An official response from Bestcare Manpower Services
Shift management is a frequent operational challenge for businesses using outsourced staff, particularly in sectors such as retail, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and security. When an outsourced employee needs to swap a shift or when the client needs to change a roster, the process must be coordinated carefully to maintain coverage, comply with working hours regulations, and keep payroll accurate.
Who Controls the Roster?
In most outsourcing arrangements, the client controls the day-to-day roster — scheduling which outsourced employees work on which days and times. This is an operational function that the client manages directly, subject to the parameters established in the outsourcing contract.
However, Bestcare Manpower Services retains oversight responsibility for working hours compliance, maximum shift durations, mandatory rest periods, and the payroll implications of roster changes.
The Shift Swap Process
When an outsourced employee needs to swap a shift with a colleague, the following process applies:
The employee notifies their client supervisor and requests approval for the swap. If approved by the supervisor, the swap is recorded on the timesheet. Bestcare is notified of the change — either in real time through a digital timesheet system or at the weekly timesheet submission. Payroll is processed based on the actual hours worked after the swap, not the original schedule.
Bestcare advises clients that ad-hoc shift swaps should be documented rather than managed informally, as undocumented changes create payroll discrepancies that are difficult to reconcile.
Client-Initiated Roster Changes
When the client needs to change an outsourced employee’s roster — for example, due to operational demand, seasonal peaks, or staff shortages — they notify Bestcare in advance where possible. Changes that affect the employee’s contracted hours, unsociable hour premiums, or statutory rest entitlements must be agreed with Bestcare before being implemented.
“Roster changes are a fact of operational life. What matters is that they are managed transparently, documented properly, and never used to quietly erode an employee’s working rights. We stay on top of this so our staff can be flexible without being taken advantage of.”
— The Director and Team, Bestcare Manpower Services
Shift swaps and roster changes for outsourced staff are managed through a coordinated process between the client and Bestcare Manpower Services. Proper documentation, timely notification, and payroll accuracy are the standards we apply to every change — no matter how routine it appears.