Employee Schedules
Use the Employee Schedules module to create and manage employee schedules, employee availability, and manager fixed schedules. View and edit schedule details in weekly or daily view. View the projected hourly sales for each day and the standard number of man hours to schedule for each job. Manage employee shifts and job assignments on an interactive graphical grid.
Overview
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1 | Add a Schedule | Add a new employee schedule. |
2 | Search | In the Search field, type criteria to search for an employee record. |
3 | Store # | Store number associated with the schedule. |
4 | Store Name | Name of the store associated with the schedule. |
5 | Begin Date | Date when the schedule begins. |
6 | End Date | Date when the schedule ends. |
7 | Labor % | Percentage of total labor that is attributable to this schedule. This column is only displayed when the Visual Scheduler - Show Labor % option is enabled. |
8 | Completed | Indicates if the approval process is complete. This column is only displayed when the Visual Scheduler - Enable Approval Process option is enabled. |
9 | Approved | Indicates if the schedule is approved. This column is only displayed when the Visual Scheduler - Enable Approval Process option is enabled. |
10 | Approval Deadline | Indicates the date when the schedule must be approved. A warning is displayed if the approval deadline for the schedule has passed. |
11 | 3-dot menu | From the dropdown, select an action to perform on the schedule:
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Things to Know
- What are the differences between the schedule viewing options Weekly View and Daily View?
- How are Fixed Schedules incorporated into an Employee Schedule?
- Is there a way to automatically build an Employee Schedule?
- When editing Employee Schedules, is there a way to discard changes to the current schedule and restore the previous schedule?
- How are potential problems or conflicts identified on an Employee Schedule?
- Is there a way to edit the availability times for individual employees from Employee Schedules?
What are the differences between the schedule viewing options Weekly View and Daily View? | |||||||||
From the upper-right of the toolbar, select the desired schedule viewing option:
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How are Fixed Schedules incorporated into an Employee Schedule? | |||||||||
From the toolbar, select Fixed Shifts to add the Fixed Schedules that have been defined for employees to the currently selected day. Any existing shifts are replaced with the fixed shifts. To define a Fixed Schedule for an employee, see Fixed Schedules. | |||||||||
Is there a way to automatically build an Employee Schedule? | |||||||||
From the toolbar, select Auto Build to remove all existing shifts from the currently selected day and add optimal shifts based on defined labor goals. | |||||||||
When editing Employee Schedules, is there a way to discard changes to the current schedule and restore the previous schedule? | |||||||||
From the toolbar, select Restore to revert all unsaved changes to the current schedule and restore the last saved schedule. | |||||||||
How are potential problems or conflicts identified on an Employee Schedule? | |||||||||
A warning icon appears next to an employee name on the employee list when a potential conflict exists with their scheduled shift(s). The following describes the warning icons.
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Is there a way to edit the availability times for individual employees from Employee Schedules? | |||||||||
From the Employees dropdown on the toolbar, select Availability to view and edit schedule availability times for each employee for each day of the week. From the Employee Availability screen, define the following:
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Weekly View
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Depending on how the system administrator configured the application, the Weekly View feature may not be available.
In Weekly View, add employee shifts to a grid that includes scheduled labor hours for each employee for the entire week.
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1 | Toolbar | Access various tools and define view options for the schedule. |
2 | Weekly View / Daily View | Select the desired schedule viewing option. Any updates to the schedule are automatically saved when switching views. |
3 | Employee Name | Employee name. |
4 | Days of the Week | Start and end time of the employee's scheduled shift for each day of the week. |
5 | Hours | Total number of scheduled hours for each employee for the week. |
6 | Total Hours | Total number of scheduled hours for all employees for each day of the week. |
7 | Grand Total Hours | Total number of scheduled hours for all employees for the week. |
Add Shifts
To add employee shifts in Weekly View:
From the far-right of the toolbar, select Weekly View.
From the Employee Name column on the left, locate the employee name.
In each day of the week field, type the start time and end time of the employee shift (e.g. 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM).
If an issue exists with an employee's scheduled shift, the employee row is highlighted in yellow. A warning icon appears next to the employee name when a potential conflict exists. The following describes the warning icons used on the Employee Name column.
Icon | Description |
|---|---|
Purple with "M" label | Employee is a minor. Labor laws may restrict the employee's availability. |
Orange with "H" label | The total number of scheduled hours for the employee is approaching or has exceeded the defined threshold for Affordable Care Act (ACA) eligibility. |
Red with "OT" label | The total number of scheduled hours for the employee exceeds the defined Overtime Warning Limit. |
Toolbar
The following tools are available on the toolbar at the top of the Employee Schedules page:
Tool | Description |
|---|---|
Save | Save all changes to the schedule. |
Restore | Revert all unsaved changes and restore the last saved schedule. |
Load Prior | To load a schedule from a previous day or week:
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Auto Build | This tool is not available in Weekly View. |
Shifts | From the dropdown, select the desired option:
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Employees | From the dropdown, select the desired option:
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Reports | From the dropdown, select a report to generate:
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Status | The availability of the following indicators is dependent on the security options enabled by the system administrator. Select the applicable schedule status indicators:
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Day / Week Labor Percentage |
The color coding for these tools are configured by the system administrator. |
Help | From the dropdown, the following items are available:
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Weekly View / Daily View | Select the desired schedule viewing option:
Any updates to the schedule are automatically saved when switching views. |
Week Availability Tooltip
Use the Week Availability tooltip to view an employee's weekly schedule and availability.
There are two (2) methods to open the tooltip in Weekly View:
From the Employee Name column, hover the cursor over the employee name.
From the Hours column, hover the cursor over the hours value.
The Week Availability tooltip provides the following information for each day of the week:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
In | Time of day when the employee shift begins. If more than one shift is scheduled, the start time for the first shift is displayed. |
Out | Time of day when the employee shift ends. If more than one shift is scheduled, the end time for the last shift is displayed. |
Hours | Total number of scheduled hours for the day.
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Available | Time of day when the employee is available to be scheduled. If the employee is unavailable, this field is blank. |
Daily View
In Daily View, view and add job and employee scheduling details for a selected day of the week.
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1 | Toolbar | Access various tools and define view options for the schedule. |
2 | Job List | Lists all the jobs for the site and provides daily labor hour totals. |
3 | Job Scheduling Grid | Review and update job schedules. |
4 | Employee List | Lists all the employees for the site, shift information for each employee, and unassigned shifts. |
5 | Employee Scheduling Grid | Lists shift details for each employee in the Employee List for the selected day of the week. |
Toolbar
The following tools are available on the toolbar at the top of the Employee Schedules page:
Tool | Description |
|---|---|
Save | Save all changes to the schedule. |
Restore | Revert all unsaved changes and restore the last saved schedule. |
Load Prior | To load a schedule from a previous day or week:
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Auto Build | Remove all existing shifts from the currently selected day and add optimal shifts based on defined labor goals. |
Fixed Shifts | Add the Fixed Schedules that have been defined for employees to the currently selected day. Any existing shifts for those specific employees are replaced with the fixed shifts. To define a Fixed Schedule for an employee, see Fixed Schedules. |
Breaks | From the dropdown, select the desired option:
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View Options | From the dropdown, select the desired format, filter, and sort options. See View Options section below. |
Employees | From the dropdown, select the desired option:
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Reports | From the dropdown, select a report to generate:
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Day of Week Panel | Select the day of the week to view. Changes to the currently selected day are automatically saved when another day is selected. |
Status | The availability of the following indicators is dependent on the security options enabled by the system administrator. Select the applicable schedule status indicators:
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Day / Week Labor Percentage |
The color coding for these tools are configured by the system administrator. |
Help | From the dropdown, the following items are available:
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Weekly View / Daily View | Select the desired schedule viewing option:
Any updates to the schedule are automatically saved when switching views. |
View Options
The following describes the options available from the View Options dropdown on the toolbar.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Color |
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Filter |
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Sort |
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Collapse/Expand | Collapse/expand the Job List and Job Scheduling Grid. |
Job List
Located in the upper-left of the Employee Schedules screen, the Job List lists all the staffing jobs for the site and provides daily labor hour totals.
Reference this list to view:
Total hours to schedule for each job.
Projected Sales and labor hour variances.
The following describes the fields on the Job List.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Projected Sales | Total projected sales for the selected day of the week. |
Job List | The following is provided for each job:
To access the complete list, use the vertical scrollbar on the right of the job scheduling grid. |
Planned Hours |
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Scheduled Hours | Total number of hours that were scheduled with the employee scheduling grid. |
Over/Short | Difference between the number of hours planned with the job scheduling grid and the number of hours scheduled with the employee scheduling grid. The Over/Short value is color coded as follows:
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Job Scheduling Grid
Located in the upper-right of the Employee Schedules screen, the Job Scheduling Grid displays the standard number of man hours to schedule for each job in the Job List for the selected day of the week.
Each day on the grid is broken down into hourly segments. Each hourly segment is divided into 15-minute increments.
The projected hourly sales is displayed in the header of each hourly segment. Hover the cursor inside the increment header to open the projections tooltip.
The hours of the day are identified in the second row of the grid header.
The standard number of man hours to schedule for each job is displayed within each 15-minute increment.
The following is provided in the footer of each hourly segment:
Field
Description
Planned Hours
Total number of planned hours for each 15-minute increment.
Scheduled Hours
Total number of hours that were scheduled with the employee scheduling grid.
Over/Short
Difference between the number of hours planned with the job scheduling grid and the number of hours scheduled with the employee scheduling grid.
The Over/Short value is color coded as follows:
Red - The value is short (negative).
Orange - The value is over (positive).
Projections Tooltip
The Projections tooltip provides the projected sales for each 15-minute increment within the currently selected hourly increment, and the 15-minute increments immediately preceding and following the selected hour.
To open the Projections tooltip:
From the Job Scheduling Grid, locate the hourly increment.
Hover the cursor inside the increment header.
Adjust Planned Hours
To adjust the number of planned hours for a job:
From the Jobs List on the left, locate the job.
From the Job Scheduling Grid, locate the time interval.
From the time interval, double-click the cell.
In the cell, type the number of planned hours for the job.
Press the Enter key on the keyboard -OR- click outside the cell.
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The system administrator may impose restrictions on adjustments to the planned hours defined for particular jobs.
For example, scheduling more or less than the planned number of hours may not be allowed for one or more jobs.
Employee List
Located in the lower-left of the Employee Schedules screen, the Employee List lists all the employees for the site. Reference this list to see:
Employee shift information for the selected day of the week.
Shifts on the schedule that are not assigned to an employee.
Categories
The Employee List is divided into categories (or departments):
The category names may vary by site.
The number of employees that are included in each category is displayed in parentheses next to the category name.
Expand/collapse a category to view/hide the list of employees in that category.
Employees with scheduled shifts appear at the top of the list in the category.
The Unassigned category is displayed at the top of the list. This category lists the shifts on the schedule that are not assigned to an employee.
The following describes the fields on the Employee List.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Employee | Employee name. |
Shift | Start and end time of their scheduled shift. |
Day | Total number of scheduled hours for the selected day (excludes break time). |
Week | Total number of scheduled hours for the week. Hover the cursor over this value to open a popup window that contains an overview of the employee's weekly schedule. The popup window includes:
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Warning Icons
The following describes the warning icons used on the Employee List. A warning icon appears next to an employee name when a potential conflict exists with their scheduled shift(s).
Icon | Description |
|---|---|
Purple with "M" label | Employee is a minor. Labor laws may restrict the employee's availability. |
Orange with "H" label | The total number of scheduled hours for the employee is approaching or has exceeded the defined threshold for Affordable Care Act (ACA) eligibility. |
Red with "OT" label | The total number of scheduled hours for the employee exceeds the defined Overtime Warning Limit. |
Week Availability Tooltip
Use the Week Availability tooltip to view an employee's weekly schedule and availability.
From the Employee List, locate the employee.
From the Week column, hover the cursor over the weekly hours total.
(Mobile users) Tap the weekly hours total.
The Week Availability tooltip provides the following information for each day of the week:
Field
Description
In
Time of day when the employee shift begins. If more than one shift is scheduled, the start time for the first shift is displayed.
Out
Time of day when the employee shift ends. If more than one shift is scheduled, the end time for the last shift is displayed.
Hours
Total number of scheduled hours for the day.
The Total field located on the far-right contains the total number of scheduled hours for the week.
The Goal field located on the far-right contains the preferred number of scheduled hours for the week.
Available
Time of day when the employee is available to be scheduled. If the employee is unavailable, this field is blank.
Employee Scheduling Grid
Located in the lower-right of the Employee Schedules screen, the Employee Scheduling Grid lists shift details for each employee in the Employee List for the selected day of the week.
The day of the week, date, and any special events are identified in the first row of the grid header.
Each day on the grid is broken down into hourly segments where one cell represents one (1) hour. The hours of the day are identified in the second row of the grid header.
Each hourly segment is divided into 15-minute increments. Hover the cursor inside an empty cell to access each 15-minute increment.
From the grid, add and edit shifts for the employees listed in the Employee List.
Use the vertical and horizontal scroll bars to access different areas of the grid.
A bold vertical line on the grid indicates the latest recommended time to start a shift for the selected day.
Shift Bars
When an employee shift is added to the Employee Scheduling Grid, the shift is represented by a bar that spans the cells on the grid from the start time of the shift to the end time of the shift.
Hover the cursor over a shift bar to see a popup that displays the start time and end time of the shift.
A shift bar may include one or more text labels that identify:
The name or description of the Job assigned to the shift (when provided).
Any potential issues or conflicts with the shift.
The following describes the labels a shift bar may display:
Label | Description |
|---|---|
Ends During Retention | The ending time for the shift, and the time slot after the shift, is within a retention period. |
Needs a Break | The shift length requires the addition of an employee break. See Add Break for instructions on how to add a break. |
Not Available | The employee is not available for the shift. The shift time is partly or fully outside the employee's availability range. |
Too Long | The shift length exceeds the Shift Length Hours (Maximum) setting defined by the system administrator. |
Too Short | The shift length is less than the Shift Length Hours (Minimum) setting defined by the system administrator. |
Shift Color Code
The following describes the color code for shift bars.
Color | Description |
|---|---|
Blue | No conflicts exist. |
Orange | One or more conflicts exist. Refer to the shift bar label for details. |
Shift Breaks
When a shift includes a break, the break is visually represented on the shift bar with a Break section.
The Break section spans the cells on the grid from the start time of the break to the end time of the break.
A break is thirty (30) minutes in length.
A shift can include multiple breaks.
The following describes the color code for the Break section.
Color | Description |
|---|---|
Blue | No conflicts exist. |
Yellow | One or more conflicts exist. The break is either scheduled outside the time frame when breaks are permitted, or the break is scheduled too soon or too late in relation to the shift times. |
Manager Fixed Schedules
To add a fixed schedule for managers:
From the Employees dropdown on the Employee Schedules toolbar, select Mgr Schedules.
From the Employee column on the Manager Fixed Schedules grid, locate the employee name.
In each day of the week field, type the start time and end time of the shift (e.g. 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM).
At the end of each row, the Total column specifies the total number of hours the manager is scheduled.
Split shifts are not supported on a fixed schedule.
Repeat steps 2 - 3 for each manager.
From the upper-right of the Manager Fixed Schedules grid, select Save.
Additional Actions
From the upper-right of the Manager Fixed Schedules grid, the following actions are available:
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Cancel | Cancel all unsaved changes and return to the Employee Schedule. |
Restore | Revert all unsaved changes and restore the last saved schedule. |
Print the current schedule. | |
Save | Save all changes and return to the Employee Schedule. |
Employee Availability
To edit schedule availability times for employees:
From the Employees dropdown on the Employee Schedules toolbar, select Availability.
From the Employee column on the Employee Availability grid, locate the employee name.
In each day of the week field, type the start time and end time of the employee availability (e.g. 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM).
Type ALL if the employee is available all day.
The Goal column indicates the ideal number of hours to schedule the employee.
Repeat steps 2 - 3 for each employee.
From the upper-right of the Employee Availability grid, select Save.
Additional Actions
From the upper-right of the Employee Availability screen, the following actions are available:
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Cancel | Cancel all unsaved changes and return to the Employee Schedule. |
Restore | Revert all unsaved changes and start over without exiting the screen. |
Print the employee availability information. | |
Save | Save all changes and return to the Employee Schedule. |
Labor Parameters
Reference Labor Parameters Review to see the defined parameters for employee shifts and breaks and to define time frames for employee retention and breaks.
From the Help dropdown on the Employee Schedules toolbar, select Labor Parameters.
The following describes the Labor Parameters Review popup window.
General Shift Parameters
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Latest Time To Start a Shift | Latest time of day when a shift can start. |
Crew Changeover Time #1 | Time of day when the first crew changeover occurs. |
Crew Changeover Time #2 | Time of day when the second crew changeover occurs. |
Minimum Shift Length | Minimum length of a shift in hours. |
Maximum Shift Length Guideline | Maximum length of a shift in hours. |
Select Time Frames for Employee Retention to view the employee retention time frames at 15-minute intervals for each day of the week.
Employee Meal Break Parameters
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Shift Length Required To Earn A Break | Length of time in hours an employee must work to earn a meal break. |
Time Excluded at Shift Start | Length of time from the start of a shift when meal breaks are not permitted. |
Time Excluded At Shift End | Length of time before the end of a shift when meal breaks are not permitted. |
Select Time Frames When Breaks Are Permitted to view the time frames when employee meal breaks are permitted for each day of the week.
Search Schedules
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To search for a specific site, type the Store # or Store Name into the Search field.
Select the box next to the target site(s) in the Store List. To select all sites in the Store List, select the box to the left of Store # at the top of the list.
With the target site(s) selected, select the calendar icon in the date selector to choose a date range for the search.
From the calendar popup, define the date range, and then select Apply.
It is also possible to select Period / Week, Today, or Yesterday as the search date or date range.
Select Search. Any records that match the Search Criteria will display in the utility to the right.
Add Schedule
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To add an employee schedule:
From the upper-right of the Employee Schedules Search screen, select Add a Schedule.
From the Store dropdown, select the store for the schedule.
From the right of the Date In Week field, select the calendar icon.
From the Date popup, select the first business date of the schedule.
The first business date of next week is selected by default.
From the lower-right of the Date popup, select Apply.
From the lower-right of the Add a Schedule popup, select Add.
Add Shift
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To add a shift for an employee:
From the toolbar at the top of the screen, select the day of the week.
From the Employee List, locate the employee.
From the Employee Scheduling Grid, click the starting time of the shift.
While holding down the left mouse button, drag the cursor to the end time of the shift, and then release the mouse button.
The shift information is added to the Shift column next to the employee name in the Employee List.
The Day and Week totals for the employee in the Employee List are updated accordingly.
Alternate method:
From the Employee List, locate the employee.
From the Employee List, double-click the Shift field.
In the Shift field, type the shift time.
Edit Shift
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To move a shift to a different day, time, or employee:
From the Employee Scheduling Grid, select the shift.
While holding down the left-mouse button, drag the shift to the desired location on the grid.
To edit the shift time:
From the Employee List, double-click the Shift field.
In the Shift field, type the updated shift time.
Context Menu
Right-click a shift bar to open the context menu. The following describes the actions available from the context menu:
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Add Break | See Add Break. |
Delete Shift | Remove the shift from the schedule. |
Position | Select a job or position to assign to the shift. From the top of the menu, select Clear Position to remove the current position assignment from the shift. |
Split & Assign | Split the shift and assign the split shift to an employee. |
Available | View a list of employees who are available to work the shift. The total scheduled hours for each employee is displayed next to their name. If a conflict exists, a warning icon is displayed. Select an employee from the list to assign them to the shift. |
Unavailable | View a list of employees who are NOT available to work the shift. The total scheduled hours for each employee is displayed next to their name. If a conflict exists, a warning icon is displayed. Select an employee from the list to assign them to the shift. |
Already Working | View a list of employees who are already scheduled to another shift at that time. The total scheduled hours for each employee is displayed next to their name. If a conflict exists, a warning icon is displayed. An asterisk (*) is displayed next to the employee name if that employee has an assigned shift that day that is outside the selected shift's timeframe. |
Unassign | Remove the employee assignment from the shift. |
Split | Split the shift into multiple shifts. |
To Volume | Indicate the shift does not end at a specific time. Apply this action to indicate the shift ends when the employee completes their assigned tasks for the business date. |
To Close | Indicate the shift does not end at a specific time. Apply this action to indicate the shift ends when the necessary tasks are completed to "close" the store for the business date. |
Add Break
To add a break:
From the Employee Scheduling Grid, locate the shift.
Right-click the shift bar at the desired 15-minute interval.
From the context menu, select Add Break.
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A "Break" label is not displayed on shift bars for salaried managers.
Edit Break
To move a break:
From the shift bar, select the break.
While holding down the left-mouse button, drag the break to the desired time interval on the grid.
To remove a break:
From the shift bar, right-click the break.
From the popup menu, select Remove Break.