Step 1
Set your shift codes
Adjust Early, Day, Late and Night start/finish times and breaks to match your workplace.
Monday-to-Sunday rota spreadsheet
Free Weekly Rota Template
Build a clear weekly rota using reusable shift codes, calculate scheduled hours and leave automatically, compare hours with contracts, and check staffing coverage before you share it.
Free XLSX download
Excel & Google Sheets
Instructions included
weekly-staff-rota-template.xlsx
FlowRota
Instructions
Setup
Rota
Coverage
Dashboard
Employee
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Variance
Alex
D
D
OFF
L
-7.5
Sam
L
OFF
D
D
-7.5
Jordan
E
E
E
OFF
-15.0
Taylor
D
D
D
D
-7.5
Useful calculations
The workbook does real planning work rather than giving you a blank table.
Editable inputs
Yellow cells are designed for your staff, dates, shifts and planning settings.
Ready to reuse
Save a fresh copy for each rota period or import the workbook into Google Sheets.
Inside the workbook
Everything included in the download.
The workbook is split into clear tabs so setup, planning and checking do not all live in one oversized sheet.
1
Instructions
A step-by-step guide to setting up the week, employee list and reusable shift codes.
2
Setup
Enter the week commencing date, team details, employee contracted hours and your own shift-code definitions.
3
Rota
Choose Early, Day, Late, Night, OFF or annual leave for each employee and day using dropdowns.
4
Coverage
Set the minimum headcount you require each day and see scheduled staff and staffing gaps automatically.
5
Dashboard
Review total scheduled hours, leave, contract shortfalls, over-contract hours and understaffed days.
How to use it
Go from blank workbook to usable plan in three steps.
Step 2
Build the week
Choose a shift code for each employee from Monday to Sunday. Hours and leave totals update automatically.
Step 3
Sense-check the rota
Review Coverage and Dashboard before you publish or send the rota to staff.
Free download
Download free weekly rota template.
No account, email gate or card required. Open the XLSX file in Excel or import it into Google Sheets.
What makes it useful
Built to reduce the spreadsheet work you would otherwise do manually.
Each calculation and summary is there to answer a practical planning question before the rota or leave plan is shared.
Reusable shift codes
Create the shift definitions once, then choose them from dropdowns rather than retyping times throughout the rota.
Automatic paid hours
Each code has a calculated paid-hours value, which feeds employee weekly totals.
Contract variance
The workbook compares each employee's scheduled hours with their contracted weekly hours.
Annual leave visibility
Use the AL code to distinguish leave from working shifts and count leave days separately.
Daily coverage
Set a minimum staffing requirement for each day and highlight dates where planned cover is short.
Weekly dashboard
Get a fast summary of total hours, understaffed days, leave and contract-hour differences.
Google Sheets
Prefer Google Sheets? Use the same download.
The workbook is supplied as XLSX so you only need one version. Import it into Google Sheets and continue editing there.
Download the XLSX file
Save the template to your computer or device using the download button above.
Upload to Google Sheets
In Google Sheets choose File → Import → Upload and select the workbook.
Edit your planning inputs
Replace the sample data with your own staff, dates and planning settings. Core formulas are designed to remain usable after import.
Questions
Before you download.
Is the weekly rota template free?
Yes. The XLSX workbook is free to download and use.
Can I change the shift times?
Yes. The Setup sheet contains editable shift codes. Change the start, finish and break and the paid-hours value recalculates.
Can I add my own shift codes?
The supplied workbook includes common codes such as Early, Day, Late, Night, OFF and AL. You can adapt the definitions to match your own rota process.
Does it calculate contracted versus scheduled hours?
Yes. The Rota sheet compares scheduled paid hours with each employee's contracted weekly hours.
Can it show understaffed days?
Yes. Enter your required daily headcount on the Coverage sheet and negative gaps are highlighted.
Will it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Import the downloaded XLSX file into Google Sheets. Core formulas and editable fields are designed to remain usable there.
Start planning
Use the spreadsheet today — or build the rota online.
The template is free and useful on its own. If you later want one live rota with staff updates, availability, leave and attendance connected, FlowRota is there when you need it.