Utilizing an Excel Template to Manage Monthly Employee Schedules

Introduction to Monthly Employee Schedules

Monthly employee schedules indicate the specific hours and days in a week an employee is expected to come into work. The process of creating these schedules can oftentimes be laborious because it involves anticipating labor needs, controlling costs, and accommodating employee preferences. According to case studies, over 50% of business owners say they spend at least 2 hours each week scheduling their team members. To save time and energy, many organizations are using Excel templates to create schedules. This, along with various best practices, will ensure a fair and consistent employee work schedule.

Important -: According to case studies, over 50% of business owners say they spend at least 2 hours each week scheduling their team members.

How to Manage Monthly Employee Schedules

Creating employee schedules requires strategy and planning. The following are some best practices business owners can use to manage schedules.

Identify Scheduling Needs

This entails identifying peak hours throughout the day. The best way to find this information is to look at historical sales data. With this insight, managers will know which shift, day, or season needs more staff members.

Gather Employee Availability

Employee availabilities will show which days and times a staff member prefers to come to work. Collecting this information will allow for accommodation and prevent tardiness and absenteeism. Generally, managers will have staff send their availabilities through text or update it on a scheduling software app.

Have a Backup List

A backup list of team members who want extra shifts will alleviate any stress caused by last-minute schedule changes. When a staffer calls in sick, managers can refer to the list and find coverage immediately.

Understand the Law

Various local, state, and federal regulations may dictate how businesses create employee schedules. For example, there are laws regarding break times and guidelines on overtime pay. It is important that business owners do their due diligence and research all laws that affect their workforce management. Ensuring compliance will avert lawsuits, penalties, and jail time.

Important -: Various local, state, and federal regulations may dictate how businesses create employee schedules.

Publish the Schedule ASAP

Typically, schedules should be sent to employees 7-14 days in advance. Publishing schedules early will allow staff to plan their personal time accordingly and prioritize work. Subsequently, there will be less of a need to scramble and find coverage last minute.

Be Fair and Understanding

Unexpected events will happen at a moment's notice. For instance, an employee can get sick overnight or their car may break down. Managers should be fair, understanding, and flexible with their work schedules.

Give Employees the Power to Change Schedules

Employees should be able to change their schedule, swap shifts, pick up open shifts, and request time off. Managers can also give staff members the responsibility to find coverage for their shifts. By empowering employees with the ability to adjust schedules, managers can focus on other pressing tasks.

Optimize the Schedule Regularly

Demand trends and customer traffic consistently shifts. Therefore, managers need to regularly review and optimize employee schedules. This could entail cutting shifts or adding more employees to a certain time slot. Staying on top of scheduling in this way will boost a business's profitability and protect its bottom line.

Important -: Typically, schedules should be sent to employees 7-14 days in advance. Publishing schedules early will allow staff to plan their personal time accordingly and prioritize work.

How to Develop Monthly Employee Schedules in Excel

Excel templates are one way in which business owners can simplify their scheduling procedures. The following are 14 steps to creating an employee shift schedule template on Excel.

1. Load Microsoft Excel and click File
   
2. Click New
   
3. Double-Click Schedules on the screen called Available Templates
   
4. Double-Click Business Schedules and find a template of your liking
   
5. Click on the cells that have the sample names
   
6. Remove the sample names and input employee names
   
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all employee names are inputted, and delete the extra rows.
   
8. Copy the cells with the employee names and paste them to the other rows with sample names.
   
9. Change the shift times on the top of the schedule template.
   
10. Delete any other sample inputs on the schedule and input the name of employees to their corresponding shift times.
    
11. Add extra information to the template, such as company name, dates of the week, and department name.
    
12. Click File and then Save as
    
13. Name the file
    
14. Indicate where to save the template and click Save
    

Conclusion to Monthly Employee Schedules

• Monthly employee schedules indicate the exact hours and days an employee is expected to be at their job.
  
• The process of scheduling employees can be time-consuming, in which most businesses spend 2 hours each week shift planning.
  
• Following best practices, such as having a backup plan and understanding labor regulations, will make scheduling seamless.
  
• Organizations can create schedule templates on Excel to further simplify shift assignments.