What is a work schedule template? 

Work schedule templates typically outline key information for each employee’s shift, such as their times, dates and daily tasks. They can be helpful if different positions at your company require separate shifts. 

For example, you might have some workers who work core hours between 8am and 4pm, while other employees may work in a double-day shift pattern, such as 6am to 3pm and 3pm to 11pm. This can be helpful in production settings, where teams must complete certain job duties sequentially, or in support roles, where companies offer all-day live agent availability. 

How to create a work schedule template for employees

Managers can use spreadsheet programs to create custom scheduling templates. Although the exact process generally depends on the software used, you may follow these steps: 

1. Open a spreadsheet program

Several spreadsheet programs, such as Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers, can be used to create a work scheduling template. To get started, open your preferred program and create a new spreadsheet. 

2. Create column labels

Along the top row of the spreadsheet, add names for each column, such as:

• Column A: Employee Name

• Column B: Job Title

• Column C: Monday XX/XX/20XX (or first day of payroll period, if not Monday)

• Column D: Tuesday XX/XX/20XX (or second day of payroll period)

• Column E: Wednesday XX/XX/20XX (or third day of payroll period)

• Column F: Thursday XX/XX/20XX (or fourth day of payroll period)

• Column G: Friday XX/XX/20XX (or fifth day of payroll period)

• Column H: Saturday XX/XX/20XX (omit for Monday through Friday work schedules)

• Column I: Sunday XX/XX/20XX (omit for Monday through Friday work schedules)

• Column J: Total Hours

• Column K: Employee ID, if used for payroll or employee tracking

For workplaces with various departments or store locations, you might add a column to specify the address, room number or virtual meeting room where employees should report or connect with their colleagues.

3. Add fixed data

Next, enter information under the following columns:

• Employee name: Enter names in a Last Name, First Name format alphabetically. Confirm the spelling of each employee’s name before adding them.

• Job title: Add the job title for each employee. If you shorten long job titles, you can develop a standard abbreviation system for consistency.

• Employee ID: Type the appropriate ID number for each employee, reviewing each entry for potential errors.

4. Convert to a table

Some spreadsheet programs offer the ability to automatically convert a spreadsheet into a table for a cleaner appearance. In Excel, you can highlight the entire table and type CONTROL+T or click the Table button to convert. For Google Sheets, select the entire table and navigate to Format > Convert to Table.

5. Save the template

If you save files locally, navigate to File > Save As to save your scheduling template. Cloud-based spreadsheet programs generally don’t require this step.

How to prepare a work schedule using a spreadsheet template

You can follow these steps to create a schedule with your template:

1. Create a copy: Creating a customizable copy helps keep your template clean and ready to reuse. To create a copy in Google Sheets, select File > Make a Copy. When working in Excel, you can navigate to File > Save As. Name your file “Schedule [Start Date] to [End Date].”
2. Add dates: Along the column titles, replace the XX/XX/20XX with the appropriate dates for each day of the week. 
3. Record scheduled time off: If employees have paid time off (PTO) or vacation time schedules, enter this information into the template. 
4. Enter shifts: Type each employee’s shift under each day of the week. Use am and pm for clarity. For example, type 9am to 5pm for a shift that starts at 9am and ends at 5pm.
5. Fill in empty cells: Review the row for each employee. Type “OFF” into any blank cell to communicate that the employee will be out of the office (OOO) that day.

Tips for scheduling employees

These tips can help you create a clear and effective work schedule while meeting your staffing needs.

Inform scheduling with data

Data can help you determine how many employees are needed to cover each shift. Some metrics that can inform your schedule include:

• Budgeted labor hours: Refer to your budget to determine how many hours you can afford to pay for each week.

• Forecasted demand: Review foot traffic, appointment, order and other historical data for the same time of year. For example, a retail store manager might compare March’s foot traffic from the previous year to forecast the coverage needed and identify busy periods and times of day.

• Task frequency: Determine when your team completes key tasks and which roles are responsible for them. For example, you may need to schedule at least two sales support specialists on the first day of the month to manage end-of-month report generation.

• Task duration: Consider how long daily and periodic tasks take to complete. For example, if the average length of a new account appointment is one hour and you open an average of two accounts per hour all day, schedule at least two employees responsible for every shift.

• Number of workstations: Consider how much space is available each shift. For example, if you only have five point-of-sale (POS) systems, you might add a maximum of five cashiers to the schedule.

Be considerate

Ask for your team’s feedback on which shifts are best for them. Accommodating employees’ preferences and personal commitments can show that you care about their work-life balance. For example, if your company uses swing shifts, consider giving workers adequate time off in between.

Manage employee availability and potential scheduling conflicts

Review schedules carefully before distributing them to reduce the risk of scheduling conflicts. Some common errors to search for include:

• Double-booking: Confirm that employees working in different locations or departments are only on one schedule per shift.

• Unavailability: Review time-off requests for the week to avoid assigning shifts to unavailable team members.

• Inadequate breaks: When developing your schedule, provide enough coverage so all employees can take the necessary breaks.

Schedule to strength

You might schedule employees on certain days or shifts based on job titles and specialized skills. For example, you can pair new hires with experienced supervisors or schedule workers with overlapping job duties to different shifts.

Distribute schedules appropriately

Use the same method to distribute the schedule to employees weekly. You might display it at your workplace on a bulletin board or submit a digital copy to employees via email or Slack. Alternatively, you could post it on your internal website. 

Consider having employees verify that they have reviewed the schedule. For example, they might initial next to their names or interact with the post if you share it via a messaging platform such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.

Plan ahead

Scheduling in advance can help your employees organize their personal and professional commitments and help your company budget payroll. You might make a schedule for employees two or three weeks ahead of time. 

Use technology to simplify scheduling

DIY spreadsheet templates are an economical way to create schedules. However, there are other options available. One option is to download and customize ready-made templates compatible with your spreadsheet software.

Another is to use free employee scheduling software. These programs reduce the risk of errors and can automatically calculate employee hours, PTO and more. Examples of scheduling platforms include:

• DRoster
• Trello
• Asana
• FindMyShift

Evaluate scheduling with metrics and feedback

Tracking metrics and feedback over time can help you improve employee scheduling. Some data to consider includes:

• Customer conversion and churn rates: Low conversion or high churn rates could indicate that you lack adequate staff to serve customers. 

• Average customer wait or response times: Lengthy wait or response times are often a sign of staffing shortages.

• Employee satisfaction surveys: Add questions related to scheduling, such as “Rate your work-life balance on a scale of 1 to 10” or “How satisfied are you with your current work schedule?”

• Employee turnover rates: High turnover rates may indicate scheduling issues, such as inadequate coverage for shifts or underscheduling employees.

• Overtime pay: Frequent overtime often results from inadequate scheduling.

Scheduling for different industries

Every industry has its own scheduling requirements. By customizing schedule templates for your company, you can help ensure adequate staffing for employees.

For example, healthcare businesses often need templates that accommodate night shifts and rotating schedules, while retail businesses may require flexible schedules to match varying store hours and busy periods. Project-based industries typically benefit from scheduling features that allow managers to assign specific tasks and track progress across multiple projects.