Spreadsheets are free. Every manager knows how to use them. For a team of five or six people on predictable shifts, a Google Sheet works fine.

The question is when it stops working - and what it costs you when it does.

What spreadsheets do well

A basic roster in Google Sheets costs nothing. You can share it with the team, color-code shifts, and print it. For cafes with 4-6 staff and a fixed weekly schedule, this is genuinely enough.

Spreadsheets also have zero learning curve. Your staff don't need to download anything. No passwords, no apps, no training.

Where spreadsheets break

The cracks appear around 10 staff. At that point:

  • Version conflicts: two managers edit the same sheet and overwrite each other
  • No notifications: staff find out about shift changes only when they check the sheet themselves
  • No swap requests: "can someone cover Tuesday?" becomes a WhatsApp chain that you manage manually
  • No time tracking: you're running a separate process for clock-ins
  • No labor cost view: you can't see what the week costs until you add it up manually

A team of 14 tracked on color-coded spreadsheets, with one staff member who changed availability mid-week without updating the sheet, produces exactly one outcome: you're understaffed on Saturday night and discover it at 20:00.

What scheduling apps cost

Apps range from €20 to €100 per month depending on team size and features. At the low end, you get scheduling and notifications. At the higher end, you get time tracking, payroll integration, and multi-location support.

At €40/month with 10 staff, that's €4 per person per month. One avoided shift conflict - or one hour of manager time saved per week - covers it.

The decision criteria

Stay with a spreadsheet if: your team is under 8 people, your schedule repeats weekly without much variation, and you don't need time tracking or shift swaps.

Switch to an app if: you manage 10+ staff, your schedule changes week to week, staff request swaps regularly, you run multiple locations, or you've had payroll errors from scheduling mistakes.

The cost of a missed shift isn't just the one shift. It's the scramble to fill it, the service gap while you do, and the staff frustration from last-minute calls.

The migration cost

Switching takes an afternoon, not a week. Most apps let you import staff by CSV or email invite. Set up your locations, add your staff, build the first week's schedule. That's the bulk of setup.

The harder part is behavior change - getting staff to use the app instead of texting you. That takes a week or two of consistent enforcement.

Rezano handles scheduling, shift swaps, and time tracking in one place. Setup takes under 10 minutes. Try it at rezano.lv.