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Free printable employee schedule template (weekly)

Print the blank grid below, write the week's start date at the top, and fill in a start and end time in each cell. If you would rather not do it by hand, the free roster builder fills the same grid from your shifts and each person's availability.

Fill it automatically

Weekly schedule: week of ____ / ____ / ______

NameMonTueWedThuFriSatSunTotal hours
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Notes (time off, on call, training): ______________________________________________

A filled-in example

This is the roster builder's invented seven-person cafe: 32 shifts, 216 of 235 hours covered, payroll $3,622, with three shifts it could not fill and said so. The grid is the engine's own output with default settings, not a hand-made picture. Your availability will give different results.

NameMonTueWedThuFriSatSunHours
Ana2pm-10pm2pm-10pm11am-2pm2pm-10pm11am-2pm8am-4pmoff38
Ben2pm-10pm11am-2pm2pm-10pm11am-2pm6am-2pmoffoff30
Cleooffoffoffoffoff12pm-10pm2pm-10pm18
Devoff2pm-10pm2pm-10pm2pm-10pm2pm-10pmoff8am-4pm40
Elioffoffoffoffoff12pm-10pm8am-4pm18
Fay6am-2pm6am-2pm6am-2pm6am-2pmoffoffoff32
Gus6am-2pm6am-2pm6am-2pm6am-2pm6am-2pmoffoff40

How to fill in the template by hand

1. Write the shifts to cover first

Before any names, list what must be covered each day: opening, lunch, closing. A schedule built from people outward leaves holes.

2. Place the people with the fewest options

Start with whoever is available the least, then fill around them. Check total hours against each person's limit and watch for a close followed by an open: see how to avoid clopening.

3. Check the totals

Add the right-hand column. Anyone near 40 hours is an overtime risk: see how to reduce overtime in a schedule. For the whole method, read how to make an employee schedule.

Questions

What should an employee schedule template include?

The week's start date, a row per person, a column per day with start and end times, each person's total hours, and a note of who is on call or unavailable. Print it, fill it in, and post it where staff can see it.

How do I fill in a weekly schedule template?

List the shifts the business must cover each day, then place people whose availability fits, starting with the people who have the fewest options. Check each person's total against their hour limit and look for a late close followed by an early open.

Is there a free employee schedule generator instead of a blank template?

Yes. The roster builder on this site takes your shifts and each person's availability and hour limits and fills the grid for you, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.