How a pharmacist turned vacation chaos into one Slack channel with zero conflicts.
Franziska Splettstößer · Pharmacist & Pharmacy Owner · Germany
The Problem
Franziska Splettstößer runs a pharmacy with a team of 17. Vacation planning was chaos: WhatsApp messages asking “can I take off next Thursday?”, a paper calendar on the break room wall that was never up to date, and constant scheduling conflicts that only surfaced when someone didn’t show up.
In pharmacy, understaffing isn’t just inconvenient — it’s a compliance issue. German regulations require minimum pharmacist coverage at all times.
Franziska was spending 3+ hours per week managing vacation requests, cross-referencing coverage, and handling the inevitable conflicts.
The Solution
Franziska connected her existing Slack workspace to a dedicated vacation planning channel managed by her assistant. Team members submit vacation requests in natural language — “I’d like to take August 18–22 off.” The assistant checks against the team calendar, verifies minimum coverage requirements that Franziska defined herself, and either approves automatically or flags conflicts.
The assistant also maintains a live vacation calendar visible to the entire team, sends reminders before approved vacations, and generates monthly coverage reports.
Custom Escalation Rules
If coverage drops below 2 pharmacists on any shift → automatic block + notification to Franziska
If two people from the same role request overlapping dates → hold both, notify team, first-confirmed wins
If someone requests time off less than 2 weeks out → requires Franziska’s manual approval
Holiday periods (Christmas, Easter) → all requests queued and batch-approved by Franziska with priority by seniority
The Results
Scheduling conflicts
Weekly
0
Time on coordination
3+ hrs/week
20 min/week
Coverage violations
2–3/quarter
0
Team satisfaction
Frustrating
Effortless
Franziska Splettstößer
Verified Client
“I defined my rules once and the assistant enforces them every time. My team knows exactly where they stand, and I don’t spend my Sundays doing schedule Tetris anymore.”
— Franziska Splettstößer, Pharmacist & Pharmacy Owner
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