The best way to create a schedule was with an employee schedule template in Google Sheets or Excel, but now there’s a better way. free employee scheduling Software like Homebase makes it easy to create sophisticated, detailed work schedules and instantly share them with your team.
Let’s take a look at scheduling with Homebase and the benefits of using employee scheduling templates in Google Sheets or Excel.
1. How to use the shift schedule template in Google Sheets or Excel
Using modern scheduling software is the easiest and fastest way to schedule employee shifts. But if you want to create your schedule in an old-fashioned spreadsheet, here are the best ways to create a schedule using a template.
Create employee shift schedules in Google Sheets
First, create a shift schedule for your employees in . Google Spreadsheet:
- “go togoogle drive”
- [新規]Click[Google スプレッドシート]Hover over the arrow next to[テンプレートから]Choose.

- On the next page, Template Gallery,[従業員のシフト スケジュール]Choose.
- Now it’s time to customize. Our template includes a monthly overview and a weekly schedule.
- Customize the color scheme and add your logo if you want. Your schedule will look more professional in just a few minutes.
- Make a schedule.
Create employee shift schedule in Excel
Here’s how to create an employee shift schedule in Excel.

- Go to File, then New from Template.
- Search for Schedule in the search box in the upper right corner of the Template Gallery.
- Scroll down and you’ll see a template called “Weekly Employee Shift Schedule.”
- Double-clicking a template opens a new spreadsheet containing this template.
- Customize Templates — Highlight cells and change background colors to match your business branding.
- Add your logo. Go to “Insert” and “Image”. Easy steps to add customization.
- Add employee names to create a schedule.

Note that you will need to repeat these steps each time you create a new schedule. It seems that there is a lot of manual work. Let’s take a look at an easier way to schedule shifts using Homebase that will save you a lot of time in the long run.
How to use Home Base to automatically create employee schedules
Using Homebase is the easiest way to create a work schedule. Definitely better than the manual. shift table template. In just a few steps, you’re ready to schedule and share. the best is It’s free!
Here’s how Home Base automatically creates employee schedules.
- First, create the employee role.on the main menu[スケジュール]Click[部門/役割]Click. From there, click the green button for Add New Department.
- Fill in the box to create a new role or scroll down to select an old role. Then give the division any name you like.

- Next, set up automatic scheduling rules for employees. Click the Teams tab on the main menu to view the list of employees. Click on an employee to open their profile.
- [ジョブの詳細]at the bottom of the page[自動スケジュール ルール]find Assign employees maximum hours per week, seniority, and role.

- If you know your team member’s availability, you can go ahead and set it up. Go to the Schedule tab again and this time click Team Availability.
- You will see a table where the rows are the employees and the columns are the days of the week. Each box is a potential shift. Click the box and select Unavailable to indicate that the employee is unavailable for the job.

- You are now ready to create your weekly schedule template. Within the Schedule tab, select a week.
- At the top of the table is a row that says “Open Shifts”. Click the box in that row to add the roles you want for that shift.
- Go to Tools at the top of the Schedule page and select Templates from the dropdown menu. Give your weekly schedule template a name and click[作成]Click.

- Now we get to the good bits! Go to the week you want to automate,[ツール]in the drop-down menu[テンプレート]again. Select the template you want to use,[適用]Click.
- [Open Shifts]Do you see a wand icon in the box? Click on it and— Presto — Your schedule is ready.
- with the necessary changes[公開]Click the button.

that’s all! All the necessary schedules are set and ready for the coming weeks.
Why Switch from Google Sheets and Excel to Homebase
If you’re used to Google Sheets or Excel, switching to an app like Homebase can be daunting. Learning new things takes time.
But scheduling apps like Homebase are built with small business owners like you in mind. They’re quick to join and intuitive enough to learn with minimal guidance, so there’s no initial problem.
After that leap, scheduling with Homebase has only advantages over using traditional spreadsheets. One of our customers, her, even said that once she started using Homebase, she could not go back to pen and paper scheduling because it freed her up for a week.
“I can’t go back to paper management. It would take hours a day.”
– Troy, General Manager, Carefree Boats
Here are some of the tangible ways Homebase can help with employee scheduling:
1. Save time on repetitive tasks
Business owners don’t want to put all their work hours into a spreadsheet. Homebase not only allows you to automate repetitive tasks, but it also gives you the flexibility to quickly change your schedule to meet your business needs. This frees up more time for higher-level activities such as sales strategies and advertising campaigns.
2. Avoid unnecessary costs
Homebase helps you cut costs in ways that regular spreadsheets can’t.
- Receive a warning notification when an employee attempts to work overtime.
- No need to pay someone else to create your weekly work schedule (Or you have time to cover shifts and create shifts yourself).
- The Homebase app can be used for scheduling and Helps monitor sales and labor costs Reveal where else you can save money.
3. Fine-tune staff schedules without extra effort
Digging into a Google Sheets spreadsheet requires a lot of concentration. With Homebase, all the information you need to run your business is laid out in a clear and intuitive way. Employee availability, seniority, and roles can be easily taken into account, and employee hours worked can be accurately tracked.
4. Promote communication
Unlike Google Sheets and Excel, the dedicated schedule app is also excellent team communication tool. Homebase allows you to publish your schedule to an app so employees can view it on the go or mobile his device.
Employees can be quickly notified of schedule changes, especially last-minute changes. The Homebase app always shows updates in real time, so you don’t have to wait for messages.
5 Access to additional features and integrations
No need to stop at a scheduling template. Homebase offers a variety of other free features related to scheduling. time sheet When clock. Platforms can also be integrated It works with the other software you use to run your business, including POS platforms, payroll software, job boards, and general business tools.
start home base for free
Gone are the days of painstakingly filling out an Excel schedule template box by box. You can now download powerful and easy-to-use apps like Homebase to manage the entire scheduling process.
That’s not to say Google Docs and Microsoft Excel aren’t useful. However, their capabilities are rather limited when it comes to managing a fast-paced, small but growing business. Homebase offers a variety of features to assist with scheduling, including workflow automation, advanced configuration, and dedicated templates. Once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever coped without it.





