Introduction
Shift statuses help you understand where a shift is in the staffing and scheduling process. Each status provides different information to administrators and workers, from a shift being created but not yet published to the shift being completed after the work has taken place.
Overview
A shift can move through several statuses depending on how it is staffed:
Draft → Published → Offered → Confirmed → Filled → Completed
However, not every shift will follow every status in this exact order. For example, a worker may be manually assigned and confirmed, or a published shift may move directly to Confirmed when a worker is selected.
A shift can also become Cancelled before it is completed.
How to Understand Each Shift Status
1. Draft
What it means: The shift exists in Nowsta but has not been sent to any workers yet.
Administrator view:
The shift has been created and scheduled but has not been published.
It essentially acts as a placeholder until staffing begins.
Worker view:
The shift is invisible.
It does not appear on the worker's Job Board or in the app.
What happens next: The shift moves forward when an administrator publishes it or otherwise sends it out, such as through a direct assignment or the Publish → Apply workflow.
2. Published
What it means: The shift has been sent to one or more workers as either an open opportunity or a direct offer.
Administrator view:
The shift may show a status such as "Published, XX workers, YY mins ago."
The worker count reflects workers who have not yet responded to the published shift.
Once the shift becomes fully staffed, it is technically unpublished behind the scenes, although the publish history remains available so administrators can see who the shift was sent to.
Worker view:
The shift can appear on the Job Board under Requests/Open shifts.
Depending on the publishing workflow, workers may be able to accept, apply, or decline.
What happens next: The shift can move toward Offered or Confirmed when workers respond or when an administrator assigns someone.
3. Offered
What it means: A specific worker has received a direct request or offer for the shift and is waiting to respond. This is different from an open published shift where multiple workers can apply.
Administrator view:
The shift shows an outstanding Confirmation Request.
The request is associated with a specific worker.
Worker view:
The request appears in the Nowsta Workers App.
The worker must choose whether to Accept or Decline.
What happens next:
Accept: The worker moves to Confirmed.
Decline: The shift can reopen or remain available for other workers.
If the worker is restricted from declining, the decline action may be blocked and an error may appear.
4. Confirmed
What it means:
A worker has accepted or been assigned to the shift.
A worker can become confirmed by:
Applying for a shift and being approved.
Accepting a direct offer.
Being manually assigned or confirmed by an administrator.
Administrator view:
The worker appears under the Confirmed tab or roster for the shift or event.
Worker view:
The shift appears under the Confirmed section of their Job Board.
The shift also appears on their calendar.
The worker is expected to show up for the shift and can clock in.
What happens next: Once enough confirmed workers are assigned to meet the required headcount, the shift becomes Filled. If the shift date and time pass and the work is completed, the shift progresses toward Completed.
5. Filled
What it means: All required positions for the shift have confirmed workers. No additional staffing is needed.
Administrator view:
The shift is no longer actively being sent out for staffing.
The active publish indicator may no longer appear, although the publish history can still show which workers were published or confirmed.
Worker view:
Confirmed workers continue to see their assignment.
Workers who were not selected no longer see the shift as an open opportunity.
What happens next: The shift moves toward Completed once the scheduled work takes place. If a confirmed worker cancels, the shift may become understaffed again and need to be reopened for staffing.
6. Completed
What it mean: The scheduled shift has taken place and the work was performed. This may be supported by clock-in/clock-out information or a recorded timecard.
Administrator view:
The shift appears in Time & Attendance for approval.
Worker hours are available for timesheet and payroll processing.
Worker view:
The completed shift moves into their Earnings/Past Jobs history.
What happens next: The shift is considered part of the worker's completed work history.
7. Cancelled
What it means: The shift or a worker's assignment was cancelled before the work took place.
This can happen when:
An administrator cancels the entire shift.
A confirmed worker cancels their assignment.
Administrator view:
The cancelled shift or assignment is removed from active staffing.
If a confirmed worker cancels, the shift may reopen for restaffing and move back toward the Published or Offered workflow.
Worker view:
The cancelled assignment is removed from their calendar or Job Board.
Important: If a shift already has confirmed workers, certain bulk changes from integrations may be blocked from automatically cancelling or deleting the shift. This is intended to protect already-staffed shifts.
How Shifts Move Between Statuses
The shift lifecycle can vary depending on how you choose to staff the shift.
Example 1: Publish and Apply
Draft → Published → Worker Applies → Confirmed → Filled → Completed
The shift starts as a Draft, is published to workers, and workers can apply. An administrator then approves applicants and confirms the appropriate workers.
Example 2: Direct Request
Draft → Offered → Confirmed → Filled → Completed
A specific worker receives a direct request. Once they accept, they become Confirmed.
Example 3: Manual Assignment
Draft → Confirmed → Filled → Completed
An administrator can manually assign or confirm a worker without going through the normal worker acceptance process.
Example 4: Worker Cancellation
Filled → Needs Staffing → Published/Offered → Confirmed → Filled
If a confirmed worker cancels, the shift may need to be staffed again. The administrator can publish the opening or request another worker.
Alternative Method
Manually Assign or Confirm a Worker
If you already know who should work the shift, you do not necessarily need to publish it to a group of workers.
You can manually assign or confirm a worker, which can move the shift directly toward the Confirmed status.
This can be useful when:
A worker has already agreed to work.
You do not need to wait for a worker response.
You want to fill a specific position directly.
Troubleshooting
A shift is still in Draft
This means the shift has not yet been sent to workers.
If you are ready to begin staffing, publish the shift or use another available assignment workflow.
A shift is Published but no one has responded
Review the workers who received the published shift and check their eligibility, availability, and notification settings.
Also confirm that the workers you expected to receive the opportunity were actually included in the publishing process.
A shift is Offered but has not become Confirmed
The worker has received a direct request but has not yet accepted it.
Ask the worker to review the request in the Nowsta Workers App and accept or decline it.
If the worker declines, request another qualified worker if the position still needs to be filled.
A worker is Confirmed but the shift is not Filled
A shift is only Filled when all required positions have confirmed workers.
For example, if an event requires five workers but only four are confirmed, the shift still needs one additional worker.
A worker was removed but still sees the shift as Confirmed
The source document notes that there has been an issue where a worker could continue seeing a shift as Confirmed in the app after an administrator removed them.
The removal did not always immediately propagate to the worker's app view. If this occurs, verify the worker's current assignment from the administrator view and contact Support if the worker's app does not update.
A confirmed worker cancelled
If a confirmed worker cancels, the shift may need to be restaffed. Review the open position and publish or request another qualified worker.
A completed shift says the worker did not show up
The source document notes that workers had previously seen "You did not show up to this job!" on shifts they actually worked and were confirmed for. This was identified as a labeling issue on the Earnings/Past Jobs screen and has since been fixed.
Important Notes
Draft shifts are not visible to workers.
Published means the shift has been sent to one or more workers.
Offered indicates that a specific worker has received a direct request and is waiting to respond.
Confirmed means a worker has accepted, been approved after applying, or been manually confirmed.
Filled means all required positions have confirmed workers.
Completed means the shift has taken place and the work was performed.
Cancelled means the shift or worker's assignment was called off before the work took place.
Not every shift follows every status in a strict sequence.
A confirmed worker who cancels can cause a previously filled shift to require staffing again.
A Published shift may no longer be actively published once all positions are filled, although its publish history remains available.
Worker-facing status information may occasionally take time to reflect an administrator's changes.
Completed shifts appear in Time & Attendance for administrators and in Earnings/Past Jobs for workers.
Summary
Shift statuses provide a snapshot of where a shift is in the staffing and work lifecycle:
Draft → Published → Offered → Confirmed → Filled → Completed
A shift can follow different paths depending on whether it is published, offered directly to a worker, or manually assigned. A shift may also return to the staffing process when a confirmed worker cancels.
Understanding these statuses can help administrators quickly determine whether a shift still needs staffing, is waiting for a worker's response, has been fully staffed, or has already been completed.
Need More Help?
Please contact support@nowsta.com. We're happy to help if you have questions about shift statuses or need assistance understanding why a shift has not progressed as expected.