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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.

Updated 17 Oct 2026

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.

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