How to create a rotating roster without double-booking staff
A rotating roster sets the pattern once and moves people through it, so weekends, closes and early starts come round in turn. It saves rebuilding the week, but a pattern with a flaw repeats the flaw every cycle. Here is how to design one, the checks that stop anyone being booked twice, and a worked four week rotation for a small cafe.
A rotating roster is a set of shift patterns that repeats over a fixed number of weeks, with each person moving to the next pattern each week. Done well, it is the easiest roster to run: people can see months ahead, the unpopular shifts are shared by design, and nobody rebuilds the week from scratch. Done badly, it books the same person into two places at once, or leaves a gap, every single cycle.
Double booking in a rotation rarely comes from a slip on the day. It is either built into the pattern, or it creeps in when leave, a swap or a second roster is laid over the top. This article covers both. The checks that apply to any single week, including a spreadsheet rule that flags a person rostered twice on one date, are in how to create a weekly roster in Excel.
How a rotating roster works
A rotation has three parts. Keep them separate and most double bookings become impossible.
- Shift lines. A line is one week of work: the shifts one person does that week, such as opening Monday and Tuesday and closing Saturday and Sunday. Together, the lines cover every shift the business needs, once each.
- The cycle. The number of weeks before the pattern repeats. With one person on each line, the cycle is usually as many weeks as there are lines.
- The rotation. The order people move through the lines. The simplest is that everyone moves one line along each week, so over a full cycle each person works every line exactly once.
The alternative is a fixed roster, where the same people work the same shifts every week. A rotation suits a team whose members can all do every line. Where only some people can open, or only one person holds a supervisor role, run the rotation inside that group and keep everyone else on fixed shifts.
Where double bookings come from
| Cause | What happens | The check |
|---|---|---|
| A shift sits in two lines | Two lines both include the Saturday close, so one Saturday has two closers while another shift has nobody | Count every shift across all lines: each appears exactly once |
| A line holds overlapping shifts | One line opens and closes on the same day, and the shifts overlap | Check each line day by day |
| The rotation skips or repeats a line | Someone moves two lines along, lands on a line already taken, and another line is left empty | Each week, every line has one name and every name appears once |
| The cycle joins badly | The move from one line to the next puts someone on too many days in a row, or a close followed by an early open | Check every move between lines, including the last line back to the first |
| Leave is not laid over the pattern | The pattern still shows someone who is on approved leave, and their cover is added without removing them | Apply leave and availability to each week before it is published |
| A swap is made on one copy | Two people swap, but only one version of the roster changes | Make every swap on the master rotation |
| Someone is on two rosters | A person is in the kitchen rotation and the floor rotation, or on a roster at a second venue | Check each person across every roster they appear on |
Design the lines first
- List every shift in a weekWrite down each shift the business needs, by day, with start and finish times. A cafe with an opener and a closer every day has 14 shifts a week.
- Group the shifts into linesMake as many lines as there are people in the rotation. Balance the hours so no line is far heavier than the others, and never put two overlapping shifts on the same day in one line.
- Check coverageTick off every shift against the lines. A shift in no line is a gap, and a shift in two lines is a double booking waiting to happen.
- Set the order and check the joinsDecide the order people move through the lines, then check each move from one line to the next for days in a row and breaks between shifts, including the move from the last line back to the first.
- Place peoplePut one person on each line in week one and let the rotation fill the other weeks. Everyone in the rotation needs availability that covers every line.
The rotating roster template gives you a grid to lay the lines out, and the shift pattern generator builds a repeating pattern from the shifts you enter.
The award rules that shape a rotation
A rotation has to satisfy the award in every week of the cycle and at every join between weeks. Rules differ between awards, so confirm which one covers your staff with the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Find my award tool. These are the rules most likely to catch a rotation in three common awards.
| Rule | What it means for the rotation | Award and clause |
|---|---|---|
| Length of the roster period | A roster period cannot exceed 4 weeks, except where a longer averaging period is agreed under clause 15.6 | General Retail, clause 15.7 |
| Days in a row | No more than 6 consecutive days of work | General Retail, clause 15.7 |
| Part-time guaranteed hours | Where the employer operates a roster, the guaranteed hours can be agreed over the roster cycle | Restaurant and Hospitality, clause 10.4 |
| Part-time availability and days off | No hours outside the agreed availability, and 2 days off each week | Restaurant and Hospitality, clause 10.7 |
| Part-time pattern of work | The regular pattern must not be changed from week to week or fortnight to fortnight | General Retail, clause 10.10 |
| Break between days | At least 10 hours, or 8 at a changeover of rosters, for employees other than casuals | Restaurant, clause 15.1; Hospitality, clause 15.5 |
| Break between days | At least 12 hours between finishing one day and starting the next, or 10 if agreed | General Retail, clause 16.6 |
| Notice of days off | Where practicable, 2 weeks’ notice of rostered days off | Restaurant, clause 15.4; Hospitality, clause 15.6 |
| Casual hours | An average of no more than 38 hours a week over a roster cycle of no more than 4 weeks | Restaurant and Hospitality, clause 11.2 |
Under the General Retail award, a part-time employee’s regular pattern of work is agreed day by day in writing (clause 10.5), so check how a rotation fits each written agreement before you include a retail part-time employee. How to roster part-time and casual employees together covers those agreements in more detail.
Changing a rotation that people already work is a change to their regular roster. Before you make it, follow the consultation clause in your award: clause 33 of the Restaurant award, clause 39 of the Hospitality award and clause 35 of the General Retail award each require you to explain the change and when it starts, invite the views of the people affected, including about family or caring responsibilities, and consider what they say.
A worked example: a four week rotation for a cafe
A cafe covered by the Restaurant Industry Award opens seven days a week and needs an opener and a closer every day. The opening shift runs from 6:30 to 13:00 and the closing shift from 8:30 to 15:00, each with a 30 minute unpaid meal break, so each is 6 paid hours. That makes 14 shifts a week. Four part-time employees, Kim, Raj, Sofia and Dan, share them on a four week rotation, and all four have agreed availability covering every day from 6:30 to 15:00. The figures are an example of the method, not a recommendation for any business.
| Line | Shifts | Days worked | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Open Monday and Tuesday, close Saturday and Sunday | 4 | 24 |
| B | Close Monday and Tuesday, open Wednesday and Thursday | 4 | 24 |
| C | Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday | 3 | 18 |
| D | Close Wednesday, Thursday and Friday | 3 | 18 |
| Total | 14 shifts | 14 | 84 |
Check coverage day by day. Monday and Tuesday are opened by line A and closed by line B. Wednesday and Thursday are opened by line B and closed by line D. Friday is opened by line C and closed by line D. Saturday and Sunday are opened by line C and closed by line A. Every one of the 14 shifts appears exactly once, and no line has two shifts on the same day.
| Week | Line A | Line B | Line C | Line D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim | Raj | Sofia | Dan |
| 2 | Dan | Kim | Raj | Sofia |
| 3 | Sofia | Dan | Kim | Raj |
| 4 | Raj | Sofia | Dan | Kim |
Each week everyone moves one line along, and whoever was on line D goes back to line A. Every row holds four different names, so nobody is on two lines in the same week, and every column holds four different names, so each person works each line once in the cycle. Over the four weeks each person works 24 plus 24 plus 18 plus 18 hours, which is 84 hours, or an average of 21 hours a week. Clause 10.4 allows those 84 hours to be agreed as guaranteed hours over the roster cycle.
In a spreadsheet, put week 1 in row 2 with lines A to D in columns B to E. In row 3, this formula in C3, filled right to E3, moves everyone one line along:
=B2Then =E2 in B3 brings whoever was on line D back to line A. Fill rows 3 onwards down for as many weeks as you need. A conditional formatting rule of =COUNTIF($B2:$E2,B2)>1 on the grid highlights any name that appears twice in one week.
Now the joins. Moving from line A to line B gives Saturday and Sunday then Monday to Thursday, 6 days in a row, with the Sunday close finishing at 15:00 and the Monday close starting at 8:30. Inside line B, the Tuesday close finishes at 15:00 and the Wednesday open starts at 6:30, a break of 15.5 hours. Moving from line D back to line A, the Friday close is followed by a free Saturday and Sunday. The shortest break anywhere in the cycle is that 15.5 hours, above the 10 hours in clause 15.1, and every line leaves at least 3 days off in its week, above the 2 in clause 10.7.
Lay leave and swaps over the pattern
The pattern is the plan, not the week people work. Before each week is published, apply approved leave, changes to availability and agreed swaps to that week only, and leave the master rotation as it is.
This is where most double bookings happen, because the obvious cover is often already working. Say Sofia takes annual leave in week 3, when she is on line A. Dan is on line B that week and already closes Monday and Tuesday, when line A opens. Kim is on line C and already opens Saturday and Sunday, when line A closes. Raj is on line D, and adding line A would have him working all seven days, with none of the 2 days off clause 10.7 requires. Nobody in the rotation can cover the whole of line A, so it goes to a casual, or is split so that no shift overlaps and no one loses their days off. If part of it goes to a part-time employee, check how clause 10.13 treats hours beyond their rostered hours before you offer it.
Swaps need the same check. Approve a swap only when the person taking the shift is not already on an overlapping shift that week and still keeps their days off and breaks, then record it on the master copy so the swap is not lost when the next week is printed. The shift swap request template keeps a written record of who asked and who approved.
Check every week before it goes out
- One name per line. Every line in the week has one person, and every person appears on one line.
- One shift at a time. Nobody has two shifts that overlap, once leave, swaps and extra shifts are added.
- Every roster. Anyone who also appears on a second roster, at another venue or in another team, is checked across both.
- Breaks and days off. The join from last week to this week keeps the breaks and days off the award requires.
- Availability. Every shift sits inside the person’s current availability.
A rotation also shares the weekends and closes fairly without anyone having to keep score. If some of your team are casuals, how to build a fair roster for casual employees covers sharing the shifts that sit outside the rotation. Pay rates for the example’s award are on the Restaurant Award pay rates page.
When to change the rotation
Review the lines when the trade changes, when someone joins or leaves, or when the same line keeps needing cover. Adding a person usually means adding a line and lengthening the cycle, so rebuild the lines and check coverage again rather than squeezing a fifth name into four lines. Give people as much notice as you can, consult them where your award requires it, and publish the new rotation well before its first week so the days off in it can be planned around.
Roster Flow helps once the rotation is running: availability and leave from staff phones, the roster published to everybody at once, clock ins that become timesheets, and approved hours sent to Xero, MYOB or a CSV file.
A checklist for a rotating roster
- Every shift in the week appears in exactly one line
- No line holds two overlapping shifts on the same day
- Each week, every line has one name and every name appears once
- Every move between lines keeps the award’s breaks and days off
- Part-time guaranteed hours and availability fit every line in the cycle
- Leave and swaps are applied to the week, not the master rotation
- Anyone on a second roster is checked across both
- Changes to the rotation are consulted on and published well ahead
Questions
What is a rotating roster?
A set of shift patterns, one for each person, that repeats over a fixed number of weeks. Each week people move to the next pattern, so everyone works every pattern once in a cycle.
How many weeks should a rotating roster cycle be?
Usually as many weeks as there are lines. Check your award first: the General Retail award says a roster period cannot exceed 4 weeks unless a longer averaging period is agreed (clause 15.7).
How do I stop someone being booked twice in a rotating roster?
Put each shift in exactly one line, have exactly one person on each line each week, and check any leave cover or swap for overlapping shifts before the week is published.
Can part-time employees work a rotating roster?
Under the Restaurant and Hospitality awards, guaranteed hours can be agreed over the roster cycle, as long as every shift stays inside the employee’s availability with 2 days off each week. Under the General Retail award the pattern is agreed day by day, so check the written agreement.
Who should cover a line when someone is on leave?
Someone who is not already on an overlapping shift that week and who keeps their breaks and days off after taking it. In a tight rotation that is often a casual rather than someone already on a line.
Do I need to consult staff before changing a rotation?
If it changes their regular roster, yes. The Restaurant (clause 33), Hospitality (clause 39) and General Retail (clause 35) awards require you to explain the change, invite views and consider them.
Sources
- Fair Work Commission: Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119]
- Fair Work Commission: Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 [MA000009]
- Fair Work Commission: General Retail Industry Award 2020 [MA000004]
- Fair Work Ombudsman: rosters
- Fair Work Ombudsman: find my award