What to Do When an Employee is Absent or Calls in Sick

Updated March 24, 2025 17:09

This article outlines the steps you can take in 7shifts as an Admin or Manager user when an employee unexpectedly can't make their shift due to illness or another reason.

Using the 'Find cover' feature on the mobile app, you can quickly create a cover shift to ensure sufficient staffing. Alternatively, if you're using the web app, you can make changes directly on the Schedule or in the Shift Pool.

These tools allow you to find last-minute coverage and keep your business running smoothly.

⚠️ Manager/Assistant Manager user types require the permission 'Can manage schedules' to perform these actions, and can only access schedules for the Locations/Departments they are assigned to.

Use the tabs to change your viewing preferences through the mobile or web app:

To search for a last-minute replacement, you can use the 'Find cover' option on the mobile app.

Access the Schedule: Tap on the Calendar icon to go to the schedule, then select the shift of the absent employee.
Find Cover: Next, tap on 'Find cover', then 'Find who's available.'

⚠️Note: The 'Find cover' option is only accessible 24 hours before the shift’s start time and until the shift ends.

For future shifts: If the shift is scheduled for a later date, tap 'Offer Up' to post the shift as an Open Shift in the Shift Pool. This will notify eligible employees that the shift is available.
Track Attendance: Add a Shift Flag to track the original employee's attendance.

⚠️Tip: If the wrong Shift Flag is selected, you can manually update it later on the mobile app. Learn how here.
Choose a Replacement:
- A list of eligible employees available to cover the shift will be displayed.
- Tap on the employee you’d like to cover the shift, or use the phone/message icons to contact them.
  
  ⚠️Note: Employees who might trigger overtime or other labor issues will be listed with warnings at the bottom of the list.
Review Labor Exceptions: If any labor exceptions or warnings apply, you'll be notified before confirming the shift. Tap 'Schedule Employee' to proceed.
Add Shift Notes and Publish: Add any necessary shift notes for the employee to view and tap 'Publish new shift' to notify the selected employee of their cover shift.

Once published, the new shift will appear on the Schedule, along with any Shift Flag added to the original employee's shift.

To find a last-minute replacement from the 7shifts web app, you have two options on the Schedules page:

Option 1: Assign a Duplicate Shift to a Specific Employee

To create a duplicate shift and assign to a specific employee:

Press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
While holding Shift, click and drag the absent employee's shift to another employee on the Schedule.
Publish the Schedule: Once published, the newly scheduled employee will be notified of the shift via email or push notification on mobile (dependent on their personal notification settings).

Option 2: Offer an Open Shift to Employees in the Shift Pool

To offer the shift to multiple employees:

Press and hold the Shift key.
While holding Shift, click and drag the absent employee's shift to the Open Shifts section of the schedule.
Publish the Schedule: Once published, all employees assigned to that Role will be notified that the shift is available to pick up in the Shift Pool.
[Learn more about Open Shifts here]

⚠️Important: Regardless of whether you choose Option 1 or 2, ensure that the original shift remains assigned to the absent employee for attendance tracking. To document the absence (e.g., if the employee is sick or a no-show), use Shift Flags to track their attendance.

[Learn more about Shift Flags here]