In December 2023, Microsoft added some new features and improvements for its Shifts app in its Teams service. Today, Microsoft has revealed two more improvements it is adding to Shifts. The app, for those who might not be aware, is targeted at frontline workers who don"t have typical 9-to-5 schedules, and for frontline managers who have to keep track of these employees.
In a blog post, Microsoft says the Shifts app has some improvements when users import schedules made with the company"s Excel spreadsheet into the app. While this feature has been part of Shifts for a while, users had to remain on the app while the importing process from Excel, so they could see if there were any import errors.
Today"s update makes some changes to that situation. Microsoft says:
- You no longer need to remain in Shifts app while your schedule file is being processed, as you can come back to the new page to review the import status and check for import errors.
- Any manager can see the 10 latest schedule creation actions through Excel import, which makes collaboration easier between managers on a team.
Keep in mind that the Excel import feature in Shifts is only available with the desktop and web app versions.
The other new Shifts addition is made for the iOS and Android app versions. These apps have a feature where frontline workers can inform their managers of their availability to work. However, the feature was limited to only showing the workers" availability on recurring days.
Microsoft has now made a big improvement to this feature. The mobile Shifts app now allows frontline workers to show their availability on specific dates, in addition to the recurring dates. This should allow those workers who might have unconventional working days and times to better inform their managers when they can work.