Shift Swap and Cover Log

Who this is for

Who worked whose shift, and who still owes one. Each line records the shift, the person originally rostered, who actually worked it, whether it was a straight swap or a favour to be returned, who agreed it and the date it was paid back.

Shift workers in care, hospitality, retail, healthcare and anywhere else where colleagues cover for each other and the rota does not always catch up.

What this helps you track

• Every swap and cover, dated and named on both sides
• Which ones were agreed by a supervisor, and by whom
• Which shifts are still owed back, and to whom
• The date a favour was returned, closing the line
• A record to settle a disagreement about who worked when

How to use it

1. Write the workplace, the team and the period the sheet covers at the top.
2. When a swap or cover is arranged, add a line straight away: the shift's date and time, who was rostered and who is taking it.
3. Choose swap or cover. A swap is exchanged for another shift; a cover is a shift taken with nothing exchanged yet.
4. Write who agreed it — the supervisor or manager who said yes — so the rota can be corrected.
5. Tick owed back where one person now owes the other a shift, and fill in the returned date when it is repaid.
6. Read down the owed-back column at the end of the period and settle what is still open.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Who should keep this?

Whoever wants the record. A team can keep one sheet at the desk; an individual can keep their own copy of the shifts they gave and took, which is often the more useful.

Does the log change the rota or the pay?

No. It is a record of what was agreed. Whether swaps have to be approved, and how they affect pay or hours, is set by your employer and the rules where you are.

What is the difference between a swap and a cover?

In a swap two people exchange shifts and nothing is owed afterwards. In a cover one person takes a shift as a favour, and the owed-back tick records that a return is expected.

Can I record a swap that was refused?

Yes — write it and put refused in the agreed-by column. It is sometimes useful to show that a request was made.