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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between shift trading and shift covering?

Shift trading means two employees swap shifts with each other. Shift covering means one employee picks up another's shift without giving one back. Homebase handles both, and all requests require manager approval before changes go through.

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Will I be able to approve every request?

Yes. Every trade request and cover request goes through manager approval before it's finalized. This ensures you maintain control over scheduling and can catch issues like overtime, qualification mismatches, or coverage gaps before they become problems.

Can employees request coverage from anyone?

Employees send cover requests to specific teammates or broadcast team-wide. The system only offers teammates who are unscheduled, available, and not on approved time off during that shift.

How much notice do employees need to give for shift swaps?

Employees can start a trade request or cover request for any upcoming shift, as long as it hasn't already started.

What happens if no one accepts a shift trade request?

The original employee stays scheduled. You can post the shift as an open shift for others to claim, or they can send another trade request to different teammates.

How does shift swapping help with fair workweek compliance?

In many fair workweek jurisdictions, certain employee-initiated changes (like swaps or voluntary coverage) may be treated differently from employer-initiated changes for predictivity pay—but the rules vary by city and state. Homebase keeps a record of trade requests and cover requests and approvals, which can help support your scheduling documentation. For specific compliance questions, please consult your local regulations or a legal professional.

How do the shift recommendations work?

Homebase looks at job and role, availability and approved time off, wage and potential overtime, recent shift history, tenure, and reliability to recommend the best team members to ask—so you're not blasting the whole staff blindly.

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