How to use this weekly work schedule template
A weekly work schedule template shows who works when, for every day of the week, on one page. This free work schedule maker builds it as a grid: employees in rows, days in columns. It totals paid hours for each person, flags overtime and short rest periods, and exports the result as a printable rota or a CSV file for payroll.
- Add your team. Enter each employee with a role, and optionally a weekly hours target and an hourly rate for a labor cost estimate.
- Set up shift templates. Typical ones are Open, Mid and Close, or Day, Evening and Night for round-the-clock cover. Each template has a start, an end and an unpaid break.
- Paint the week. Pick a template as your brush and click cells to fill them. Use OFF, PTO and Sick for days off. Choose Edit to set custom times or add a second shift for a split day.
- Check the numbers. The hours column shows each person's paid time and overtime. The bottom row shows how many people work each day and the total hours.
- Share it. Print the schedule, copy it as text into your team chat, or download CSV files for payroll or a spreadsheet.
Shift scheduling basics that keep a rota fair
Start from demand, not from availability
List the hours you need covered and how many people each part of the day needs. A lunch rush, a delivery morning or a late close each need their own shift. Then fill those slots with people. Scheduling around who is free first usually leaves the busy hours short.
Watch overtime early
Overtime is easiest to avoid while the rota is still a draft. The hours column turns pink as soon as someone goes over your weekly threshold, so you can move a shift to a part-timer before it costs money. Many places use 40 hours a week, some also count daily overtime, and some contracts use other numbers. Set the limits that apply to you.
Protect rest between shifts
A close followed by an open the next morning, sometimes called a clopening, is the most common way schedules wear people out. Set a minimum rest period and the tool warns when a late finish is followed by an early start. Overnight shifts such as 22:00 to 06:00 are counted correctly across midnight.
Publish early and keep changes visible
Share the schedule as early as you can, ideally a week or two ahead, so people can plan childcare, classes and second jobs. When someone needs a swap, make the change in the tool and send the updated version, so everyone works from the same rota.
Workforce scheduler features in this tool
- Shift templates with colors, unpaid breaks and overnight support.
- Split shifts: up to two shifts per person per day.
- Paid hours per person, staff count and hours per day, and a grand total.
- Weekly and daily overtime flags, rest period warnings, double booking checks and hours targets.
- Optional labor cost estimate from hourly rates (without overtime premiums, because those rules vary).
- Exports: a shifts CSV with one row per shift, an hours summary CSV, a clean landscape print and plain text.
Hiring for a gap the rota keeps showing? Write the ad with the job description generator, and map reporting lines with the org chart builder. For the weekly team huddle, the meeting agenda generator keeps it short. More free tools are on the AI generators and tools hub.
Private by design
Everything runs in your browser. Employee names, shifts and rates are saved on this device so the rota is there next time, and nothing is sent to a server. Clear shifts or clear your browser data to remove it.
Work schedule maker FAQ
How do I make a weekly work schedule template for employees?
Add your employees and their roles, set up shift templates such as Open, Mid and Close, then pick a template and click cells to paint shifts onto the week. Mark days off, PTO and sick days, check the hours and overtime column, and print the schedule or export it as CSV.
How are paid hours and overtime calculated?
Paid hours are the shift length minus the unpaid break. Shifts that end at or before their start time, such as 22:00 to 06:00, are treated as overnight shifts. A person is flagged when their weekly total goes above your weekly threshold, 40 hours by default, and optionally when a single day goes above a daily threshold. Exactly 40 hours is not flagged.
Does the schedule check rest time between shifts?
Yes. Set a minimum rest period, for example 10 or 11 hours, and the tool warns when someone finishes late and starts again too early the next day. It also flags double bookings where two shifts for the same person overlap. Split shifts on the same day are allowed.
Is this shift schedule maker legal advice?
No. Overtime thresholds, rest periods and break rules differ by country, state and contract. The tool only flags the limits you set, so check your local labor rules and any agreements that apply to your team before you publish a schedule.
Is the work schedule maker free and private?
Yes. It is free with no sign-up and no limit on employees. Names, shifts and pay rates stay in your browser on this device and are never uploaded. CSV and print files are created on your device too.