Team Members Can Now Drop Their Shifts (With Optional Approval)

We’ve just rolled out the Drop Shift feature in Shifts — a small change that can make a big difference in how your team handles scheduling conflicts and emergencies.

Previously, team members could claim Open Shifts if that option was enabled in settings. But if someone couldn’t make their assigned shift, there was no easy way to step back — they had to reach out to a manager and wait for a manual update. That’s no longer the case.

With this update, team admins can now decide whether to allow shift drops and whether such drops require approval. Both options are found in the team settings. You can choose how far in advance a drop is allowed (24h, 48h, or 72h), and whether an admin needs to approve it or not.

If no approval is needed, the shift becomes open immediately after a drop — allowing others to pick it up. If approval is required, the shift stays assigned to the original user until a manager approves the request. Admins are notified by email and mobile push (if using the Shifts app for iOS or Android) and can respond directly from the Inbox. They’ll see the request, any comments, and can either approve or reject with one click.

When approving, an admin can either turn the shift into an Open Shift, giving the team time to self-assign it, or reassign it immediately to another employee.

---

This is part of our broader effort to automate more of the scheduling process and reduce unnecessary back-and-forth between managers and team members. By giving employees more autonomy to manage their schedules, you keep operations smooth while easing the admin burden.

And we’re not stopping here. Next up – Shift Swaps, which will allow team members to exchange shifts directly with one another. Stay tuned, and let us know what you think!