If you manage rotating shifts, you know how complicated it can be to keep track of who works when, especially when shifts change every month. This Excel template was built exactly for that purpose. It’s a clean, smart, and easy-to-use monthly shift schedule where all the hard work is already done for you.
This template helps you plan employee shifts across the entire month, automatically calculate totals, and even warn you when shift rules are broken. It’s ideal for HR departments, team leaders, or anyone managing rotating teams.
Monthly Shift Schedule Template v1 (91 downloads )How the Shift Schedule Template Works
When you open the file, you’ll see a full monthly calendar where each column represents a day and each row represents an employee. You can enter each person’s shift using simple numeric codes:
- 1 – Morning
- 2 – Afternoon Shift
- 3 – Night Shift
- O – Day Off
- V – Vacation
Each code fits neatly into the schedule, and the template automatically updates totals and highlights important details.
Date and Calendar Setup
At the top of the sheet, you’ll find a date in the format dd/mm/yyyy. You only need to change the month and year there. Once you do, all the days of the week and dates across the schedule update automatically.
Saturday and Sunday are shaded gray, so you can easily identify weekends. This is done automatically, no manual formatting needed.
Automatic Warnings for Consecutive Shifts
The template includes a built-in smart check that prevents common scheduling mistakes. If an employee finishes with the 3rd shift (night), they shouldn’t immediately start with the 1st shift (morning) the next day. That would mean they leave work late at night and immediately return early in the morning with no proper rest.
If such a combination occurs, the corresponding cell will turn red, signaling a scheduling conflict. This ensures compliance with labor regulations and helps maintain fair work-rest cycles.
Automatic Totals and Summaries
At the bottom of the template, you’ll find daily totals showing how many employees are scheduled for each shift on each day. This helps you quickly see if your staffing levels meet your operational needs.
On the right side of the table, you’ll see per-employee summaries:
- The total number of shifts for the month
- The number of days off
- The number of vacation days
- The total workdays for each employee
These calculations update automatically as you modify the schedule, giving you a live overview of workload distribution.
Customization Options
You can enter your company name and department at the top of the sheet to personalize it for your organization.
Since this is Version 1, the template is fully functional but intentionally simple. Future versions may include automation with macros, employee databases, printable reports, or integration with attendance systems.
If you have specific needs or improvement ideas, please share your suggestions in the comments section below the article. Your feedback will directly help shape Version 2.
Why This Template Stands Out
Many shift planners available online are either too complex or too restrictive. This Excel file strikes a balance:
- Easy to modify or expand
- Automatically detects common scheduling errors
- Totals and summaries update instantly
- Weekends and dates adapt automatically every month
You can add or remove employees freely, extend it for longer periods, or adapt it for weekly rotation systems.
Download the Free Excel Shift Schedule Template
Click below to download your free copy of the Excel Shift Schedule Template (Version 1).
This professionally designed spreadsheet is ready to use and helps you plan, manage, and track employee shifts for the entire month. It includes automatic date generation, weekend highlighting, shift totals, and built-in conflict warnings to ensure accurate scheduling.
Monthly Shift Schedule Template v1 (91 downloads )Final Thoughts
This Monthly Shift Schedule Template is designed to make workforce planning easier, more transparent, and error-free. It’s a practical solution for any organization that operates in shifts; factories, hospitals, retail, customer service, or logistics.
With built-in date automation, weekend highlighting, total calculations, and shift conflict warnings, it provides everything you need to manage your monthly schedule efficiently.
I built this template to make shift scheduling easier and more reliable for real teams, not just to look good on paper. Your feedback is what helps it grow. Every suggestion or idea you share directly shapes the next version, so if something could make your job simpler, I truly want to hear it.
can we have the protection code?
Hi! I actually tried to protect only the cells that shouldn’t be edited, so you can still modify all the necessary input cells without needing to unprotect the sheet.
But if you still want to unlock it fully, here’s the protection code:
excelbell
Let me know if you need anything else, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!