The Roster Flow blog
Writing about the week between the roster and the pay run, from the point of view of the person who has to build both. Short, specific, and free of anything we cannot back up.
Christmas trading roster checklist for small businesses
December asks more of a roster than any other month: longer hours, public holidays close together, leave requests and new casuals all at once. This checklist works through it in the order it needs doing, with the public holiday and award rules that shape each step.
How to write shift instructions staff actually read
Most shift instructions fail for the same few reasons: they are too long, too vague, in the wrong place or out of date. Here is how to decide what needs writing down, write each instruction so it cannot be misread, put it where the work happens, and check that it is being followed.
How to roster a small team when someone resigns
In a team of eight, one resignation can take out an opener, the only person who does the ordering and an eighth of the weekly hours at once. Here is how to work out what the person covers, roster the notice period, spread the gap without wearing out the people who stay, and bring in a replacement before the roster breaks.
How to roster delivery drivers and in-store staff together
Delivery orders and walk-in orders peak at different times, but they come out of the same kitchen. Rostering drivers on a separate sheet is how a shop ends up with three drivers waiting for food while one cook falls behind. Here is how to plan both teams as one roster, from the order forecast to the last run of the night.
How to roster around public transport and late finishes
A close that runs 20 minutes over can mean a missed last train and a long wait in the dark, or a fare nobody planned for. Here is how to find out how each person gets to and from work, set finish and start times around it, check what your award says about transport at odd hours, and keep late finishes safe.
How to handle staff who want more hours
A request for more hours usually means someone reliable wants to work more. It is also easy to handle badly, by promising shifts that are not there, adding overtime by accident or quietly favouring one person. Here is how to find out what they need, check the hours and the rules, pick the right answer and give it clearly, even when it is no.
How to give staff predictable hours without losing flexibility
Staff want to know their hours weeks ahead. The business needs room to add people when trade picks up and to pull back when it drops. You can have both by splitting the roster into a steady core that repeats every week and a flexible layer on top, and by setting each one up the way your award expects.
How to run a five-minute pre-shift briefing
A short briefing before the doors open tells everyone who is doing what, what is different today and what to watch for. Here is what to cover in five minutes, who should run it, how to put it on the roster as paid time, and a timed example for a Friday dinner service.
How to roster for wet-weather and hot-day swings in trade
Rain can empty a courtyard and a hot day can put a queue at the takeaway window. Here is how to find out what the weather really does to your trade, build a base roster for the likely week, add hours from the forecast instead of cutting them at the last minute, and plan for heat and storms with safety in mind.
How a two-venue food business can build its weekly roster
Two venues with different rhythms, one team and one week to plan. This worked example follows a bakery cafe and a catering kitchen through a weekly routine: setting each venue’s needs, placing the people who work at both, allowing for travel, costing each venue and publishing the week together.
How to review last month’s rosters to plan next month
A weekly check catches the problems in one roster. A monthly review shows the patterns: the day that always runs over, the shift nobody wants, the hours that creep up. Here is what to gather, what to compare, what the differences can mean, and how to carry what you learn into next month’s roster.
How to reduce roster admin time each week
Roster admin rarely happens in one sitting. It leaks across the week in messages, calls, swaps and timesheet fixes. Here is how to measure where the time goes, cut the work that repeats, set a weekly rhythm with clear deadlines, and keep the records the law asks for without doing the work twice.
