Shift swap

A shift swap is when two people who are already rostered exchange their allocated shifts: each takes the other's shift, instead of either of them cancelling.

What a swap needs

Shift swaps usually need three things to go smoothly:

• Agreement on both sides. Both people actively agree to the exchange; one person doesn't simply hand a shift off.
• An eligibility check. The business (or its system) confirms the person taking the shift can do it: they hold the right skill, aren't committed elsewhere, and won't go over any hours limits.
• Approval and a record. Most businesses have a manager sign off the swap, so the roster of record stays accurate for pay, attendance and any reporting obligations.

Informal swaps often happen by text or in a group chat, and the manager only hears about them afterwards. That's how a roster drifts away from who is expected to turn up.

The risk of an unrecorded swap

Swaps let staff deal with personal clashes without leaving a gap in the roster, which suits both sides: the business keeps the shift covered, and the worker doesn't have to choose between the shift and something else. The risk is a swap that isn't recorded or approved. If the person who turns up isn't the person the roster names, the attendance, pay and reliability records for both of them are wrong.

In Chronomancer

Chronomancer reduces the need for informal swapping, since people request the shifts they want in the first place. Where a change is still needed after allocation, it's made in the roster's Revise state or, on the night, through audited Live Ops moves. Changes happen in the system rather than in a side conversation, and each one is logged against whoever ends up in the seat.