Open shifts
Post unfilled Rotaleave shifts for staff to claim — eligible people bid, the manager approves, and the shift fills itself.
Updated 11 July 2026
Instead of ringing round to fill a gap, open the shift up and let your team claim it. Open shifts are part of the shift-swap module — enabled per organisation.
Manager: open a shift for claims
On the rota, every shift card gains an “Open for claims” checkbox. Tick it and the shift becomes visible to eligible staff. A badge on the card counts pending claims as they arrive; untick to close it again.
Staff: claim it
Staff see an Open shifts section on their Rota page listing each open shift with its date, times and how full it is. One button: Claim. After claiming, the row shows Claim pending — “Claim submitted — your manager will review it.”
You’ll only be able to claim shifts you’re eligible for; if a shift closes or fills before you get there, Rotaleave says so.
Manager: confirm the claim
Claims land on the Approvals page alongside leave requests, as cards labelled “Open-shift claim” with the shift, date and times. Approve and — as the dialog says — “They’ll be assigned to the shift straight away.” Decline takes an optional reason.
If several people claim the same shift, approve the one you want; the others’ claims are superseded.