Roster templates you can reuse every week
Save your best roster as a reusable template. Apply it to any date range, copy last week, or duplicate single shifts—then fine-tune in seconds.
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Copy past published rosters
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Clone individual shifts
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Repeating shift schedules
How roster templates work
RosterElf lets you save proven rosters as templates, copy last week's schedule, or duplicate individual shifts—so you spend less time building and more time managing.
Save as template
Turn any published roster into a reusable template. Name it, save it, and apply it to any future date range with one click.
Copy last week
Replicate last week's roster instantly. All shifts, breaks, and assignments carry over—just review and publish.
Clone shifts
Duplicate individual shifts across days or weeks. Perfect for repeating patterns without rebuilding from scratch.
Build once, reuse every week
Save your best rosters as reusable templates
Create templates for each location, role mix, and daypart so your best schedule is always one click away. Set standard shift times, roles, notes and break rules, then apply the template to any future period. Templates speed up planning, reduce errors, and keep coverage consistent across weeks.
Copy last week, duplicate individual shifts, or roll templates forward
Repeat any pattern in two clicks
When your week is similar, use Copy Last Week to clone the entire roster. Need a quick tweak? Duplicate an individual shift and drop it onto new days or weeks—times, role, notes and breaks come across automatically. For known cycles, apply a saved template across a date range and fine-tune with drag-and-drop.
Choose whether to keep staff assigned when copying a full week, or leave shifts unassigned when rolling a template for fresh assignment.
Templates that respect availability and rules
The template is fixed — the people aren't
Templates define the shift structure, not who works. When you apply one, RosterElf checks availability, qualifications, and break rules and surfaces warnings before you publish.
Prefer automation? Use Perfect Match™ AI to suggest the best people for each templated shift—delivering fair, compliant coverage without manual cross-checking.
Template today, adapt in seconds
One template, many sites and seasons
Copy templates between sites to keep standards aligned, and make quick local edits. Maintain versions for seasonal peaks or events, then reuse them next time. If plans change after publishing,
Open Shifts and Shift Swaps fill gaps fast—no need to rebuild the whole roster. Templates handle the routine; your team handles the edge cases.
6 reasons to use roster templates
Save hours every week
Stop rebuilding rosters from scratch. Copy last week or apply a template to cut scheduling time from hours to minutes.
Consistent coverage
Templates ensure you hit the same staffing levels that worked before. No more guessing or accidental understaffing.
Fair shift distribution
Proven templates help spread hours evenly. Staff see predictable patterns, reducing complaints and turnover.
Faster onboarding
New managers can apply existing templates immediately. No need to learn optimal staffing from scratch.
Flexible adjustments
Templates are a starting point, not a constraint. Easily adjust for leave, events, or changing demand before publishing.
Control labour costs
Reuse rosters that hit your budget targets. Templates lock in efficient staffing patterns you can trust.
What are roster templates?
Roster templates are saved shift patterns that can be applied to future weeks or date ranges. Instead of building each roster from scratch, managers save a working schedule as a template and reuse it whenever needed. Templates typically include shift times, roles, break allocations, and optionally staff assignments—providing a consistent starting point that can be fine-tuned before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
- Create a template by building your ideal roster, then saving it with a descriptive name. Apply templates to any future week, making adjustment for exceptions like leave or busy periods. Templates save the shift structure—times, roles, break rules—and optionally staff assignments. Using roster templates →
- Use the "Copy from previous roster" feature to replicate the previous week's entire roster instantly. All shifts, assignments, and break allocations transfer to the new week. You can then make adjustments before publishing. This is the fastest way to create recurring weekly patterns.
- Add shifts by clicking time slots and setting details, or copy existing shifts to duplicate across days. You can also drag shifts to different times or dates, copy shift patterns, and quickly build repeating schedules without recreating each shift manually. Adding shifts on your roster →
- Once rosters are finalized, publish them to make shifts visible to employees. Staff receive notifications via app, email, or SMS. You can publish entire rosters or selective date ranges, and control who sees shifts before they're published. Publishing draft shifts →
- Configure roster defaults including shift colors, break rules, warning thresholds, budget targets, and publishing options. Set preferences for how rosters display, which warnings appear, and how staff are notified of schedule changes. Roster account settings →
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Join 30,000+ Australian businesses using RosterElf to save time with reusable roster templates. Designed for Australian businesses.