Schedule (workplace)


A schedule, often called a rota or roster, is a list of employees, and associated information e.g. location, department, working times, responsibilities for a given time period e.g. week, month or sports season.

An example of a weekly workplace schedule


A daily schedule is usually ordered chronologically, which means the first employees working that day are listed at the top, followed by the employee who comes in next, etc. A weekly or monthly schedule is usually ordered alphabetically, employees being listed on the left hand side of a grid, with the days of the week on the top of the grid.[citation needed] In shift work, a schedule usually employs a recurring shift plan.


Software is often used to enable organizations to better manage staff scheduling. Organizations commonly use spreadsheet software or employee scheduling software to create and manage shifts, assignments, and employee preferences. For large organisations employee scheduling can be complex,[citation needed] and optimising this is framed as the nurse scheduling problem in operations Research.[1] Advanced employee scheduling software also provides ways to connect with the staff, ask for their preferences and communicate the schedule to them.[2]

On-call schedulingEdit



Flexible self-scheduling is a practice used when a manager defines scheduling needs based on demand, but allows employees to select, trade, and fill shifts themselves. Allowing schedules to be created faster, with less effort, and gives hourly employees more control over their work life. [4]

See alsoEdit


  1. ^ "Nurse scheduling problem"
  4. ^ "Innovative for Hourly Workers Workplace Flexibility Option" (PDF).