Collect Availability First
Before you fill in shifts, ask each employee for their available days and preferred hours. This reduces conflicts and last-minute changes.
Free Shift Schedule Template
A ready-to-use weekly roster template for any industry. Use it as a starting point or upgrade to TaskForceOne for automatic rostering.
Weekly Shift Schedule
Below is a sample weekly roster layout. Copy it into a spreadsheet or use it as a reference when setting up your TaskForceOne workspace.
| Employee | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Total Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee 1 | 7am - 3pm | 7am - 3pm | OFF | 7am - 3pm | 7am - 3pm | OFF | OFF | 32 |
| Employee 2 | OFF | 3pm - 11pm | 3pm - 11pm | 3pm - 11pm | OFF | 9am - 5pm | 9am - 5pm | 40 |
| Employee 3 | 9am - 5pm | OFF | 9am - 5pm | OFF | 9am - 5pm | 9am - 5pm | OFF | 32 |
| Employee 4 | 11pm - 7am | 11pm - 7am | 11pm - 7am | OFF | OFF | 11pm - 7am | 11pm - 7am | 40 |
Tips for Building a Great Roster
Balance Hours Fairly
Distribute shifts evenly across the team. Monitor total weekly hours to avoid over-rostering some employees and under-rostering others.
Respect Minimum Rest Periods
Ensure employees have adequate rest between shifts. Most Australian awards require at least an 8-10 hour break between the end of one shift and the start of the next.
Plan for Absences
Keep a buffer of on-call staff or open shifts to cover sick days and unexpected leave. Build flexibility into your template.
Communicate Early
Publish the roster at least one week in advance. Under the Fair Work Act, some awards require up to seven days' notice for roster changes.
Review and Iterate
After each roster period, review what worked and what didn't. Look at overtime, unfilled shifts, and employee feedback to improve the next cycle.
Templates by Industry
Different industries have different rostering patterns. Here's what to consider for each:
Hospitality
Split shifts for lunch and dinner service, weekend penalty rates, casual minimum engagement hours, and high variability in demand.
Healthcare
24/7 coverage with rotating day/night shifts, fatigue management rules, qualifications matching, and on-call rosters.
Retail
Peak coverage for weekends and holiday periods, part-time and casual mix, trading hour restrictions, and multi-store rostering.
Construction
Site-based rosters, weather-dependent rostering, travel time considerations, and RDO (rostered day off) patterns.
Ready to ditch the spreadsheet?
TaskForceOne builds, publishes, and manages your roster automatically — with award compliance built in.