Businesses with structured scheduling report 25% fewer last-minute call-outs and 18% lower overtime costs, according to UKG Workforce Institute data. This Payroll is the structure — every shift, every person, every week, visible to everyone at once.

What’s inside this Payroll template

• Weekly rota with shifts per person — every working hour assigned and visible in one view
• Automatic hours calculator — total hours per employee summed without manual counting
• Availability input tab — staff submit their available days and the schedule builds around it
• Overtime alert — cells highlight automatically when an employee exceeds their contracted hours

How to use this Payroll template

1. Click above to open the template, then copy it to your Drive.
2. Set up your shift types — opening, mid, closing, and any specialist roles — in the configuration tab.
3. Enter staff availability for the week before building the schedule.
4. Assign shifts starting with the hardest-to-fill roles and working outward.
5. Review total hours per employee before finalising to catch overtime before it becomes a cost.

Why Google Sheets for Payroll?

For teams of under 50 people, a Google Sheets schedule covers every scheduling need a dedicated rota app would solve — at no cost, with no onboarding, and with complete flexibility to add the columns your specific business requires.

Frequently asked questions

Is this employee schedule template free?

Yes. Enter your email above, receive the link, and make a copy to your Google Drive. Free to use for any team size.

Can staff view their schedule on their phones?

Yes. Share the Google Sheets link with your team and they can view their shifts on any device. For view-only access, share with ‘Viewer’ permission so staff can see but not edit.

How do I handle shift swaps?

The template includes a swap request column. When a team member requests a change, log it in the column with the new arrangement and mark the original shift as covered.