Weekly Work Schedule Template (Free Excel Template Download)

An employee schedule template is a shift scheduling calendar or table that lists all employees and the hours they should work in a given period.

There are different employee schedule templates available for each industry and profession. Some are set up by timeframe, using weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedules. Others give an estimate of pay based on the number of hours worked.

Many businesses use employee scheduling software instead of an Excel or Word template. The scheduling software can also help maintain proper shift coverage. Employees can see their schedule changes in real-time, and managers can eliminate unplanned overtime and increase productivity, health, and safety.

Scheduling software also offers project management and time management features such as time tracking and workflow automation.

Small businesses might use a basic schedule template generated in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Excel. Continue reading to learn how to make your own weekly work schedule template.

When using a weekly work schedule template, managers and HR professionals generally have two options:

• Use a free template you can download and change it to fit your organization's needs.

• Create your template from scratch.

Customized weekly shift schedules are great if your business has a unique need that requires changes to a standard work calendar template. By making your schedule template, you can control everything, from how long each shift is to how many people work simultaneously. You can also decide on each column and row of your shift schedule.

Follow these steps to make a weekly work schedule for your employees, or use our free download of a printable Excel schedule template for a weekly employee schedule.

Step 1: Open a new spreadsheet or document

Many people use spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. You can also use a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs to create an employee work schedule.

If you have a spreadsheet, open a new sheet.

If you're using a word processor, open a new document and add a table with as many rows as there are employee names and as many columns as there are workdays.

Step 2: Add the column and row labels

Add labels to the table's top row and leftmost column. Set these headings as the day of the week, the daily schedule, or team members' names.

This do-it-yourself format lets you decide which attributes go in rows and columns. You can also keep track of how many hours each employee has worked so that no one works too much.

Step 3: Add in work hours

Populate the cells by assigning shifts to each employee. The beginning and end of your employee schedule will depend on your company's needs.

Each team member's amount of time should be based on their working arrangement with the company, their availability, and any planned time off they may have requested.

It can be hard to manually set up work schedules that meet the needs of every employee. If this is always a problem for your business, try employee shift schedule software.

Step 4: Save the work schedule template

Save your template and name the file something like "Employee schedule template 2024" or "Weekly planner template."

Every time you build a new schedule, save a new one with the latest working period in the file name. For example, you might use "Employee schedule June 20-24th 2024" as your document title.

It's vital to schedule weekly work, so team members can fulfill company demands, relax between shifts, and understand availability.

Proper scheduling ensures that shifts and coverage are taken care of, allowing operations to function smoothly and giving team members much-deserved downtime.

Unorganized work schedules can cause confusion or stress from too much work, leading to employee dissatisfaction.

You can also use this blank weekly schedule template as a weekly class schedule or even to organize your personal life. Whether you’re trying to stay on top of your college schedule, plan a weekly agenda for work, or make a task list, this document can be your first step.

Here is our free download of an Excel employee schedule template.

More of an Excel person? No worries, you can download this schedule to use as an excel template instead. 

DIY work schedules made with Microsoft and Google tools can be limited and time-consuming to use. For this reason, many businesses utilize a workforce management solution like Hubstaff.

Manage schedules and employee time simultaneously. View real-time employee hours, time off, and daily or weekly timesheets.

Hubstaff's features simplify work schedules, meaning managers and employees have more time to get things done.

Build one-off or recurring schedules

In the software, click the "Add Schedule" button to create a new shift for a team member, then edit the shift duration, timezone, minimum hours, and recurring shift options.

Choose whether you would like the shift to be recurring weekly or bi-weekly and how long you would like the shift to repeat. You can also add a one-off or recurring to-do list for that shift..

Track time to shifts

Employees who are required to log their time using software such as Hubstaff cannot change their time in and out without the managers' approval. Tracking time helps avoid time theft and ensures that team members work their proper hours. 

Exact time data from employee’s weekly calendars can also solve overtime, understaffing, cash flow, and payroll issues. That's good for employee morale — 49% of employees will look for a new job after encountering two payroll difficulties.

Set up automated reminders and notifications

Employee scheduling and time tracking software can help you implement employee break requirements by setting up break reminders for the team.

Get notified when team members are clocking overtime, clocking in late, leaving work early, or using their hours for incorrect jobs.

Using an overtime tracker makes it easier to be aware of overtime before it occurs so that hours can be corrected or rescheduled.

View schedules in real-time

Once you have created your schedule, you can choose to view the schedule by:

• Team member

• Team

• Daily work

• Weekly work

Now that you have a free weekly schedule template, you’re well on your way to being more organized and optimized in your employee scheduling. 

Excel or spreadsheet-based weekly schedule templates like the one provided in this article will go a long way in scheduling employee shifts and hours. However, due to a lack of features, these templates work best as temporary solutions until small businesses can implement proper scheduling software.

Full workforce management software provides automated scheduling and added benefits like project management with time tracking and productivity measurement solutions.

If your organization has grown past keeping track of its weekly calendar with a basic weekly schedule template, look no further than Hubstaff scheduling software. Tracking your weekly schedules with a time tracking tool can save time and effort. 

Check out our 14-day free trial today and experiment with all the scheduling benefits we provide.