Putting It Into Practice: Shift Swapping
Shift swapping gives employees flexibility to trade shifts with qualified coworkers while maintaining consistent coverage. When clearly defined and fairly applied, this practice helps employees manage personal and family responsibilities, strengthens teamwork, and reduces unplanned absences. Read more in Why It Matters: Shiftwork Policies.
Steps for Implementation
Steps for Implementation
1. Engage HR and operations leaders. Align on policy goals, eligibility criteria, and compliance requirements.
2. Collaborate with managers. Train supervisors to evaluate and approve swaps fairly while maintaining adequate staffing.
3. Define a clear approval process. Document how swaps are requested, reviewed, and confirmed in your scheduling system. Post the policy and step-by-step instructions in common areas or your internal HR portal so employees can easily reference it.
4. Communicate and train. Share the policy widely through onboarding, team meetings, and posted guidelines to ensure awareness and consistency. Offer short demos or step-by-step guides for both employees and managers on how to submit, approve, and track shift swaps within the system. Ensure everyone understands how and when to use the tool.
5. Monitor and refine. Invite feedback from shift workers to identify practical needs and barriers, especially around the request process. Regularly review swap requests and outcomes to confirm equitable access and address challenges.
Helpful Tips
Leverage digital scheduling tools. Use workforce management platforms that make it easy for employees and managers to coordinate swaps in real time. This creates transparency, reduces manual tracking, and ensures accurate records.
Set clear deadlines and boundaries. Establish advance notice requirements (e.g., 48–72 hours before a shift) to maintain coverage and minimize last-minute changes.
Sample Policy Language
“Employees may request to exchange scheduled shifts with qualified coworkers when personal, family, or health needs arise. All shift swaps must be submitted in advance and approved by a manager to ensure appropriate coverage and compliance with company policies and applicable laws. Requests should be made through the organization’s scheduling system following the outlined process below, and shifts are not considered swapped until formal approval is confirmed.”
Ready to review your scheduling policies?
Update internal handbooks, train managers on consistent scheduling practices, and share this policy with your HR and operations teams.
Contact us at info@rmhcompass.org to get started.
