Announce the finished week
Tell staff that the published rota is ready for them to view.
Tell staff when the rota is ready and when their shift changes Manager-controlled rota alerts
Notify the team when a published rota week is ready to view, then keep individual employees informed when a manager changes their shift.
FlowRota prompts managers at the right moment and leaves the final choice with them. Shift change alerts follow the employee’s notification settings, using push or email where enabled.
included for £1 per user per month
Close the gap between publishing a rota and staff knowing it is ready
A published schedule is only useful when employees know to check it. From the Manage rota page, managers can tell staff that their rota week is ready. If something changes later, the affected employee can be notified without sending another update to the whole team.
Rota communication built into the manager’s scheduling workflow
Alerts appear around the actions that make a rota useful: publishing the finished week and changing an employee’s scheduled shift.
Prompt managers at the right time
Ask whether staff should be notified after all shifts have been published.
Notify the affected employee
Offer a direct alert when a manager changes an individual shift.
Use push or email
Follow the employee’s enabled notification settings for shift change delivery.
Keep the manager in control
Let the manager decide whether the publication or change needs an alert.
Reduce manual messages
Communicate from the rota instead of recreating the same update in a separate chat.
Notify staff that their rota week is ready
Once the manager has finished the week and published all its shifts, FlowRota asks whether they want to notify their staff.
Turn publication into a clear handover to the team
The prompt appears within the Manage rota workflow, where the manager has just completed the schedule. They can send the alert immediately or decline it if no notification is needed.
Features- Available from the Manage rota page
- Appears after all shifts in the week are published
- Asks whether the manager wants to notify staff
- Communicates that the rota week is ready
- Keeps publication and communication together
- Give staff a clearer moment to check their schedule
- Reduce separate “the rota is live” messages
- Help distinguish a completed week from work still in progress
How a rota week ready alert works
The notification decision follows the publication process rather than relying on the manager to remember it later.
Build the rota week
The manager creates and reviews the shifts from the Manage rota page.
Publish all shifts
The completed shifts are published so the week is ready for employees to view.
FlowRota asks the manager
A prompt asks whether they want to notify staff that the rota is ready.
The manager chooses
They send the rota-ready alert or continue without notifying the team.
A timely reminder, not an automatic assumption.
FlowRota raises the question while the finished rota is still in
front of the manager.
Alert an employee when their shift is changed
Publishing the week is not always the end of rota management. If a manager later changes an employee’s shift, FlowRota gives them the option to notify that employee.
The manager edits the shift
A scheduled shift is changed from within the normal rota workflow.
The alert stays connected to- The employee assigned to the shift
- The changed scheduled work
- The manager’s update
- The latest version of the rota
FlowRota offers the notification
The manager can choose whether the employee should be alerted to the change.
Why the choice matters- The manager remains responsible for the communication
- An alert can be sent while the change is being handled
- The employee update does not require a separate message
- Notifications can be avoided when the manager declines
The affected employee is updated
When the manager sends the alert, it is directed to the employee whose shift was changed.
Benefits- Keep individual changes targeted
- Avoid announcing one person’s update to the whole team
- Prompt the employee to check the latest rota
- Reduce uncertainty after a published schedule changes
Deliver shift change alerts through push or email
Employees do not all want updates in the same way. FlowRota uses the notification channel available through each employee’s settings.
Push notifications
Where push is enabled for the employee, the shift change can reach the device they use to check FlowRota.
Useful for- Prompt, app-based rota updates
- Employees who primarily check schedules on mobile
- Direct attention to the latest shift information
- Keeping the alert close to the rota experience
Email notifications
Where email is enabled in the employee’s notification settings, the shift change alert can use their inbox.
Useful for- Employees who prefer email updates
- A familiar notification route outside the app
- Teams that already use email for work communication
- Keeping delivery aligned with employee settings
Notification preferences remain part of the workflow
The manager decides whether to send the alert. The employee’s notification settings then determine whether push or email is available for delivery.
See the wider FlowRota push and email notification settings or focus specifically on email notifications .
Use the right alert for the right scheduling moment
A whole rota week becoming ready and one employee’s shift changing are different events. FlowRota keeps their audience and timing distinct.
| Alert | When it is offered | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Rota week ready | After all shifts in the week have been published. | Staff covered by the published rota week. |
| Shift change | When a manager changes an employee’s shift. | The employee affected by that change. |
Communicate from the same place the decision was made
Rota alerts sit beside publishing and editing actions, reducing the chance that the manager finishes the scheduling work and then forgets the communication step.
Benefits- Keep the message connected to the latest rota
- Choose the correct audience for each update
- Avoid switching into another system to send the reminder
- Retain control over whether an alert is sent
Make a published rota feel dependable to the people using it
Staff need to know both when the schedule is ready and when something they had already seen has changed.
Clearer expectations
Give employees a distinct signal that the published week is ready to check.
Fewer manual reminders
Send the update from FlowRota instead of repeating it across team chats.
More targeted changes
Direct an individual shift-change alert to the employee it affects.
Respect employee preferences
Use push or email according to the notification settings the employee has enabled.
Connect rota alerts with the rest of your scheduling workflow
Publishing, notifications and rota checks work together to give staff a schedule they can understand and managers a clearer way to maintain it.
Frequently asked questions about FlowRota rota alerts
What is a rota alert in FlowRota?
A rota alert lets a manager tell staff that their rota week is ready to view after the shifts have been published.
Where can managers notify staff that the rota is ready?
Managers can send the rota-ready notification from the Manage rota page.
Does FlowRota prompt managers after publishing the week?
Yes. Once all shifts are published, FlowRota asks the manager whether they want to notify their staff.
Who receives a rota week ready notification?
The notification is intended for the staff covered by the published rota week so they know the schedule is ready to view.
Can a manager notify an employee after changing their shift?
Yes. When a manager changes a shift, they have the option to send a notification to the employee affected.
Is a shift change notification optional?
Yes. FlowRota gives the manager the choice to send the notification when changing the shift.
Are rota alerts sent by push notification or email?
A shift change alert can be delivered by push notification or email, depending on the employee’s notification settings.
Do rota alerts respect employee notification settings?
Yes. The available delivery route follows the employee’s configured notification settings.
What is the difference between a rota-ready alert and a shift change alert?
A rota-ready alert tells staff that the published week is available, while a shift change alert is directed to the employee whose individual shift was changed.
How much does FlowRota cost?
FlowRota costs £1 per user per month after a 30-day free trial. No credit card is required to start the trial. Visit the pricing page for full details.
Publish the rota and keep staff informed
Tell the team when their week is ready and notify individual employees when their shift changes. The trial is free for 30 days, no credit card is required, and continued access costs just £1 per user per month.
Start your free trial