacement.
Selecting Colleagues
- Select all: By default, all available colleagues are pre-selected. Use the toggle at the top to select or deselect everyone at once.
- Select individually: Check the boxes next to the people you want to target specifically.
- At least one person must be selected.
Conflict Detection
The system automatically checks whether colleagues are available on that day. Conflicts are displayed directly in the list:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Absence (colored badge) | The person has an approved absence on that day (e.g., vacation, sick leave) |
| Unavailable (red symbol) | The person has marked themselves as unavailable |
| Working hours (orange symbol) | The shift is outside their fixed working hours |
| Double booking (amber symbol) | The person is already assigned to another shift on that day |
Colleagues without conflicts are automatically shown at the top of the list. This way you can immediately see who is most likely available.
Sending to All vs. Targeted
| Variant | Description | Button Text |
|---|---|---|
| All colleagues | All people are selected – the request goes to the entire department | "Find Replacement" |
| Targeted people | Only selected people are asked | "Find Replacement for X person(s)" |
After Creating the Request
- An orange badge (🔄) appears on your shift in the schedule
- For targeted requests: Only the selected colleagues are notified
- For requests to all: All colleagues in your department are notified
- All admins are always notified
Taking Over a Shift
When a colleague is looking for a replacement, you can take over the shift:
- You receive a notification "Replacement Needed"
- Click on the notification or on the shift with the 🔄 badge in the schedule
- In the shift detail, you can see who is looking for a replacement
- Click Take Over Shift
- Confirm the takeover
After the takeover:
- You are automatically assigned to the shift
- The previous employee is removed from the shift
- The 🔄 badge disappears
- The requesting employee is notified
For a request to all, any colleague in the same department can take over the shift. For a targeted request, only the selected people can take over the shift – other colleagues won't even see the request.
Cancelling a Replacement Search
As long as no one has taken over the shift yet, you can withdraw the request:
- Click on your shift with the 🔄 badge
- Click Cancel Replacement Search
- Confirm the cancellation
The badge disappears and the requested colleagues are informed that the search has ended.
Notifications
Replacement requests trigger automatic notifications. Here's an overview of who gets notified and when:
Replacement Request Created
| Recipient | All Colleagues | Targeted Search |
|---|---|---|
| Colleagues | Everyone in the department | Only selected people |
| Admins | ✅ | ✅ |
| Requesting employee | None (own action) | None (own action) |
Notification: "Replacement Needed" – "Name is looking for a replacement for Shift on Date"
Shift Taken Over
| Recipient | Notification |
|---|---|
| Requesting employee | "Shift Taken Over" – "Name has taken over Shift on Date." |
| Admins | Same notification |
| Other requested people | Informed that the shift has been taken |
| Employee taking over | None (own action) |
Replacement Search Cancelled
| Recipient | All Colleagues | Targeted Search |
|---|---|---|
| Colleagues | Everyone in the department | Only selected people |
| Requesting employee | None (own action) | None (own action) |
You can enable or disable replacement request notifications in your Settings → Notifications under Shift Swap / Replacement Search.
Visibility in the Schedule
Shifts with an active replacement request are marked with an orange 🔄 symbol in the schedule.
| Variant | Visible to |
|---|---|
| All colleagues | All employees in the same department + admins |
| Targeted search | Only selected colleagues + admins |
Hovering over the shift shows a tooltip indicating who is looking for a replacement. For targeted requests, you'll also see who the request was sent to.
Practical Examples
Lisa is sick on Wednesday and can't make her morning shift (06:00 – 14:00).
Steps:
- Lisa opens the schedule and clicks on her morning shift on Wednesday
- Lisa clicks Find Replacement – all colleagues are pre-selected
- Lisa confirms with Find Replacement
- All colleagues in Lisa's department receive a notification
- Tom sees the notification, opens the shift, and clicks Take Over Shift
- Lisa receives the notification: "Tom has taken over your morning shift"
Result: Tom is now assigned to the morning shift, Lisa has been removed – all without admin intervention.
Max was looking for a replacement for Friday but managed to reschedule his appointment.
Steps:
- Max clicks on his shift with the 🔄 badge
- Max clicks Cancel Replacement Search
- The requested colleagues receive the notification "Replacement search ended"
Result: The replacement search is cancelled, the badge disappears. Max keeps his shift.
Anna can't make her late shift on Thursday. She knows that only Tom and Sarah are available that day.
Steps:
- Anna clicks on her late shift on Thursday
- Anna clicks Find Replacement
- In the dialog, Anna sees the colleague list – some have conflict indicators (vacation, other shift)
- Anna selects only Tom and Sarah
- Anna confirms with Find Replacement for 2 people
- Only Tom and Sarah receive a notification
- Sarah takes over the shift
Result: Only the requested people were notified. The other colleagues weren't disturbed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a normal and a targeted replacement search?
With a normal replacement search, all colleagues in the department are asked and notified. With a targeted replacement search, you choose who gets asked – only those people are notified and can take over the shift.
Can an admin find a replacement for an employee?
No, only employees can create replacement requests for their own shifts. Admins can still manually reassign shifts.
What happens if multiple colleagues try to take over at the same time?
Only the first person to confirm gets the shift. The takeover is transaction-safe – there can be no double assignment.
Can I take over a shift that's not in my department?
No, you can only take over shifts in a department you are assigned to.
Can other colleagues take over a targeted request?
No. With a targeted request, only the selected people can see and take over the shift. Other colleagues in the department are neither notified nor able to take over the shift.
What happens if an admin changes the shift in the meantime?
If an admin modifies the affected shift (e.g., removes the employee), the replacement request is automatically cancelled.
Can I turn off replacement request notifications?
Yes, under Settings → Notifications you can disable the Shift Swap / Replacement Search category.
Summary
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Who can find a replacement | Employees for their own published, future shifts |
| Who can take over | Colleagues in the same department (or only selected people for targeted requests) |
| Targeted search | Request specific colleagues – with automatic conflict detection |
| Conflict detection | Absences, unavailabilities, working hours, and double bookings |
| Badge | Orange 🔄 symbol on the shift card |
| Notifications | Automatically sent to requested colleagues + admins |
| Cancel | Possible at any time, as long as no one has taken over yet |
| Admin intervention | Not required – employees handle it among themselves |
| Available from | Plus plan |
Use the targeted replacement search when you know who's available on that day – this way only the relevant colleagues are notified and others aren't unnecessarily disturbed. The conflict detection helps you pick the right people.