Staff scheduling: template, Belgian rules and software

Published on 20/08/2026 · By Federica García, Eazyclick.

A poorly maintained staff schedule costs you: an unstaffed shift, two salespeople for one customer, shift swaps agreed in a messaging group and forgotten the next day. This guide explains how to build a clear schedule, what Belgian law requires for variable hours, a simple template to use and when to switch to software.

What is a staff schedule?

A staff schedule is the table showing who works, when and in which role, day by day and week by week. It helps cover your opening hours and busy periods, distribute hours fairly and let every team member know their shifts early enough to plan ahead.

In a shop, restaurant, salon or practice, the schedule also determines how many customers you can serve: without an available hairdresser, no appointment is possible.

How do you create a staff schedule?

Start with your staffing needs for each time slot (opening, peaks, closing), list everyone's availability and contracts, then assign shifts, covering critical slots first. Publish it early enough, collect swap requests and keep a record of changes.

The steps, in order:

1. Measure demand. How many people do you need each hour on each day? Your till or booking figures tell you more than intuition.
2. Gather the constraints. Contracts (full-time, part-time, student), availability, approved leave and skills (who opens, who closes, who can do what).
3. Assign shifts. Cover essential slots first, then the rest, sharing weekends and evenings fairly.
4. Publish. Everyone should see the same up-to-date schedule on their phone.
5. Manage changes. Swaps and unavailability go through an approved request, rather than a lost message.

What does Belgian law say about communicating working hours?

For a part-time worker on variable hours, the employer must provide the schedule in dated written form at least 7 working days in advance, unless a sectoral collective agreement sets a shorter period (at least 3 working days). It may be sent electronically if the method is reliable, appropriate and accessible.

Deviations from scheduled hours must also be recorded in a reliable time tracking system or a document meeting specific conditions. Source: FPS Employment, “Part-time work: variable working hours”. Possible working schedules must also appear in your work regulations. Your payroll and social administration provider knows the rules of your joint committee: check with them before changing your arrangements.

Which staff scheduling template should you use?

The simplest template is a weekly grid: one row per team member, one column per day, with the start time, end time and role in each cell. Add the number of people present per time slot at the bottom to spot gaps and overstaffing at a glance.

Example rows for a bakery:

• Sarah (full-time): Monday 6–14 sales, Tuesday off, Wednesday 6–14 sales, Thursday 11–19 sales, Friday 11–19 sales, Saturday 6–13 sales
• Tom (variable part-time): Wednesday 14–19, Saturday 7–13, Sunday 7–12

Date each published version: it is the reference if questions arise about the schedule that was communicated.

Excel or scheduling software: which should you choose?

A spreadsheet is enough for a small team with fixed hours. Software becomes useful when schedules change weekly, the team grows beyond four or five people, or appointments depend on who is present. It publishes the schedule to phones, records changes and prevents duplicate entry.

Selection criteria:

• The price per employee. Many tools charge for every person scheduled: calculate the cost including students and casual staff.
• Publishing. Everyone should receive their schedule without installing an app or creating another account.
• Swap requests and unavailability, approved by the manager.
• The connection with appointments if you take bookings: a schedule change should open or close the slots offered online.

How do you schedule your team with Eazyclick?

With Eazyclick's Team scheduling module, drag and drop shifts onto a grid of days and team members, then publish the week in one click: everyone receives their schedule by email and views it on their phone through a secure link, with no app or account to create.

Swap and unavailability requests require your approval. If you take online appointments with Bookings & appointments, published hours open and close the slots offered to clients: no appointments are accepted when nobody is there.

The module costs €290 to set up, then €59/month over 12 months or €49/month over 24 months excl. VAT, priced per website with unlimited members: no per-employee charge. It does not handle payroll or statutory leave, which remain with your payroll and social administration provider. To track time spent per project rather than working hours, see our timesheet guide.

How do you manage absences and shift swaps?

Manage absences and swaps with a written rule and a single channel: the team member submits a request, the manager approves or rejects it, and the published schedule updates immediately for everyone. A swap agreed by private message without updating the schedule always ends in an unstaffed shift.

Plan backup too: one or two volunteers for cover, contacted first, and a list of everyone's skills so you know who can replace whom.