> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.usetapp.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manage work roles for shifts

> Create work roles, assign them to team members and understand what happens when a role is removed.

Work roles describe the skills or duties a shift needs, such as barista or kitchen work. Tapp calls these **Competences**. They are separate from account permissions: giving someone a work role does not make them an Owner or Manager.

## Who can do this?

Owners and Managers can create, rename and remove work roles for their shop and assign them to team members. Staff cannot change these settings.

## Where to do it

In the web app, select the shop, open **Settings** and choose **Competences**.

## Create or rename a work role

1. Select **Add competence** and enter a clear name.
2. Choose **Save competence** and wait for the success message.
3. Check that the name appears in the list.
4. To rename a role, select its pencil button, change the name and save again.

Names cannot be empty and can contain up to 100 characters. Choose a distinct name instead of creating duplicates. Creating a role makes it available for shift staffing; it does not automatically give that role to everyone in your team.

## Assign roles to a person

Use the mobile app's manager **Work** area and choose **Competences** under the quick actions.

1. Select the team member from **Manage staff**.
2. In **Competences**, select the roles that person has. Clear a selection to remove that role from the person.
3. Select **Continue** to save the selection. Wait for saving to finish; the panel closes on success.
4. Reopen the person's selection and check the saved roles before using them in a shift plan.

Closing the selection before **Continue** discards your unsaved changes. Removing a role from a person does not remove their existing shift assignments. Review those shifts separately.

A shift that requires a particular role offers matching people when you choose staff. **Any role** does not require a specific skill assignment. If you need another work role, create it first and then check which team members should hold it.

## Delete a work role

In the web app's competence list, select the role's delete button. Read the confirmation, then choose **Delete competence** only if you intend to remove that role from the shop.

Deleting a role removes it from team members. Existing shifts and templates that required it change to **Any role**, while people already assigned keep their shifts. It is also removed from any tip-sharing groups that selected that role. Review affected schedules, templates and tip-sharing settings afterward.

Recreating the same name makes the role available again, but does not restore its earlier staff, shift, template or tip-sharing selections. Check and rebuild the requirements and staff assignments you still need.

## Platform notes

To edit the shop’s role list in the mobile app, open **Work** → **Competences**, then tap **+**. Choose **Add competence** for a new row, or edit an existing name. Tap **Save competences** to apply the list changes.

To remove a role, tap its **×**, confirm, then save. Do not leave an existing name blank: saving deletes that role too. Closing before saving abandons these list edits. After a save error, close the editor, pull down to refresh the list, then reopen it; earlier changes may already have saved.

In German, web settings use **Qualifikationen**, while the mobile work area uses **Kompetenzen**.

## Market notes

The flow applies in Great Britain and Germany. Roles belong to the selected shop. Check the shop before changing its list or deciding who can fill a shift there.

## Troubleshooting

* If a name is rejected as already taken, review the existing list before adding another role.
* If you cannot select a person for a shift, check their saved work roles and whether another shift overlaps.
* If saving a person's selection fails, reload it before retrying. Some additions or removals may already have saved.
* If a deleted role still appears in a plan, refresh and inspect the affected shift or template. Contact Tapp support if the result remains unclear.

## Related articles

* [Create and staff a shift](/en/shift-management/create-and-staff-a-shift)
* [Understand account roles](/en/staff/understand-roles-and-permissions)