The rota stays on a noticeboard or in a file
Anyone away from the workplace has to ask for their hours and whether the plan has changed.
Everyday solutions
An up-to-date rota for everyone, without photos, chats or phone calls.
HumanDesk brings shift definitions, assignments and access together. The team sees the current rota on a phone in both the complete version and the simplified Micro experience.
Product in demonstration phase · screens use fictional data
- Monthly or weekly rota
- Available on a phone
- Shift swaps in the same workflow
Manager planning · desktop
The real problem
The rota exists, but not everyone sees the same version.
When shifts move between sheets, photographs and messages, every change restarts the communication round and work may be organised using outdated information.
Every change has to be reported several times
Managers and teams receive separate updates, not always at the same time.
A shift swap starts in a chat or conversation
There is no single path showing who proposed it, who accepted and what is still required.
Absence appears after the rota is prepared
Holiday, time off or sickness may be noticed only after a shift has already been assigned.
How it works
From defined shifts to a shared rota.
Define the shifts
Each type has a code, name, times, break and recognisable colour.
Build the rota
The complete version offers month and week views, site and department filters, and permission-based editing.
Make it available
Authorised people see the current plan. When needed, a manager can print it or send it manually by email.
A grid that stays readable
Colours and codes identify shifts; recorded holiday, sickness and time off appear on the same days. Selecting an absence opens its detail without losing the rota context.
Complete planning
Month, week, people and departments in one view.
The complete grid is available in HumanDesk SaaS and the on-premise solution, on computers and phones. Access to people and editing follows the permissions assigned.
Filters
Sites and departments narrow the team shown.
The rota can be prepared for a noticeboard when paper is still useful.
A manager can manually send the rota to the filtered people.
Openable detail
An absence is more than a colour in the rota.
Selecting the absence opens a record with the person, type, period and, when present, hours and additional information. The manager checks it without leaving the rota.
Shift swaps
The request starts with the person and ends in the rota.
Before submission, HumanDesk shows the requester's shift and the selected colleague's shift. The proposal can include a message and remains recorded with the requests.
The person proposes
They choose a date and colleague; at least one of them must have a shift assigned.
The colleague responds
They accept or decline in their own area and the parties receive a notification.
The rota updates
In Micro, the colleague's acceptance is enough. In the complete version, a manager must also approve.
2. The colleague decides on their phone
The proposal appears in their area with the two shifts involved and Accept and Decline controls.
3. The manager gives final approval
In the complete version, the request shows that the colleague has accepted. Only then can the manager approve or decline the swap.
Micro
On a phone, one week at a time
Micro uses a simplified mobile view for teams of up to 10 people. Administrators assign a shift with one tap; each person checks the week and can start a shift swap.
10 max
Shift swaps
Versions
The same need, with the right level of management.
Micro
Mobile weekly view, up to 10 people and a swap completed after the colleague accepts.
SaaS
Complete month/week grid, filters, permissions and manager approval.
On-premise
The same complete area shown in the demo; installation and adaptations are defined in the organisation's project.
Absence is already part of the rota
This page shows how rotas are prepared and changed. Holiday, sickness and time-off management is explained in the dedicated solution.
Clear boundaries
What this page does not promise.
- HumanDesk does not generate the rota automatically with an algorithm.
- Sending the rota by email is a manual manager action; we do not claim that every change triggers an automatic email.
- Clocking and actual attendance require data or systems to connect and are not part of this standard solution.
- Advanced availability and safety-cover analysis will be described separately rather than overlapping everyday shift management.
Would you like to see how it could work for your team?
We demonstrate the workflow using fictional data only, without importing real people or rotas.
Request a demonstration