Anna says, “I tried to stay calm and ask my coworkers what they needed.”

To stay calm is to keep control of your feelings when something is difficult.

To stay calm means to keep control of your feelings when something is difficult.

Here, it means keeping control of your feelings in a difficult situation.

You could say: “I took a deep breath to stay calm before my driving test.”

Here, it means keeping control of your feelings before the test.

Anna says, “I’d rather ask clearly than agree to a schedule I don’t understand.”

It means that Anna prefers asking clearly to agreeing to a schedule she does not understand.

I’d rather means you prefer one choice over another.

It means you prefer one choice instead of a different one.

You could say: “I’d rather take the bus than drive in heavy traffic.”

It means the speaker prefers taking the bus to driving in heavy traffic.

Anna also asks, “Could you tell me what a typical shift looks like?”

It means a usual period of time someone works.

A typical shift means a usual period of time at work.

It means a usual period of time spent working.

You could say: “Could you tell me what a typical shift looks like at the store?”

It means a usual period of work at the store.