Shift roster in Excel or software: when is a spreadsheet not enough?
In short
- An Excel template works as a shift roster (työvuorolista) when it shows start and end times, days off and break times (Working Hours Act työaikalaki 30 §, MaRa TES 9 §) and is visible a week before the period.
- Excel limits rest on your formulas: 11 hours of rest between shifts unless agreed otherwise (MaRa TES 7 § 4), at most seven working days between days off, at most 15 in the period (MaRa TES 8 §).
- A published roster may not change without employee and employer consent (MaRa TES 9 §); roster or working-time records are kept until the claim period ends (työaikalaki 30 and 32 §).
- A spreadsheet suffices when shifts repeat and changes are few; software helps when each change needs checking and recording.
What is a shift roster and what is required of it?
A shift roster (työvuoroluettelo in the Working Hours Act) is the written plan of when each employee starts and finishes work. The Act (872/2019) requires one (30 §); the restaurant agreement MaRa TES adds days off (9 §).
Where the limit bites: closing ends at 24:00, opening starts at 10:00, leaving 10 hours. MaRa TES 7 § 4 requires 11 unless agreed otherwise with the employee, and even then at least 8.
Closing shift followed by opening shift
- Evening supplement 18:00–24:00
- at least 11 h
The law requires break times (30 §), the agreement days off (9 §); MaRa TES restaurants meet both, not in pencil (9 §).
Is an Excel template enough as a shift roster?
Yes: työaikalaki 30 § and MaRa TES 9 § set content and timing, and pencil is banned, but neither prescribes a tool.
Strengths:
- Familiar; no training.
- The whole three-week period (kolmiviikkoisjakso) is visible at a glance; a printout can go on a notice board or similar place (MaRa TES 9 §).
- Times, days off and breaks get their own columns; a formula totals the hours.
What must be checked for every shift and period?
Shifts are checked for length and rest (MaRa TES 7 § 3–4), the period for working days and days off (8 § 1–2).
| Check | Limit | Source | In a spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift length | 4–10 h; shorter on request or justified reason, longer with consent | MaRa TES 7 § 3 | one formula per row |
| Rest between shifts | 11 h, at least 8 if agreed | MaRa TES 7 § 4 | previous shift's end, across midnight |
| Working days in the period | at most 15 | MaRa TES 8 § 1 | a counter for the period |
| Days off | V at least 30 h in every full week, X at least 24 h | MaRa TES 8 § 2 | hours across days |
| Working days between days off | at most 7 | MaRa TES 8 § 2 | days across the week boundary |
When is an Excel template no longer enough?
When checks are manual at every change and each published version must be shown later. Totals match, but a limit can break between them.
Example. A cook, period 12.10.2026–01.11.2026, every shift 7.5 hours. The period has 15 working days and 112.5 hours, so the totals look right. Yet the run from Tuesday 13.10.2026 reaches Tuesday 20.10.2026, the eighth day, and at most seven are allowed between days off (MaRa TES 8 § 2).
Totals correct, eighth working day in a row
| Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly rest day | Workday | Workday | Workday | Workday | Workday | Workday | 45 h |
| Workday | Workday, Breaks the rule | Weekly rest day | Workday | Workday | Extra day off | Workday | 37,5 h |
| Workday | Workday | Workday | Workday | Weekly rest day | Extra day off | Extra day off | 30 h |
- Weekly rest day
- Workday
- Extra day off
- Breaks the rule
Second, changes. The law allows changing a published roster with the employee's consent or for a compelling reason related to work arrangements (työaikalaki 30 §). MaRa TES mentions no compelling reason:
A shift roster may not be changed without the consent of the employee and the employer.
If the file is overwritten, only the latest version shows; an agreed change is not kept without a separate record. Rosters are kept at least until the claim period ends unless the information is in the working-time records (työaikalaki 30 §). More on the roster topic page.
How Plana helps
Plana builds the three-week roster under MaRa TES and the Working Hours Act. The TES check covers every shift as you plan: 11 hours of rest, at most seven working days in a row, weekly rest, period hours and days. A shift that breaks the law does not save. Auto-schedule fills a three-week draft from the saved staffing need, respecting contracts, wishes and the TES, without changing shifts or publishing. A change to a published shift applies only once the employee accepts it; every change and acceptance is recorded. Hours go to the accountant by Procountor export. A free trial starts when you sign up.
- Auto-scheduleOne click fills the period to your needs. You decide which suggestions stay.
- TES checkRest times, days in a row and period hours are checked as you plan. An illegal shift won't save.
- Hours to your accountantProcountor export and a direct accountant connection. No copying hours by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Työaikalaki 872/2019, 30 § Työvuoroluettelo (Finlex)
- Työaikalaki 872/2019, 32 § Työaikakirjanpito (Finlex)
- Työaikalaki 872/2019, 40 § Kanneaika (Finlex)
- Matkailu-, ravintola- ja vapaa-ajan palveluita koskeva työntekijöiden työehtosopimus 2025–2028, 3. Työaika: 7 § ja 8 §
- MaRa TES, 3. Työaika: 9 § Työvuorolista