Calculator
The example, and a gap
The calculator starts with an illustrative café day: an opener from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM, a mid shift from 10 AM to 4 PM and a closer from 1 PM to 9 PM. It needs one person from 7 to 11, two over lunch from 11 to 2, and one from 2 to 8. That plan has no gaps.
| Time | Needed | With the mid shift | Without it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00–11:00 AM | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 11:00 AM–1:00 PM | 2 | 2 | 1 (short) |
| 1:00–2:30 PM | 2 until 2, then 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2:30–4:00 PM | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Removing the mid shift saves 6 hours of wages but leaves lunch one person short for two hours: 2 person-hours. A break with no cover does the same thing on a smaller scale; add break times to see it.
What it does and doesn't do
- It checks one day at a time, in half hours, against needs you enter.
- A shift that ends after midnight is counted until midnight and flagged; check the next morning separately.
- The same name on two overlapping shifts is flagged, because it would be counted twice.
- It doesn't check roles or skills: two people on the floor is not the same as one on the till and one on the floor.
- It doesn't forecast how busy you'll be. You set the need.
To set the needs in the first place, start with the staffing plan template. For a store with key holders and deliveries, the retail schedule template runs a similar check across a week.