Paper worker schedules are so 2001. It’s time to ditch the paper work schedule in favor of a digital one. Happily, making a digital worker work schedule is less complicated than ever earlier than—and you’ll even do it without spending a dime. One of the standard scheduling options? Creating a piece schedule template utilizing Google Sheets.

That will help you streamline your enterprise’ scheduling course of, we’ve put collectively a step-by-step information for how you can make your personal work schedule template utilizing Google Sheets. Plus, we’ll share a few of our favourite alternate options so you possibly can degree up your worker schedules for good.

What’s a piece schedule template?

A piece schedule template is a pre-formatted digital doc that helps you create your worker schedules. 

Consider a template as a basis on your weekly schedule. As an alternative of making a model new schedule from scratch each week, your template does the heavy lifting. All it’s a must to do is plug in your worker hours and shifts, and voila! You might have a piece schedule that’s able to go.

Why create a schedule template in Google Sheets?

Creating an worker schedule isn’t rocket science, however it could possibly get a bit chaotic at instances. By making a template on Google Sheets that you would be able to reuse, you possibly can preserve your scheduling, properly… on schedule.

Listed here are a few of the high explanation why it’s best to contemplate creating an worker schedule template in Google Sheets:

• • It should prevent time each week: Save your self the headache—and time—of getting to format and create a brand new structure on your schedule each week. All it’s a must to do is replace the dates and enter worker shifts and your schedule is able to go.
  • You’ll scale back schedule errors: It’s straightforward to overlook issues when manually creating schedules. Whether or not it’s getting the dates mistaken or miscalculating working hours, a template can decrease the chance of scheduling errors. In the event you’re additional spreadsheet savvy, you possibly can even set formulation to take the guesswork out of sure calculations, like labor prices. (An excellent higher choice on that later!)
  • You might have the flexibleness to customise your schedule: Your small business wants change and so ought to your work schedule. Having a template doesn’t imply you’re caught with the very same schedule each week. Upon getting a template in Google Sheets that works, you’ll simply have the ability to customise your schedule based mostly on your enterprise wants and worker availability.

The professionals and cons of making a piece schedule template in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a stable alternative for creating a piece schedule template. However after all, no software program is ideal. Let’s take a look at a few of the greatest execs and cons of utilizing Google Sheets to handle your small enterprise work schedule.

Professional 1: Straightforward to make use of

One of many high causes Google Sheets is so standard is that it really works equally to another standard spreadsheet software. Does Microsoft Excel ring a bell?

Even when you’ve by no means used Google Sheets, you doubtless have already got some thought of how you can use this system. This implies there’s little to no studying curve for many managers or enterprise house owners.

However when you or somebody in your staff is new to spreadsheets, don’t fear! There are a ton of guides and tutorials on-line—like this one—that may break down the Google Sheets fundamentals.

Professional 2: Seamless collaboration

You probably have a number of managers engaged on the identical schedule, Google Sheets makes collaboration straightforward. 

Google Sheets is cloud-based, that means all the things is saved and up to date in actual time. You may share the identical stay doc with a number of individuals. And anytime one individual edits a sheet, it’s instantly up to date for everybody else who has entry. 

A number of individuals may even work collectively on the identical doc on the identical time to get your schedule out the door even quicker.

As soon as your schedule is prepared, Google Sheets additionally lets customers depart feedback proper within the doc, so your staff can let you already know if there are any conflicts or issues concerning the upcoming schedule. 

Professional 3: Value-effective

As a small enterprise, each greenback counts. So we’re all for sharing free instruments to assist your enterprise develop. Google Sheets (and the remainder of the Google Workspace instruments) are a good way to enhance your productiveness and operations—with out breaking the financial institution.

Con 1: Restricted direct integration with different enterprise software program

Managing your staff goes past merely posting a schedule. As soon as your schedule is full, that you must be sure that everyone seems to be working their assigned shifts. And naturally, you’ll additionally want to verify they’re paid for the hours they’ve labored.

So whereas Google Sheets is nice for making a schedule template, it doesn’t combine as simply into different devoted small enterprise instruments, like your payroll software program. This implies you’ll both must manually match them up your self or put money into different methods to switch that data. 

Con 2: Much less small business-specific options

Google Sheets is a strong software, however on the finish of the day, it’s nonetheless solely a spreadsheet software program. Sadly, this implies it lacks lots of the particular options that small companies must create a really seamless scheduling expertise.

Some options which might be notably lacking from Google Sheets embrace:

• • Monitoring worker availability: With out integrations that flag day off, you’ll must manually examine that you just’re not scheduling somebody who’s on PTO. 
  • Monitoring worker working hours: Whether or not you’re utilizing a time clock app or one other time monitoring answer, you’ll must manually examine for discrepancies in hours labored.
  • Managing shift swaps: Anytime that you must replace the schedule, you’ll must go in manually to replace shifts.
  • Setting labor targets: Google Sheets schedule templates aren’t set as much as handle labor prices. So that you’ll must preserve a detailed eye on the schedule to be sure you don’t unintentionally go over your budgeted hours or unintentionally schedule workers into additional time.

Con 3: No automated notifications on your staff

Since Google Sheets is web-based, any updates you make are immediately accessible to anybody who has a hyperlink to your schedule. Nevertheless it doesn’t robotically replace your staff with these adjustments.

For instance, in case your worker checks the schedule Monday morning however you replace the schedule Monday afternoon, they’ll doubtless miss any schedule adjustments.

With Google Sheets, you’ll must manually ship out updates or request your staff examine in on the schedule frequently—in any other case, you would possibly discover your staff unintentionally displaying up for the mistaken shifts or not displaying up in any respect.

Create a schedule template in Google Sheets: A step-by-step breakdown 

Making a schedule template in Google Sheets is straightforward. Whilst you can create a template your self, Google Sheets makes it straightforward with a pre-formatted schedule template that’s prepared so that you can customise to your staff’s wants. 

Right here’s a step-by-step information to creating your first schedule template in Google Sheets:

1. Go to Google Sheets

The very first thing you’ll wish to do is head over to Google Sheets. In the event you’re not logged into your Google account, you’ll be prompted to take action. You should use a enterprise Google account or a private one.

Don’t have a Google account? You may join a free private account which provides you with entry to Google Sheets and different apps, like Google Docs.

2. Open the Schedule template in Google Sheets

When you’re logged in, you’ll be directed to Google Sheets.

On the high of the web page, you’ll see a bit known as “Begin a brand new spreadsheet” with a number of completely different choices to select from. From right here, you’ll click on “Template gallery” on the high right-hand nook of this part.

It will open up a big collection of templates you possibly can select from.

Underneath the Work class, you’ll choose the template “Worker shift schedule”. It will open up a brand new Google Sheets doc with a contemporary template so that you can work with.

4. Enter firm, shift, and wage particulars

When your doc opens, you’ll be placed on the Overview web page. Right here’s the place you’ll wish to replace some key data that can affect the remainder of your schedule.

• Firm identify: On the high of the web page, replace Firm Identify to your enterprise identify.
• Schedule date: Beneath the corporate identify, replace Worker Schedule Jan 2017 to the present month and 12 months.
• Shift length and interval: Define the completely different shifts that you must fill every day. For instance, a morning or a day shift. 
• Hourly wage: Google Sheet’s Worker Shift Schedule robotically calculates primary wages for you. So by updating the Hourly Wage, it can calculate the best totals for every of your workers.
• Staff per shift: This helps you be sure you’re scheduling the best variety of workers for each shift.
• Worker names: Change the names within the Worker Wage Overview part with the names of your staff members.

5. Fill in your weekly shift particulars

Now that you’ve got your primary particulars crammed in, you’ll wish to navigate to the tab “Week 1 Shifts”. You’ll find all of the tabs on the backside of your display screen.

Right here you’ll have the ability to replace your weekly schedule based mostly in your worker availability, enterprise wants, and enterprise hours. You may merely substitute the names within the template with these of your staff and begin to fill within the shift hours.

The Google Sheets Worker Shift Schedule will allow you to calculate the whole shift hours within the column on the best. It is a nice first step to staying on high of your labor hours.

Tip: Maintain your checklist of worker names in the identical order because the Overview web page. It will guarantee that your Month-to-month Wage calculations on the Overview web page are correct.

6. Repeat for the next weeks

When you’ve crammed out Week 1, you’ll simply wish to repeat Step 5 for the next weeks within the month. The template permits you to schedule as much as 5 weeks at a time, so you possibly can deal with all of your scheduling in a single go.

7. Share your schedule

As soon as your schedule is locked in, Google Sheets makes it straightforward to share your schedule with all of your workers in only a few clicks.

On the high proper nook, there’s a blue “Share” button. It will open a pop-up the place you possibly can add your worker e mail addresses. You may also choose if you need your staff to have the ability to edit the schedule or solely view the schedule.

8. Rinse and repeat

Congrats on ending your first worker schedule template! 

However now we have extra excellent news. Now that you’ve got a template that’s been personalized to your enterprise, scheduling will get simpler from right here. Until you could have new workers or vital adjustments to your schedule overview, you’ll solely must replace the weekly shifts going ahead.

When you’re able to create subsequent month’s schedule, merely head to the “File” menu on the high left of your Google Sheets web page. Click on “Make a replica” and also you’ll have a brand new schedule you possibly can edit for the subsequent month!

Work schedule template alternate options to Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a good answer for a piece schedule in a pinch. However when you’re on the lookout for a long-term scheduling answer, a devoted scheduling software program can take your work schedule templates to the subsequent degree.

Homebase’s free on-line scheduling app is a scheduling software program that helps you create work schedule templates in minutes. Homebase is constructed particularly with small companies in thoughts, so you already know you’re getting all of the options and help you want.

With Homebase’s on-line scheduling app you possibly can:

• Create templates and auto-schedule your staff based mostly on availability and gross sales forecasts,
• Set blackout dates and handle PTO in a single place,
• Ship automated schedule reminders so workers by no means miss a shift,
• Share schedule adjustments immediately with our free staff communication app,
• Observe worker hours with a free time clock that retains workers on schedule,
• And a lot extra!

Better of all? It’s free.