Work schedules can be a problematic issue for many reasons, not only because it is, indeed, work. Sometimes it seems like everything goes wrong, and the only way to combat this issue is to create a schedule that will work for you, your employees, and any other potential stakeholders.

Of course, that is impossible to accomplish, but you can achieve the middle ground if you create a better and more inclusive monthly work schedule. To do that, you should get a monthly work schedule template. Luckily for you, we have something exactly like that for your shift schedule issues.

Additionally, we’ve created a comprehensive guide on all the problems you may encounter when drafting a monthly employee schedule with solutions for them. So, if you need to draft one of the best employee work schedules on the market – we have got you covered!

But first, let’s go over the issue of software that is best suited for this kind of work. The monthly shift schedule is a pretty advanced document, and you really don’t want anything to go wrong with it. So, to create a perfect monthly or weekly schedule, you need to have a reliable and easy-to-use send-out file format that will take on all the potential issues you may have with your monthly work schedules.

In our opinion, there can be only one tool that will take on all of those issues. And it is – Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus Key Retail Global. It is one of the most advanced and widely used programs on the planet when it comes to office-related issues. Whether it’s something as simple as creating a Word document to make notes or some pretty advanced Excel calculations.

Also, the days when you had to sell your house to afford a single Microsoft Office subscription are long gone. Nowadays, you can find it for a really affordable price and with a lot of additional elements for you to use.

So, if you want to create your schedule – you will need a management tool to match your enthusiasm. Let’s find out if your free template collection suffices for all your monthly work schedule needs.

Monthly Work Schedule #1

The first one on our list is a pretty fancy monthly employee schedule that you can utilize in many different ways. If you need to create some overtime hours, an advanced number of employees, or just draft a detailed schedule for all involved, this is the template for you.

It may not be the easiest thing to use, but if you can get your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets skills in check, you will surely benefit from taking advantage of this one.

Additionally, it has a pretty unique design if you want to add a little extra for your employees. You can download this template for free at TemplateLab.com.

Monthly Work Schedule #2

The second one on our list is the monthly work schedule that will probably suffice for most uses you may think of. There are employee names brackets you can fill out, there are enough days there for you to use, and that’s pretty much it.

It is not the most advanced monthly work schedule you will find out there, but it is simple enough so that everyone can use it without any trouble. Of course, if you are running a business with hundreds of employees that need to unite under one roof, this may be a tad simplistic, but that one should suffice for all the regular purposes. You can download this template for free at Unrubble.com.

Monthly Work Schedule #3

And finally, something in between. Monthly shift rotation from SmartSheet. This is something pretty useful if you want to get the best of both worlds. In this template, you will be able to move around pretty easily, and also – you will not have the need to learn a special language only to get all the relevant information on the same page.

This template is a perfect thing for all the stakeholders engaged in the project, as it allows them to not only see what is going on during the month but also – to make changes without breaking the whole thing in its entirety. And for that – it’s a pretty great monthly work schedule. You can download this template for free at SmartSheet.com

So, now that we know what kind of software to use and what are some of the most interesting templates, let’s go over the topic at hand – monthly work schedule.

In the simplest way possible, we can define this concept as your work schedule, but for every employee in the company. Especially if there is a shift element to your schedule. You need to clearly understand what you are trying to accomplish, how you will do it, and where the employees need to be at a certain point in time.

Not only that, you can include the employee scheduling element to all of it by giving them access to the spreadsheet so that they will be able to help you set such schedule and exchange information and shifts if necessary.

So, with that in mind, what benefits come from creating a monthly work schedule? Of course, it depends on the type of work being done in the company, but we can speculate about some general ones. Here are some examples that may interest you and your company if you consider implementing such a schedule.

Great for Emergencies

If you have shift-based work, a well-drafted monthly work schedule can benefit you greatly. Employees can exchange freely between shifts, giving each other a hand in some pretty dire situations or just reacting when something bad happens.

Also, you will gain access to some pretty big chunk of information on where a particular employee is at a certain time if you need to reach them or meet up about something.

Deadline Assessment

Not only that, but creating a schedule is great for creating realistic deadlines. When a team member presents you with a realistic explanation of the workflow, you can easily see if your proposed deadline is realistic in any shape or form. Also – having to fit all the employees into a monthly schedule can benefit you in the long run and will surely be of the essence when considering how to approach the topic of potential deadlines in the future.

So, not that we know what are we talking about and what are some of the key benefits of introducing this kind of element into your company, let’s briefly discuss the key elements that you should include in your monthly work schedule.

The most important thing about this element is that you should create an effective schedule that will be great for all the employees. A well-structured schedule can get you far and prevent a lot of potential troubles that could be problematic in the company. And – happy employees work better and can improve the company as a whole.

So, what should you include in this type of document? Here are some basics:

• The first thing you need to think about are all the employees' names that you should put in some kind of order, whatever suits you best.

• Next, create the dates that are of interest to you. Put all the schedule information in there and set the shifts.

• Add some additional information at the bottom of the document, like contact info for employees or the manager.

• Sometimes, you can also add the specific area of work that a certain employee will do during their shift. If you have employees that do multiple tasks, it can be beneficial to know who does what during their shift.

Monthly work schedule is a pretty basic document that does not entail a lot of information in it itself, but there are many things you can add to it to optimize your workflow. Every schedule has limitations, but if you do it the right way, you will quickly notice that the employee's performance will increase, and you will be more competitive in the market. With that in mind, let’s see what are some of the best tips for the employee schedule template.

Don’t Change It Too Much

First of all – don’t change it constantly! You may feel like tweaking things here and there every now and then, but it will only result in creating chaos and problems during the week. The best way is to let the employees do as many changes as they feel like. That will make them feel like they have some agency regarding their work, and they can adjust their schedule for their needs. Of course, if someone needs to be present and they are trying to cheat out of being there, then you should intervene, but in most cases – you should be ok with letting them do it by themselves.

Consult It With Your Employees

Talk with your employees. The best schedule you can create is the one that will suit everyone. So, definitely get everyone’s opinion, so they will be able to make their own schedule, that will suit their needs. And you can always get some additional help from your employees.

Imagine that you are running a Yoga studio and need some instructors. If you let your employees get the substitution by themselves, you won’t have to worry about potential issues that are connected to all the changes in the workforce. People can get it all done by themselves in no time.

Make Changes If Necessary

Also – it’s always good to revisit a schedule from time to time as the circumstances may change. If you will talk to your employees, let’s say we’d go back to our yoga studio situation, you will quickly notice that some hours are not as optimal as you thought they would be, and it would be best to change them. Employee schedules also change, so be sure to include that in your drafting.

Act Beforehand

There are four weeks in a month, so there are a couple of things to account for. It’s not like you’d be surprised that some people will want to take a break during Christmas time. If you have enough employees, that’s ok, but in some cases, consider hiring some additional help for those troublesome moments.

If you see that you have a lot of people who want to work during morning hours, do double shifts if you can. Sometimes people tend to like some people more than others, so if you see that some friendships are growing in the workplace, don’t separate them, but let them grow their relationships. It’s always good to be prepared rather than act because you need to.

Set Deadlines

When drafting a schedule, be sure to see what are some of the deadlines during that month and let the employees know about that. They may want to get the job done during specific times, and there is no reason to keep them in the office just to keep them in the office. You want to create an environment where people are doing the job they need to do rather than working “hours.”

Put People to Specific Tasks

Additionally, it’s great to assign specific tasks to specific employees. Create a schedule that explains employees their responsibilities and tells what can be expected of them. For example, if one of your employees is great at Pilates, be sure that they can be called when you have an empty spot or if someone needs a replacement. It’d great ifthe other employees are aware of it as well.

Thank you so much for checking our article on how to create a monthly work schedule for your employees. The most important element we would like you to take away from this is the fact that you really need to communicate with your employees. It can get you far, and you can benefit greatly from implementing some kind of flexible work hours into your schedule.

Of course, you need to keep everything under control, you would not want the employees walking all over you, but some kind of leeway can sometimes be beneficial not only for them but for the company as a whole.

Additionally, if you liked this article, be sure to like or share it on the whole wide web. And if you have questions or suggestions for the next ones, let us know. We will be more than happy to oblige and help you out with all your questions. And, you can always check out our wide library of materials from the office, through software to gaming. There is a lot of it, so if you are a connoisseur like us, you will definitely find something interesting. That’s it for today from us, thanks for stopping by, and we will see you at the next one!