Do you ever get the feeling that there is just too much to do in a day?

With the amount of tasks you face when you walk in the door, taking time to write a schedule may be the last thing you want to do.

So why not make life easier for yourself?

If schedule writing seems like a hassle to you, Scheduling Templates may be the answer you’re looking for!

But before we discuss why they can enhance your schedule writing, let’s take a step back and talk about what they are.

What are Scheduling Templates?

You can think of Scheduling Templates as a general outline, or framework, that defines the days and times employees will work.

If an employee, or group of employees, works the same shifts on a recurring basis, you can use Scheduling Templates to set a rotation which will repeat whenever you publish a new schedule.

So the template “tells” the schedule when those employees should work for you - you don’t need to manually enter the shifts each time.

With this basic understanding of what a Scheduling Template is, we’ll look at three reasons why they are so effective for creating your schedule.

For more detailed information about templates, click here!

But why are so many law enforcement agencies using scheduling templates? Well because:

1. Save time
2. Less room for error
3. Easier to modify

Templates save time

This may be the biggest draw for using Scheduling Templates.

Writing a schedule can be extremely time consuming.

So anything you can do to cut time spent creating your schedule will free up time for you to perform other daily duties.

Using a Scheduling Template will save you a significant amount of time even for relatively simple rotations.

Let’s say an employee works M-F 0900-1700.

Instead of having to write that shift in the schedule every time, you can set up a template which will automatically schedule the employee for those days and times.

Below is an image of what a M-F 0900-1700 template would look like:

There is less room for error

It’s only natural for us to make mistakes - we are human after all.

But why not remove one element of human error from your schedule writing?

When creating a schedule by hand, one small oversight can lead to a great deal of confusion and backtracking (and wasted time!).

Once you have your template set up, it is good to go for as long as you need it.

The schedule will reflect your template exactly as you have it set, each and every time.

Templates are easy to modify

Let’s say you have next month’s schedule all written out, and you’re ready to move on to the next task.

But all of a sudden, you find out that one of your employees is changing rotations.

Without an employee template on your side, you now have quite a bit more work on your hands.

But with a template, you can easily go and modify the shifts you created.

You can simply assign the employee to another existing template, or if necessary, create a new one altogether!

The Big Picture

Employee templates can make an otherwise tedious task more manageable (dare I say enjoyable?).

With less scheduling-related mishaps, and the ease of fixing any issues you may run into, Scheduling Templates will save you a great deal of time and frustration.

All that is left is to build your templates, and watch as the hours in the day open up before you!

How can you implement Scheduling Templates?

Templates are included in most scheduling software.

One that handles public safety schedules, and more specifically law enforcement scheduling, is called PlanIt Police.

This system will handle your employee schedules and scheduling related tasks with ease.

Start saving time and check law enforcement scheduling software today!

Learn more about scheduling software that uses Scheduling Templates -

Request a free demo below!

Get all your questions answered in 35-45 minutes.

Read More:

• Pros and Cons - Using Fingerprint Time Clock Scanners in Your Dept.
• Top 3 12-Hour Shift Schedule Examples for Your Department to Evaluate
• 3 Tools Your Police Software Needs for Managing Overtime