Rostering, in plain words.
What the award actually says, what the week actually costs, and how to run a roster people trust. Written for Australian venues, checked against the sources, dated so you can tell when.
How to write a staff roster, step by step
A repeatable method for rostering a cafe, restaurant or bar: start from demand, gather availability first, build roles before names, check the cost, publish early.
7 min readHospitality penalty rates, explained in plain words
What the Hospitality Award (MA000009) pays on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, how the 25% casual loading folds in, and the double-counting trap to avoid.
6 min readFair Work roster rules: notice, breaks and records
The roster rules the hospitality award actually sets: 7 days’ notice for changes, a posted roster with names and times, 10-hour breaks between shifts, and 7-year records.
6 min readRostering public holidays without the fights
Who you can ask to work a public holiday, who can refuse, what permanents and casuals get paid, and a fair way to fill the day nobody wants.
5 min readCasual vs part-time: what it means for your roster
The 2024 casual definition, the 25% loading, the employee-choice conversion pathway from 2025, and how each employment type changes the way you roster.
6 min readSplit shifts and minimum engagement in hospitality
The shortest shift you can roster, how split shifts work under the hospitality award — the 12-hour spread, allowances — and how to design splits people accept.
5 min readWhat a no-show actually costs your venue
The arithmetic of a missed shift — replacement premiums, manager hours, service you can’t serve — and the three process changes that cut no-shows down.
5 min readTime theft and geofenced clock-on, plainly explained
The four quiet ways paid time leaks — early clock-ons, late clock-offs, buddy punching, rounding — and what a geofenced time clock does and doesn’t fix.
6 min readLabour cost percentage: the formula and honest benchmarks
How to calculate labour cost as a share of revenue, the benchmark bands Australian operators use (20–25% QSR, 25–30% full service), and how to move the number.
6 min readShift swaps without the group-chat scramble
A swap process that keeps the roster true: who can take a shift, who confirms it, and why the group chat is where rosters go to die.
4 min readManaging availability and leave for casual teams
How to collect availability you can roster from, run a leave process casuals actually use, and stop building weeks on stale information.
5 min readA free weekly roster template (and when you’ve outgrown it)
A free printable weekly roster template you can fill in online and export — plus the three signs a spreadsheet roster is starting to cost you money.
4 min read