Building a roster doesn't always mean you've got every person locked in from the start. An empty shift holds the spot: the Work Group and shift time are set, there's just no one assigned yet. Fill it in once you know who's working.
Empty shifts appear in the Roster view. They aren't shown in the Resources view, which is organised by person.
Adding an empty shift
Add one yourself any time you're building a roster. Start adding a shift as usual, and when you get to the step where you'd normally choose a person, select Empty Shift instead. Everything else you've set stays in place, you're just holding off on who's working it.
Where else they appear
You'll also see empty shifts when:
You paste a roster plan that has empty shifts built into it
Someone on a roster plan couldn't be rostered, so their shift arrives empty rather than being dropped
A copied roster couldn't bring someone across, usually because they're unavailable that week
You'll see a count of how many are on the week, so you know what's outstanding before you publish.
Building them into a roster plan
Empty shifts aren't only for gaps you didn't plan for. You can build them into a roster plan deliberately, so the shape of your week is set even when who's working isn't.
A shift in a plan either has a person on it, for someone who always works it, or it's empty for you to assign each week. Paste the plan and both come through as they are.
This suits teams whose coverage is steady but whose people rotate. See Roster Plans.
Filling, editing or deleting an empty shift
Click into an empty shift any time to:
Assign someone to it
Adjust the Work Group, times or break
Delete it if it's no longer needed
Need cover from someone outside the usual team? You can pick from other teams too, see Rockstar Shifts.
Filling them all at once
If you have several to assign, Droppah can fill them based on availability and your rostering settings. Find Fill Empty Shifts… in the options menu.
See Fill Empty Shifts for how it decides who goes where.
Clearing them
Clear Empty Shifts… in the options menu removes every unassigned shift on the week. Anyone already rostered stays where they are.
Clear Roster… sits next to it and removes everything, including assigned shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my employees see an empty shift?
Will my employees see an empty shift?
No, empty shifts are for your eyes only while you're building the roster. They won't show up in the Employee Mobile App or roster emails.
Can an employee claim an empty shift themselves?
Can an employee claim an empty shift themselves?
No. Empty shifts aren't visible to employees, so there's nothing for them to claim. If someone already has a shift and needs cover, that's a different process, see Swapping Shifts with Cover Requests.
Can I still publish a roster if it has empty shifts?
Can I still publish a roster if it has empty shifts?
Yes. The rest of the day publishes as normal, and the empty shift stays unpublished until it's filled. You'll still get the green tick next to the date, plus an orange warning icon next to the tick and on the shift itself, flagging that there's still a gap.
Do empty shifts count towards anything before they're filled?
Do empty shifts count towards anything before they're filled?
They count towards your total rostered hours for the day, since the time is already set. They don't count towards roster cost, as there's no one assigned yet to determine the pay rate.
I can't see my empty shifts
I can't see my empty shifts
Check you're in the Roster view. Empty shifts aren't shown in the Resources view, which is organised by person, and they aren't available on the mobile app.