Trading and covering shifts
Give a shift away, swap one with a colleague, or claim an open one — who has to say yes, what your manager sees, and why a swap can be refused.
A published shift you cannot make has three ways out, all from your phone: Find cover asks somebody to take it, Trade swaps it for one of theirs, and an open shift — hours your manager posted with nobody on them — can be claimed. Each one is a request that the other person answers first and your manager approves second, and you are told at every step.
Overview
Requests live under More → Requests and on the shift itself. A request is always about one published shift that has not started. Once the shift starts, whatever was pending expires on its own — nobody can approve a swap for a shift already under way.
| Kind | Who takes the shift | Who answers first |
|---|---|---|
| Cover | The colleague you name, or anyone eligible if you name nobody | That colleague — for an open cover, the first eligible person to accept |
| Trade | The colleague you name; you take one of theirs in return, or nothing | That colleague |
| Claim | You, on an open shift | Nobody — it goes straight to the manager |
How to ask
- On Home, tap Find cover or Trade on your next shift — or open More → Requests, tap Cover or Trade, and pick which of your upcoming shifts it is about.
- For a cover, pick a colleague or leave it as Anyone who can: an open cover goes first to colleagues with your job title, and to everyone active if nobody shares it.
- For a trade, pick the colleague and, if you want one of their shifts in return, which one. Nothing — just give mine away is a valid choice.
- Add a note if it helps (*Dentist at 9, back by noon*) and tap Send request.
- Watch Mine under Requests: Waiting on colleague, then Waiting on manager, then Approved or Declined. You can Withdraw it any time before a decision.
To claim an open shift, tap Open shift — claim it on Home or in Coming up. It skips the colleague step and lands with your manager.
What happens when it is approved
The shift moves to the person taking it — on the board, on both phones, in the same moment the approval is saved. A trade with a shift offered in return moves both. Before that write, FieldQuo re-runs the same check the scheduler runs when a manager drafts a shift: the new person's declared availability and any approved leave. A swap that would put somebody on a day they are off is declined with that reason rather than approved and discovered on the morning.
- Company setting — *Shift swaps need approval* is on by default. Turned off, a colleague's acceptance completes the swap and the manager is told rather than asked.
- Notifications — the colleague is told when asked, the manager when it needs approval, both workers when it is decided.
- Expiry — a request whose shift has started shows Expired the next time anybody opens the list.
For managers
Requests waiting on you appear in three places that read the same rows: the Requests panel above the scheduler (with a count), the Needs your approval tab under More → Requests on your phone, and the Needs review card on your Home. Approve or Decline with an optional note. Anyone above the worker on the reporting line may act, as may anyone whose Schedule access is *Edit everyone's schedule*.
Frequently asked questions
Can my manager accept a cover on my colleague's behalf?
No. Accepting is the colleague's answer and approving is the manager's; a manager who wants to move a shift without the colleague's say-so uses the scheduler, where that is recorded as their decision.
Why was my approved swap declined?
The person taking the shift is not available then or has approved leave that day, and the check runs at approval time. The reason is on the request.
Can someone with no login take my shift?
They can be scheduled by the manager, but they cannot accept a request — there is no phone to reach them on. Trades only list colleagues with a login.
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