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Build a staff rota that adds up hours and shows the gaps
Every week you redo the rota on paper, someone's double-booked and nobody knows who's on Saturday. Get a reusable rota sheet that totals hours, flags gaps and is easy to share.
The prompt · ChatGPT
Help me build a staff rota. My business: [café, shop, salon] Opening hours: [days and times] Cover needed: [e.g. 2 people weekdays, 3 on Saturdays] Staff: [for each: name, contracted hours, availability, skills such as can open up] Rules: [e.g. no one works more than 5 days in a row] First ask me up to 4 short questions. Wait for my answers. Then: 1. A draft rota for next week as a table: days across, shifts down. 2. Gaps and clashes highlighted, with suggestions. 3. A reusable Google Sheets layout: hours per shift, weekly total per person, and a cover check per day, with the formulas. 4. A simple shift-swap rule staff can follow. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts or figures. UK English. Stay in this ChatGPT chat. Do not turn on apps or connectors, and do not use memory from another chat.
A short example
Fill the blanks, then paste. café, shop, salon: a short note you already have. days and times: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.
The prompt · Copilot
Help me build a staff rota. My business: [café, shop, salon] Opening hours: [days and times] Cover needed: [e.g. 2 people weekdays, 3 on Saturdays] Staff: [for each: name, contracted hours, availability, skills such as can open up] Rules: [e.g. no one works more than 5 days in a row] First ask me up to 4 short questions. Wait for my answers. Then: 1. A draft rota for next week as a table: days across, shifts down. 2. Gaps and clashes highlighted, with suggestions. 3. A reusable Google Sheets layout: hours per shift, weekly total per person, and a cover check per day, with the formulas. 4. A simple shift-swap rule staff can follow. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts or figures. UK English. Stay in this Copilot chat. Leave plugins off, and do not open a file from OneDrive.
A short example
Fill the blanks, then paste. café, shop, salon: a short note you already have. days and times: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.
You list your staff, their usual availability and the cover you need each day.
The assistant asks about busy times, minimum cover and who can do what.
You get a draft rota, a reusable sheet layout with hour totals and gap warnings, and a swap rule.
What happens
Use Copilot to build a staff rota that adds up hours and shows the gaps
Every week you redo the rota on paper, someone's double-booked and nobody knows who's on Saturday. Get a reusable rota sheet that totals hours, flags gaps and is easy to share.
Tools
Paste the prompt, fill the blanks, copy the draft.
- Microsoft Copilot — required. Drafts from the text you paste. Nothing is sent.
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