Free shift sign-in sheet (Excel)
A printable sign-in and sign-out sheet with a real signature column. For sites where the attendance record has to be physical, signed, and able to double as a fire-roll.
Shift sign-in sheet
Excel format (.xlsx) • Ready to download
No signup required. Works with Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
This template is a record-keeping tool, not legal or payroll advice. It does not calculate minimum wage, holiday pay or statutory sick pay for you, and it does not check working time limits. Check GOV.UK, or take advice, before relying on a spreadsheet for compliance. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
Roster and track hours in one place
A timesheet only records what already happened. Roster the shifts first and the hours record themselves — free, no signup.
What's in this template
A signed physical record of who was on site
A wide signature column
Sized to actually sign in, rather than the two-centimetre box most templates leave.
Time in and time out
Written by the person signing, so both ends of the shift are their own record.
A visitors and contractors block
A separate section beneath the staff rows, with a company column — the people most often missing from a roll call.
Doubles as a fire roll
A printed, signed list of everyone on site is what an evacuation actually needs, and it is the same list.
One A4 landscape page
Print area and header rows already set, so it comes out as one clean page.
Date and location header
Date, site and shift at the top, so a filed stack of sheets stays sortable.
How a sign-in sheet is filled in
Each person writes their own name, times and signature. That is the difference between this and a register a manager fills in — the record is the worker’s own, which is what makes it hard to dispute later.
| Name | Role / company | Time in | Time out | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priya Sharma | Supervisor | 08:55 | 17:02 | ✓ |
| Callum Reid | Warehouse | 11:00 | 19:30 | ✓ |
| D. Whelan | Contractor — Aptus Ltd | 13:00 | 15:45 | ✓ |
The highlighted row is the one people forget. Contractors and visitors are usually outside the payroll system entirely, so if they are not on this sheet there is no record they were on site at all.
How to run a sign-in sheet
Four steps that keep it usable
1. One sheet per shift
Not per day. A single sheet spanning two shifts stops being a reliable picture of who is on site right now.
2. Put it where people pass
By the entrance people actually use. A sheet in the office is a sheet filled in from memory at the end.
3. Include everyone
Staff, agency workers, contractors and visitors. For a roll call the distinction is meaningless.
4. Collect and file it
Take the sheet in at the end of the shift. Left on the clipboard, it becomes tomorrow’s sheet and yesterday is gone.
For pay, transfer the times into the weekly timesheet — the sign-in sheet is the source record, not the payroll document.
Who uses this template
UK sites that need a signed physical record
Construction and site work
Where knowing exactly who is on site is a health-and-safety obligation, not a preference.
Events and venues
Large casual and agency crews, most of whom are not in any payroll system.
Schools and training venues
Signed-in visitors alongside staff, kept as one auditable list.
Just need in and out times without signatures? The daily time clock sheet is a lighter version of the same idea.
Or know who is on site without walking to the clipboard
A signed sheet only tells you who is on site if you are standing next to it. RosterElf shows live attendance from anywhere, with GPS or a fixed kiosk confirming people are where they signed in.
Records and working time
What the sign-in sheet supports
Employee records and UK GDPR
How long to keep each kind of record, and the lawful basis for holding it.
Read the guideTimesheets and working time records
What UK employers must record about hours, and the unpaid time that causes minimum wage breaches.
Read the guideRota laws in the UK
The 48-hour average, the 11-hour daily rest, and what a rota can and cannot require.
Read the guideMore free UK templates and tools
The rest of the set
Free rota templates
Weekly, monthly, rolling and blank staff rotas in Excel — the planning side of the same job.
Browse the rotasHoliday entitlement calculator
Pro-rata 5.6 weeks for part-time, irregular and part-year workers.
Open the calculatorAll free UK tools
Calculators and generators for planning and costing your workforce.
See all toolsSign-in sheet FAQ
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Name, role or company, time in, time out and a signature, with the date, site and shift in the header. Add a separate block for visitors and contractors — they are the people most likely to be on site and least likely to be in any system.
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It is usually the most practical option, provided it is per shift, kept at the entrance and taken out during an evacuation. A sheet covering a whole day, or left inside the building, does not tell you who is currently in it.
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For a disputed record, yes — a signature is harder to attribute to someone else. If you only need a light daily record, initials on the daily clock sheet are quicker and people are more likely to keep it up.
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You need a lawful basis under UK GDPR, but that is not usually consent — legitimate interests or a legal obligation normally covers attendance records. What you do need is to keep it no longer than necessary and to store it securely. See our employee records and UK GDPR guide.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. RosterElf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws and workplace requirements.