A free weekly roster template (and when you’ve outgrown it)
You don't need software to write a roster. You need a grid: people down the side, days across the top, times in the cells. We made that grid properly so you don't have to fight a spreadsheet for it — the free roster template runs in your browser, no sign-up: type names and times, print it for the wall, or download the week as a CSV.
How to use the template well
- Write roles into the cells, not just times. "9–5 floor" answers the question people actually have.
- Fill the busy days first. Saturday's needs are non-negotiable; Tuesday flexes around what's left.
- Check the rules as you go. Nobody closing-then-opening (the award wants 10 hours between shifts), nobody over their weekly hours, every shift at least the minimum engagement. On paper, you are the compliance engine.
- Post it where everyone can see it — a legal requirement under the hospitality award, not just courtesy (see roster rules), and date each version.
The three signs you've outgrown it
- You're re-answering the template's blind spots weekly. The grid doesn't know who's available, qualified or near their hours — you do, and past about eight staff, holding that in your head is where the errors come from.
- The wall copy and reality have diverged. Swaps, sickness and "I thought I told you" mean the printed week is fiction by Wednesday. Fiction with your name on it, legally speaking.
- You can't see what the week costs. A template totals hours at best. It can't price penalty days or warn you the week is 6% over — by the time payroll tells you, it's history (see labour cost percentage).
When those start to bite: Rostru is free for up to 4 rostered people — the template's job, plus availability, costs, warnings and a staff app, with nothing to install on your side. Until then, the template is genuinely free, no email asked.