Open interest for the period
Send a roster period's shifts out for interest, either manually or automatically as a scheduled step before each period starts.
Smart Rostering
Canvass staff interest before you assign.
Ask the whole team who wants the shifts, in one step, and get answers you can actually roster from. Staff respond from their own portal, unsuitable responses are filtered out automatically, and interest flows straight into the roster suggestions.
What you get with Staff interest requests.
- Interest windows per roster period
Open a clear window for each period so staff know exactly when to put their hand up for shifts.
- Staff respond from their portal
Your team signals availability in a few taps from their own portal, no group texts or spreadsheets.
- Interest feeds the assignment workflow
Expressed interest flows straight into assignment, so you roster from real availability instead of guesswork.
Why it exists
The problem it solves.
Filling a roster usually starts with a round of texts and calls to find out who actually wants the shifts. The answers live in someone's phone, they go stale within days, and the people who reply fastest get the work whether or not they are the best fit. There is no record, and no fair way to weigh willingness against everything else.
How it works
Staff put their hand up from the portal
Staff see the open shifts in their own portal and mark themselves interested in a few taps, with an optional preference order and comment.
Sense checks happen at the door
Inactive staff, staff with a clashing assignment, or staff with blocked or unavailable time over the shift cannot register interest, so the signals you collect are clean.
Interest feeds the recommendations
Expressed interest becomes one of the weighted signals when BondiByte suggests staff for each shift, alongside availability, capability, fairness and the rest.
The window closes with the roster
Interest is only collected for upcoming periods that are open for it, and staff can withdraw while the window is open, so you are never rostering off stale answers.
What you can do.
Interest windows per roster period
Open interest for a period's shifts so staff know exactly what is up for grabs and when.
Express or withdraw from the portal
Staff respond from their own portal in a few taps, and can change their mind while the window is open.
Preference order and comments
Staff can rank the shifts they want most and add a short note, giving you more than a bare yes.
Clean signals only
Interest from staff who are inactive, double-booked or unavailable is stopped before it reaches you.
Interest visible per shift
Managers see who has expressed interest against each shift while reviewing the roster.
A weighted input, not a queue
Interest counts in the suggestion scoring at the weight you choose, so willingness helps without overriding safety or fairness.
You stay in control.
Turn interest collection on or off for the organisation, and choose which sites use it. Sites that do not use it roster exactly as before.
When automation runs the cycle, you decide how many days before the period the interest step opens.
Expressing interest never allocates a shift. Suitability checks and manager review still decide, and you control how heavily interest weighs in the scoring.
Learn how to use this feature.
Frequently asked questions.
Does expressing interest guarantee the shift?
No. Interest is one signal among many. Availability, qualifications, clashes and fairness all still apply, and a manager reviews the roster before it is published.
Can staff change their mind?
Yes. Staff can withdraw interest while the roster period is still open for interest.
What stops unsuitable staff putting their hand up?
BondiByte blocks interest from inactive staff and from anyone with an overlapping assignment or blocked time over the shift, and the full suitability checks run again before anyone is assigned.
Do we have to use interest collection?
No. It is optional. Some providers open every period for interest, others use it only for hard-to-fill sites, and some not at all.
How do staff know shifts are open?
Open shifts appear in the staff portal, where staff can respond in a few taps from their phone.
More in Smart Rostering.
Smart Rostering
Smart Rostering overview
The full rostering cycle in one supervised workflow.
Smart RosteringRoster patterns & periods
Set up your roster calendar once, capture how each site really runs, and let every future period start from that shape.
Smart RosteringShift creation & site templates
Create a whole period of shifts from your configured patterns and site or period settings, including recurring shifts.
Smart RosteringSuitability & hard-block checks
Critical conflicts are blocked before staff are even considered, then suitability signals rank who fits best.
Smart RosteringSmart recommendations
Once blockers clear, BondiByte ranks and prepares assignment options using the signals that matter to your operation.
Smart RosteringShift swap management
Handle swap requests, approvals, and replacement needs without breaking roster integrity.
See Staff interest requests in BondiByte
Start your free trial, or book a demo to see it with your own operation in mind.