Do you and your team members know what you should be working on today? What about tomorrow? Or next week? Or the week after that?
If youre starting to get nervous, you arent alone. Many people tackle their work with a “one day at a time” approach — putting out fires, addressing time-pressing tasks, and handling urgent requests as they land on their desks or in their inboxes.
It works in the short term, but it usually leaves people feeling like theyre doing nothing more than spinning their wheels.
Fortunately, theres a better way. A monthly work schedule helps you and everybody on your team zoom out to see the bigger picture.
This type of monthly task schedule is the tool you need to avoid getting lost in the day-to-day minutiae and emergencies and focus on the work that makes a meaningful impact.
Juggling multiple employees across shifts while ensuring adequate staffing coverage can be a complex balancing act, especially in industries like retail, restaurants, healthcare, call centers and more. Without proper planning, gaps in schedules lead to disruption, delays and subpar operations.
That’s why taking the time to thoughtfully craft employee work schedules on a monthly basis is a must for managers The right schedule meets business needs while accommodating staff availability and requests as much as possible
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the key steps to create a monthly work schedule that sets both your business and employees up for success. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Select the Right Template
The first step is choosing a template that fits your scheduling needs. Here are some options:
Basic Grid Template
A simple grid with days of the month on one axis and hours of each day on the other. Best for smaller teams.
Calendar Template
Displays each day in a more visual calendar format complete with week/month separation. Helpful for larger groups.
Shifts Template
Separate sections for AM, PM and night shifts with employee names. Useful for retail stores, hospitals, etc.
4 Week Template
Schedule repeated across 4 weeks on one template. Good for stable schedules.
Hybrid Template
Combines a calendar view with a grid section for detailed hour blocks. Provides comprehensive overview.
Make sure to select the right template based on your specific business needs and schedule complexity.
Step 2: Gather Employee Availability
Before creating the schedule, collect input from employees on:
- Preferred hours/shifts
- Unavailable dates
- Vacation/leave requests
- Appointments or commitments
- Any other schedule needs
Have them submit details through an availability form, online survey, or one-on-one meetings. This information ensures the schedule accommodates everyone’s needs as much as possible.
Step 3: Factor in Operational Requirements
Look at past schedules, sales trends, and operational demands to determine scheduling requirements like:
- Number of staff needed per shift
- Peak periods that need extra coverage (evenings, weekends, holidays, events, etc.)
- Slower periods with flexibility to allow requests
- Special staff trainings or events
Use last month’s hourly transaction data, foot traffic patterns, and other insights to spot trends. Account for any foreseeable changes.
Step 4: Review Employee Skills and Roles
Note which employees are cross-trained across different operational areas and job functions. This allows for better coverage of all bases.
Factor in roles, responsibilities and skills when assigning shifts to maximize smooth operations.
Step 5: Start Slotting in Shifts
With all key information gathered, you can start populating the schedule template. Begin by penciling in shifts to cover non-negotiable operational needs first.
Then slot in employee requested times off. Finally fill remaining gaps with appropriate staff based on skills, experience and availability.
Aim to meet as many employee requests as possible within operational needs. This boosts engagement and satisfaction.
Step 6: Avoid Schedule Pitfalls
When assigning shifts, keep these pitfalls in mind:
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Avoid scheduling only new staff together without experienced support.
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Don’t schedule the same people for closings/openings back-to-back where possible.
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Limit isolated solo shifts where safety could be a concern.
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Ensure adequate meal and rest breaks between long shifts.
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Split up weekends and holidays fairly versus overburdening the same employees.
Step 7: Review and Extend Scheduling
Once your initial monthly draft is complete, review with a critical eye. Look for potential issues like:
- Double bookings
- Coverage gaps
- Imbalanced staffing levels between shifts/days
- Staff lacking required skills/experience
- Burdensome transitions between shifts
- Other conflicts
Make tweaks to smooth out any problem spots. Extend the established schedule into following months where possible to maintain consistency.
Step 8: Seek Employee Feedback
Share the proposed schedule with staff and ask for feedback on improvements, concerns or challenges. Be open to making changes based on valid issues raised.
This gives employees a voice in the process and results in a better schedule.
Step 9: Formalize and Communicate Final Schedule
Once the schedule is finalized, follow best practices like:
- Post in a central online hub and physical space.
- Send to each employee via email/intranet with reminders on key dates.
- Highlight last minute changes and rotating duties.
- Revisit regularly for adjustments.
Clear consistent communication ensures everyone is on the same page.
Helpful Tips for Scheduling Success
Follow these tips for creating optimal monthly schedules:
- Use scheduling software like Deputy, When I Work, Homebase or Excel for easier revisions.
- Build in buffer time between shifts to account for transition gaps.
- Note employee skills like languages spoken to effectively schedule accordingly.
- Avoid frequent last minute changes that frustrate staff.
- Offer overtime incentives to fill unavoidable gaps.
- Cross-train employees to increase scheduling flexibility.
- Establish clear protocols for shift swaps, sick days and lateness.
- Maintain open channels for providing feedback and input.
Common Monthly Schedule Formats
Here are some options for formatting your monthly schedules:
1. Excel template
Use pre-made or custom Excel templates. Easy to update and share digitally.
2. Online tools
Dedicated scheduling software like Homebase offers great templates and features.
3. Physical whiteboard
A central, visible whiteboard allows quick changes on the fly. Take photos to share digitally.
4. Posted paper calendars
Printable calendars can be displayed in backrooms and break areas for easy employee access.
5. PDF calendars
Generate printable PDF calendars to email or print for those who prefer hard copies.
Creating a monthly schedule requires balancing many moving parts – staff skills, availability and requests along with business demand fluctuations throughout days, weeks and holidays.
Using the right schedule template along with a methodical approach makes the process far smoother for managers while providing employees needed consistency.
The time invested upfront means operations run efficiently all month long. Employees feel valued with shifts that work for their lives outside of work. This results in better morale, retention and productivity.
With these steps and best practices, you’re ready to create schedules that help your business and team thrive together all month long. Feel free to share any other monthly scheduling tips in the comments below!
What to consider when building your monthly work schedule
When youre ready to put together your monthly work schedule, you might be tempted to grab a calendar and start plotting things out.
But before you start filling up those days and weeks, there are a few other things youll want to keep in mind to build a monthly work schedule thats as accurate and helpful as possible.
If youre building a monthly work schedule for only yourself, you can skip this step. However, if youre tasked with putting together a monthly employee schedule for your entire team, then youll want to ask yourself questions like:
- Who is on your team?
- What are your team members strengths and weaknesses?
- How much capacity does each team member have?
- Do team members have upcoming time off?
Now that you have a firm grasp on who handles the tasks for the month, its time to get a better sense of what specifically is on your plate. Here are some questions to work through:
- What tasks and projects are on the docket for this month?
- Which tasks are urgent?
- Which tasks are important, but not time-pressing?
- Are any tasks dependent on each other?
- What are the deadlines for each task?
- How long have similar tasks previously taken?
- Who is the owner of each task?
As much as youd like to have complete and total say over what happens on your team, you know by now that some outside requests always come into play.
Thats why youll also want to take any external stakeholders into consideration by asking yourself questions like:
- Are any other teams or stakeholders counting on work from you this month?
- Whats happening with other teams and stakeholders this month (which could lead to more requests for your team)?
Once youve thought through those elements, youre ready to start scheduling out your teams projects, tasks, and deadlines for the month.
Progress review dashboards
When you’re making a monthly work schedule review template, you need to have a clear understanding of what everyone’s workload looks like, what (if any) tasks have been delayed, and where there might be some wiggle room to get ahead.
That’s where progress review dashboards come in. They automatically give you a visual representation of where everyone is during any phase of the project.
So, when you make your schedule, you can double-check to see what’s realistic for each individual at any given moment without having to email back and forth or continuously check in.
How to use Wrike: You may have anywhere from 10 to 200 different dashboards, depending on which Wrike option you’ve selected. Each dashboard will give you the option to color code steps, duplicate or delete tasks, and communicate directly with your employees if you need to follow up.
You can also choose which dashboard widgets are included in your view, so only the most relevant information will be upfront and center.
How to create a work schedule in Excel
How do I create a work schedule?
Employee names: List all employee names clearly to personalize and identify schedules easily. Employee work schedule: Show each employee’s work days and shifts for a full view of the schedule. Start time: Set each workday or shift’s start time to set daily expectations. End time: Add the end time for workdays or shifts for record keeping.
How do I create a monthly schedule?
To create a monthly schedule, brainstorm tasks, categorize and prioritize them, estimate time required, allocate time, and review and adjust the schedule as needed. Use a calendar or planner to block out specific times for each task. Remember to group tasks by category and prioritize based on importance and deadlines.
How to create an optimized monthly work schedule for your team?
Here are four steps to help you create an optimized monthly work schedule for your team: 1. Evaluate the times of needed shifts Managers can evaluate the times that they will need employees to staff the business. In this planning step, consider also the open times, set up or preparatory periods, and closing times of the business.
How to create a monthly work schedule in Excel?
Insert M , D, and E as inputs of the schedule according to your preference. Click on the column you want to hide and Right-click on it. Click on Hide. You can now create your own Monthly Schedule based on your preferences. Insert the Shift (or the Fields you want to add) and Year to create a monthly work schedule in Excel.
