Free shift schedule template for Excel — and when a spreadsheet is not enough

02

How to fill it in

1. 1On the “Shifts” sheet, set your shifts: code, start time, end time. Length and night hours are calculated for you.
2. 2On the same sheet, list your public holidays for the year, and change the night period, minimum rest or weekly limit if your rules differ.
3. 3On the “Roster” sheet, enter the year and month; dates and weekdays adjust.
4. 4Enter names and, for each day, a shift code or OFF for a day off. An empty cell means the person is not working.
5. 5Before you share it, check the red cells (rest under the minimum), orange cells (unknown code) and weeks over the hours limit.

03

What the template checks

• Rest between shifts on consecutive days: at least 11 consecutive hours in each 24-hour period (Directive 2003/88/EC, article 3; Greek Labour Code, article 171). A shift ending at 23:00 followed by one starting at 07:00 leaves 8 hours, and the second turns red.
• Night hours: the hours of each shift inside the night period, 22:00–06:00 by default as in Greek law (Labour Code, article 170). Change it if your rules define it differently.
• Sundays and public holidays worked, per person — in Greece they are paid at +75% (Labour Code, article 219).
• Hours per week (Monday–Sunday): weeks above the limit you set are highlighted, 40 by default — the full-time week in Greece (Labour Code, article 189). Length runs from shift start to shift end, including any break inside it.

04

What a spreadsheet cannot do

• It does not know each person’s rules: who never works nights, who is trained for which post, who wants more hours.
• The template only checks rest between two consecutive shifts — not weekly rest, leave or compensatory rest after a Sunday.
• It does not reach employees’ phones; every change has to be sent again by hand.
• Two copies on two computers mean two rosters.
• It is not filed with ΕΡΓΑΝΗ. Greek businesses covered by the Digital Work Card declare the roster there separately before work starts (Labour Code, article 581), and every change in the spreadsheet has to be made there too.

05

When an app is worth it

For a small team on fixed hours a spreadsheet is enough. Shift scheduling software pays off when:

• you run several sites or rotating shifts;
• last-minute changes are frequent;
• your business uses the Greek Digital Work Card and the roster must match ΕΡΓΑΝΗ;
• you want employees to see their shifts and request leave from their phones.

06

From Excel to 365shift

In 365shift you record each employee’s rules once — days off, shift types, posts, hours, minimum rest — and every violation is flagged before you publish. The roster reaches each employee’s app on iOS and Android. You can bulk-upload shifts and export the roster to Excel for anyone who needs it.

There is no free plan or trial: Basic costs €31 a month with 30 users included and no setup fee. You can book a free demo with your own shifts.