Unscheduled Shifts on the Kiosk

Sometimes work happens outside the schedule. FabWise lets workers start a shift even when one isn't scheduled — it just flags it for supervisor review.

Why it matters

Schedules don't always predict reality. A worker gets called in on their day off. Someone covers for a sick coworker. An emergency job needs weekend work. Unscheduled shifts capture this time accurately instead of losing it to "off the books" work.

Every hour worked should be tracked and paid. Unscheduled shifts make that possible without requiring the admin to update the schedule first.

How it works

When a worker goes to start their shift at the kiosk and has no scheduled shift for the day, FabWise offers an Unscheduled Shift option. The worker taps it and their shift starts immediately at the current time.

Unscheduled shifts are different from scheduled shifts in a few ways:

	Scheduled Shift	Unscheduled Shift
On the schedule?	Yes	No
Start/end times	Pre-set by schedule	Recorded when worker starts/ends
Breaks generated?	Yes — based on shift duration	No — duration unknown at start
Timing prompts?	Yes — early/late/on-time	No — no scheduled time to compare
Auto-approved?	If clean	Never — always flagged for review

The key difference: unscheduled shifts always flag for review. Your supervisor needs to confirm this work was expected before it goes to payroll.

Where to find it

Workers (Kiosk)

When you go to start your shift and nothing is on the schedule, you'll see:

Unscheduled Shift — tap to start working now.

There's no timing prompt because there's no scheduled time to compare against.

Supervisors (Admin > Shifts)

Unscheduled shifts appear with an amber Review badge. The review reason says "unscheduled." Open the shift detail to see what hours were worked and approve.

What you'll see

As a worker

The kiosk shows "Unscheduled Shift" as your only option (or alongside scheduled shifts if you happen to have both). Tap it, and your shift starts. Everything else works normally — breaks, personal time, ending your shift.

As a supervisor

The shift detail shows:
- Shift Type: marked as unscheduled
- Scheduled times: none (or placeholder values)
- Actual times: when the worker actually started and ended
- Review reason: "unscheduled"

You see the full picture: who worked, when, for how long.

What to do

Workers

If you're called in outside your normal schedule, just start an unscheduled shift at the kiosk. Work your hours, take your breaks, end your shift. Your supervisor will review and approve it.

Don't worry about not being on the schedule — the system is designed for this. It's better to track the hours than to not record them.

Supervisors

When you see an unscheduled shift in your review queue:

Was this expected? Did you call them in, or did someone ask them to cover?
Are the hours reasonable? Check the actual start/end times.
Approve if the work was legitimate.

If an unscheduled shift is unexpected, talk to the worker and their department lead before approving.

Admins

If unscheduled shifts happen frequently, your schedule may not match reality. Consider:
- Adding more shifts to the schedule
- Adjusting department staffing
- Reviewing who has kiosk access

The auto-approve unscheduled shifts setting (Admin > Settings > Scheduling) lets you turn off the automatic flag. When enabled, unscheduled shifts are auto-approved like any clean shift. Most shops leave this off — you want to know when someone works outside the schedule.

Common questions

Q: Do unscheduled shifts count toward overtime?
A: Yes. All hours worked count toward the weekly overtime threshold, regardless of whether the shift was scheduled.

Q: Can I prevent workers from starting unscheduled shifts?
A: No. Under the FLSA, all hours worked must be compensated. If a worker shows up and works, that time must be tracked and paid. FabWise records it and flags it for your review — that's the control.

Q: Why don't unscheduled shifts get breaks automatically?
A: Entitled breaks are generated based on the scheduled shift duration. An unscheduled shift has no scheduled duration — FabWise doesn't know how long the worker will be there. The worker can still take breaks manually (meal, rest, personal time) during the shift.

Q: My shop has irregular schedules. Will every shift be unscheduled?
A: Set up schedules in Admin > Settings > Scheduling. Even loose schedules (one shift type, flexible times) are better than no schedule. Workers get entitled breaks, timing prompts, and shifts auto-approve when clean.

[Start Shift](start-shift.md)
[Shift Review](../time-tracking/shift-review.md)
[Shift Approval (supervisors)](../admin/shift-approval.md)
[Overtime](../time-tracking/overtime.md)

Last updated: 2026-03-27