What does "first-come, first-served" mean?
"First-come, first-served" means that you, as an admin (or an employee with a permission profile that allows you to create a schedule), allows you to create a schedule without assigning any employees to the shifts and share it with your team. Once the schedule is shared, you allow your employees to request the shifts they want to cover on a first-come, first-served basis.
"First-come, first-served" is ideal when you want to allow your employees to determine which shifts they want to work.
Operating a "first-come, first-served" schedule with Workfeed
Managing a "first-come, first-served" schedule with Workfeed is very straightforward. Here's how to do it:
1. Create the schedule and share it with your team
First, you will need to create the schedule (without assigning employees to the shifts). When the schedule is ready, you can publish it to notify your employees of the new available shifts by clicking on the blue 'Publish ' button.
2. Employees select their shifts
When you publish the schedule, your employees will be notified via the app that new shifts have been added and can take over shifts (see how here). It's up to you whether the shift should be automatically assigned to whoever comes first, or if you want to decide who gets which shift.
You'll find the shift requests in the notification center or by clicking on the shifts with a blue arrow, which indicates it has bids on them.
3. Determine if you want to approve requests automatically or manually
If you automatically approve requests, the employee will be added to the shift immediately after they submit a request. However, if you choose to process requests manually, you will have to review each shift before an employee is assigned the shift. You can find this option in the schedule settings.
You can specify in the schedule settings that shift requests should be automatically approved by activating 'Auto approve unassigned shift requests'.
FAQ
I activated 'Auto approve unassigned shift requests'. How do I keep track of who takes which shifts?
First of all, whenever an employee requests a shift and it is approved automatically, you'll be notified in the notification center. On top of that, you'll be able to see which shifts are covered directly from the schedule view, given that the person is placed on the shift directly after their request has been granted.
Do I get notified when an employee requests a shift?
Yes, you will be notified when an employee requests a shift and whether you have a shift request to review.
Where can I find and handle shift requests?
At the top right of your screen, you can find the notification center by clicking on the bell '🔔' icon. From here, you can click on 'Shift requests' to view and handle requests. You can also click directly on the shift in the schedule, which will have a blue arrow next to it.
Can multiple employees request the same shift?
Yes, but only if the setting 'Auto approve unassigned shift requests' is disabled. When multiple employees request the same shift, you can decide who should receive it.My employees can't request shifts. Why?
If your employees can't request shifts and they are supposed to, make sure to double-check if you've assigned them the role of the unassigned shift. In order to take on a shift, employees must have the role of the shift. Read more about roles here.