Shifts in Microsoft Teams: How to Schedule Your Teams Effectively

Managing schedules for a frontline team can quickly turn into a headache. Between last-minute time-off requests, shift swaps between colleagues, and tracking worked hours, managers often lose valuable time. That’s why Microsoft created Shifts, a scheduling and workforce planning app built directly into Microsoft Teams. According to a Forrester Total Economic Impact study commissioned by Microsoft, interviewed organizations (modeled as a composite organization) achieved a 345% ROI over three years, with a net present value of around $14.8 million (Source: Forrester Total Economic Impact Study). Whether you work in retail, hospitality, healthcare, or manufacturing, Shifts changes the way teams plan and communicate. Here’s how it can streamline the day-to-day management of your frontline workforce.

Table of contents:

1. What is Shifts and why use it?
2. Shifts vs Excel: what really changes
3. How to set up and use Shifts
4. Managing requests and time tracking
5. The mobile experience: a key advantage for frontline teams
6. Integrations and industry use cases
7. Best practices to get the most out of Shifts

What is Shifts and why use it?

Shifts is much more than a basic schedule. Microsoft designed this Teams-native app specifically for frontline workers. These employees don’t have a fixed desk, and their hours often change from week to week. Think retail associates, healthcare staff, restaurant teams, or operators on a production line.

A complete solution for team scheduling

In practical terms, Shifts lets you create, edit, and share team schedules in just a few clicks. Managers assign shifts and define activities for each time slot. They then publish the schedule so the whole team can see it immediately. The app also includes a full request management system: time off, shift swaps, and sign-ups for open shifts.

What really sets Shifts apart from tools like Excel or paper schedules is its native integration with Teams. Communication stays in the same place: chat, calls, announcements, and file sharing. That means fewer tools to juggle and fewer messages lost across channels. According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, Teams usage among frontline workers increased by 400% between March 2020 and November 2021 during the pandemic (Source: Microsoft Work Trend Index). That growth reflects a very real need for an all-in-one approach.

Real benefits for Swiss businesses

For Swiss SMEs and larger organizations, Shifts comes with several strong advantages. First, it’s included as long as your license includes Microsoft Teams. So there’s typically no extra cost if your organization already runs Teams. Second, data storage depends on your Microsoft 365 tenant’s geography and the service’s associated data residency commitments. For an accurate view, especially in Switzerland, it’s best to verify your tenant’s data location and consult the official Shifts documentation. Finally, the interface is available in French and supports local time zone settings.

The numbers speak for themselves. According to a TCP Software study, 80% of timesheets contain errors when managed manually (Source: TCP Software). A scheduling tool like Shifts helps eliminate those issues and frees up time for higher-value tasks.

Shifts vs Excel: what really changes

In many organizations, Excel is still the default tool for building schedules. It’s fast, familiar, and easy to share. But as soon as hours fluctuate, teams grow, or multiple sites need to be coordinated, the limits show up quickly. Versions multiply, files get sent around by email or WhatsApp, and it becomes harder to know which schedule is the current one.

Excel can display a schedule well, but it struggles with the life cycle of scheduling. A last-minute change often means manually informing everyone. Shift swaps remain informal. Time-off requests are managed elsewhere, sometimes in another spreadsheet, sometimes verbally. Over time, small issues add up: duplicates, missed updates, uncovered shifts, or incorrect information reaching the team on the floor.

Shifts takes a more operational approach. The schedule is centralized in Teams and published where team communication already happens. Employees get notifications when something changes, can submit requests directly in the app, and check their personal schedule on mobile. Managers stay in control: they approve swaps, monitor coverage, and reduce back-and-forth.

Shifts also fits into a broader ecosystem. Scheduling information can connect with existing tools (WFM, payroll, reporting) through connectors or automation. In short, Excel is still useful for a simple table. But if you’re looking for reliability, traceability, and easy adoption for frontline teams, Shifts makes a real difference.

How to set up and use Shifts

Rolling out Shifts in your organization doesn’t require technical expertise. Here are the key steps to get started quickly and smoothly.

Access the app and create your first schedule

Shifts is available from the left sidebar in Microsoft Teams. If you don’t see it, click “More apps” and search for “Shifts.” For users with a Microsoft 365 F1 or F3 license, the app is often pinned automatically.

Creating a schedule takes just a few simple steps:

1. Select the Teams team you want to schedule for
2. Set the time zone and the start day of the week
3. Create schedule groups by department, role, or location
4. Add team members to each group
5. Start assigning shifts

Create and assign shifts efficiently

To add a shift, simply click on the schedule grid. For each slot, you can set start and end times. You can also add breaks, specify activities, and use colors to distinguish different types of work. With that level of detail, employees know exactly what to do, and when.

One particularly popular feature is open shifts. These unassigned slots can be published for employees to request. Available team members can sign up, and the manager approves the request. This approach supports flexibility while ensuring roles stay covered.

Import existing schedules from Excel

If your organization already uses Excel for scheduling, Shifts includes an import feature. You can download a template to format your data before importing. Be mindful of date formatting, your file should match your device’s regional settings to avoid errors.

Managing requests and time tracking

Beyond scheduling, Shifts includes essential features for everyday workforce management. These tools automate tasks that would otherwise require hours of administrative work.

The request system: time off, swaps, and open shifts

Employees submit requests from the mobile or desktop app. Time-off requests can be categorized by reason: vacation, sickness, parental leave, and more. Managers can also create categories that match internal policies.

Shift swaps allow two colleagues to exchange scheduled shifts, with manager approval. This feature helps employees take ownership of their schedule and reduces administrative workload. According to Aberdeen Group, employees are six times more satisfied when they can manage their schedule in real time (Source: FinancesOnline).

Built-in time clock

Shifts includes a time clock feature (Time Clock). Employees can clock in and out directly from Teams. On mobile, the time clock can include geolocation. (Optional) location detection can be enabled to record whether the clock-in/clock-out action is performed from the defined workplace location. This can be especially helpful for teams working across multiple sites.

Time clock entries feed into timesheets that you can export to Excel. These reports simplify payroll processing and provide clear traceability. For Swiss organizations that need strong time-tracking governance, this feature can be particularly useful.

The mobile experience: a key advantage for frontline teams

Today, 80% of the global workforce is made up of frontline and mobile workers (Source: Resonate UCC). Mobile access is no longer optional. That’s why Microsoft designed Shifts to deliver a strong smartphone experience.

Mobile features for employees

From the Teams app on iOS or Android, employees can view their personal schedule and see who’s on duty on a given day. They can also set availability and submit requests in just a few taps. Push notifications alert them immediately when the schedule changes or when a manager responds to a request.

A handy feature is the ability to indicate availability for specific dates in addition to recurring days. This flexibility is a good fit for employees whose constraints change week to week.

Targeted communication with shift-based tags

Shift-based tags are a powerful way to communicate with the right people at the right time. These tags are assigned automatically based on schedule group and whether someone is currently working a shift. A manager can message “Cashiers on duty” without knowing who is scheduled at that moment. Only the employees currently working receive the notification.

Integrations and industry use cases

Shifts doesn’t operate in isolation. It integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem and can also connect to workforce management (WFM) systems for organizations with more advanced requirements.

Connectors for WFM systems

Larger organizations using solutions like Blue Yonder, UKG Pro, or Reflexis can sync them with Shifts. This lets them apply business rules configured in the WFM system while still giving employees the simple Teams interface for viewing schedules.

For developers, the Microsoft Graph API for Shifts opens the door to advanced automation. You can generate reports, sync schedules with payroll systems, or build custom apps tailored to your operations.

Use cases by industry

Shifts fits a wide range of industries. In retail, it helps coordinate teams across multiple stores and manage peak periods like sales and holidays. In healthcare, it supports shift rotations and on-call schedules. In hospitality and restaurants, it handles variable, seasonal staffing and helps coordinate front-of-house, kitchen, and reception teams.

In Switzerland, public-sector organizations also use Shifts to schedule municipal pools, parks, and emergency services. In short, it works anywhere employees operate on rotating or posted schedules.

Best practices to get the most out of Shifts

Adopting a new tool doesn’t automatically guarantee productivity gains. Here are a few practical tips to make Shifts work smoothly day to day.

Operational prerequisites: Shifts runs inside Teams. That means you need well-structured Teams teams, with clear owners, up-to-date membership, and a consistent model by site, department, or store. Without that foundation, schedules become harder to maintain and adoption can drop.

For managers: Publish schedules early enough for employees to plan ahead. Encourage open shifts rather than assigning every slot by default, it often increases engagement. Also, process requests quickly to avoid frustration and misunderstandings.

For employees: Check your schedule regularly and set your availability in advance. It makes planning easier for your manager. Use official requests rather than informal arrangements so there’s a clear record and fewer issues later.

Compliance and HR: Time tracking and, where applicable, location detection can be sensitive topics. It’s worth defining the purpose, access controls, retention period, and employee transparency practices, so your setup aligns with HR policy and Swiss data protection expectations.

Mistakes to avoid: Don’t forget to publish changes, edits remain in draft until shared. Set the time zone correctly from the start. Finally, train users. According to Microsoft, 55% of frontline workers have received no training on the digital tools they use (Source: Microsoft Official Blog).

Conclusion

Shifts in Microsoft Teams is a real step forward for managing frontline schedules. By bringing planning, communication, and time tracking into one place, it removes silos and saves valuable time for both managers and employees. Its Teams-native experience and mobile-first design make it a strong option for Swiss organizations, provided you confirm your licensing scope and tenant configuration. Whether you run a small shop or a multi-site enterprise, Shifts offers the flexibility needed for real-world operations. Now is a good time to modernize scheduling and give frontline teams tools that match the realities of the job.

FAQ

Is Shifts really free for Microsoft 365 users?

Shifts is included as long as your subscription includes Microsoft Teams (F1, F3, E1, E3, E5, or Business with Teams). If your plan doesn’t include Teams, Shifts won’t be available.

How can employees without a professional email address use Shifts?

Microsoft 365 F1 and F3 licenses are designed for frontline workers. They support simplified sign-in and account creation, even when employees don’t have individual corporate email addresses.

Is scheduling data stored in Switzerland or in Europe?

Data storage location depends on your Microsoft 365 tenant geography and the service’s associated data residency commitments. For an accurate answer, especially in Switzerland, you should verify your tenant’s data location and consult Microsoft’s official Shifts documentation.

Can you use Shifts without an internet connection?

Shifts requires an internet connection for full functionality. However, the Teams mobile app can display some information offline, and data will sync once the connection is restored.

How does Shifts compare with dedicated scheduling tools like Planday or Deputy?

Shifts’ main advantage is that it’s built into Teams, which reduces the number of apps employees need. For highly specific needs, such as advanced payroll integrations or complex scheduling rules, dedicated tools can complement Shifts through WFM connectors.