Planning staffing, cover and overtime
Turn workload into the staff-hours you need, allow for leave, training and absence, build a rota that keeps skills and rest covered, share overtime fairly and know when it's a sign the plan is wrong, and make an evidenced case for more cover. Working-time and overtime rules are covered as awareness with US and UK examples; HR and payroll decide pay and status.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 60 minutes
- Contents
- 4 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 1 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Calculate the staff-hours and full-time equivalents a workload needs, stating the assumptions
- Work out the hours actually available after leave, training and expected absence (shrinkage)
- Build or check a rota for minimum cover, critical skills and rest between shifts
- Allocate overtime fairly and recognize when sustained overtime means the plan needs changing
- Escalate working-time and pay-status questions to HR or payroll instead of deciding them yourself
- Prepare an evidence-based request for extra cover or headcount with options
Course outline
- 1.Planning staffing, cover and overtimeVideo · 3 min
- 2.From workload to staff-hoursLesson · 16 min
- 3.Rotas: cover, skills and restLesson · 15 min
- 4.Overtime: fair, lawful and a signalLesson · 16 min
- 5.Making the case for coverLesson · 13 min
- 6.Planning staffing, cover and overtime: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 18 questions
- 7.Planning staffing, cover and overtime: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Saturdays againScenario
- 9.Final exam11 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Overtime Pay (FLSA; US example)
- GOV.UK: Maximum weekly working hours (UK example)
- GOV.UK: Rest breaks at work (UK example)
- General people-leadership practice for team leads and managers
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.