Open shifts let managers publish unassigned shifts so that qualified staff can claim them.
Benefits include:
- Enables cross-site working
- Drives down agency spend
- Allows staff more flexibility to pick up additional hours
- Keeps rota gaps filled quickly
Configuration Options
Enable Open Shifts: Open shifts are an optional feature in Sona - although it’s strongly recommended.
Priority Staff: Employees can be given priority access to open shifts at certain locations.
Blocked Staff: Prevents an employee from claiming shifts at certain locations.
ℹ️ Read more on Shift Access.
Automatically Block Based on Location: You can automatically block employees from one location from claiming at another. For example, a restaurant group might share staff across its Taco outlets but block them from other properties.
How it Works
Availability & Visibility
Priority employees can see open shifts as soon as the roster is published.
All other qualified staff gain visibility when the shift is less than seven days away.
Eligibility Checks
Open shifts are only visible to employees who:
- Have the required Role (Type of Work)
- Meet any skill/attribute conditions
- Don’t already have a clashing shift scheduled
- Are within 100km of the location
- Are not blocked from claiming shifts at the location
Claiming a Shift
- Staff can browse and claim open shifts in the Available Shifts section of the employee app.
- Claims are first-come, first-served with no restrictions.
- Staff also receive notifications when new open shifts are available.
Creating an Open Shift
You create Open Shifts from the top of the roster.
Open shifts can also be created when:
- A holiday or absence is created that conflicts with an existing scheduled shift.
- An employee is terminated while they have future shifts.
- A roster template is loaded and clashes with employees’ existing shifts.
Cancelling an Open Shift
- Managers can cancel any unclaimed open shift at any time.
- If shift cancellation is enabled for your organisation, when an employee cancels a shift they have claimed, it will be released back for others to claim.
Version 1.0