How to Fill Open Shifts Fast, Without Ringing Around
30 October 2026 · The Rosterly team · 5 min read
To fill open shifts fast, publish them where every qualified person can see and claim them, offer them first to people who have the skill, are free and are under their hours, and set a deadline after which a manager assigns. That replaces ringing down a list with one message, and it keeps the shift covered by someone who can actually do it.
An open shift is any shift with no one assigned: a new shift you added for an event, a gap from a resignation, or a shift someone has been released from. Filling them by phone works when it happens once a month. When it happens every week, you need a process.
Why ringing around fails
Phoning or texting people one at a time feels personal, but it has real costs:
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It's slow. Each call waits for an answer before you try the next person.
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It's unfair. The same two reliable people get asked every time and burn out, while others never get the extra hours they want.
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It ignores skills. In a rush you ask whoever answers, not whoever can close or hold the certificate.
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It leaves no record. Nobody can see who was asked, who said no, or why the shift went to whoever got it.
Step 1: Know who can work it before you ask
For each open shift, the eligible pool is everyone who:
1.
has the skill the shift needs (barista, keyholder, responsible service of alcohol, first aid)
2.
isn't already working at that time
3.
isn't on approved leave or marked unavailable
4.
won't go over the hours you're willing to roster them this week
Rest rules belong here too. In the UK, adult workers are entitled to 11 consecutive hours' rest between working days, so the person who closed last night may not be eligible for tomorrow's open.
Step 2: Offer it to the whole pool at once
Instead of calling one person, publish the shift so everyone eligible can see it and claim it. The first qualified person to claim it gets it. This is faster, and it gives everyone the same chance at extra hours.
If you'd rather keep control, publish it as an offer with a deadline ("claims by 3pm, then I'll assign"), and pick from whoever put their hand up.
Step 3: Decide your tie-breakers in advance
When two people want the same shift, decide using rules you've shared:
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people below their usual hours first
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people who haven't had an extra shift recently
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the person who can cover the most skills on that shift
Written rules stop "you always give it to them" conversations before they start.
Step 4: Watch the cost of the extra hours
An extra shift for someone already near full-time can cost more than the same shift for a part-timer. In Australia, many awards pay overtime at higher rates. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Restaurant Award example, for instance, pays overtime at 150% for the first two hours and 200% after that. Check your award or contract before giving extra hours to someone close to their limit.
Step 5: Set a deadline and assign
If nobody claims the shift by your deadline, assign it to the best-fit eligible person and tell them directly. An open shift that's still open an hour before it starts becomes a crisis; a deadline the day before keeps it routine.
Still planning in a spreadsheet? Start from our free staff roster template for Google Sheets and Excel, which adds up paid hours for you.
Fill open shifts in one step
In Rosterly, published open shifts can be claimed by staff with the right skill, or auto-filled for you. 14-day free trial, no card needed.
Claiming. Published open shifts can be claimed by staff with the right skill. A manager can also assign one directly.
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Auto-fill. It fills open shifts for you, choosing people with the skill who aren't on another shift or on leave, and keeping everyone under a weekly hour limit you set for the run.
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Releases. When someone asks to give up a shift and a manager approves, it becomes an open shift that qualified staff can claim. The original person stays rostered until then.
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Notifications. Staff see changes on their phone as soon as you publish.
Rosterly doesn't calculate overtime, so if extra hours trigger overtime under your award, check the cost before assigning. Our shift swap policy guide covers how releases and cover requests should work, and the restaurant scheduling page shows open shifts on a typical busy week.
Reduce open shifts in the first place
The fastest open shift to fill is one that never opens. Three habits help:
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Build a buffer. Keep a short list of people who've said they'd like extra hours.
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Cross-train. If only one person can close, every one of their days off becomes an open shift risk.
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Roster to demand. Open shifts often come from rosters built around people rather than busy periods. Our seven-step guide to making a staff roster starts with demand for that reason.
Most scheduling apps have some version of open shifts. When I Work, for example, lists OpenShifts on its plans. If you're comparing tools, check whether skills are checked before someone claims, and our Rosterly vs When I Work comparison covers the rest.