How to schedule company employees' hours with Sesame HR

3 of June, 2025

In many businesses, scheduling shifts can be a laborious task that requires a considerable amount of time. Therefore, having a schedule planner in the entity can help to streamline this process in the HR department.

Do you want to know how a weekly schedule template works? If you still don’t know how a time control software can help you, let us explain everything you need to know. Take note!

Schedule planner: What is it?

A schedule planning software is a computer tool designed to simplify the creation and assignment of work schedules for a company’s employees.

These programs aim to simplify and automate the programming process, helping the Human Resources team to allocate tasks and shifts more efficiently.

Features of a schedule planning software

Some of the common features that schedule planning softwares usually have include:

They allow for long-term planning automation, creating schedules almost automatically.
Facilitates staff availability management or the organization’s needs.
Sends reminders and notifications to the staff about their schedules and any changes made to them.
They can integrate with other HR systems.
Helps to submit and manage time-off requests from the staff, for easier approval or rejection.
They provide a more effective hour control by automation, thus facilitating labor monitoring.
They are flexible, adapting to different business models.
They allow for generating reports to evaluate operational efficiency and resource usage.
They are intuitive and easy to use for both managers and staff.
They comply with labor regulations.

Steps to plan the weekly schedule of workers

Once you understand what a schedule planner is, it is useful to know how to manage work schedules effectively and without causing problems with the staff.

The steps to create a weekly schedule template or similar include:

Study the needs of the entity

The first thing to evaluate and understand thoroughly is what the work demand is during the week. This way, one can identify the peaks and valleys of activity to determine when more staff will be needed and schedule their work times accordingly.

You will also need to understand the availability of your team, based on days off, schedules, and availability. Surveys or modules can collect this necessary information.

Use scheduling tools

Certain scheduling tools or HR software, such as those offered by Sesame HR, can make it much easier to create a weekly schedule template. These tools can automate part of the process and make certain adjustments easier.

Distribute responsibilities and shifts

Each team member needs to be assigned specific tasks and responsibilities, in addition to having their schedule set. These should correspond to each person’s competencies.

The distribution should be equitable and align with the company’s workload. A schedule planner helps achieve a more equitable shift distribution.

Choose the type of shift you want to implement

Depending on the type of company and industry, it may be interesting to have a rotating weekly schedule template for different times of the day or week. This impacts the labor flexibility in programming and planning to adapt to changes and unforeseen circumstances.

Communicate the schedule

Once the schedule has been made, it should be communicated to the employees. Clear communication of the schedule planner and the schedules themselves will prevent possible confusion, ensuring the team’s availability.

When making the weekly schedule template or other type, you need to take into account any vacation requests or days off that have been made.

Regularly review schedules and regulatory compliance

To gauge the effectiveness of the schedule planner, you should review it regularly and get feedback from the staff. This way, you’ll know whether it’s working well or not and whether it aligns with your team’s availability.

You need to make sure you are complying with labor laws and the regulations that exist for schedule planning, which includes work hour limits, rest periods, and overtime.

Nonetheless, schedule planning is an ongoing process that should adapt to the changing needs of the company and employees. Flexibility and effective internal communication are key to success in this aspect of human resources management.

How to use Sesame HR to plan schedules

Sesame HR features a schedule planner that helps businesses create and manage efficient and balanced work schedules. To use it, follow these steps:

Create a Sesame HR account, you can request a 14-day demo.
Set up shifts in the “Shifts” functionality and then enter the information with the shift name and schedule.
Assign shifts to employees.
Publish the schedules once finished.

Besides, the Sesame HR’s schedule planner software offers the following functionalities:

Shift assignment only once or periodically.
Visualization of work schedule templates.
Real-time notifications to employees through app or email.
It allows for integrating breaks into the schedule.

Sesame HR is an efficient and balanced schedule planner. To learn how to use our HR software correctly, check out our blog. Take note of all we have to say!

Professional with over 20 years of extensive experience in various areas of Human Resources (Recruitment, Training, Occupational Risk Prevention, and Personnel Management). Experience in the Management Department: Broad understanding of the company and HR.

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cristinamartin

HR Content Specialist

How to schedule company employees’ hours with Sesame HR