sheet 7·team and schedule
Scheduling seasonal and on-call staff without spreadsheets and group chats
Collect everyone’s availability before the season starts, decide each week in a fixed order who teaches which lesson and give staff one place for their schedule and time off. In the Netherlands, call in on-call staff at least four days ahead; the law requires it. Then you no longer send a group message round every Sunday evening.
Why does a seasonal schedule get stuck?
At a surf school, sailing school or outdoor business the work changes every week. Two instructors in May, twelve in August. Some are students, some also work elsewhere. The groups each have their own needs: German-speaking, children, advanced. A spreadsheet does not know those needs. A group chat does not remember who asked for time off when.
The result: lessons with guests and no instructor, which you only notice on Friday.
What do you settle before the season starts?
- Availability per staff member, per week or per period. Ask once for the whole season and let additions come in the same way.
- Skills and certificates: teaching qualifications, first aid, a skipper’s licence. Note the expiry date of certificates.
- Languages: who can teach in German or English.
- Rate: per hour, half day or day. Agree it before someone starts, so the hours add up later.
- Registering as an employer: in the Netherlands you register with the tax authority as an employer; in Belgium you file a Dimona declaration for every start of employment, also for students and flexi-jobs. Other countries have their own rules.
How do you decide who teaches which lesson?
Work through the same order every week. First what is required, then what is better:
| Order | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are they available and not already scheduled? | no time off, no other lesson at that hour |
| 2 | Do they hold the required certificates, still valid on the day? | first aid does not expire before the lesson |
| 3 | Do they already know the group? | the same instructor for the whole camp |
| 4 | Do they speak the guests’ language? | a German family gets a lesson in German |
| 5 | Do they have the preferred skill? | experience with children or advanced surfers |
| 6 | Is the work fairly spread? | whoever had the fewest hours this week goes first |
Planning this way lets you hand the schedule to a colleague. The choices are written down, readable for everyone.
How far ahead must on-call staff know?
In the Netherlands, at least four days. Under article 7:628a of the Civil Code an on-call worker does not have to come when you announce the times later. When you withdraw a call within four days, they are entitled to the pay for it. A collective agreement can shorten the period to 24 hours. An on-call worker who works less than three hours is in many cases still entitled to three hours’ pay. After twelve months you must offer them a fixed number of hours.
The Dutch zero-hours contract is going away. The Act on more security for flexible workers enters into force on 1 January 2028, according to the Bulletin of Acts. After that you work with a contract with a range of hours: a minimum and a maximum that are at most 30 percent apart. Side jobs of pupils, students and pensioners are exempt.
Belgium has its own scheme for students. For the first 650 hours a year you pay low solidarity contributions. Check per student how many hours they already worked that year.
How do you handle time off without arguments?
Agree on one channel and one notice period. For example: report time off at least a week ahead, in the app, and only for a day you are not scheduled yet. Anything within that week you discuss in person. Everyone knows where they stand and you never search through messages from three weeks ago.
Planning the season in Superota
The whole season sits on one screen as a calendar, with the number of lessons with guests per day and an orange count for lessons without a staff member. Click a day or week and let Superota propose staff. The proposal follows the order in the table above: availability and required skills first, then who knows the guests, speaks the language, has the preferred skills and had the fewest hours. You see the reasons per name; you decide. Dragging works too.
Staff put the staff app on the home screen of their phone. They see their lessons with meeting point, colleagues and participants. The Today screen stays readable without signal on the beach. They report time off in the app, at least seven days ahead and only for a moment when they are still free; it is recorded straight away and you see it on the dashboard. Superota warns you in time when a certificate expires.
You create hours from the schedule in one click, per lesson day of each assignment. You approve them and download a monthly overview in Excel or a CSV for your payroll. There is no direct link with a payroll package.
Questions and answers
- How far ahead must on-call staff know their schedule in the Netherlands?
- At least four days. An on-call worker does not have to come when the times are announced later, and when you withdraw a call within four days they are entitled to the pay for it (article 7:628a of the Dutch Civil Code). A collective agreement can shorten this to 24 hours.
- Is the Dutch zero-hours contract going away?
- Yes. Under the Dutch Act on more security for flexible workers, a contract with a minimum and maximum number of hours replaces it from 1 January 2028. Side jobs of school pupils, students and pensioners are exempt.
- How many hours can a student work in Belgium under student employment?
- The low solidarity contributions apply to the first 650 hours a year; above that, normal social security contributions apply. Every start of employment is reported with a Dimona declaration.
- How do you make a good schedule for a season?
- Start with everyone's availability, then add the lessons with guests and choose per lesson who speaks the language, holds the right certificates and already knows the group. Publish the schedule well before the notice period and let time off run through one fixed channel.