PeopleMuster

Shift change request

Shift change requests are about a lasting move, not one day. Somebody's study timetable moves, a commute changes, a caring arrangement shifts. The form makes the new window explicit and dates the day it starts.

For a change that continues until changed again. A one-off trade between two people is a swap, and it uses a different form.

Request to change assigned shift

Employee name and department: 
Current shift: Name and window, for example Morning 10:00–19:00
Requested shift: Name and window
First date on the new shift: DD / MM / YYYY
Permanent or fixed term: If fixed term, state the end date
Reason for the request: Brief. One or two lines is enough
Who covers the hours being left: Name, or note that cover is unaffected
Effect on overlap with the team: Hours still shared with colleagues or clients

Supervisor recommendation: support / do not support   Signed ____________  Date ______
Decision: approved from __ / __ / ____  ·  declined  ·  approved on different terms
Assigned shift updated by ____________ on __ / __ / ____

How to fill it in

  1. State the window, not the name. Shift names drift between teams. Times do not. Write both.
  2. Give a start date, never 'immediately'. A dated change can be recorded. An undated one gets argued about at the end of the month.
  3. Answer the cover question in the form. It is the first thing a supervisor asks, and an unanswered request goes to the bottom of the pile.
  4. Say whether it is permanent. Fixed-term moves that nobody dated have a way of becoming permanent by accident.
  5. Confirm the record was updated. An approved change that never reaches the roster produces late marks for somebody doing exactly what was agreed.

Shifts in PeopleMuster are named time windows, assigned per person with a start date. Every reassignment is kept in an assignment history rather than overwriting the last one. Shifts and assignment history.

Questions people ask about this letter

How much notice should a shift change need?

Set the notice period in your own policy and print it on the form. It varies by country and by contract, so no template can fill it in for you.

Can a request be declined without a reason?

It can, but it should not be. A written reason is what stops two similar requests getting two different answers.

What happens to attendance on the day the change starts?

The new window applies from that date. Anything measured against the old one after that produces late marks that are not real.

Other templates