How should you roster a grooming team?
25 August 2026·1 min read
A roster is a capacity plan, not just a record of when people prefer to work. It should place the right mix of skills where demand and shared resources can use them.
Start with the work pattern
Look at arrivals, pickups, service mix, busy days, quiet periods and the stages that need overlap. Roster for the whole flow, including cleaning, calls, handovers and close.
Match skills to booked work. A day with enough people can still fail if nobody available can safely deliver a particular service or handle the dogs booked to them.
Make availability honest
Keep contracted hours, agreed availability, leave, breaks and non-grooming duties visible before clients see bookable time. Do not depend on someone staying late as a routine capacity setting.
Publish rosters with enough notice for the team to raise conflicts. Set one process for changes so the calendar and the person’s expectation do not drift apart.
Confirm the current award or agreement before setting ordinary hours, breaks, overtime and change rules. The Fair Work Ombudsman identifies the Miscellaneous Award for pet groomers in a standalone grooming business; retail, veterinary or mixed employers may differ.
Sample-week check: every shift has opening and closing cover, booked skill cover, real breaks, training time, leave cover and one named responder for arrivals, phones and incidents. Put dogs, dryers and tables beside people before publishing availability.
Review what the roster produced
Compare planned labour with the work completed, delays and idle constraints. Move hours where the pattern supports it; do not rebuild the whole week around one exceptional day.
Seglo note: Team scheduling can keep working hours and appointment availability aligned.