# Review time off, swaps, and open shift claims

**Console: Team → Rotas → Requests.** For an authorised rota reviewer. Confirm
the working location and actual employee before deciding a request. A pending
request is not approved time off, an assigned open shift, or a completed swap.

## Find and inspect the request

Use **Pending**, **All**, **Approved**, or **Rejected**, then the request-type
filter and **Search by name or note**. Clear filters if an expected record is
missing. Open its details and compare employee, request type, dates/times,
reason, notes, target employee where relevant, and current status.

Check overnight dates and the actual week rather than deciding from the reason
label alone. Share only the HR information needed by the authorised reviewer;
medical or family details do not belong in public support screenshots.

| Request          | Check before approval                                                           |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Absence          | Actual dates, coverage and the restaurant's approved time-off process           |
| Shift swap       | Correct source/target employees and shifts; the target's acceptance             |
| Open shift claim | Intended open slot, employee suitability, availability and any overlapping work |

A swap can show **Partner accepted**. Approval is unavailable until the target
employee accepts; the manager's decision is separate. Do not respond as the
other employee or borrow their PIN to make approval available.

## Record the decision

1. Select **Approve** or **Reject** on the intended pending request, or review
   it through **View Details** where offered.
2. Read the full request and add necessary **Review notes**. Keep the notes
   specific to the decision without unnecessary sensitive information.
3. Confirm the chosen action once and wait for its result.
4. Reopen the same request and verify the saved status, reviewer and notes.
5. Inspect the affected rota week and the staff-visible published version.

The effects differ: absence and swap review record the decision; do not assume
that approving them automatically removes, reassigns or swaps planned shifts.
Make the supported rota edits where needed. An approved open-shift claim can
assign its slot, but still verify the actual employee, times and published
version. Follow [Rota publication](/staff/rotas#review-and-publish) for any
changed plan and deliberately chosen notifications.

A saved request decision is not proof of payroll processing, legal entitlement,
or an employee receiving a message. Do not send another text just because a
request was approved; use the supported publication/communication flow and check
its result.

## Submit a new request carefully

**New request** opens the Console form with request type, Employee, reason,
dates or target employee where shown, and notes. Check the intended person and
complete the required fields before **Submit request**. Open-shift claims
originate from the supported open-shift workflow, not a guessed new absence or
swap.

The current create path is tied to the signed-in requester. An Employee choice
in the Console form is not proof it created a request on another person's
behalf. Read the saved requester immediately. If it does not match the intended
person, stop and use the employee's supported self-service or authorised support
path; do not create duplicates or use another person's account to work around
it.

## Recover a conflict or wrong decision

A request that is no longer Pending may have been reviewed or cancelled
elsewhere. Reload and inspect the current decision before another action. The
current **Edit Review** affordance does not establish that an already decided
request can be reversed or its notes resaved: the review path accepts pending
requests only. Preserve the history and involve the responsible reviewer for a
supported correction instead of repeatedly submitting a processed request.

If claim approval reports changed availability or an unavailable slot, check the
latest rota and competing assignments. Do not invent another shift or remove an
approved absence to force the claim through.

After a timeout, reopen the original request and week before resubmitting.
Escalate with location, week, request reference/type, intended employee and
shift, current request/rota/publication state, and exact error through an
authorised channel. Keep staff identities, private notes and credentials out of
public captures.