Security roster template, 24/7 cover for every site
A security roster plans round-the-clock guard cover for every site and post. Pick a 12-hour 4-on-4-off, a 2-2-3 Panama or an 8-hour rotation, put guards into crews, and this template builds four weeks of shifts, checks each post’s cover shift by shift and highlights licences about to expire.
Projecting the cycle and checking licences by hand?
RosterElf rosters repeating 24/7 patterns, lets guards clock in by GPS or kiosk with a photo, and reminds you before licences expire. Expired documents never block rostering; the call stays yours.
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What’s in the file
- A Setup tab: 12-hour 4-on-4-off, 2-2-3, 8-hour or your own
- Sites and posts, with the guards each shift needs
- Licence and first-aid expiry flagged within 30 days
- A 4-week roster with a coverage check, and an Hours summary
How many guards a 24/7 post needs
One post open around the clock is 24 × 7 = 168 hours a week. At 40 hours a week each, that is 4.2 full-time guards before leave, sick days and training. Rotating patterns round it to four or five crews:
| Pattern | Shift length | Crews per post | Average hours a week | Cycle | Weekends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-hour 4-on-4-off | 12 hours | 4 | 42 | 16 days | About 1 full weekend off in 3 |
| 12-hour 2-2-3 (Panama) | 12 hours | 4 | 42 | 28 days | Every second weekend off, Friday to Sunday |
| 8-hour 3-shift rotation | 8 hours | 5 | 33.6 | 35 days | 2 full weekends off in every 5 |
In the example each crew starts four days after the one before, so one guard is on the gatehouse every day and every night. Take a guard out and the coverage check marks each shift that post is short. List every post and the guards it needs on the Sites & posts sheet, then give each guard a crew and a post on the 4-week roster.
Next week’s roster from this week’s, in one click
For when copying the sheet every week becomes the job.
Save a week as a template and copy it forward
- Save any roster as a reusable template
- Copy last week’s roster instantly
- Clone individual shifts across days
- Staff see their shifts on the iPhone and Android app
More roster templates and guides
The workbook counts shifts and hours only. It does not calculate pay, and it does not check fatigue, rest breaks or maximum hours. Licence dates are highlighted, never enforced. Check the Security Services Industry Award on fairwork.gov.au and licences with your state regulator. Disclaimer.
Security roster template FAQ
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Split the day into two 12-hour shifts or three 8-hour shifts, work out how many guards each post needs on each, and put guards into crews that rotate through a repeating pattern. Four crews cover a post on 12-hour shifts and five on 8-hour shifts. Then check every post is covered on every shift and each guard’s licence is current.
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Guards work four 12-hour shifts, then have four days off. In this template a crew works four days, four off, four nights and four off, so the cycle is 16 days. Four crews, each starting four days after the one before, cover one post 24/7, and each guard averages 42 hours a week.
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About 4.2 full-time guards before leave. One post open around the clock is 24 × 7 = 168 hours a week. At 40 hours a week each, 168 ÷ 40 = 4.2. Rotating rosters round that to four crews at 42 hours or five at 33.6 hours, and you still need relief for leave, sick days and training.
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Most security officers, crowd controllers and patrol staff are covered by the Security Services Industry Award 2020 (MA000016). It sets minimum rates by classification level, plus penalty rates for night shifts, weekends and public holidays. Our Security Award pay rates guide has the current rates and a calculator.
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No. The Hours summary counts day, night and weekend shift hours for each guard, but it doesn’t calculate pay, penalty rates or allowances. Apply the rates in our Security Award pay rates guide.