How to make a staff roster
A worked example of one week at a small cafe, from the trade you expect to the roster on everybody's phone. The method works on paper, in a spreadsheet or in software.
Start with the trade, not the people
A roster built by asking “who is free” tends to cover the days that are easy to fill. Start from the other end: write down what each day needs before you write down a single name.
For our example cafe that is opening at six, a lunch rush from eleven to two, a quiet afternoon, and a function on Saturday night. So the week needs an opener every day, two on the floor through the middle of the day, and four on Saturday evening.
Then fit people to it
- Put the fixed people in firstThe ones whose hours barely change: the chef, the manager, anyone on a set pattern. Those shifts are decisions you already made.
- Cover the hard shifts nextThe six o’clock start and the Saturday night. They are the ones that hurt when they are empty, so fill them while you still have everybody to choose from.
- Fill the easy middle lastBy now you can see who is short of hours, who is close to the limit on a student visa, and who asked for a day off.
- Check it against what people told youAvailability, approved leave, and anybody with an hours limit. This is the step that decides whether Friday is a phone call or a shift.
- Price it before you publish itAdd up the hours by day, apply your weekend and public holiday rates, and look at the total. A busy Saturday is a decision worth making on purpose.
- Publish it where they will see itOne place everybody can check, and one place you change when something moves. A photo of a sheet in a group chat is two copies of the truth by Wednesday.
The three things that break a week
- Availability you collected once. Study timetables and second jobs change. Ask for the hours, not the days, and ask again when the term changes. The form is free.
- A change nobody was told about. If you move a shift, tell the person who lost it as well as the person who gained it.
- No record of what was worked. The roster is the plan. The hours actually worked are what payroll needs, and they are never quite the same.
Before you publish, a short check
- Every day the venue is open has somebody opening and somebody closing.
- Nobody is rostered on a day they said they could not work, unless you meant it.
- Anybody on a visa with an hours limit is inside it for the fortnight.
- The cost of the week is a number you have seen, not one you will find out later.
- Somebody can cover the shift that would hurt most to lose.
Questions about making a roster
What is the first step in making a staff roster?
Write down what each day needs before you write down a single name: when you open, the busy periods, and any function or event. Then fit people to that cover, starting with the fixed people and the hardest shifts to fill.
What should I check before publishing a roster?
That every day the venue is open has somebody opening and somebody closing, that nobody is on a day they said they could not work unless you meant it, that anybody with a visa hours limit is inside it for the fortnight, and that you have seen the cost of the week.
Where do the rules on roster changes and breaks come from?
From the award or agreement that covers your people. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s page on rosters is the place to start, and your accountant or an employment adviser is the place to finish.
Does this roster method work in a spreadsheet?
Yes. The method works on paper, in a spreadsheet or in software, and the weekly roster template is a free download with no sign up.
Doing it without a spreadsheet
The method is the same in Roster Flow: copy last week, change what moved, watch the estimate add up as you place each shift, and publish to their phones. See how rostering works, or start free for up to five people.