Warehouse shift schedule template: day, swing and night shifts
Warehouses run in shifts that hand over to each other: day, swing, night. The schedule has to keep each shift staffed, overlap at handover and keep people from rotating straight from nights to days. Here is a real week.
What matters for warehouses
Overlap at handover
A 15 to 30 minute overlap between shifts lets the outgoing lead brief the next one. Coverage by hour shows whether the overlap is really there.
Don't flip nights to days
Moving someone from a night shift to the next day's morning shift leaves almost no rest. The rest warning catches it.
Peak days need named people
Add peak Saturday shifts to real people, so their weekly hours and overtime show before the week starts.
Worked example
Day, swing and night shifts with a 30-minute handover overlap and a peak Saturday, minimum rest 10 hours, overtime after 40 hours at 1.5×. Week of 5 - 11 Oct 2026.
| Staff | Mon 5 Oct | Tue 6 Oct | Wed 7 Oct | Thu 8 Oct | Fri 9 Oct | Sat 10 Oct | Sun 11 Oct | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead A | 6:00-14:30 Dock 1 | 6:00-14:30 Dock 1 | 6:00-14:30 Dock 1 | 6:00-14:30 Dock 1 | 6:00-14:30 Dock 1 | 40 h | $960.00 | ||
| Picker A | 6:00-14:30 Zone A | 6:00-14:30 Zone A | 6:00-14:30 Zone A | 6:00-14:30 Zone A | 6:00-14:30 Zone A | 8:00-14:30 Zone A | 46 h | $885.50 | |
| Picker B | 14:00-22:30 Zone B | 14:00-22:30 Zone B | 14:00-22:30 Zone B | 14:00-22:30 Zone B | 14:00-22:30 Zone B | 8:00-14:30 Zone B | 46 h | $885.50 | |
| Lead B | 22:00-6:30 Dock 1 | 22:00-6:30 Dock 1 | 22:00-6:30 Dock 1 | 22:00-6:30 Dock 1 | 22:00-6:30 Dock 1 | 40 h | $1,000.00 | ||
| Picker C | 22:00-6:30 Zone A | 22:00-6:30 Zone A | 22:00-6:30 Zone A | 22:00-6:30 Zone A | 22:00-6:30 Zone A | 8:00-14:30 Zone A | 46 h | $885.50 | |
| Forklift A | 6:00-14:30 Yard | 6:00-14:30 Yard | 14:00-22:30 Yard | 14:00-22:30 Yard | 14:00-22:30 Yard | 40 h | $840.00 | ||
| Total | 48 h | 48 h | 48 h | 48 h | 48 h | 18 h | 0 h | 258 h | $5,456.50 |
What the checker flags
- Picker A: 46 h scheduled, over the 40 h weekly maximum by 6 h
- Picker B: only 9.5 h rest between Fri 9 Oct 14:00-22:30 and Sat 10 Oct 8:00-14:30 (your minimum: 10 h)
- Picker C: only 1.5 h rest between Fri 9 Oct 22:00-6:30 and Sat 10 Oct 8:00-14:30 (your minimum: 10 h)
Coverage by hour
Hours with nobody scheduled: Mon 0:00-6:00, Sat 7:00-8:00, Sat 15:00-24:00, Sun all day. Hours with only one person on: Mon 15:00-22:00, Tue 15:00-22:00. Peak cover: 5 people (Tue 6:00-7:00).
How to set it up in Rotasprig
- Add staff with roles (lead, picker, packer, forklift), rates and weekly maximums.
- Create Day, Swing and Night templates with your overlap built in.
- Use the station field for the zone or dock.
- Check warnings and the labour report, then print by shift.
Limits
- No headcount forecasting from order volume; you decide how many people each shift needs.
FAQ
Can a night shift end the next morning?
Yes. A 22:00–6:30 shift is one overnight shift on its start day, and rest is measured from its real end.
Will it warn if I move someone from nights to days?
Yes, if the gap is under your minimum rest.
Can I export hours for payroll?
The hours and shifts CSV for payroll is a Pro feature.