Weekly Work Schedule Template

Plan a week of shifts for your team. Enter each person's start and end times and unpaid break, and the schedule calculates hours per shift, weekly hours per person, staff on each day, and flags anyone over 40 hours. Print it for the break room or share it as a PDF.

How to use the weekly schedule

1. Choose the week start date and the unpaid break deducted from each shift.
2. Type each person's name and their shift for each day, such as 9-17, 9:30-18:00, 7a-3p, or 22-6 for an overnight shift. Leave days off blank or write OFF.
3. Check the hours column. Each shift's length minus the break is added up; anyone above the overtime threshold is flagged in red.
4. Look at the coverage table below the grid to see how many people and hours are scheduled each day.
5. Print the schedule for the break room or save it as a PDF to share, or download a CSV for payroll.

Shift times entered in 24-hour format are the least ambiguous. The schedule treats a shift that ends earlier than it starts as running past midnight, so 22-6 counts as 8 hours before the break.

What a good work schedule includes

• Every employee's name and role, if roles differ.
• Exact start and end times, not just “morning” or “evening”.
• Days off clearly marked.
• The dates of the week, so there is no confusion across weeks.
• Breaks, if they are scheduled at set times.
• A contact for swaps and absences, and the date the schedule was published.

Calculating hours and overtime

Scheduled hours per shift are the time between start and end minus any unpaid break. Weekly totals help you avoid unplanned overtime: under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees generally earn time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, and some states add daily overtime rules. The schedule flags weekly totals above your chosen threshold so you can rebalance shifts before publishing. Scheduled hours are a plan, not a timesheet; pay should be based on hours actually worked.

Worked example

Jordan works 9-17 Monday to Friday with a 30-minute unpaid break: 7.5 hours a day, 37.5 for the week. Lee works four evening shifts of 15-23 or 16-24, 7.5 hours each after the break, for 30 hours. Priya has five shifts of 7.5 hours, 37.5 hours; Sam five, 37.5 hours. The coverage row shows three people on most weekdays and two at the weekend, which lets a manager see immediately that Sunday lunchtime relies on a single person.

Scheduling tips that reduce no-shows and conflict

• Publish schedules as far ahead as you can — many workers need at least a week or two to plan childcare, transport and second jobs. Some cities and states have predictive scheduling laws requiring advance notice for certain employers.
• Rotate weekend and closing shifts fairly and keep a record of who worked them.
• Avoid “clopening” — a closing shift followed by an opening shift the next morning — where you can; it leaves little time to rest.
• Ask for availability in writing and store it with the schedule.
• Set a clear, simple process for swaps and approve them in writing.
• Build in overlap during shift handovers for busy periods.

Common shift patterns

Printing and sharing

The printed schedule shows names, daily shifts with dates, OFF days and weekly hours in a landscape-friendly table. Post it where everyone can see it, or save a PDF and send it through your team chat. Keep a copy of each published schedule — it is useful for payroll checks and, in places with scheduling laws, as a record of what was published and when.

Handling time-off requests and last-minute changes

Collect time-off requests in one place, with a deadline before each schedule is drafted, so you are not rebuilding the week after it is published. When a change is unavoidable, update the schedule, note the date of the change and tell everyone affected directly rather than relying on them noticing a new printout. For recurring availability — a student who cannot work Tuesday afternoons, for example — keep a short availability list next to the template and check it every time you build a new week.