Free weekly rota template
Build a week's staff rota online: add your team, set start and finish times for each day, and watch the hours total up automatically. Download it as a CSV or copy it as text — no login, no email, no spreadsheet formulas to fix.
Example week
Small café team
Staff
3
Days covered
7
Calculated result
Scheduled hours
118h
Export
CSV
Totals update as you type. Download or copy when you're done.
Weekly rota template
Fill the grid · hours total automatically
| Staff | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40h | |||||||||
| 38h | |||||||||
| 32h | |||||||||
| Daily hours | 14h | 16h | 14h | 16h | 15h | 23h | 12h | 110h |
Total scheduled hours
110h this week
Free to use and download. Hours total automatically and overnight shifts wrap past midnight. This is a planning template — it doesn't send shifts to staff, track swaps, or record attendance. Weekola does.
The spreadsheet rota
When a template stops keeping up
A spreadsheet rota works until it doesn't: the hours formula breaks, the latest version lives in someone's phone, and staff still ask 'am I working Saturday?'. A clean template fixes this week — but sharing, swaps and changes need a proper rota, not a file.
The hours formula breaks
One dragged cell and the weekly totals quietly stop adding up.
There are five versions
The 'latest' rota lives in someone's phone, someone else's inbox, and on the wall.
Staff still ask 'am I in?'
A file everyone has to open is a file half the team never opens.
Changes mean resending
Move one shift and the whole rota has to go round the group chat again.
Swaps happen off the record
Cover gets arranged in DMs and never makes it back onto the plan.
No one sees their own shifts
Without a personal view, every question comes back to the manager.
How it works
How to build a weekly staff rota
Plan the week in a few minutes: people down the side, days across the top, times in the middle. The hours look after themselves.
Add each staff member as a row.
Set a start and finish time for every shift they work.
Leave a day blank to mark it off.
Check the automatic per-person and per-day hour totals.
Download the rota as CSV or copy it as text to share.
When you need staff to see it live, move it into Weekola.
Temporary fix
Why a template only gets you so far
A template is perfect for planning one week and sharing it as a file.
The moment the rota changes — a swap, a sick day, a new week — a file means resending and re-explaining.
Weekola keeps one live rota everyone can see, with swaps, leave and updates built in.
Connected workflow
How Weekola replaces the file
Weekola takes the rota from a one-off template to a live schedule your team actually uses — shared, current, and connected to swaps, leave and attendance.
Publish
Send the rota to everyone at once instead of sharing a file.
Personal view
Each person sees their own shifts on their phone.
Shift swaps
Staff request swaps and cover with manager approval.
Leave
Approved time off shows on the rota so gaps appear early.
Changes
Move a shift once and everyone sees the update immediately.
Attendance
Compare who was scheduled with who actually clocked in.
Related links
Keep going from the calculator
Common questions
Rota template generator FAQ
- How do I make a weekly staff rota?
- List your staff down one side and the days of the week across the top, then set a start and finish time for each shift. Total the hours per person and check your cover for each day. This free generator does the grid and the hours totals for you.
- Is this rota template really free?
- Yes. You can build a full week, total the hours and download it as a CSV or copy it as text without signing up or entering an email.
- Can I download the rota?
- Yes. Use 'Download CSV' to save a spreadsheet-ready file, or 'Copy as text' to paste the rota into a message, document or email.
- Does it work out total hours?
- Yes. Enter a start and finish time for each shift and the template totals hours per person and per day automatically. Overnight shifts that finish after midnight are handled correctly.
- What's the difference between a template and rota software?
- A template helps you plan one week. Rota software publishes the rota to staff, keeps one shared version, and handles changes, shift swaps and time off — so you're not resending a file every time something moves.
- Can staff see the rota I make here?
- Not from the template alone — it produces a file you share manually. With Weekola, staff see their shifts on their phone, get updates automatically, and can request swaps and leave.
- How is this better than a spreadsheet?
- The hours total automatically and there are no formulas to break. When you outgrow planning a single week — and need sharing, swaps and change tracking — Weekola picks up where the template stops.
- Can I use it for any business?
- Yes. It suits cafés, restaurants, bars, shops, salons and any small shift-based team. Add as many staff as you need and set whatever hours you work.
Weekola
Turn your template into a live rota
You've planned the week — now stop resending it. Weekola turns your rota into a live schedule with sharing, swaps and leave built in.