Why it helps
Doing the roster is a weekly puzzle. Who can't do Tuesdays, who wants more hours, who has uni on Thursday, and how many people you need for the Saturday rush. It's easy to spend an hour moving names around and still end up with a gap.
AI is good at the first draft. Give it your opening hours, how many people you need when, and each person's availability and hours, and it lays out a roster as a table. You then check it against what you know: employment agreements, breaks, public holidays and the people themselves. It doesn't replace your rostering app or your judgement, but it gets you past the blank page.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I run a [type of business] in [town], New Zealand. Draft a weekly roster for the week starting [date]. Opening hours: [days and times] Staff needed: [for example 2 people from open to 11am, 3 from 11am to 2pm, 2 until close] Staff (first names only): - [Name]: [days and times available], [agreed or minimum hours per week], [role, e.g. barista, kitchen] - [Name]: ... Rules: - Show the roster as a table: one row per person, one column per day, with start and finish times. - Don't roster anyone outside the availability I've given. - Stay within each person's agreed hours. If you can't, say so. - Leave room for rest and meal breaks on longer shifts, but don't state legal break rules. I'll check those myself. - Add a total hours column. - Under the table, list any gaps you couldn't fill and any problems you notice. - Don't invent staff, hours or rules. Use NZ English.
Then keep chatting
[Name] can't do Saturday now. Redo the roster and show what changed.
Mark which shifts are on a public holiday this week.
Show the total staff hours per day so I can check it against my wage budget.
Write a short, friendly message to the team with the roster attached.
Step by step
- Gather the basics: opening hours, how many staff you need at different times, and each person's availability and agreed hours.
- Use first names only. Leave out phone numbers, pay rates, visa details and anything personal.
- Paste it all into the prompt and run it.
- Check the draft properly: agreed hours in each employment agreement, rest and meal breaks, any minimum hours, and whether the week includes a public holiday.
- Ask for changes in plain words ("Sam wants Monday off", "swap Aroha and Ben on Friday"), then copy the final version into your rostering app or spreadsheet and share it as usual.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Breaks and public holidays have rules under the Employment Relations Act and the Holidays Act. Check what applies at employment.govt.nz, and don't rely on AI to get it right.
- Employment agreements: check each person's agreed hours, days and any availability provisions in their written agreement. If someone has guaranteed hours, the roster needs to meet them.
- Privacy: use first names only. Don't paste pay rates, phone numbers, IRD numbers, health or visa details, or reasons someone isn't available.
- AI can make adding-up mistakes. Check the totals and the gaps yourself before you publish the roster.
Go further
Save your opening hours and staff list as a reusable prompt, so each week you only paste in changes. If you use a rostering app like Deputy, Tanda or Homebase, keep it as the place the final roster lives, and use AI for the thinking and the team message.
