End-of-shift report template

What an end-of-shift report is for

An end-of-shift report has two audiences with different needs. Command staff read it to understand what happened. The incoming supervisor reads it to understand what is still open. A report written only for the first audience will fail the second one.

Structure

• Shift identification: shift name, date, times, supervisor, location and staffing count.
• Major events: the small number of things that mattered, with a link to the log entry rather than a retelling.
• Staffing changes: holdovers, call-offs, reassignments and coverage decisions.
• Completed work: tasks closed during the shift, with completion notes.
• Unresolved work: everything still open, with an owner and a due date.
• Safety matters: hazards, advisories and anything affecting personnel safety.
• Equipment and vehicle issues: current status and expected return to service.
• Passed forward: an explicit list of what the next shift is receiving.

Writing guidance

Write in plain past tense and avoid abbreviations that a reader from another team will not recognize. Name the location. Give a time. If an item is unresolved, say who owns it now — 'to be followed up' is how items die.

If your system can generate a draft from the shift log, use it, then edit. The point of a generated draft is to remove typing, not to remove judgment.