Choosing the right tool to schedule working hours is crucial for your team's efficiency. A well-chosen working schedule table simplifies daily management, optimizes costs, and improves communication. This article presents seven concrete solutions, ranging from traditional spreadsheets to modern digital platforms. We will see how each option addresses various needs, including flexible views: daily for operational purposes (day view), weekly for analyzing costs and productivity (week view), monthly for managing vacations and absences (monthly view), and even by service for fine management, essential in restaurants or retail (service view). Discover which system will make organizing and increasing productivity in your teams easier.
1. Standard Excel Table with working hour formulas
The working schedule table in Excel format is undoubtedly one of the most widespread and traditional methods for managing schedules and tracking working time in businesses. It essentially involves a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet set up to record arrival and departure times, breaks, and uses built-in formulas to automatically calculate the daily, weekly, and monthly working hours of each employee. Its popularity is due to the widespread use of Excel in professional environments and its high flexibility.
This approach deserves its place on this list because it often serves as the starting point for many organizations (SMEs, associations, specific departments) that are looking for an affordable and customizable solution to organize their teams' working hours. It's a fundamental tool for establishing a first level of structured time tracking.
How it works and key features
The principle is simple: managers or employees (depending on the organization) fill in start and end times, as well as break times. Pre-configured formulas in other cells then perform the necessary calculations. Typical features include:
Automatic calculation of working hours: Subtraction of the end time, start time, and breaks to get the total daily hours worked.
Weekly and monthly totals: Using SUM formulas to aggregate hours over defined periods.
Overtime calculation: Integration of conditional formulas (IF) to identify and calculate hours worked beyond the legal or contractual threshold.
Advanced customization: The table can be adapted to include specific columns (projects, tasks, contract type), color codes for quick visualization of shift types (morning, evening, night), absences (vacations, sickness), or employees.
Basic absence management: The ability to add codes or comments to track paid leave, RTT (reduced working hours), sick leave, etc.
Advantages (Pros)
Accessibility: Microsoft Excel is installed on most professional computers, making this type of table immediately usable without additional software costs.
Extreme flexibility: Each company can create or adapt an working schedule table in Excel according to its own management rules, collective agreements, and reporting needs.
Automation of calculations: Significantly reduces the time spent on manual calculations and limits errors (if the formulas are correct).
Ease of sharing and printing: Excel files are easy to send by email, store on shared servers, and print for display or archiving.
Protection: The file can be password-protected or only specific cells (such as those containing formulas) can be locked to prevent unauthorized changes.
Disadvantages (Cons)
Excel skills required: Setting up and maintaining complex formulas (especially for overtime, night/weekend bonuses) requires a good mastery of Excel.
Risk of human error: Manual entry of hours remains a potential source of errors (typos, omissions). An incorrect or accidentally deleted formula can skew all calculations.
Lack of real-time collaboration: It is not suitable for remote or mobile teams that require instant updates. Simultaneous collaboration is limited or complex to manage.
Complexity for large teams: Managing a single Excel file for dozens or even hundreds of employees with variable schedules can become very cumbersome and hard to maintain.
Limited analytical views: While Excel allows the creation of tables and graphs, obtaining specific and dynamic views like a day view purely operational, a week view focused on costs and productivity, a monthly view dedicated to absences, or a service view (morning/evening/night) like those offered by specialized tools (such as Shyfter), requires advanced knowledge of pivot tables and formulas and remains less intuitive and integrated than a dedicated solution.
When and why use the Excel table?
Using an working schedule table in Excel is particularly recommended for:
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with relatively simple scheduling needs.
Companies or departments with a limited budget for specialized software.
Organizations where schedules are stable, and calculation rules are not complex.
As a first step in formalizing schedule management before moving to a more robust solution.
It is an excellent tool for starting to structure time management, but it shows its limitations as complexity increases (team size, schedule variability, need for in-depth analysis, real-time collaboration).
Practical tips
Use the =SUM() function to easily add up daily or weekly hours. Ensure that the time cells are correctly formatted as time (hh:mm).
Use conditional formulas (=IF(...)) to automatically distinguish and calculate regular hours from overtime based on legal thresholds (e.g., =IF(TotalWeekly>35; TotalWeekly-35; 0) to calculate overtime beyond 35 hours).
Apply conditional formatting to automatically highlight anomalies (e.g., missing hours, significant overruns) or differentiate types of shifts.
Create reusable templates (.xltx files) for each week or month to save time and ensure consistency.
Protect key formula cells (Review Tab > Protect Sheet) to prevent accidental deletion or modification by end users. Only enter data in the designated cells.
2. Rotating schedule table
The working schedule table in the form of a rotating schedule is an essential planning method for businesses requiring continuous or extended operational coverage. It relies on a cyclical system where employees' schedules follow a predefined pattern that repeats after a set period, typically over 2, 3, or 4 weeks. This format is particularly suited to organizations operating 24/7 or those needing constant presence at key positions.
How it works and why use it?
This system organizes work in teams that take turns according to a fixed sequence. For example, a team might work a series of morning shifts, then afternoon shifts, then night shifts, followed by a rest period before the cycle repeats. The primary goal is to ensure uninterrupted coverage while equitably distributing the scheduling burdens among employees.
This type of working schedule table is particularly useful in sectors such as hospitals, call centers, manufacturing industries (e.g., 3-shift work), security services, and certain businesses or hotel services that operate continuously. Its popularity in environments requiring constant presence justifies its inclusion in this list, as it addresses a fundamental need for continuity and predictability.
Key features and benefits:
Cyclical Structure: The core of the system is its repeating cycle (usually 2-4 weeks), offering great predictability.
Clear Visualization: The table provides a clear visual representation of team rotations and individual schedules.
Color Codes: The use of colors helps differentiate teams, shift types (morning, afternoon, night), or functions.
Incorporation of Rest Days: Mandatory rest days are natively integrated into the cycle, ensuring legal compliance and employee well-being.
Shift Rotation: Can include studied rotations between different shifts to minimize fatigue (e.g., rotating clockwise rather than counterclockwise).
Advantages (Pros):
Predictability for Employees: Employees know their schedules well in advance, making personal life planning easier.
Fairness: Ensures a fair distribution of weekend work, public holidays, and tough shifts (e.g., nights).
Simplified Management: Once the rotation system is set up, weekly or monthly planning becomes almost automatic.
Time Savings: Significantly reduces the time managers spend creating schedules.
Optimized Coverage: Guarantees that operational needs are consistently met according to forecasts.
Disadvantages (Cons):
Lack of Flexibility: It can be difficult to adapt to unexpected demand fluctuations or one-off needs.
Difficult Adjustments: Managing unexpected absences (illness, etc.) may require complex adjustments to maintain coverage.
Adaptation Period: Employees may need time to adjust to the rhythm imposed by the cycle.
Initial Complexity: Designing and implementing a balanced and efficient rotating system can be complex.
Successful implementation examples:
Hospitals frequently use rotating schedules to ensure continuous presence of healthcare staff (nurses, doctors).
Call Centers offering 24/7 support rely on these schedules to ensure customer service is always available.
Manufacturing Industries working in 3-shift rotations (three teams alternating around the clock) are a classic example.
Security and Surveillance Services requiring round-the-clock coverage use similar rotations.
Implementation tips for effective use:
Involve Employees: Take their preferences and constraints into account when creating the initial cycle.
Allow Shift Exchanges: Establish a simple and structured mechanism for employees to exchange shifts.
Respect Legal Requirements: Ensure that legal rest times (daily, weekly) are strictly adhered to between rotations.
Consult Experts: For night shifts, it may be helpful to consult an ergonomics expert to limit health impacts.
Build Flexibility into the Cycle: Consider adding "joker" weeks, training weeks, or recovery periods to the cycle for some flexibility.
Digitally facilitated management:
The management of such a working schedule table can be greatly simplified with the use of dedicated scheduling software. These tools often offer features suited to the complexities of rotating schedules. For example, platforms like Shyfter provide multiple views for optimal multi-level management:
The day view is essential for daily operational management, allowing quick adjustments for unforeseen changes.
The week view offers a global perspective on labor costs, productivity, and the balance of hours across the week.
The month view helps manage vacation requests, absences, and provides a long-term perspective on the rotation cycle.
The service view is specifically designed for fine management of various services or time slots (e.g., morning, noon, evening), which is especially relevant in the hospitality or retail industries.
In summary, the rotating schedule table is a structured and predictable solution, ideal for ensuring continuous service in demanding environments. While it requires careful initial planning and offers less flexibility than other methods, its advantages in terms of fairness, predictability, and operational efficiency make it an indispensable tool for many organizations.
3. Gantt chart for projects and teams
The Gantt chart, well known in project management, can be adapted into a powerful working schedule table, especially when it comes to planning human resources for extended tasks or projects over time. This is not simply a daily work schedule but rather a strategic tool offering a clear visualization of who is doing what and when, allowing an overview of team allocation and project progress over a defined period.
How it works?
In practice, this type of working schedule table appears as a graph with a horizontal axis representing time (days, weeks, months) and a vertical axis listing resources (employees, teams) or tasks/projects. Horizontal bars indicate the duration allocated for each task or work period assigned to a specific resource. Key features often include:
Horizontal Time Representation: Makes it easy to visualize the timeline.
Task/Assignment Bars: Show the duration and the person or team assigned to the task.
Display of Dependencies: Some tasks must be completed before others can start.
Workload Visualization: Allows you to see at a glance who is busy and when.
Milestones and Deadlines: Marks critical steps and deadlines.
Why use this approach? (advantages)
The main appeal of this working schedule table lies in its ability to provide a macroscopic and structured view. For managers and HR managers, it is a valuable tool because it allows:
Clear visualization of work distribution and task assignments over time.
Quick identification of potential overload or underutilization periods for employees or teams, helping prevent burnout or inefficiency.
Optimization of human resource allocation based on project needs, available skills, and time constraints.
Facilitation of medium and long-term planning, essential for large projects, seasonal cycles (e.g., hospitality, events), or managing multiple clients/tasks (consulting firms, agencies).
Improved coordination among different teams or departments working on common goals.
When is it relevant?
This type of scheduling is ideal for:
Managing complex projects that require detailed coordination of resources over several weeks or months.
Allocating teams to various tasks, projects, or clients simultaneously.
Forecasting workforce needs for specific periods (high seasons, special events).
Tracking overall task progress and adjusting schedules accordingly.
It is less suitable for minute-by-minute management of daily schedules, where other types of views or tools may be more effective.
Complementing with other scheduling views
For comprehensive and flexible management, the Gantt chart can be complemented by other types of working schedule tables offering different granularities. Modern management platforms like Shyfter often integrate multiple views to meet specific needs:
Day View: Essential for daily operational oversight, adjusting assignments in real-time, and handling last-minute changes.
Week View: Offers a weekly perspective that is relevant for tracking labor costs, checking productivity, and balancing hours worked across the team.
Month View: Ideal for planning and monitoring paid leave, sickness, and for getting an overview of employee availability in the medium term.
Service View: Very useful in industries like hospitality or retail that operate with distinct shifts (e.g., morning, noon, evening). It allows targeted management and optimization of each service slot. For more on this view, visit Service View Help.
Using these different views alongside a Gantt chart allows both a strategic long-term perspective and detailed daily management.
Concrete use cases
Marketing or Communication Agencies: Scheduling graphic designers, writers, and project managers for different client campaigns over several weeks.
Software Development Companies: Managing development sprints, assigning developers and testers to various features.
Consulting Firms: Allocating consultants to client projects based on their duration and required skills.
Event Coordinators/Caterers: Scheduling staff for different stages of an event (preparation, event day, breakdown).
Industry/Services: Managing maintenance teams for equipment overhauls or new service rollouts.
Practical tips for effective use
Color Codes: Adopt a clear and consistent legend (by task type, by team, by project status) to improve readability.
Adapt the Time Horizon: Limit the default displayed view (e.g., 1 to 3 months) to avoid screen overload. Use zoom functions for broader or more detailed views.
Include Buffers: Do not plan 100% of available time. Add "buffers" for unforeseen events, administrative tasks, breaks, and meetings.
Regular Updates: A Gantt chart is only useful if kept up to date. Plan regular review points (e.g., weekly) to refresh the chart according to actual progress and changes.
Combine with Time Tracking: To improve the accuracy of future planning, pair the schedule with time-tracking systems to log actual hours worked.
Potential drawbacks (Cons)
Complexity: With a large number of resources and interdependent tasks, the chart can become complex and hard to read.
Less Agile for Daily Changes: It is less designed for last-minute scheduling adjustments than other dedicated day/week views.
Requires Discipline: Its usefulness depends on constant and accurate updates.
Cost of Tools: Project management software offering advanced Gantt features (e.g., Microsoft Project, TeamGantt, Monday.com) can be an investment.
4. Digital dashboard (SaaS Software)
In the digital age, schedule management is evolving. The digital dashboard, often provided as Software as a Service (SaaS), represents the modern solution par excellence for organizing working hours. It is a software platform, typically hosted in the cloud, specifically designed to create, manage, and track team schedules, working hours, and absences. Accessible via a web browser or dedicated mobile app, this type of working schedule table centralizes information and makes it available in real time for managers and employees.
These tools stand out for their rich functionality and ease of use, marking a sharp break with traditional methods. They truly deserve their place in this list because they radically transform schedule management into a more strategic task, less administrative, and far less prone to errors.
Key features and benefits:
Intuitive Interface: Most solutions offer a clear and user-friendly interface, often with drag-and-drop features to easily assign or modify shifts.
Universal Accessibility: Whether from a desktop computer at the office, a tablet on-site, or a smartphone while on the move, access to schedules and information is guaranteed for all authorized users.
Advanced Visual Management: Beyond a simple calendar, these software platforms offer different views adapted to managers' specific needs. For example, as seen with tools like Shyfter, various perspectives are crucial:
Day View: Ideal for daily operational management, allowing you to quickly adjust assignments based on unexpected changes.
Week View: Provides a global perspective on labor costs and planned productivity for the week, essential for resource optimization.
Month View: Facilitates long-term planning for vacations, absences, and ensures sufficient coverage for the upcoming period.
Service View: Especially useful in hospitality or restaurants, it allows fine management of teams by shift (morning, noon, evening), optimizing coverage during peak hours.
Automation and Alerts: Systems can automatically flag schedule conflicts, risks of exceeding legal or contractual hours, and notify employees about their shifts or changes to the schedule.
Time Tracking and Punching In: Many integrate time-tracking features (via mobile, tablet, or desktop), accurately recording arrival and departure times, simplifying the calculation of worked hours.
Centralized Absence Management: Employees can submit their leave requests or report absences directly through the platform, and managers can approve or reject them with a few clicks, automatically updating the schedule.
Strategic Integrations: The ability to integrate with other systems (payroll software, HRIS, accounting tools) is a major advantage, streamlining administrative processes and avoiding double data entry.
Reporting and Analysis: These platforms generate detailed reports on labor costs, absenteeism, punctuality, and other key metrics, helping managers make informed decisions to optimize planning and productivity.
Regulatory Compliance: Automation of calculations and integrated alerts help ensure compliance with labor laws (rest times, overtime, etc.), reducing legal risks.
Why and when choose a digital dashboard?
This approach is particularly suited for businesses managing complex, variable schedules or a large number of employees. It is the ideal solution if:
You need real-time visibility into employee availability and assignments.
You want to reduce the time spent on administrative tasks related to scheduling.
Communicating schedules and changes is an ongoing challenge.
You need to ensure strict compliance with labor laws.
You manage teams spread across multiple locations or include mobile workers.
You want to leverage data to optimize costs and operational efficiency.
Successful Implementation Examples:
Many companies benefit from these tools. For example, When I Work is widely popular in retail and restaurants for its simplicity. Planday is often adopted in the healthcare and hospitality industries for its ability to manage complex schedules. Deputy is frequently implemented in fast-food chains for its robustness and time-tracking features. Factorial HR is favored by SMEs across various sectors for its integrated HR approach. Other players like Homebase or Humanity (part of TCP Software) are also prominent in this market.
Potential Drawbacks (Cons):
Cost: Most work on a subscription model, charging a monthly or annual fee per user, representing a recurring cost.
Technological Dependency: An internet connection is generally required to access real-time features.
Adoption: There may be a learning curve, requiring training for all users (managers and employees) to master the tool.
Confidentiality: Storing sensitive data in the cloud may raise concerns about security and privacy.
Customization: While flexible, some platforms may have limitations in terms of highly specific customization.
Tips for Successful Implementation:
Comprehensive Training: Ensure that all future users receive adequate training before the rollout.
Gradual Deployment: Consider starting with a pilot department to test and adjust the system before full deployment.
Leverage Integrations: Take advantage of integration possibilities with your existing payroll and HR systems to maximize efficiency.
Set Up Notifications: Configure alerts and notifications intelligently to inform users without overwhelming them.
Use Analytical Data: Regularly analyze reports to identify trends, monitor costs, and continuously optimize your working schedule table.
In conclusion, the SaaS digital dashboard is a powerful and scalable solution that transforms the management of working schedules into a performance-driving lever for businesses. It brings automation, visibility, and compliance, fully justifying its central role in modern resource planning strategies.
5. Magnetic or physical schedule table with cards
What is it?
The magnetic or physical schedule table with cards is a traditional but still relevant method for creating a working schedule table. It involves a fully manual and visual system, using a wall-mounted board (often whiteboard or corkboard) on which physical items (cardboard cards, labels, color magnets) are placed to represent employees, their shifts, and assigned hours. Despite the rise of digital solutions, this format remains popular, particularly in environments where simplicity and immediate visibility for on-site teams are essential.
How it works?
The core of the system is a wall board, typically structured as a grid. Rows may represent employees or shifts, while columns represent days of the week or even specific time slots. Cards, sticky notes, labels, or magnets, often in different colors to differentiate teams, shift types, or contract types (e.g., permanent, temporary, casual), are manually moved across the grid to construct the schedule.
This working schedule table is typically placed in a central, highly trafficked area (break room, manager's office, kitchen, workshop) so that the entire team can easily and constantly refer to it. Changes are made directly: magnets are moved, or cards are rewritten.
Why this method has a place on this list
Its longevity and continuous presence in many sectors (fast food, small shops, workshops) testify to its effectiveness in certain contexts. It meets a fundamental need: to visualize who is doing what and when in the simplest possible way. Its tangible nature and independence from technology give it unique advantages.
Advantages (Pros):
Ease of Use: No technical skills are required, either for the manager creating the schedule or for employees viewing it.
Immediate and Tactile Visualization: Information is available at a glance for anyone physically present. Handling the elements can help some people better memorize the schedule.
Reliability: No risk of software crashes, internet connection issues, or system bugs preventing access to the schedule.
Direct Communication: Its centralized physical presence encourages direct exchanges between colleagues for adjustments or replacements.
Low Initial Cost: The investment is limited to purchasing the board and cards/magnets.
Disadvantages (Cons):
No Backup: Information exists in only one physical copy. No automatic backup if damaged or lost.
Limited Accessibility: Impossible to view or modify the schedule remotely (e.g., from home or another site).
Manual Calculations: Tracking hours worked, leave balances, and labor costs must be done manually, increasing the risk of errors.
Complex Analysis: It is very difficult to extract data for trend analysis, workforce optimization, or generating reports.
Physical Risks: Cards may fall, be lost, or erased accidentally. The board’s readability can degrade over time.
Successful implementation examples:
Restaurants and Cafes: Frequently use magnetic boards to display service shifts (morning, break, evening) for waitstaff, cooks, and bartenders.
Small Retail Shops: Display weekly schedules for employees on a whiteboard in the back office.
Production Workshops: Visualize operator rotation across different workstations on a physical panel.
Small Clinics or Medical Practices: Display doctors' and staff's attendance and on-call schedules.
When and why use this approach?
This type of working schedule table is particularly suitable for:
Very small organizations (less than 10-15 employees on the same site).
Environments where all employees work on-site and can easily access the board.
Situations where staff are less familiar with digital tools.
Simple scheduling needs with few variations or complex rules.
When the budget for scheduling tools is very limited.
Practical tips for optimization:
Clear Color Coding: Establish a precise legend for colors (e.g., one color per team, contract type, or for absences) and display it next to the board.
Take Backup Photos: Always take a photo of the board with your smartphone after each major update. It's a simple and quick backup.
Designated Responsible Person: Assign clear responsibility for updating and maintaining the board.
Combine with Digital Tools: Use the physical board for daily/weekly visual reference but log hours worked in a simple spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) for easier payroll calculation and to prevent errors.
Space for Notes: Set up a section on the board (or beside it) for important messages: special events, last-minute absences, or particular instructions.
Digital transition: complexity and views
While the simplicity of the physical board is undeniably a strength, its limitations become apparent as scheduling complexity increases or more detailed analysis becomes necessary. This is where modern digital scheduling tools come into play. For instance, a tool like Shyfter offers levels of detail and perspectives that a manual board cannot match:
Day View: Allows very fine daily management, adjusting assignments almost in real-time if needed.
Week View: Provides a global view essential for the manager to monitor labor costs, productivity, and balance schedules across the week.
Month View: Facilitates medium-term planning, including managing vacation requests, absences, and employee demands.
Service View: Particularly suited for industries like hospitality, it organizes work by distinct service shifts (e.g., morning, noon, evening), optimizing resources for each critical time slot. You can discover how to enable and use this view in Shyfter.
These different views offered by digital tools like Shyfter provide a depth of analysis, flexibility, and foresight that a working schedule table physical board, despite its qualities of simplicity and immediate visibility, cannot match. The choice between the two depends heavily on team size, schedule complexity, and the manager's analytical needs.
6. Mobile application dedicated to schedule management
In the age of digitalization, the classic working schedule table displayed in break rooms or sent by email has evolved significantly with mobile applications dedicated to schedule management. These software platforms are specifically designed for scheduling management and are accessible directly from employees' and managers' smartphones or tablets. They transform a static tool into a dynamic and interactive command center.
How it works?
The principle is simple: the manager (or HR manager) creates, modifies, and publishes the schedules through an admin interface (often web-based, but sometimes also mobile). Employees, via the app installed on their phones, receive instant notifications for any updates related to their shifts. They can consult their own schedule, that of their team (depending on permissions), but also interact with the schedule: request time off, propose shift swaps with eligible colleagues, or indicate their availability. One key feature is often the mobile punch-in (clock-in/clock-out), sometimes coupled with geolocation to verify their presence on-site.
Why this method is essential?
Dedicated mobile apps truly deserve their place in this list because they directly address the needs for flexibility, responsiveness, and mobility in modern businesses, especially in sectors like hospitality, retail, personal services, or events. For restaurant managers, store owners, event coordinators, or department heads whose teams are rarely all in one place or in front of a computer, it's a revolutionary solution. It represents the most advanced and interactive form of the working schedule table, making it accessible anywhere, anytime.
Key features and specific benefits:
These applications go far beyond simple schedule viewing. They offer a complete ecosystem:
Optimized Interface: Natively designed for small screens, ensuring easy reading and intuitive navigation of the working schedule table.
Push Notifications: Real-time alerts for new schedules, last-minute changes, vacation approvals, or shift swap proposals.
Mobile Punching (Time Tracking): Allows employees to clock in and out, often with a geolocation option to validate their presence on-site. Some apps even integrate facial recognition or photo verification for added security.
Absence and Leave Management: A digital process for submitting, approving, and tracking leave requests, including vacation, sick leave, or other absences.
Shift Swaps: A feature that allows employees to propose their shifts to qualified colleagues, subject to manager approval, significantly simplifying the management of unforeseen absences.
Integrated Messaging: Facilitates direct communication between managers and employees, or between colleagues, specifically on scheduling-related topics.
Personal Dashboard: Each employee has an overview of their worked hours, remaining leave, and work history.
Reporting and Analytics: For managers, access to reports on labor costs, adherence to schedules, absenteeism, etc.
Example: Scheduling Views in Shyfter
To illustrate the power of these tools, let's look at the Shyfter app, which is used by many professionals in France and Belgium. It offers various scheduling views to meet diverse management needs:
Day View: Ideal for operational management on a daily basis. It allows you to see who is working, when, and in which role for the current day or a specific date. Perfect for last-minute adjustments.
Week View: Provides a global perspective on a 7-day period. Essential for managers who need to balance workloads, monitor weekly labor costs, and ensure sufficient coverage throughout the week.
Month View: Offers a medium-term perspective, crucial for planning and managing paid leave, absences, and anticipating periods of high or low activity.
Service View: Particularly useful in sectors like hospitality, this view divides the day into distinct service periods (e.g., morning, noon, evening). It allows managers to optimize their workforce for each critical time slot. Learn more about how to enable and use the Service View in Shyfter here.
Key advantages:
Maximum Accessibility: The vast majority of employees own smartphones.
Instant Communication: Significantly reduces delays and misunderstandings related to scheduling.
Employee Autonomy and Empowerment: Employees become active participants in managing their time.
Flexibility in Time Tracking: Useful for mobile teams or those working at multiple locations (with potential checks).
Reduced Administrative Load: Less paper, fewer manual entries, and automated processes.
Improved Employee Satisfaction: Transparency and flexibility are often highly appreciated.
Points of caution:
Required Equipment: All employees must have a compatible smartphone and be comfortable using it.
Resistance to Change: Some employees or managers may be reluctant to abandon traditional methods.
Privacy and Right to Disconnect: Risk of notifications outside of working hours if not properly configured. Geolocation also raises potential concerns.
Cost: These apps typically operate on a per-user subscription model.
Connectivity: Requires a mobile internet connection (data or Wi-Fi) for real-time synchronization.
When and why use this approach?
The mobile app is the ideal solution if:
You manage large, mobile, or dispersed teams (restaurant chains, retail networks, service companies, event organizers).
Your schedules are complex, with frequent rotations, various contract types (full-time, part-time, casual), and fluctuating needs (hospitality, fast food, retail, healthcare).
You want to drastically reduce the time managers spend creating and communicating schedules.
You need precise tracking of worked hours and tight control over labor costs.
You want to modernize your HR processes, reduce paperwork, and provide employees with greater autonomy and transparency.
Tips for successful implementation:
Choose Intuitive Software: Opt for an app with an interface that employees find simple and clear (request demos, have it tested!).
Set Clear Rules: Define how and when the app should be used (punch-in, leave requests, swaps, communication), and establish guidelines regarding the right to disconnect.
Train Your Teams: Organize short, practical training sessions in small groups for both managers and employees.
Respect Work-Life Balance: Configure notifications to be relevant but not intrusive, especially outside of working hours.
Pilot and Monitor: Start with a trial period, possibly alongside the old system. Collect feedback and make adjustments. Assign an internal reference to handle questions.
In conclusion, mobile applications dedicated to working schedule tables are no longer a novelty but a strategic tool to optimize time management in today's dynamic work environments. They bring efficiency, flexibility, and autonomy, while improving communication and reducing administrative burdens.
7. Flexible schedule table based on Google Sheets
For organizations seeking an accessible and collaborative scheduling solution, Google Sheets presents a highly versatile option for creating a working schedule table. This system involves using Google’s famous spreadsheet application as a central platform, transforming a simple grid into a dynamic and shared scheduling tool.
How it works?
The principle is simple: a manager creates a Google Sheets spreadsheet structured like a schedule (e.g., employees in rows, days/hours in columns). This file is then shared with the relevant team members via their Google accounts. Due to the cloud-based nature of Google Sheets, multiple users can consult and, if permissions allow, modify the working schedule table simultaneously. All modifications are recorded and synchronized in real-time, ensuring that everyone has access to the latest version of the schedule from any device connected to the internet (computer, tablet, smartphone).
Why this approach deserves its place?
Google Sheets democratizes schedule creation. Its affordability (or low cost via Google Workspace), familiarity to many users, and collaborative power make it a relevant choice, particularly for organizations not immediately needing the advanced (and often costly) features of dedicated software. It’s a great starting point or a sustainable solution for clear and direct scheduling needs.
Key features and benefits:
Real-Time Collaboration: Multiple managers or employees can work on the same schedule simultaneously, ideal for last-minute adjustments.
Universal Accessibility: Accessible and editable from anywhere, perfect for managers on the go or remote teams.
Version History: Allows tracking of who modified what and when, and reverting to previous versions if necessary.
Automation via Google Apps Script: Ability to create scripts to automate repetitive tasks (e.g., automatic hour calculations, sending notifications).
Fine Permission Management: Share the schedule in view-only mode with employees and in edit mode with managers.
Easy Export: Generate PDF versions for display or export as .xlsx for use in Excel.
Integration with Google Ecosystem: Link the schedule with Google Calendar for reminders or use Google Forms to collect leave or shift swap requests.
Backup and Archiving: Data is automatically saved in Google Drive cloud storage.
Advantages (Pros):
Free or very affordable solution.
No installation required, accessible via a web browser or mobile app.
Instant updates visible to all authorized collaborators.
Easy for anyone familiar with spreadsheets.
Near-unlimited customization (with the necessary skills).
Disadvantages (Cons):
Less specialized features for HR management (payroll, legal compliance) compared to dedicated software.
Requires an internet connection for real-time collaboration and full access.
May become slow or difficult to manage with large amounts of data (many employees, long history).
Concerns may arise regarding data privacy on a general-purpose cloud platform (though Google provides robust security controls).
When and why use Google Sheets for scheduling?
This approach is particularly suited for:
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), startups, or nonprofits with limited budgets.
Teams requiring high flexibility and frequent schedule updates.
Organizations already using Google Workspace.
Scheduling for specific projects or temporary teams.
Sectors like fast food, retail, or services where clarity and accessibility of the schedule are essential for managers and teams.
Successful implementation examples:
A chain of coffee shops using a working schedule table shared on Sheets to coordinate baristas between multiple locations.
An NGO planning the shifts of its volunteers via a shared spreadsheet accessible by all.
An event agency managing staff assignments (servers, technicians) for various events on separate tabs.
Adapting the view to management needs (inspired by specialized software):
While Google Sheets doesn’t offer built-in "views" like some specialized tools (such as Shyfter), it’s entirely possible to structure your working schedule table to meet different management needs:
Day View (Operational Management): Structure your sheet with columns representing fine time slots (by the hour or half-hour) for a given day. Use one tab per day or a dedicated section within a weekly tab for precise visualization of who is working when.
Week View (Costs and Productivity): Organize the schedule weekly (one tab per week is common). Use formulas =SUM() or =SUMIF() to automatically calculate the total hours worked per employee, day, or shift. This helps to have an overview of labor costs and employee distribution throughout the week.
Month View (Leave and Absences): Create a monthly tab offering a broader calendar view. Use color codes or dedicated columns to mark paid leave, sick days, training, etc. Integration with Google Forms can allow you to collect these requests and manually or through a script, transfer them to this view.
Service View (Morning/Noon/Evening): For sectors like hospitality, structure rows or use separate sections/columns to represent different shifts (e.g., "Morning Service", "Noon Service", "Evening Service", "Bar", "Kitchen"). Conditional formatting can highlight employees assigned to each service, allowing managers to quickly check coverage for each key role.
Practical tips for managers:
Use Templates: Many free working schedule table templates for Google Sheets are available online. Adapt one to save time.
Clearly Structure: Create separate tabs for each week or month to avoid overloaded spreadsheets.
Leverage Conditional Formatting: Use colors to easily visualize shift types, absences, overtime hours, or potential conflicts.
Protect Key Cells: Lock cells with formulas, headers, or fixed information to prevent accidental deletions or modifications by users.
Integrate Google Forms: Set up a simple form for employees to submit leave requests, unavailability, or shift changes. Responses will automatically collect in a Sheets file, simplifying processing.
In summary, using Google Sheets as a working schedule table is a practical, cost-effective, and collaborative solution that efficiently addresses the scheduling needs of many organizations, particularly those prioritizing flexibility and accessibility.
Which work schedule table should you choose for your business?
After reviewing the different options available, from Excel spreadsheets to advanced software solutions, it's clear that choosing the right working schedule table should not be taken lightly. We’ve seen that there is no one-size-fits-all solution; the ideal tool depends on the size of your organization, the complexity of your schedules, your industry (hospitality, retail, services...), and your specific priorities.
Key takeaways include:
Analyze your actual needs: Simplicity, cost, mobile accessibility, advanced features (leave management, cost calculations, legal compliance), payroll integration? Define your must-haves.
Consider digital solutions: For dynamic and optimized management, SaaS software like Shyfter offers considerable advantages in terms of automation, communication, and flexibility. It turns the simple working schedule table into a strategic tool for management.
Leverage multiple views: High-performing platforms offer different perspectives for refined management. For example, a Day View is essential for operational oversight, a Week View allows you to analyze costs and productivity, a Month View facilitates the management of paid leave and absences, and a Service View is crucial for organizing different shifts (e.g., morning/noon/evening) in hospitality or retail.
Mastering schedule management with the right tool is not just about internal organization. It’s a powerful lever for optimizing labor costs, ensuring legal compliance, improving team productivity, and ultimately increasing employee satisfaction and service quality. An effective working schedule table is the foundation of a calm and efficient business.
Your next step should be evaluating your current processes against the options presented and identifying the tool that will best meet your daily challenges and growth goals.
Remember: Investing in the right scheduling system is an investment in efficiency and well-being within your business.
Ready to simplify and optimize your scheduling? Discover how Shyfter transforms work schedule management into an easy and intuitive task. As a dedicated digital solution, Shyfter integrates all the views and features necessary to turn your working schedule table into a true strategic asset. Explore Shyfter today and request a personalized demo to see how we can specifically meet your needs.
Ready to Revolutionize your scheduling process?
Shyfter is more than just a scheduling tool – it's a complete workforce management solution designed to save time, reduce stress, and keep both employers and employees happy.
