How to Request a Shift Swap
Can't work a shift you've been assigned? This guide walks you through asking a colleague to take it for you, right from the Stafferin mobile app — pick the shift, pick the colleague, pick a manager to approve, and you're done.
Before you start
A shift swap is a request to hand a future shift to a colleague who works the same site and position as you. Before you open the app, make sure each of the things below is true — it'll save you a few minutes of frustration.
Heads up — your manager has the final say. A swap goes through three steps: you ask, your colleague says yes, and your supervisor approves. Until your supervisor approves, the shift is still officially yours.
Don't no-show on a "swap pending" shift. Until you see the green Approved chip, the shift is still your responsibility. If the swap is rejected at any step, you're expected to work it.
Find your shift
Open the Stafferin app and go to the My Shifts page. The page title is "My Shifts" with a swap-arrow icon next to it.
The My Shifts page — every future shift you can swap is listed here.
What you should see
The page is titled "My Shifts" and shows:
- Filter section — From and To date pickers, plus an Apply button. The default range is roughly the next 30 days.
- Search bar — type a position or site name to narrow the list.
- Shift cards — each card shows the date, time, position and site. If a swap can be requested, you'll see an outlined Request Swap button.
- "Swap Pending" badge — appears on shifts where you've already raised a swap. You won't see a Request Swap button on those cards.
If the list is empty, widen your date range. The app limits each filter to 90 days, so if you ask for "the next year" it'll show an error: "Date range cannot exceed 90 days. Please select a shorter period."
How shift swap works
A shift swap moves through four stages. The first stage is something you do; the next two depend on other people; the last is the result.
The decision points
At each stage, the request can move forward or stop. Here's the full picture:
You'll be notified at every step. When your colleague accepts, declines, or your manager makes a decision, the app pushes a notification to your phone (and you'll also see the status change on the Swap Requests page).
Request a shift swap (step by step)
This is the main flow. Six taps and you're done. The animated phone on the left shows what each step looks like — you can pause or restart at any time.
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Open the My Shifts page
Tap the swap-arrow icon in the bottom navigation bar. You'll land on a page titled "My Shifts" with a filter row at the top and your shifts listed below.
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Set your date range and tap Apply
Pick a From date (today or later) and a To date that covers the shift you want to swap. The range can be up to 90 days. Tap Apply — your matching shifts load.
If you make the range too wide you'll see
"Date range cannot exceed 90 days. Please select a shorter period."Pick a tighter window and try again. -
Find the shift and tap "Request Swap"
Scroll until you see the shift you want to give up. Each card has an outlined Request Swap button. Tap it — a modal slides up.
If the button is missing, the shift either is in the past, is already in flight as a swap, or has been disabled by your scheduler. See Errors & fixes.
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Review the shift, then pick a colleague
The modal opens with a read-only summary of the shift (date, time, position, site). Below it is a dropdown labelled Select Employee — tap it and pick the colleague you'd like to swap with. The app only lists people who work the same site and position as you, and it filters yourself out automatically.
If the dropdown says
"No employees available", no eligible colleague is on the platform for that site & role. Tell scheduling — they need to add someone. -
Pick an approver (your supervisor)
The next dropdown is Select Approver. This is the manager (or scheduler) who'll review the swap once your colleague accepts. The app only lists people at your site who have permission to approve schedules.
If the dropdown says
"No approvers available", your site has no manager with scheduling rights. Tell your supervisor — they (or their boss) needs to be granted access before you can submit. -
Tap Submit and confirm
Once both dropdowns have a selection, the Submit button turns blue. Tap it. A confirmation dialog appears asking "Submit this shift swap request for approval?" — tap Submit again to send it.
You'll see a green snackbar at the bottom:
"Swap request created successfully". The shift card now shows a small "Swap Pending" badge, and the Request Swap button is hidden — you've already asked.The 16-hour rule. If your colleague would end up working more than 16 hours on the day of your shift (because of their other shifts), the app shows: "The employee's total shifts in a day are exceeding 16 hours. Do you want to proceed?". Tap Confirm only if you really want to push through — your manager will see the same warning when they approve.
Watch the whole thing in motion
This is what each step looks like on a real phone. The animation auto-plays; tap a step on the right, or use the buttons below the phone, to jump around.
Confirm Swap Request
Submit this shift swap request for approval?
Watch each step
Click a step to jump to it, or let the animation play.
- Open My Shifts
- Apply your date filter
- Tap "Request Swap" on a shift
- Pick a colleague (Select Employee)
- Pick an approver, then tap Submit
- Confirm in the dialog
- See "Swap Pending" + success message
What happens after you submit
Once your request is in, you can see its progress on the Swap Requests page. The status chip on each card tells you exactly where things stand.
The status chips, decoded
Your colleague hasn't responded yet. The original shift card in My Shifts shows a small "Swap Pending" badge while you wait.
Your colleague said yes. The request is now in your manager's queue — you're waiting on the final approval.
Your manager said yes too. The shift now belongs to your colleague. You'll no longer see it in your My Shifts list.
Either your colleague or your manager declined. The shift is still yours — show up unless you find another swap.
Where to look
The Swap Requests page — a live status log for every swap you've raised.
How to read this page
- Filter section at the top — set From and To dates and tap Apply Filters. You won't see any cards until you do.
- Each card shows the shift date, a status chip, the shift time, the position, and the colleague involved.
- You'll see both requests you've raised and requests other guards have sent to you on this page — they look different (the chip wording changes), and only requests sent to you have Accept / Reject buttons.
- The list paginates 10 cards at a time — use Previous / Next at the bottom.
Push notifications keep you informed. When your colleague responds or your manager makes a decision, your phone gets a push — you don't have to keep refreshing this page.
Errors & fixes
If something goes wrong, the app will tell you what — usually in a red banner at the bottom of the screen. Here's what to do for each common message.
Error reference table
| If you see… | Why it happens | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| "Date range cannot exceed 90 days. Please select a shorter period." | Your From / To window is more than 90 days wide. | Pick a tighter window and tap Apply again. |
| "To date cannot be before from date" | You picked the dates the wrong way around. | Swap them — From should be earlier than To. |
| "Please select both from and to dates" | One of the date pickers is blank. | Tap each one and pick a date. |
| "No employees available" in the Select Employee dropdown | No co-worker on the platform shares your site and position. | Tell scheduling — they need to add a colleague there before you can swap. |
| "No approvers available" in the Select Approver dropdown | Your site has no manager or scheduler with approval rights. | Tell your supervisor — they (or their boss) needs to be granted scheduling rights. |
| "The employee's total shifts in a day are exceeding 16 hours. Do you want to proceed?" | The colleague you picked already works enough that day to push past 16 hours. | Tap Confirm only if you're certain. Your manager will see the same warning when they approve. |
| "Session expired. Please login again." | You haven't used the app in a while; your login token expired. | Log back in, then come back to My Shifts and try again. |
| No Request Swap button on a shift card | Either the shift is in the past, you've already raised a swap (look for the Swap Pending badge), or your scheduler has disabled swaps for that shift. | Pick a future shift, or check the Swap Requests page to see your existing request. |
| "Failed to create swap request" or a generic error | Network blip or server issue. | Wait 10 seconds, check your internet, and try again. If it keeps failing, tell your supervisor. |
If you can't get the swap to go through, treat the shift as yours. Show up and work it. Don't assume "it'll be fine" — the swap doesn't exist until you see the green Approved chip.
FAQ
Can I cancel a swap I already submitted?
Not from the app today — once you tap Submit, the request is in flight. If you change your mind before your colleague accepts, message your supervisor and ask them to reject it. They can decline the request from the admin tools.
Can I swap with anyone in the company?
No. The colleague has to work the same site and the same position as you. The Select Employee dropdown only shows people who match — yourself excluded — so you can't pick someone outside that pool.
Will I be notified when my manager approves or rejects?
Yes. Stafferin sends you a push notification when your colleague responds and again when your manager makes the final call. You'll also see the status chip change on the Swap Requests page.
What if my colleague never responds?
There's no automatic timeout today, so the request just sits as Awaiting Acceptance until they act. Best move: send them a quick message in person or via your usual chat, and if they're unavailable, ask your supervisor to reject the request so you can try someone else.
Can I swap part of a shift — like just the morning hours?
No, swaps are whole-shift only. If you only need a few hours covered, talk to your supervisor about splitting the shift on the schedule first.
I tapped Submit but nothing seems to be happening — what now?
Hold on a moment. Once you confirm in the dialog, the app talks to the server. On a slow network it can take a few seconds. Look for the green snackbar at the bottom of the screen — if you see it, you're done. If you see a red error message instead, see Errors & fixes.
What does "exceeding 16 hours" really mean?
If your colleague picks up your shift, their combined hours for that day would go past 16. The app warns you so you don't accidentally hand them an overtime nightmare. You can still proceed, but your supervisor will see the same warning when they approve, so don't expect a free pass.
Where do I see swaps that have already been approved or rejected?
On the Swap Requests page — set the From / To dates to cover the period you care about, tap Apply Filters, and the cards include both pending and resolved swaps in that window.
The app says my session expired in the middle of submitting — did my request go through?
No. If you saw "Session expired. Please login again.", the request didn't reach the server. Log in again, go back to My Shifts, and submit it again. The duplicate-protection check kicks in once it's actually saved, so you won't end up with two of the same request.
Shift swap, in nine taps
Print this section and stick it on the wall. It's the whole flow on one page.
Until you see the green Approved chip, the shift is still yours. Don't no-show — if anything fails, you're expected to work it.