Duty roster
A duty roster that says whose day it is
Some jobs belong to nobody in particular: the duty officer at the counter, the lock-up, the first aider on site. FairTurns rotates them through the people qualified to do them and shows the whole office whose day it is.
Free, with no limit on people or dates. No card.
“Who’s the duty planner today?” shouldn’t need an answer
At the Shire of Yarran, one planner sits at the front counter each morning and another each afternoon, taking walk-in questions about sheds, fences and subdivisions. It is the job everyone agrees matters and nobody wants two days running, because the assessment work piles up while you’re out the front. The roster was a table in a Word document, redone each month by the coordinator, and the questions never stopped: who’s on Thursday, can someone take my Friday, why am I on again.
A duty roster works when three things are plain: who is on today, how the turns have been handed out, and what happens when someone is on leave. Put those in one place everybody can open and most of the questions go away on their own.
How FairTurns keeps a duty roster turning
Each duty is a team
Duty planner, Lock-up, First aider: each duty gets its own team and colour, and a position saying how many people it needs.
Only qualified people
Limit a duty to the people who can do it. The graduate planner can be kept off the counter until they’re signed off.
Turns, counted for you
Fill gives each empty duty to whoever has had the fewest turns in that position, and the Turns booked chart shows where everyone stands.
Leave and training days
People mark the days they’re away, as a stretch or a regular day such as every first Monday of the month, and Fill leaves them off.
Morning and afternoon split
Two dates on the same day, two different people. Or switch on Same person all day if your duty runs morning to close.
On the wall and on the phone
Print the month for the staff room, or switch on the public roster and put the link on the intranet.
Set it up
- 01
Create the duties
Make an organisation for the office and a team for each duty, such as Duty planner.
- 02
Set who can do it
Give each duty a position with its headcount, and limit it to the people who are qualified.
- 03
Add your staff
Invite them by email, or paste a list of names.
- 04
Set the days
Click Monday, add 8:30 till 12:30 and 12:30 till 4:30, choose “Every week on Monday”, and repeat for each weekday.
- 05
Fill a quarter ahead
Press Fill for the next 3 months and check the Turns booked chart.
When you want it to run itself
Pro sends each person their duties for the coming weeks on the day you choose and a reminder before each one. When someone replies that they can’t make it, the team’s moderators are emailed and the next qualified person is put on and asked. Emails go to people who have accepted an invitation.
A$1 a month per organisation, paid 1 to 5 years at a time. See Pro and pricing
Good to know
- Roster a quarter ahead and refill each month. Fill never moves anyone already on, so new starters and leave slot in without upsetting the dates people have planned around.
- Staff don’t pick their own duty days. The coordinator or Fill puts them on, and staff mark the days they’re away.
- Repeats are weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Cycles like four on, four off aren’t a repeat option; add those dates by hand.
- There’s no swap button. Two people who trade a day tell the coordinator, who moves them in the calendar.
Questions
What is a duty roster?
A duty roster lists who does a recurring job on which day, such as the duty officer, the lock-up or the first aider. It rotates the job through a group so it doesn’t always land on the same person.
Can one person hold two duties on the same day?
Yes, as long as the times don’t overlap. Fill won’t put anyone on two duties at the same time, anywhere in your organisation.
How do we handle someone going on long leave?
They mark the leave as Away for a stretch, up to 92 days at a time, and Fill skips them. If their duties are already filled, untick them and run Redistribute; it shows every change before it makes it.
Can the duty roster go on the intranet?
Yes. Switch on the public roster and link to it. It shows names and dates only, never email addresses or away days.
Is the duty roster software free?
Yes. Teams, duties, Fill, Redistribute, away days and the public link are free with no limit on people. Pro adds the emails and automatic cover for A$1 a month per organisation.
Free templates and guides
Duty roster template
A duty roster format with each duty in its own column: open up, lock up, first aid, cash-up.
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.
Similar rosters
Departments and teams
One calendar for every team in the organisation, each in its own colour, with team leads running their own.
On-call for small teams
Weekend and after-hours cover for a small team: whose turn holds the phone, shared out and written down.
Front desk and reception
Opening, closing and Saturday reception shifts handed out by turns, with the week on one page.