How to make a work schedule, step by step
A good schedule starts with the work, not the people. In five steps from staffing to a schedule everyone can see, with a sample week to start from.
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1. Decide the staffing per part of the day
Making a schedule starts with the work, not the people. Write down for each day and part of the day how many people you need, and in which role. A Monday morning often asks for something different than a Friday afternoon.
- Per day and part of the day
- Per role, not just in numbers
- Busy and quiet moments apart
2. Set a fixed pattern
Most weeks look alike. Make one base week that you repeat, then plan only the exceptions. A typical week might have an opening shift from 07:00 to 15:30, a closing shift from 13:00 to 21:30 and a mid shift on busy days. If you work in rotating shifts, the pattern is a cycle of several weeks.
- One base week as the starting point
- Repeat instead of starting over each week
- Plan exceptions separately
3. Ask for availability and leave
Only plan once you know who can work. Collect availability and approved leave before you put people on shifts, or you will be shuffling the schedule afterwards.
- Availability per employee
- Approved leave in the same week
- Contract hours as an upper limit
4. Publish and share the schedule
A schedule nobody sees does not work. Share it at a fixed moment and well ahead, so everyone knows where they stand. A schedule in an app has the advantage that everyone only has to find their own shifts.
- A fixed publishing moment
- Well in advance
- In a place where everyone can find it
5. Keep it up when something changes
Sickness, swap requests and extra busyness change every schedule. Agree how swapping works and who approves it, and let changes come in at one place instead of scattered across messages.
- One way of swapping
- One person who approves
- Changes visible at once to those affected
Once the schedule exists
Building it visually, with recurring patterns and one approval queue for swaps, is covered on employee scheduling. Employees see their own shifts in the work schedule app, and shift schedule explains what belongs on the schedule itself.
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