Roster maker
Put in who works for you and what has to be covered each day, and this lays out the week: each shift given to whoever has the fewest hours so far, nobody on twice in a day, and nobody over the number of days you set. Change anything and the roster redraws. Nothing you type leaves this page.
| Shift | Start | Finish | Unpaid break | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Mon, 1 Mar 2027 | Tue, 2 Mar 2027 | Wed, 3 Mar 2027 | Thu, 4 Mar 2027 | Fri, 5 Mar 2027 | Sat, 6 Mar 2027 | Sun, 7 Mar 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amara | Open | off | Close | off | off | Open | off |
| Ben | Close | off | off | Open | off | Close | off |
| Chloe | off | Open | off | Close | off | off | Open |
| Dev | off | Close | off | off | Open | off | Close |
| Elena | off | off | Open | off | Close | off | off |
A worked example
Five people, an open and a close every day for a week from Monday 1 March 2027, and nobody on more than five days. That is fourteen shifts of seven and a half hours, dealt out so everybody lands within one shift of everybody else.
| Staff | Mon 1 | Tue 2 | Wed 3 | Thu 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amara | Open | off | Close | off |
| Ben | Close | off | off | Open |
| Chloe | off | Open | off | Close |
| Dev | off | Close | off | off |
| Elena | off | off | Open | off |
How it is worked out
Each shift in turn goes to whoever has the fewest minutes so far, skipping anybody already on that day or already at most days each. Ties go to whoever is higher up the list, so the same names and the same shifts always give the same roster.
What this tool cannot tell you
- Who is actually available, on leave, or qualified for a particular shift
- Rest between shifts, consecutive days, and anything else an award decides
- Pay rates, penalties and public holidays
Questions
How does it decide who gets which shift?
Each shift in turn goes to whoever has the fewest minutes so far, skipping anybody already on that day or already at the most days you allowed. Where two people are level, the one higher up your list gets it, so the same inputs always give you the same roster.
Why does a shift say nobody is free?
Every person is either already on that day or has reached the days limit you set. Either raise the most days each, add somebody to the list, or take a shift out of the day.
Does it know about award rules, breaks between shifts or penalty rates?
No. It shares out the shifts you type in and counts the hours. It does not read an award, work out pay, check rest between shifts or know who is qualified for what. Those stay with you.
What happens to a night shift that ends the next morning?
Put the finish as it reads on the clock, such as 02:00. A finish earlier than the start is taken as the next morning, and the shift counts against the day it started, so the person is on that day and free the next one.