How Using A Shift Trading App Benefits Your Bottom Line
byTry When I Work for free
Running a business that depends on shift work can feel like a constant juggling act. And that’s especially true if it includes night shifts. Things like last-minute callouts and empty schedule slots might be recurring nightmares. That’s not to mention tired, overworked team members taking on back-to-back shifts. Each of these issues comes together as one big headache. Your labor costs go up, and productivity plummets.
The solution? Shift trading apps, which give your team more flexibility. With them, you’ll save time and money while no longer scrambling to find coverage. Instead, your employees can handle swaps themselves within the rules you set. It’s a win-win: less chaos for you and a greater feeling of empowerment for your workforce.
One shift trading app that can handle all these things for you is When I Work—Try it for free today!
Key takeaways
Here’s what you need to know about shift trading apps:
- They help your staff swap shifts with ease, all within set rules
- They’ll save you time managing schedules and reduce last-minute changes
- They’ll make coverage gaps and absenteeism become less frequent
- You can better match labor to demand and reduce unnecessary overtime
- The right app will keep team members happy, which helps with retention
What do shift trading apps do?
Shift trading apps allow employees to offer, request, or swap shifts with coworkers. Shift swapping can take place without the need for a manager to step in every time.
That means these apps make life easier for everyone. You won’t have to send group texts or call in favors to fill gaps. Instead, your team can open the app, view their schedules, and submit or accept trades based on the rules you’ve set up. Your staff will gain more flexibility, and you will maintain control.
Shift trading apps are especially helpful in the following fields:
- Restaurants
- Retail
- Healthcare
- 24/7 operations
If your business uses rotating schedules or engages in shift work, a shift trading app can be a big help.
How shift trading works
Here’s a simple breakdown of how shift trading often works:
- A team member can’t make their scheduled shift
- They log into the app and mark it as available
- Another qualified coworker sees the open shift and accepts it
- You (or the manager) get a notification to approve the trade
- If the above doesn’t happen, the system auto-approves the swap based on your settings
The process keeps things organized and reduces confusion. Additionally, some apps, like When I Work, let you set custom rules to make shift trading easier. For instance, you can make it so that people who are trading shifts hold the same role (i.e., server, line cook).
Business benefits of trying a shift trading app
Let’s break down how a shift trading app helps your bottom line. With the right app, you can:
Reduce manager time spent on schedule changes
Managers often spend hours reaching out to employees when shifts need to change. That’s time better spent running the floor and coaching the team. With a shift trading app, your team can handle swaps on their own while managers focus on operations.
Let’s say a restaurant manager usually reaches out via text to fill vacancies. With When I Work, employees would receive an alert about those gaps in the schedule. They can log in and accept the shift if it fits their schedule. The result is plenty of time saved for the manager.
Minimize absenteeism and shift coverage gaps
Hourly workers do not enjoy being unable to control their schedules. Over half of them say it makes them frustrated and stressed. When these conflicts arise, they can lead to missed shifts, which can be costly for your business.
Shift trading gives employees an easy way to find coverage. And that means fewer no-shows and less scrambling. Let’s say a retail team adopts a shift trading app. They could go from three or four shift gaps per week to near zero by using a digital trade system.
Lower overtime costs
When someone calls out last-minute, the usual fix is to ask someone else to stay late. But that adds up fast. A shift trading app helps you avoid overtime. Staff members can swap instead of stacking hours and incurring overtime. And you’ll gain better visibility into total hours worked in the process.
Optimize labor-to-demand alignment
Workforce optimization requires the right tools and processes. A shift trading app supports your goals by allowing you to adjust staffing in real-time.
Employees can swap shifts that better fit their availability. And you can guide those trades to match business needs by setting up custom rules. The result is labor costs that better reflect actual demand.
Increase retention and reduce turnover costs
Flexibility is one of the top things employees want right now. When they can manage their own schedules, they’re more likely to stick around. High turnover is expensive, after all. Hiring and training new people costs you time and money. Giving your team more control over their schedules can address these costs.
Streamline compliance with labor laws
Labor laws can be tricky. In some industries, certain employees must have rest periods between shifts. In others, they can’t work past a certain number of hours.
California’s labor laws are a great example. In the state, employees must earn time and a half pay if they work over eight hours in one workday. Those who exceed 12 hours in one workday gain double time.
Let’s apply that to a scheduling conflict. If someone calls out last-minute, you may ask someone else to stay over. If that person has already worked eight hours, staying over will lead to overtime pay.
Paying out unplanned overtime every so often isn’t a big deal. But frequent overtime expenses can eat away at your bottom line. Shift swapping helps you navigate these labor laws and cut back on your labor expenses.
How a shift trading app could help you save on labor costs
Employee scheduling software with shift-swapping features is essential for your business. They can slash your labor costs in the following ways:
- Reduce overtime by keeping swaps within regular hours
- Avoid labor waste by matching staffing levels to real demand
- Cut down on turnover, which reduces hiring and onboarding costs
- Remove the costs of last-minute shift coverage
- Free up managers so they can focus on tasks that grow your business
Add those savings up, and your return on investment becomes clear!
Shift trading app example
Shift trading is vital for industries with inconsistent schedules. But managing trades with sticky notes, texts, and calls is a recipe for disaster. When I Work eases shift trading with in-app tools that give your team flexibility, including.
Self-service shift swaps: Last-minute call-outs put pressure on managers to find coverage fast. Employees can perform shift swaps from within the app. That helps reduce back-and-forth. In a restaurant, that cuts manager time spent on coverage by ten hours a month.
Manager approval workflow: Manual shift swaps often happen without manager oversight, causing staffing errors. Shift trades need manager approval within When I Work. Nothing is finalized without visibility. In a retail store, that reduces no-shows by 30% after starting approval-based trading.
Real-time schedule updates: Everyone struggles with outdated or unclear schedules after shift changes. Once approved, shift changes update across the platform in an instant. Everyone remains aligned. In a hospital, that avoids costly third-shift understaffing with live schedules within the app.
Third-shift support and accountability: Accountability after trades is crucial in industries with overnight shifts. When I Work logs who accepts which hours, so there’s a clear record of shift ownership. A nurse manager said, “Night shift trades used to be a nightmare, but now I always know who’s covering and when.”
When I Work helps you simplify shift trading. That’s because employees will have the power to manage their own schedules. Of course, you can set up guardrails to prevent chaos while allowing team members to swap shifts. And the platform will even auto-build schedules for you.
Altogether, with When I Work, you can:
- Save up to 15 hours per week
- Reduce shift no-shows with trade approvals and real-time updates
- Empower staff members while maintaining scheduling oversight
Shift trading doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. When I Work gives your team the flexibility they want and the tools you need to stay in control. Mobile shift swapping and built-in approvals are perfect for protecting your bottom line. Not only that, but When I Work will help boost your team’s satisfaction.
When I Work: The shift trading app designed to save you hours of time scheduling
Shift trading apps give your team flexibility while saving you time and money. You can cut down on no-shows and reduce overtime. The key to that success, though, is finding the right solution. When I Work is the perfect fit.
When I Work has everything you need to get more done. It will track everyone’s hours and let you know if someone is about to rack up overtime. And its team messaging tool gives your employees a safe, secure place to discuss swaps.
Try When I Work free and take the hassle out of schedule changes today!
Meg Burnton is the Product Manager for Scheduler & Attendance at When I Work, where she has spent six years shaping tools that make scheduling and time tracking easier for businesses. She started in Customer Success, gaining firsthand insight into how teams use When I Work to streamline operations. That experience fueled her passion for building solutions that solve real scheduling challenges, leading her to product management. Now, she drives the evolution of When I Work scheduling and attendance features, helping businesses optimize their workforce with smarter, more efficient tools.
