Smart Rostering

Publish the gap, let the right staff put their hand up.

A shift on a published roster that still needs someone becomes an open shift for the teams you choose. Staff claim it from their phone, you decide whether the first claim takes it or an approver does, and approving one claim declines the rest.

Start free trial Explore Smart Rostering

What you get with Open shifts & staff claims.

Gaps become claimable, not just visible
Any published shift still short of its required staff is offered to eligible workers instead of sitting empty on a board.
First claim, or an approver
Each site decides whether the first eligible claim assigns the shift, or whether it waits for a manager to say yes.
One decision closes the shift
Approving a claim assigns that worker and declines the others, with everyone told where they stand.

Why it exists

The problem it solves.

An uncovered shift usually becomes a ring-around. Someone works down a list, the same reliable few get asked first, and staff who would happily have picked it up never hear about it. Meanwhile nobody can say who was offered what. Publishing the gap turns that scramble into a queue: the workers who are eligible see it, the ones who want it claim it, and the decision is made once and recorded.

How it works

Publish the roster

Once a roster period is published, any shift that still has fewer staff assigned than it requires becomes an open shift. There is no separate list to maintain: the gap on the roster is the gap staff see.

Choose who can see it

Each site decides which of its teams open shifts reach. Primary team staff always see them. Secondary team and relief staff are each a separate site setting, so you can widen the pool only when you want to.

Staff claim from their phone

In the staff portal and mobile app, a worker sees the open shifts they are eligible for, with the site, date, times and sleepover detail, and claims the one they want.

First claim or manager approval

If the site requires an approver, the claim waits in the Approvals queue for the site manager or an admin. If it does not, the first eligible worker to claim is assigned immediately.

One approval settles it

Approving a claim assigns that worker to the shift and declines every other pending claim on it, notifying each person. Nobody is left wondering whether they got it.

What you can do.

Open shifts come from the roster itself

A published shift still under its required staff count is automatically claimable. No parallel list to keep in step with the roster.

Eligibility is checked, not assumed

Staff only ever see open shifts they can actually work. The same suitability and safety checks that govern assignment govern what appears.

Team visibility per site

Show a site's open shifts to primary team staff only, or extend them to the secondary team, relief staff, or both. Every site sets this for itself.

Auto-assign or approve, per site

Turn the approver requirement off and the first eligible claim takes the shift. Leave it on and a manager decides. It is a site-level setting, so a stable house and a complex one can run differently.

Approving one declines the rest

A single decision assigns the worker and closes off the other claims on that shift, with each claimant notified rather than left waiting.

Staff can withdraw a claim

Plans change. A worker can withdraw a claim they have made, which takes them out of the running without anyone having to chase it.

Claims sit in the Approvals queue

Open shift requests get their own tab alongside swaps, cancellations, leave and documents, with a live count of what is waiting.

Shift list in the BondiByte staff app — Staff see and claim the open shifts they are eligible for, from their own device.

How it connects.

Published roster

Gap becomes an open shift

Visible to the site's chosen teams

Staff claim in the portal

Approver decides

Assignment and timesheets

You stay in control.

You choose the pool, site by site

Secondary team and relief visibility are separate switches on each site, so widening the pool is always a deliberate act.

Approval is yours to require

Require an approver where the shift is sensitive, and let claims self-assign where speed matters more. Both are per-site settings you can change at any time.

Eligibility still applies

Opening a shift never relaxes the rules. A worker who does not meet the site's capability requirements, or who is already committed, never sees it.

Nothing happens silently

Claims, approvals, declines and withdrawals are all recorded, so you can always show how a shift came to be filled the way it was.

Learn how to use this feature.

View guide

Frequently asked questions.

How does a shift become an open shift?

By being published and still needing staff. Once the roster period is published, any shift with fewer people assigned than it requires is claimable by the eligible workers at that site. Nothing extra to publish.

Can anyone claim any shift?

No. Staff only see open shifts at sites they are assigned to, and only where they meet the site's requirements. Secondary team and relief staff see them only if that site has chosen to include them.

Does the first person to claim get the shift?

That is your call, per site. Turn the approver requirement off and the first eligible claim assigns the shift. Leave it on and the claim waits in Approvals for a manager.

What happens to the people who missed out?

Approving one claim declines the others on that shift and notifies each of them, so nobody is left holding an open request that will never be answered.

Can a staff member change their mind?

Yes. A claim can be withdrawn from the staff portal before it is decided, and the shift simply returns to the pool.

More in Smart Rostering.