Two people on, twenty-six dogs arriving
It is the Saturday at the start of August. The rota was drawn up a month ago. Two people are on the morning shift, which matched last year. What the rota did not know is that twenty-six dogs arrive and nineteen go home that morning, three cats need medication at set times, one of them insulin that only two of your staff are trained to give, and neither of those two is on.
The owner comes in on their day off, a part-timer is rung at 7am, and everyone gets through it. It is the fourth weekend in a row that has gone that way.
A rota that cannot see the diary
Rotas in kennels are usually built from availability, habit and memory, with the booking diary checked roughly if at all. The busyness of a day depends on things a spreadsheet rota does not know about.
- Changeover days have far more work than a normal day with the same number of dogs.
- Pets on medication or special handling need people with particular skills.
- Daycare and grooming add to the load on certain days.
- Staff holidays are booked months ahead without seeing future occupancy.
- Casual and seasonal staff availability lives in text messages.
What an under-staffed day costs
When a day is short-staffed, the jobs that get cut are the ones that make a stay good: longer walks, play sessions, time with nervous dogs, owner updates. Mistakes creep in during rushed rounds. People who stay late regularly get tired, and good staff leave.
Over-staffing a quiet week costs too, just more quietly. Without the numbers, most kennels over-staff out of caution, which is understandable and expensive.
A rota planner driven by bookings
We build a rota planner that works out what each day needs from the diary and then helps you fill it.
- Bookings, daycare and grooming are read in for the weeks ahead, with arrivals, departures and pets needing medication or special handling counted per day and per shift.
- You set the rules: how many staff per number of dogs, extra cover on changeover mornings, and which tasks need a trained person.
- Staff records hold skills and training, such as medication sign-off, injections and handling nervous dogs.
- The planner shows each shift's need beside who is rostered, with gaps in numbers or skills highlighted.
- Holiday requests are shown against future need, so you can see before agreeing to one whether it leaves a peak day short.
- Casual staff get shift offers by text with a link to accept, and accepted shifts go straight on the rota.
| Rota question | Spreadsheet | Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Is Saturday covered? | Looks like it | Short by one person and one skill |
| Can Sam have the 12th off? | Probably | Yes, occupancy is low that week |
| Who can do the insulin cat? | Ask around | Two names, one on shift |
| Which casuals are free? | Text everyone | Offers sent, accepted list shown |
Contracts, hours, pay and employment rules stay with you and your adviser. The planner shows the need and who is available. It does not make employment decisions.
A rota you can trust in August
In early July, the planner shows the first Saturday of August short by one person on the morning shift and missing an insulin-trained member of staff. You swap two shifts, offer an extra morning to a casual who accepts that evening, and the gap disappears a month before it would have hurt.
Does your rota know about your bookings?
- The rota is planned from last year rather than from this year's bookings.
- Changeover days regularly need someone called in.
- Skilled tasks depend on the right person happening to be on.
- Holiday requests are approved without seeing future occupancy.
- Casual staff are booked through individual text messages.