Weekola is business rota software for small shift-based teams, not a personal weekly planner or to-do list app. It helps managers run rotas, attendance, shift swaps, timesheets and leave in one place.

Who is Weekola built for?

Weekola is built for cafés, restaurants, pubs, bars, salons, shops, local service teams and small multi-branch businesses with hourly or shift-based staff.

Can I start with rota only?

Yes. You can start with rota software first, then add attendance, shift swaps, timesheets or leave when those workflows become useful.

Do staff need to install an app?

No. Staff can use Weekola from a phone or browser to view shifts, clock in and out, request swaps and manage leave.

Can Weekola replace WhatsApp for staff rotas?

Yes. Weekola replaces rota screenshots, group chat confusion and buried shift swap messages with one published rota and manager-approved changes.

Can Weekola replace an Excel rota template?

Yes. Weekola is an Excel rota template alternative for teams that want one live rota instead of copied cells, spreadsheet versions and manual payroll totals.

Is Weekola a full HR system?

No. Weekola is intentionally focused workforce admin software for rota, attendance, shift swap, timesheet and leave workflows, not a bloated HR suite.

Does Weekola help with timesheets and payroll prep?

Yes. Weekola helps prepare timesheets and exports from attendance records, but it is not a full payroll engine or payroll advice service.

Is Weekola suitable for a team of 5 to 30 staff?

Yes. Weekola is designed around owner-led small teams with roughly 5 to 30 staff who need clearer weekly workforce admin.

How quickly can a small team get started?

Most small teams can create a workspace, add locations, invite staff and start building their first rota in minutes.

Weekola

Get started

Simple rota software for small businesses

Stop managing your team from WhatsApp and spreadsheets.

Weekola is business rota software for small shift-based teams. Replace WhatsApp messages, rota screenshots, spreadsheet versions and month-end timesheet admin with one focused system built for cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars, salons, shops and local services - not another bloated HR suite.

Setup in ~5 minutesNo contract required4 integrated tools

Start your first rota See pricing

Returning user? Log inInvited by your manager? Activate your account

Weekly Rota

Main Branch — w/c 14 Apr

Published

Staff	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
Sarah M.	8–14	8–14	—	8–14	8–14
Tom K.	—	14–20	14–20	14–20	—
Lucy B.	16–22	—	16–22	—	16–22
Raj P.	8–14	8–14	8–14	—	8–14

4 staff · 17 shifts this week

All shifts coveredCovered

Live · Right now

2 on shift

Sarah M. · since 08:02

Tom K. · since 14:00

Raj P. · expected 16:00

Shift swap

Lucy B.Raj P.

Fri 18 Apr · 16:00–22:00

Swap approved

Weekly Rota

Main Branch — w/c 14 Apr

Published

Staff	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
Sarah M.	8–14	8–14	—	8–14	8–14
Tom K.	—	14–20	14–20	14–20	—
Lucy B.	16–22	—	16–22	—	16–22
Raj P.	8–14	8–14	8–14	—	8–14

4 staff · 17 shifts this week

All shifts coveredCovered

Live · Right now

2 on shift

Sarah M. · since 08:02

Tom K. · since 14:00

Raj P. · expected 16:00

Shift swap

Lucy B.Raj P.

Fri 18 Apr · 16:00–22:00

Swap approved

Product definition

What is Weekola?

Weekola is business rota and workforce admin software for small shift-based teams - not a personal weekly planner or to-do list app. It helps owners and managers publish rotas, approve shift swaps, track attendance, prepare timesheets and manage leave without relying on WhatsApp, Excel or a full HR suite.

Explore solutions Read the blog

Replace messy staff admin

Built for the tools small teams outgrow first

Weekola helps small teams replace WhatsApp staff rotas, move beyond an Excel rota template alternative and avoid software that feels heavier than the problem.

Replace WhatsApp rota chaos

Stop using staff rota screenshots, noisy group chats and buried leave messages as your source of truth. Weekola helps you stop managing staff rotas in WhatsApp and keeps last-minute shift swaps visible and manager-approved.

Replace WhatsApp staff rotas

Move beyond Excel rota templates

Avoid spreadsheet versions, copied cells and staff asking for the latest rota. Weekola keeps rotas live and stops payroll hours being rebuilt manually from sheets.

Replace your rota spreadsheet

Avoid bloated HR-suite complexity

Small teams do not need a larger workforce platform to fix rota, attendance, swaps, timesheets and leave. Compare Weekola with broader tools before you choose.

Compare the RotaCloud alternative

Comparing workforce tools? Weekola is a simple Deputy alternative for small teams that want focused rota admin, and a RotaCloud alternative for teams moving away from spreadsheets and group chats.

Pilot access

Available now

No payment setup required

All modules

Included in pilot

Choose the tools your team needs

Leave included

In every workspace

At no extra cost

Start from the pain

Start with the staff admin problem slowing you down

You do not need to roll out every workflow at once. Pick the staff rota, attendance, shift swap, timesheet or leave problem causing the most weekly admin.

I still send rotas in WhatsApp

Move the weekly rota out of screenshots, reminders and side messages.

Choose this path

My rota spreadsheet is getting messy

Replace copied cells and version confusion with one published rota.

Choose this path

I need clearer shift swaps

Give staff a structured way to request cover without losing manager control.

Choose this path

I need to know who actually turned up

Track attendance and clock records without chasing messages after a shift.

Choose this path

Payroll hours take too long to prepare

Use the free payroll hours calculator, then move to timesheets from worked records when manual totals become too slow.

Choose this path

Leave requests get lost in messages

Keep leave visible while planning rotas and approving weekly cover.

Choose this path

What’s inside

Four tools that run your workforce operations

Each tool does one job well - and they share the same data, so nothing needs to be re-entered or copied. Rota feeds attendance. Attendance feeds timesheets. Everything stays in sync.

Rota

Build and publish weekly rotas, share schedules with your team on their phones, and stop managing shifts over text and chat.

Build and publish rotas for any number of locations in minutes
Staff see their shifts the moment you publish - no messages needed
Spot coverage gaps and open shifts before they become problems

Standalone — no other modules required

Explore rota

Shift Swaps

Staff can offer and claim each other's shifts. You approve every swap before it goes ahead — no surprises.

Staff submit swap requests through the platform - no more DM chaos
Structured approval flow gives managers full oversight at every step
Approved swaps are automatically reflected in attendance and timesheets

Requires Rota

Explore shift swaps

Attendance

Staff clock in and out from their phone. You see who's in at a glance and can correct any issues before sign-off.

Staff clock in and out from any device, including mobile browser
Clock-ins automatically matched against the rota - discrepancies surface instantly
Real-time dashboard shows exactly who is on shift right now

Standalone — no other modules required

Explore attendance

Timesheets

Review and approve hours at the end of each pay period. Clock data feeds through automatically — no manual re-entry.

Hours generated automatically from clock records - zero manual work
Regular and overtime hours split and presented clearly
Export to CSV for any payroll processor in seconds

Requires Attendance

Explore timesheets

Full pricing details

RotaAttendanceTimesheets

How it works together

Everything shares the same dataset

Most small businesses run three or four disconnected tools and spend more time copying data between them than actually using it. Weekola works once because all modules share one source of truth.

Build the rota once - attendance and timesheets read from the same schedule.
Staff clock in against their assigned shift - no duplicate data entry.
Timesheets generate automatically from clock records - payroll-ready at month end.
Shift swaps go through a structured approval flow - no more DMs and chat confusion.

Create your workspace

Built for small business realities

For the manager, the owner, and their team

Two different roles. Two different needs. One shared system.

Business owners & managers

Build and publish rotas for one location or many branches
See who clocked in, when, and how long - at a glance
Approve shift swaps and leave requests without a paper trail
Get clean timesheets ready for payroll without manual totalling
Set up staff accounts with one click - they activate themselves
Control what each role can see and do

Staff members

Activate your account through a secure invite link - no admin setup
See your shifts as soon as the rota is published
Clock in and out from any device - including mobile
Request a shift swap and get an answer through the system
Submit leave requests and track your balance
Access your timesheet history whenever you need it

Made for local shift teams

Rota software for cafés, restaurants, salons and shops

Weekola fits the weekly admin rhythm of cafés, coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, bars, salons, barbers, retail shops and local service teams - especially when the rota still lives in a spreadsheet or group chat.

It also suits small multi-branch teams that need clearer rota, attendance and timesheets without a full HR-suite rollout.

Café rota software Restaurant rota software

Trust and reassurance

Built for small teams that need clarity, not another system to manage

Start with one workflow

Start with rota only, then add attendance, swaps, timesheets or leave when useful.

No card to start

Create a workspace and try the rota workflow without entering payment details.

Simple enough for tiny teams

Built for owner-led teams with roughly 5-30 staff, not enterprise rollout projects.

Browser-friendly staff access

Staff can check shifts and take common actions from a phone or browser.

Payroll-prep focused

Weekola helps prepare timesheets and exports; it is not trying to be a full payroll engine.

Anti-bloat by design

Focused on rota/admin workflows, not enterprise HR-suite complexity.

Weekola journal

Practical notes for running a shift-based team

Short, useful articles on rota planning, attendance, timesheets, shift swaps, and leave.

Scheduling29 Jun 2026 5 min read

Staff Availability Rules for Fair Small Business Rotas

Set staff availability rules that protect boundaries, keep scheduling fair, reduce late rota changes, and make unpopular shifts easier to manage.

Cafe manager reviewing staffing notes and labour cost reports beside a laptop.

29 Jun 20266 min read

Overstaffing vs Understaffing: The Real Cost for Small Businesses

Small business owner reviewing connected timesheet, shift swap and leave workflows on a laptop.

29 Jun 20265 min read

Timesheets, Shift Swaps and Leave: A Workflow for Small Businesses

Cafe employee clocking in on a mobile device beside an attendance dashboard.

29 Jun 20265 min read

Employee Attendance Tracking for Small Businesses

Cafe manager reviewing a clear weekly staff rota on a tablet.

29 Jun 20266 min read

How to Build a Staff Rota That Actually Works

In the wild

Replacing the spreadsheet, one team at a time

Real-world signals from owners and managers who want fewer messages, fewer manual totals, and clearer team operations.

We ran shifts on a shared spreadsheet for three years. Switching meant staff stopped messaging me at midnight about swaps - it all goes through the system now.

Jamie K.

Coffee Shop Manager

Bristol

The attendance module alone saves me a couple of hours every month. Staff clock in on their phones, I review and export the timesheet - genuinely that simple.

Maria S.

Restaurant Owner

Manchester

I was sceptical about yet another tool but setup really was about ten minutes. We had the first rota published the same afternoon we signed up.

Paul M.

Retail Store Manager

Edinburgh

Common questions

Small business workforce software, without the enterprise weight

Clear answers for owners and managers moving away from spreadsheets, group chats, and end-of-month manual admin.

Ask a question

What is Weekola?: Weekola is business rota software for small shift-based teams, not a personal weekly planner or to-do list app. It helps managers run rotas, attendance, shift swaps, timesheets and leave in one place.
Who is Weekola built for?: Weekola is built for cafés, restaurants, pubs, bars, salons, shops, local service teams and small multi-branch businesses with hourly or shift-based staff.
Can I start with rota only?: Yes. You can start with rota software first, then add attendance, shift swaps, timesheets or leave when those workflows become useful.
Do staff need to install an app?: No. Staff can use Weekola from a phone or browser to view shifts, clock in and out, request swaps and manage leave.
Can Weekola replace WhatsApp for staff rotas?: Yes. Weekola replaces rota screenshots, group chat confusion and buried shift swap messages with one published rota and manager-approved changes.
Can Weekola replace an Excel rota template?: Yes. Weekola is an Excel rota template alternative for teams that want one live rota instead of copied cells, spreadsheet versions and manual payroll totals.
Is Weekola a full HR system?: No. Weekola is intentionally focused workforce admin software for rota, attendance, shift swap, timesheet and leave workflows, not a bloated HR suite.
Does Weekola help with timesheets and payroll prep?: Yes. Weekola helps prepare timesheets and exports from attendance records, but it is not a full payroll engine or payroll advice service.
Is Weekola suitable for a team of 5 to 30 staff?: Yes. Weekola is designed around owner-led small teams with roughly 5 to 30 staff who need clearer weekly workforce admin.
How quickly can a small team get started?: Most small teams can create a workspace, add locations, invite staff and start building their first rota in minutes.

Getting started

Set up in about five minutes

One guided wizard walks you through your business details, locations, tools, and team - then staff activate their own accounts.

Business details

Name your organisation, set your timezone, and choose your plan modules.

Add locations

Add one branch or many - each with its own timezone and rota.

Invite your team

Add staff by name and email. They receive secure invite links to create their own passwords.

Start scheduling

Build your first rota from day one. Staff see their shifts and can clock in immediately.

Begin setup

Start today

Ready to stop improvising?

Replace the spreadsheet, the group chat, and the end-of-month timesheet scramble with one organised system. Start with the modules you need now - add more as your team grows.

Every module from £12/month. No payment details required to start.

Start free See pricing

Rota management

Live attendance tracking

Shift swap approvals

Payroll-ready timesheets

Leave management - included free