How far in advance should I post the schedule?

At least a week is a good default for hourly teams, and two weeks is better if your business is steady. Some cities and states require advance notice for certain larger employers, so check the rules where you operate.

Should I use fixed or rotating shifts?

Fixed shifts (the same person opens every Monday) are easier for everyone to plan around. Rotating shifts spread the early and late shifts more evenly. Many small teams use fixed shifts for a core group and rotate the rest.

How many hours should part-time employees get?

Ask each person how many hours they want and write it down. Scheduling close to that number is one of the simplest ways to keep part-timers from leaving.

Employee Scheduling Guide for Small Hourly Teams

A good schedule, defined

A schedule is working when four things are true:

Every hour you're open has the right number of people, with the right skills.
Nobody is scheduled when they told you they can't work.
Hours are close to what each person wants, and overtime is a choice, not an accident.
Everyone knows when they work, early enough to plan the rest of their week.

Every step below serves one of those.

Inputs: coverage, availability, hours

Coverage

Coverage is how many people you need, and when. Write it per day as a few time blocks: opening, the busy stretch, the quiet afternoon, closing. If you have sales or foot-traffic numbers by hour, use them. If you don't, your own sense of when it gets busy is a fine starting point; adjust after a few weeks.

Availability

Availability is when each person can work. Keep regular availability (every week) separate from one-off dates off, and let people update both themselves. More in how to track employee availability.

Target hours

Each person should have a target: a full-timer at 38 to 40, a student at 15 to 20. The target is how you notice someone is being over- or under-scheduled before they tell you.

Building the week

Define a small set of standard shifts (opening, mid, closing, a short peak shift) and reuse them. Then fill the hard shifts first: openers, closers and roles only a few people can do. Fill the busy periods next and the rest last, watching everyone's running total. The step-by-step version is in how to make an employee schedule, and there's a free weekly template if you want to start on paper.

Publishing

Pick a day and post the schedule on that day every week. Put it somewhere everyone can reach from their phone, not only on a printout by the back door. Once it's out, treat changes as changes: tell the people affected directly instead of editing the posted copy and hoping they notice.

Call-outs, swaps and changes

Three kinds of change happen every week, and each needs a rule:

A call-out, when someone can't work. Decide whether they must find cover or you do, and how quickly they have to tell you.
A swap, when two people trade shifts. Decide whether you approve swaps, and what you check first (usually overtime and whether the new person can do the role). See how to handle shift swaps.
Your own changes, when you move a shift. Tell the person on it directly, and don't move shifts at the last minute unless you have to.

Tracking time worked

The schedule says when people should work; the time clock says when they did. Keeping the two side by side is how you spot lateness, missed punches and hours creeping into overtime. A shared tablet near the door is often the simplest way to do it; see how to set up a time clock kiosk.

Paper, spreadsheet or software

Paper and spreadsheets work for a few people with steady hours. They get hard when availability changes often, when you need people to see the schedule on their phones, or when call-outs and swaps are a weekly event. That's usually when scheduling software earns its place.

The employee scheduling guide for small hourly teams