New Microsoft Teams Shifts features to build richer Firstline Worker experiences

At Microsoft Build 2020, we announced new features and APIs for developers to extend the Shifts app experience in Microsoft Teams for Firstline Workers.

Shifts is the schedule management tool for Firstline Workers. Whether the manager is putting together a schedule for their team or a Firstline Worker is swapping shifts with a teammate, Shifts has the team covered.

These new enhancements allow developers to take advantage of Shifts data and leverage existing systems and investments. Additionally, developers can help save Firstline Worker managers time by automating workflows and enabling Shifts information in other apps to streamline processes and optimize business operations.

Shifts Graph APIs in v1.0

Shifts Graph APIs are now in general availability (GA) on the v1.0 endpoint. These APIs will allow you to fully integrate Shifts data (e.g., schedules, open shifts, time off requests) with external workforce management systems – providing you the flexibility to build customized Shifts experiences in the back-end, while giving end users a rich, front-end experience in Teams.

Example – Create a new WorkforceIntegration with SwapRequest enabled for eligibility filtering

We’ve also hosted our open-source integrations with popular workforce management systems, such as Kronos and JDA on GitHub here.

Access Shifts Graph APIs docs here

Shifts + Power Automate

We’re also excited to show you the enhanced Shifts + Power Automate capabilities. New actions are now available inside Power Automate, so that you can take information from Shifts and create customized workflows with other apps and perform operations at scale – automating key processes for Firstline Workers with little to no code.

New triggers and templates will be rolling out this summer to support a variety of scenarios such as enabling auto-approvals for shift requests in scenarios where a manager’s approval is not needed. Check out some of our existing templates and samples for return to work scenarios on GitHub here.

Start automating processes with Shifts + Power Automate here