What is Shift Bidding?
Shift bidding allows you to express interest in picking up additional shifts that are currently unassigned. When you submit a bid, your manager will review your request along with other interested staff members and make assignment decisions.
Prerequisites
You must be logged into the DS system
You need access to view the roster.
The shifts must be unassigned (open) to bid on.
Open the Roster
Go to Roster from the main menu.
The roster shows staff, shifts, the selected date range, and roster view options.
You can use the roster controls to change the view by:
Week
Fortnight
Month
Staff View
Other available roster views, depending on your permissions
Open Shift Bidding
From the roster page:
Click Options.
Select Shift Bidding (beta) from the dropdown.
This opens the Shift Bidding page, where managers can review open shifts that staff have requested.
Review the Shift Bidding Page
The Shift Bidding page shows open shifts within the selected date range.
At the top of the page, you can choose the view type:
Day
Week
Fortnight
You can also use the date selector to move between roster periods.
The shift bidding table includes:
Shift date and time
Type
Role
Site
Number of Bids
You can also click Open Roster to return to the roster view.
Open a Shift Bid
To review bids for a shift:
Find the shift in the list.
Check the Bids column.
Click the shift row or the arrow on the right side.
This expands the shift and shows the staff members who placed a bid.
Review Bidder Details
When a shift is expanded, you can review the bidder information before approving or declining the bid.
The bidder section may show:
Staff member name
Bid date
Pay calendar
Rostered hours
Overtime hours
Branch public holiday status
Any shift conflicts
Shift details, including date, time, type, role, site, and number of bids
Use this information to decide whether the bid is suitable.
Check for Conflicting Shifts
If the staff member already has an overlapping shift, the system displays a conflicting shift warning.
Before approving the bid, review the conflict details carefully.
A conflict warning may show:
The conflicting shift number
The conflicting shift date
The conflicting shift time
A View option to check the overlapping shift
You should resolve or review the conflict before approving the bid.
Approve a Bid
To approve a bid:
Open the shift bid.
Review the staff member’s details.
Check for any warnings or conflicts.
Click Approve.
Once approved, the shift is assigned to that staff member and removed from the open list.
A confirmation message appears, such as Bid approved.
Decline a Bid
To decline a bid:
Open the shift bid.
Review the staff member’s details.
Click Decline.
Declining a bid removes that staff member’s bid request. The shift stays open for other eligible staff to bid on.
A confirmation message appears, such as Bid declined.
Open the Shift in the Roster
To view the shift directly in the roster:
Open the shift bid.
Click Open shift in roster or View shift.
This helps you check the shift in context, including nearby shifts, assigned staff, overtime warnings, and roster coverage.
Check the Roster After Approval
After approving a bid, return to the roster to confirm the shift has been assigned correctly.
You may also see updated roster indicators, such as:
Assigned staff name
Shift details
Overtime warnings
Hours count
Site or role information
If overtime is triggered, review the warning before making further roster changes.
Important Notes
Approving a bid assigns the shift to the selected staff member.
Declining a bid keeps the shift open for other staff members.
Conflict warnings should be reviewed before approving a bid.
Overtime may be inaccurate in Staff View unless a pay calendar is selected.
Pay calendar, overtime, and public holiday information can help managers make better approval decisions.
Shift bidding is marked as beta, so the feature may still be updated.
Troubleshooting
The Shift Bidding option is not visible
Check that you have the correct roster or admin permissions. If the option still does not appear, contact your system administrator.
No shifts are showing on the Shift Bidding page
Try the following:
Check the selected date range.
Switch between Day, Week, and Fortnight.
Confirm there are open shifts available for bidding.
Confirm staff have actually placed bids.
A bid cannot be approved
Check for:
A conflicting shift
Missing pay calendar information
Staff availability issues
Roster permissions
Whether the shift has already been assigned
Overtime looks incorrect
If you are using Staff View, overtime may not be fully accurate. Select the correct pay calendar where required to calculate overtime more accurately.
The bid was declined by mistake
If the bid was declined, the staff member may need to submit their bid again if the shift is still open.