A shift handover that tells the next person what to do

Write for the next decision

'Delivery issue' and 'customer called' describe events but leave the incoming team guessing. A useful note explains what they need to do. For example: 'Two cartons missing from today's delivery; photo saved with the delivery record; Sam will contact the supplier before tomorrow's order cutoff.'

Restaurant managers' discussions about communication access and muted chats show how a message can exist without reaching the right person. A handover needs an agreed place and an incoming reader, not merely a message sent somewhere.

Separate immediate risks from ordinary follow-up

Anything requiring action before work continues should be spoken through with the person taking over and recorded in the relevant operational record. Do not bury an unsafe piece of equipment inside a long end-of-day narrative.

For ordinary issues, use one short line per decision. Link to the underlying record instead of copying invoices, personal information or long histories into the handover. The incoming person should be able to find the evidence without turning the handover into a second filing system.

Use a small set of fields

The example below is an original format for a small shop. Keep it brief enough to complete during the planned changeover. HSE's supervision guidance supports making responsibilities and risks clear; it does not prescribe this handover form.

Shift handover
Time and outgoing/incoming supervisor:
Issue or unfinished work:
What has already happened:
Current restriction or temporary action:
Next action and deadline:
Named owner:
Record or instruction to consult:
Incoming supervisor's questions:

Further reading: HSE: supervising workers

Practise reading back the important part

Give the incoming supervisor a moment to ask questions. For a material issue, ask them to explain what they will do next. This catches ambiguous phrases such as 'sort tomorrow' before the outgoing colleague leaves.

Original example: a retail shop has reserved an item pending a customer's confirmation. The note includes the hold expiry, the item location and the person who will follow up. The incoming supervisor realises that the customer is expected during their shift and checks the collection instruction immediately. No private customer details need to appear in a general team feed.

When shifts do not overlap, agree who checks the handover at the start of the incoming shift and how they confirm receipt. Any issue that cannot safely wait needs an established escalation route before the outgoing supervisor leaves. A note marked urgent is not enough if nobody will read it until tomorrow.

Remove stale entries deliberately

A handover that grows forever becomes a list people skim. At the next shift, either close an issue with its outcome or carry it forward with a current next action. If it belongs to a longer-running maintenance or supplier record, leave a short pointer and update that record.

Once a week, inspect a few handovers. Look for missing owners, deadlines that have passed and entries copied unchanged. Ask whether the receiving person could act without calling the previous shift. Improve those fields rather than demanding longer notes.