Guides
Guides to running a roster
Practical guides to rosters, rotas and chore charts: how to set one up, share it fairly and keep it going.
Running a roster
How to make a fair roster
A step-by-step way to share out turns so nobody carries the load and everyone sees it ahead.
Roster vs rota vs schedule
Three words for the same list of who is on and when, and which one to use where.
When someone can’t make it
What to do when someone drops out of a shift: who to ask, what to say, and how to stop it every week.
Roster reminder messages
Reminder messages to copy for volunteers, canteen helpers, staff and housemates, and when to send them.
Duty roster meaning
What a duty roster is, where you see one, and the format that works: dates, duties, names and a few rules.
Rotating roster explained
What a rotating roster is, the two kinds of rotation, and the weekly, fortnightly and monthly patterns most groups use.
Printable vs online roster
Paper, spreadsheet, group chat or a roster app: what each is good at, and the signs it’s time to move online.
Volunteers and community
How to make a volunteer roster
Roles, headcounts, away days and a roster people can check: a volunteer roster that lasts the season.
How often should volunteers be rostered?
Do the sum, watch for burnout, and set a gap between turns that keeps people coming back.
How to organise a meal roster
Set up a meal train for a new baby, an illness or a loss: who cooks, when, and how to drop it off.
Planning a church roster for the year
Plan music, sound, welcomers, kids’ church and morning tea for the year: Easter, Christmas, holidays and how often people are on.
Home
How to split chores fairly
List every job, including the invisible ones, agree the standard, then rotate or own. A method for any household.
Chores by age
A sensible list of chores children can learn at each age, and how to teach and share them out.
Flatmate chores
House rules, a cleaning rota that rotates, bins night and the supplies kitty: chores in a share house.
Sharing care of a parent
How brothers and sisters can share the visits, driving and paperwork for an ageing parent without falling out.
How to set up a school run rota
Share the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up between families: who drives, which days, and what to agree first.
Clubs and schools
Work
A roster for a small team
Rostering three, four or five people: patterns that work, covering when one is away, and keeping it fair.
Rostering experienced people with trainees
Pair new people with experienced ones on the roster: how to set it up, how often trainees should be on, and when to let them go solo.
Make your roster free
Click a day, add people, share one link. No card, no limit on people or dates.