Schedule staff shifts

Conceptual images

Microsoft Teams includes the Shifts app, which lets you create and manage a team's schedules. It can help with shift management, such as adding people, adding shifts, and allowing people to sign up for shifts or reporting when they'll be away.

And if you're an employee, Shifts is an easy way to track your schedule, make time off requests, or swap shifts with others.

What will I learn?

How to create a schedule in Shifts
How to manage time off requests
How to manage your shifts as an employee

What do I need?

Microsoft Teams
5 minutes

Sign in to Microsoft Teams, and on the app launcher, click More apps > Shifts.
In the Create a team schedule box, select the team you want to create the schedule for, and then choose Create.
Confirm the time zone you want to use for the schedule.
Add people to your schedule.
Add shifts to specific people or to an open shift slot by double-clicking an empty slot next to the person and date you want.
When you have the shifts set up, choose Share with team to share it.

Need a little help? Learn how to use Shifts to manage schedules.

Employees can use Shifts to swap shifts or request time off and managers can approve or deny the requests in the app.

In Shifts, select Requests.
- To request time off, choose New request, and then choose Time off.
  
  Complete the request form and click Send request.
- To review a request, open the request, and then approve or deny the request.

Need a little help? Learn how to manage your shifts in Shifts.

The Your Shifts view for web and desktop

View your own shifts on the Teams Shifts app for web and desktop without having to scroll through the entire schedule just to get to what you want.

The default view for employees is now the Your shifts view, while the default view for managers is the Team shifts view. However, employees and managers can toggle between both views as needed.

Swap a shift

Here’s how to swap a shift with a coworker.

Choose at the top right of the app screen.
Make sure you have selected the Requests tab.
Choose + New request above your list of requests.
A new page will appear. Select the Swap tab if it’s not already highlighted.
Fill out the swap form.
Select Send request in the bottom right of the app screen, and your manager will receive a notification.

Offer a shift to your coworkers.

Choose at the top right of the app screen.
Choose Add request.
A new page will appear. Select the Offer tab if it’s not already highlighted.
Fill out the Offer form.
Select Send request in the bottom right of the app screen, and your manager will receive a notification.