How do I ask a coworker to cover my shift, or ask my manager to approve a swap?
The short answer
Copy-paste texts
Names and shifts are made up.
| Who | Text |
|---|---|
| A coworker, straight cover | “Hey Jordan, any chance you could take my Saturday dinner (5 to close)? I have a family thing. I’d owe you one.” |
| A coworker, trade | “Hey Jordan, want to trade? You take my Saturday dinner and I take your Tuesday lunch.” |
| The group chat | “Anyone want my Saturday 6/13 dinner, 5 to close? Can trade for a weekday. Text me.” |
| The manager, for approval | “Hi, it’s Sam. Jordan agreed to take my Saturday 6/13 dinner and I’ll take her Tuesday 6/16 lunch. Can you approve the swap?” |
| Confirming after approval | “Thanks. So I’m off Saturday 6/13 and on Tuesday 6/16 lunch. Jordan’s on Saturday dinner.” |
- Check the house rule. Some places use a scheduling app for swaps; some want a text to the manager.
- Ask the coworker with the exact date and hours.
- Get the manager’s OK with both names and both shifts.
- Screenshot it and check the posted schedule once it updates.
Not tax or legal advice. These are wording suggestions. Your restaurant’s swap rules come first.
Plain English
Why the manager’s OK matters
If your restaurant requires manager approval, a swap you arranged with a coworker isn’t done until the manager agrees. Until then, if your coworker doesn’t show, it’s your shift that was missed. A screenshot of the approval settles any mix-up later.
Watch your hours for the week
Picking up a shift can push you over 40 hours. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered workers get overtime of at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. DOL’s Fact Sheet #15 says that for a tipped employee paid a lower cash wage, overtime is figured on the full minimum wage, not the lower cash wage. See Overtime for tipped employees.
DOL says the workweek is a fixed, recurring 7-day period that can start on any day, and hours can’t be averaged over two or more weeks. So a double in one week and a light week after don’t cancel out. DOL’s guide also says the FLSA doesn’t limit how many hours you can be scheduled if you’re at least 16.
Write down what you actually worked
IRS Publication 531 asks you to keep a daily tip record for each workday. After a swap, your notes should match the shift you worked, not the one on the old schedule. See How do I keep track of my tips?
Your state may have more rules
Your state may have stricter rules. DOL keeps a list of state labor offices.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a swap is done because a coworker said yes.
- Not checking the posted schedule after the swap.
- Picking up shifts without counting your hours for the week.
- Posting a shift in the group chat without the date and times.
Official sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSAdol.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the FLSA (overtime problems)dol.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor: Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Actdol.gov
- IRS Publication 531, Reporting Tip Income (daily tip record)irs.gov
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: State Labor Officesdol.gov
Last verified:
Checked DOL Fact Sheets #23 and #15, DOL’s Handy Reference Guide to the FLSA (revised November 2023), IRS Publication 531 (revised December 2024), and DOL’s state labor offices list.
Still open: State and local scheduling laws aren’t covered here.