Audience
This guide is for people managers and supervisors who use Roubler to build rosters and want to save and reuse roster patterns using templates (for example, Week A/Week B, standard weekly rosters, or seasonal patterns).
Description
Roster templates let you:
- Save an existing roster (for a week or period) as a reusable pattern.
- Apply that pattern to future weeks instead of rebuilding rosters from scratch.
Combine templates with manual edits, standard hours, and Smart Roster to finalise staffing.
Templates help keep rosters consistent across pay periods, reduce manual work, and support “Week A/Week B” or seasonal scheduling approaches.
Steps
1. Open the Roster screen
- Log in to Roubler (web).
- Go to Roster in the left-hand menu.
- Use the location selector to choose the site you’re working on.
Use the date navigation (arrows/date picker) to move to the week you want to use as your template (e.g. a “perfect” week you’ve already built).
2. Build or review the base roster
Before saving a template:
- Make sure the week shows the pattern you want to reuse (correct employees, positions, days and times).
Resolve any obvious issues (e.g. overlapping shifts, incorrect roles) so you’re not saving errors into the template.
You can build the week by:
- Adding shifts one-by-one.
- Copying shifts across days/weeks.
Loading standard hours or applying another existing template and then tweaking.
3. Create a roster template from the current week
The exact labels may vary slightly, but the flow is typically:
- On the Roster toolbar or ellipsis (…) menu, look for Templates.
- Choose Save roster template.
- Set the location and create
- Select the new Template with date range of the week you created it from and click on Edit
- If you would like to rename the Temaple, click on the pencil and set an appropriate name for the template:
- Review the Shifts and make required changes if needed
- Changes are saved automatically after the change is made
4. Apply a roster template to a future week
To use your template:
- From the Roster toolbar or (…) menu, choose Templates.
- Select the template you want from the list and Apply.
- Set the start date for the Range
- Review the roster:
- The Roster will show for locations and Positions, but the shifts will not be assigned
Make any necessary adjustments (for example, swapping staff, adjusting times for holidays, adding extra shifts).
You can use Smart Roster afterwards to fill any unassigned shifts left in the template.
5. Publish the roster
Templates create Draft shifts. Employees only see and are notified about shifts once you publish.
- When you’re satisfied with the week, select Publish (entire week or selected days).
- Confirm the publish action.
Employees will then see their shifts and may receive notifications, depending on your configuration.
Troubleshooting
1. “I can’t see any template options on the Roster screen.”
Likely causes:
- Your permission group may not allow creating or applying templates.
- Your organisation may not be using roster templates in Roubler, or they are centrally controlled.
Actions:
- Confirm with HR/Payroll or your internal Roubler administrator that:
- You have rostering permissions for that location.
Roster templates are enabled and visible for manager roles.
2. “Applying a template didn’t change the roster as expected.”
Check:
- Correct week and location – templates are usually location-specific; make sure you’re in the right site and date range.
- Whether the option you chose replaced existing shifts or added to them; you may still see old shifts that weren’t overwritten.
That you selected the right template if several are similarly named (for example, Week A vs Week B).
If shifts still look incorrect, clear the week (if safe to do so) and re-apply the template, then adjust manually.
3. “I changed a template, but old weeks didn’t update.”
- Templates are snapshots of a roster pattern at the time you saved them.
- Editing a template (or saving a new version) does not retroactively change rosters you already published or created earlier.
If your standard pattern changes:
- Save a new template from a corrected week and use it for future periods.
Manually adjust any already-published rosters as required.
4. “Employees can’t see shifts after I applied a template.”
Usual causes:
- The roster is still Draft.
- The employee’s location or access is wrong.
Actions:
- Confirm the week has been Published.
- Check the employee’s primary location and location access match the rostered site.
Ask the employee to refresh their roster or log out/in.
If they still can’t see shifts, capture screenshots (your roster vs their view) and escalate internally.
Who to contact for help
If you still need help working with roster templates after following this guide, use internal support channels:
HR / Payroll team
Contact HR/Payroll for:
- Decisions about standard hours, overtime rules, and how rosters should align with pay and leave.
Questions about which employees can be rostered at which locations or positions.
Internal Roubler/system administrator or IT/support
Contact your internal Roubler admin for:
- Enabling or configuring roster templates, Smart Roster, and related settings.
- Issues where templates, the Roster screen, and what employees see in the app don’t match expectations.
Reviewing permissions and locations if you can’t access templates or can’t roster certain staff.
Provide examples (location, week, template name, screenshots) so they can investigate and, if needed, escalate to Roubler/MYOB Support on your organisation’s behalf.