Offer work to the team
Publish an unassigned shift without contacting employees one at a time.
Fill open shifts without chasing staff one by one Employee claims with manager control
Publish unassigned shifts for your team to claim, then let FlowRota assign the shift automatically or ask a manager to choose between the employees who have bid.
Staff can review available work and volunteer for the shifts that suit them. Managers keep a clear view of claims, notes, availability and scheduling warnings before the rota is finalised.
included for £1 per user per month
Turn an uncovered shift into an opportunity for your team
Instead of messaging employees individually, make the unassigned work visible as an open shift. Team members can claim or bid for it, while managers decide whether assignment should happen automatically or after reviewing the claimants.
A simpler way to offer, claim and assign uncovered work
Open shifts put the opportunity in front of the team while preserving the manager controls needed to build a dependable rota.
Let employees volunteer
Staff can review the shift and submit a claim when they want the available work.
Choose the assignment method
Use automatic assignment or let a manager select between the employees who bid.
Keep useful notes together
Add context to the open-shift workflow so it is available during review.
Review scheduling context
Check availability and rota warnings before confirming the cover.
Close the loop
Tell employees whether their open shift claim was successful or unsuccessful.
Publish the shift once and let interested staff come to you
Open shifts sit within the same staff rota used to plan the rest of the team, so managers can offer available hours without creating a separate cover process.
Make unassigned work visible to the relevant team
Create the shift with its usual date, times, team and role details, then publish it as open. Employees can see what is being offered before deciding whether to claim it.
Features- Open shift stays connected to the live rota
- Date, start time and finish time remain clear
- Team and shift context travel with the opportunity
- Employees can submit a claim or bid
- Managers can see when the shift attracts interest
- Reduce one-to-one cover messages
- Give staff a fairer view of available hours
- Keep the final assignment in the scheduling workflow
How open shift claiming works in FlowRota
The process keeps the available work, employee interest and final assignment connected from start to finish.
Publish an open shift
A manager creates the unassigned work and makes it available to the relevant team.
Employees review and claim
Team members check the shift details and submit a claim or bid if they want to work it.
FlowRota fills or holds it
The shift can be assigned automatically or held for a manager to compare the claimants.
Everyone gets the outcome
The selected employee receives the shift and claimants can be notified whether their bid succeeded.
One cover workflow inside the rota.
Managers can move from an uncovered shift to an assigned employee
without rebuilding the work elsewhere.
Give employees enough detail to make a useful claim
Staff can decide whether the work suits them before they volunteer, reducing the back-and-forth that often follows a vague cover message.
Review the available shift
The open shift keeps its date, start and finish times, team and other scheduling context visible.
Employees can check- When the shift starts and finishes
- Which team the work belongs to
- How the shift fits their own plans
- Whether they want to volunteer
Submit a claim or bid
The employee can register their interest in the shift without treating the bid itself as a guaranteed assignment.
The claim can include- The employee linked to the claim
- The open shift being requested
- An optional note where context is useful
- A clear pending status when manager review applies
Receive a clear outcome
Once the shift is filled, the employee can be told whether their open shift claim was successful or unsuccessful.
Why it helps- The successful employee knows they are scheduled
- Other claimants know the shift has been filled
- Managers do not need to message every bidder manually
- The final assignment stays visible on the rota
Auto-assign the open shift or let a manager choose
Different rota gaps need different levels of oversight. FlowRota supports automatic assignment as well as manager selection between the employees who have claimed.
Automatic assignment
Use automatic assignment when the gap does not require a separate manager selection stage.
Useful when- The shift can follow a straightforward claim workflow
- Speed matters more than comparing several bidders
- The manager has already defined the shift clearly
- Cover should move onto the rota with less intervention
Manager pick
Collect employee bids, then let a manager review the claimants and choose who should cover the shift.
Useful when- Several employees want the same shift
- Experience or team balance may affect the decision
- Availability needs closer review
- A note provides important context for the claim
| Assignment method | What happens | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic assignment | The claim workflow fills the open shift without a separate manager choice between bidders. | Simple gaps where faster assignment is preferred. |
| Manager pick | Claims remain available for a manager to review before selecting the employee. | Shifts where suitability, fairness or wider rota context needs consideration. |
Review the claim in the context of the whole rota
A volunteer still needs to fit the schedule. Connected FlowRota features help managers understand the employee’s availability and existing work before settling the final assignment.
Employee availability
Use submitted availability as useful context when considering who should cover the open shift.
See how employee availability works →
Shift clash checks
Review warnings if assigning the employee would overlap another shift or create a difficult scheduling pattern.
Explore shift clash checks →
Manager judgement
Consider the role, team, existing rota and any note before confirming which claimant should receive the work.
Explore the live staff rota →
A claim is interest, not always an assignment
When manager selection is enabled, an employee bid stays subject to review. This lets managers compare requests without promising the same shift to more than one person.
Keep managers and employees updated as the shift is filled
Open shift notifications reduce the need to chase for status and help each person understand what happens next.
Send the right update at each decision point
Managers can receive an alert when an employee bids for an open shift. Employees can then receive a successful or unsuccessful outcome after the shift is assigned.
Notification moments- An employee submits an open shift bid
- A manager needs to review a claimant
- The shift is assigned successfully
- Another employee’s claim is unsuccessful
- A relevant note is added to the shift workflow
- Reduce manual cover updates
- Make the final commitment clear to staff
- Keep the claim and outcome connected
Configure your wider employee and manager notifications around the events that matter to your team.
Fill rota gaps with less disruption and clearer ownership
Open shifts replace scattered cover conversations with a process that starts from the rota and ends with a named employee on the shift.
Less manager chasing
Offer the work once instead of repeating the same message across calls and chats.
More employee choice
Let team members volunteer for extra work that fits their own availability.
Faster cover decisions
Use automatic assignment for straightforward gaps or manager pick when comparison matters.
A clearer final rota
Move from an unassigned shift to confirmed cover in the same scheduling system.
Connect open shifts with the rest of your scheduling process
These FlowRota feature pages and practical guides provide useful context for deciding who can cover and avoiding rushed rota changes.
Frequently asked questions about FlowRota open shifts
What is an open shift in FlowRota?
An open shift is an unassigned piece of work that a manager publishes for employees in the relevant team to claim.
How do employees claim an open shift?
The employee opens the available shift, reviews its details and submits a claim or bid. They can also add a note for the manager where relevant.
Can an open shift be assigned automatically?
Yes. A manager can use automatic assignment so the shift is filled through the claim workflow without a separate manager selection.
Can a manager choose between several bidders?
Yes. In manager-pick mode, employees submit bids and the manager manually chooses the claimant who should receive the shift.
Can employees add notes to open shift claims?
Yes. Notes can stay attached to the open shift claim so the manager can review the employee’s context with the bid.
Do managers receive notifications about open shift bids?
Yes. Managers can receive notifications when an employee bids for an open shift in a team they manage.
Are employees told whether their claim succeeded?
Yes. Employees can receive an update telling them whether their open shift claim was successful or unsuccessful.
Can managers consider employee availability?
Yes. Employee availability can be reviewed alongside scheduling information so managers have more context when deciding who should cover the open shift.
Does FlowRota check for clashes when an open shift is filled?
FlowRota’s scheduling warnings can alert managers to potential clashes or difficult shift patterns so the final assignment can be reviewed.
How much does FlowRota cost?
FlowRota costs £1 per user per month after a 30-day free trial. No credit card is required to start the trial. Visit the pricing page for full details.
Fill your next open shift with FlowRota
Publish an available shift, collect employee claims and choose the assignment method that suits your team. The trial is free for 30 days, no credit card is required, and continued access costs just £1 per user per month.
Start your free trial