Labour Demand & Coverage

Know how many people each shift needs before you roster.

Inside Labour Demand & Coverage sets base manning for every outlet and role, and uses demand drivers such as covers, room nights, revenue or events to size busier periods. The Shift Planner then shows each day as Covered, Partial, Open or Over, so managers fix gaps before the roster is published.

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Most rosters copy last week, not next week's demand.

Managers know a full house or a 300-cover Saturday needs more people, but the roster rarely shows it. Without a clear minimum by role, outlets run short on busy days and carry extra hours on quiet ones, and nobody can see either until the shift starts.

How it works

  1. Set base manning. The minimum number of people each role needs per day or shift, for every outlet.
  2. Add demand. Enter or import the forecast by day, hour or service period, or let demand drivers convert volume into staff, for example one server per 20 covers.
  3. See the requirement. The labour requirement by role and day is shown in the Shift Planner.
  4. Roster to it. Coverage pills show where the roster is short or over, and Smart Fill drafts against the requirement.
Hotel demand drivers become staffing: room nights drive housekeeping room attendants, covers drive F&B servers, bartenders and cooks by service period, banquet events drive banquet servers and stewards, and opening hours set minimum cover for front office and engineering. Together they form the labour requirement by role, day and shift.

What's included

  • Base manning

    Set minimum cover for each role at each outlet, so every roster starts from a floor that keeps service and safety covered.

    Used by: department heads, operations

  • Demand Forecast

    View and edit demand daily, hourly or by service period. Override any value, and import or export the forecast as a file.

    Used by: operations, revenue and F&B teams

  • Demand drivers

    Convert covers, revenue, room nights or transactions into staffing with simple ratios, mapped to the outlets they affect.

    Used by: operations

  • Demand heatmap

    See the week by day-part, with busier periods shaded darker, so you can spot the peaks before rostering.

    Used by: managers

  • Coverage in the Shift Planner

    Filled versus required for every role and day, using the same status labels everywhere: Covered, Partial, Open, Over.

    Used by: managers, operations

What each team gets

  • ManagersA roster sized to the week ahead, not the week behind.
  • OperationsThe same minimum cover rules across every outlet.
  • FinanceFewer surplus hours on quiet days.

Frequently asked questions

What data does it use?

Base manning you set, plus forecast values you enter or import, or volumes such as covers, room nights, revenue or transactions converted by demand drivers.

Do we need a separate forecasting system?

No. You can start with base manning alone and add a forecast file or demand drivers when you're ready.

Can housekeeping and banquets plan differently from F&B?

Yes. Each department and outlet can use its own drivers, such as room nights for housekeeping or events for banquets. This is set up with your team during onboarding.

Does it change the roster automatically?

No. It sets the requirement. Managers or Smart Fill build the roster, and managers publish.

See how Inside fits the way your operation runs.

Tell us about your outlets, workforce mix and current tools. We'll show you the workflows that matter to your team.

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