---
title: Open shifts and replacements
description: "Offer open shifts, decide on applications, auto-assign spots, and let employees hand over or swap their shifts."
url: "http://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-open-shifts-and-replacements/"
updated: "2026-11-01"
category: Scheduling
---

# Open shifts and replacements

An open shift is an offer: a time slot without a holder, offered to the employees of a location. A replacement lets an employee hand over or swap a shift they already have. This article explains both, for the scheduler and for the employee.

## Before you start

- Creating an open shift and deciding on applications and replacements requires the "Schedule: read (Access), create and edit shifts (Execute) of one’s population" right at the **Execute** level; publishing an open shift requires the **Admin** level.
- To claim an open shift, apply or offer a replacement, the employee needs the "Scheduling module — Access" right.
- Handing over and swapping shifts are only offered to employees if they are enabled in the module settings: [Scheduling settings](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-settings/).

## Creating an open shift

![Open shifts section: the period shown and the New button](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/scheduling-open-shifts-and-replacements-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
The "Open shifts" section and its "New" button.

1. Open "Open shifts", then "New". You can also create an open shift from the "Add" button in the grid.
2. Enter the date and the times.
3. Choose the "Location *". It is required: only employees at this location can claim the offer.
4. Choose the "Accepted positions". With no position chosen, every position at the location can claim.
5. Enter the number of "Spots": how many employees will get this shift.
6. Choose the mode:
   - without "Approval required": first come, first served, as long as spots remain;
   - with "Approval required": requests build up and are decided. You can set a "Maximum applicants" (empty: no limit).
7. Set the "Application deadline": until the start of the shift, or a number of hours before.
8. Save. The open shift is a draft: publish it like any other shift ([Creating and publishing a schedule](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-create-and-publish/)).

On publication, eligible employees are notified. Eligible means active contracts at the offer's location whose position is accepted.

## For the employee: claiming or applying

In "My schedule", the "Open shifts" part lists the week's open shifts available to the employee.

- **Claim**: without approval, the employee gets the shift straight away. It enters their schedule, already confirmed.
- **Apply**: with approval, the employee sends an application, with an optional message to the scheduler. "Withdraw my application" cancels it while it is pending.

An employee with several contracts chooses the contract on which to take the shift. A full offer shows "Full".

**When a claim is refused.** The server refuses the request, with a readable reason, if:

- the offer is not published, is cancelled or is closed (deadline reached, spots taken, maximum applicants reached);
- the employee is not eligible, or already has an application in progress;
- the offer has already started, unless the settings say otherwise;
- one of their shifts overlaps the offer, if the overlap setting is active;
- they have an approved absence that day, or have declared themselves unavailable for that time slot;
- the shift would break the minimum rest or the daily and weekly limits of their attendance profile;
- the shift would break a sequence rule of their profile (consecutive days or nights, rest after a series, free Sundays);
- the shift would cross a check that the law installed on their contract declares blocking.

**Giving up a shift.** A shift obtained through an offer can be given back with "Give up this shift". The spot reopens and the scheduler is notified. By default, this is no longer possible less than 2 days before the start. After giving it up, the employee can claim the offer again.

## For the scheduler: deciding

Applications are handled in the offer's details ("Open shifts") or in **Requests › Open shift applications**.

![Requests section, Open shift applications tab, with the All, Pending, Assigned and Rejected filters](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/scheduling-open-shifts-and-replacements-03.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
The tabs of the "Requests" section.

For each applicant, Illizeo shows facts: qualified position or not, hours already planned in the week, conflicts the shift would create.

1. Click "Assign" or "Decline".
2. Add a decision note if needed; it is passed on to the employee.
3. Confirm.

Assigning creates the shift, confirmed, on the employee's contract. You are warned of conflicts, never blocked. You can also assign the offer directly to an eligible employee who has not applied.

**With a workflow.** Illizeo provides in Workflows (Attendance category) an "Open shift application" workflow, approved by the applicant's manager. It is inactive: until you activate it, anyone who can schedule the applicant decides (Schedule right, Execute level).

- Active workflow: it decides, and the application shows "Decided by the workflow".
- Workflow limited to a scope (office, department, role…): it only applies to an applicant covered by that scope. For the others, the decision falls to the scheduler.
- Workflow without an approver (for example, the applicant has no manager): the workflow is cancelled and the decision falls to the scheduler.

**Closing an offer.** "Close the offer" cancels it, together with pending applications. Shifts already assigned stay.

## Auto-assigning spots

In "Actions", choose "Auto-assign open shifts". Illizeo fills the remaining spots of the period's open shifts, drafts and published ones.

A selected candidate is eligible, you can schedule them, and they have no approved absence, no unavailability and no overlap. The shift must also respect the rules of their attendance profile. The order of choice:

1. the employee who said they prefer to work in that time slot;
2. then the one with the fewest hours planned in the week;
3. then alphabetical order.

Illizeo first shows the "Proposals" and the "Unfilled spots". Untick what you do not want, then apply. The shifts created are drafts: nothing is sent during auto-assignment. Publish them afterwards to notify employees. At that publication, if the offer is full, applications still pending are declined.

## Handing over or swapping a shift

On one of their published or confirmed shifts that has not started yet, the employee can:

- **Hand over**: offer the shift to all eligible colleagues (the first to accept takes it), or to a specific colleague;
- **Swap**: choose a colleague's shift. If the colleague accepts, the two shifts swap holders.

A colleague is eligible if they have an active contract at the same location and in the same position. For a swap, the rule applies both ways.

The shift remains the requester's until the end. Once the request goes through, the same shift changes holder, confirmed. "Cancel the request" withdraws it until it has gone through. If the scheduler changes the date, the times or the employee of the shift, or deletes it, the request is cancelled.

Colleagues see requests under "Colleague requests" and answer with "Accept" or "Decline". To receive a shift, the same checks as for an offer apply: absence, unavailability, rest, limits, overlap.

## Approving a replacement

Two settings say whether approval is needed: "Shift offer requests require admin approval" and "Swap requests require admin approval".

- **Approval required**: after the colleague agrees, the request shows "Awaiting approval". Someone who can schedule both employees decides, in **Requests › Replacement requests**, with "Approve" or "Decline".
- **No approval**: the colleague's agreement is enough, the transfer is immediate.

Illizeo also provides in Workflows a "Shift replacement" workflow, approved by the requester's manager, **inactive**. Once activated, it decides on replacements that require approval. As for applications, a workflow limited to a scope only applies to a requester it covers, and a workflow without an approver is cancelled: the decision then falls to the scheduler.

Both employees are notified of the decision.

## Good to know

- By default, an employee can neither hand over, swap nor take over a shift less than 2 days before it starts. These limits, like giving up a shift, are set in **Settings › Limitations**: [Scheduling settings](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/scheduling-settings/).
- Outside workflows, applications and replacements can also be decided from Teams.
- The three workflows provided in Workflows are inactive: until you activate them, nothing waits for an approval in Workflows.

### *Similaire*