Advanced Scheduling - Employee View

Employee View

Empeon's Advanced Scheduling feature offers two distinct scheduling views where the schedule can be built out: Employee View and Daily View. Both versions of the scheduler offer the ability to assign and manage shifts but are structured differently to accommodate distinct scheduling approaches.

The Employee View organizes the schedule by employee and requires Shifts to be assigned on a per employee basis. The Daily View flips this dynamic, displaying the Shifts themselves on the calendar and requiring employees to be assigned to the Shift, instead of the other way around. For Shifts with assigned budgets, the Daily View may be more optimal, as it allows scheduling based on the shift's budget rather than focusing on individual employees.

This article outlines the general layout of the Employee View, including how Shifts can be assigned and adjusted as needed. For similar insights relating to the schedule's Daily View, please refer to Empeon's article: Advanced Scheduling - Daily View.

To access the scheduler's Employee View, navigate to the Scheduling section within the Actions tab.

Schedule View Options

Along the top of the screen, next to where it is titled Employee View, is a filter option to view the schedule for 1 day, 7 days, 14 days, or 28 days. This feature also includes an option to specify a starting date for the schedule. By default, this date is set to the current day, but it can be adjusted as needed to view schedules for past dates or future periods. As of right now, custom date ranges cannot be created, as the available viewing timeframes are limited to 1 day, 7 days, 14 days, or 28 days.

Locating Employees

Within the Employee View, schedules are sorted by Position Group through the tabs that are located along the top of the schedule grid. By selecting a Position Group tab, the schedule will be filtered to display the schedules for only the employees that fall within the selected Position Group. Next to these tabs is a search bar where individual employees can be searched and pulled up in order to view their schedule. Regardless of the Position Groups that have been set up, there will also always be a tab for "All" where all employees will be displayed.

Customize View

Also along the top of the schedule is a button for "Customize View" which offers various options that influence how assigned Shifts are displayed on the schedule. The options here pertain to additional information that can be listed on the Shift.

Please note the following settings found here and how they influence an assigned Shift:

Show Floor/Unit - When Floor/Units are assigned to Shifts, this option displays the assigned Floor/Unit on the Shift.

Show Position Groups - This displays the Position Group assigned to the Shift. This option may be better suited when viewing All employees at once.

Show Projected Hours - This displays the employee's projected hours for the current work week. This can help identify employees who are projected to exceed regular hours and enter into overtime.

Show Off Reasons - For Shifts that have been called off, this will display the reason for the callout on the Shift.

Show Comments Icon - Displays a comment icon on Shifts that have Comments entered, allowing quick access to view the comment. When the comment icon is enabled, hover the cursor over the icon to view the comment.

Show Quick Notes - This displays any Quick Notes that have been applied toward a Shift.

Filters

Next to Customize View is a button for "Filters". The options within this button allow further filtering of the schedule based on the selected Position Group tab.

Please note the following settings found here and how they influence the schedules based on the Position Group tab that is selected:

Department - Filters the schedule to display employees from a specific Department within the selected Position Group tab.
Location - Filters the schedule to display employees from a specific Location within the selected Position Group tab.
Floor/Unit - Filters the schedule to display employees assigned to a specific Floor/Unit within the selected Position Group tab.
Division - Filters the schedule to display employees assigned to a specific Division within the selected Position Group tab.
Position - Filters the schedule to display employees assigned to a specific Position. This filter is only applicable when the "All" tab is selected, not when a specific Position Group tab is selected.
Shift Category - Filters the schedule to display specific types of Shifts (Day, Evening, Night). Multiple options can be selected. If no options are selected, the schedule will display all three Shift types that have been assigned.
Employee Filter - A custom quick filter or Filter Group can be applied to further refine the schedule. Note that this filter is restricted to the selected Position Group tab. For example, if a Filter Group is applied for all hourly employees, it will only apply to the hourly employees within the selected Position Group.
Employment Status - Filters the schedule to display employees based on their employment status, such as active, inactive, or terminated.

Column Chooser

Next to Filters is an icon for "Column Chooser". This allows additional columns of employee criteria to be added to the schedule grid, such as their assigned Department, Location, and/or Position. Columns can be added by dragging and dropping them onto the schedule grid. These columns can be removed the same way, simply by dragging them back to the Column Chooser menu. Columns showing on the schedule grid can be expanded and collapsed as needed in order to view the information accordingly.

Assigning Shifts

Employees with Shift Schedule Patterns set up will have their schedule automatically populated within the schedule grid. This is one of the main benefits of having Shift Schedule Patterns established. However, regardless of whether a Shift Schedule Pattern is in place, Shifts can always be manually assigned to employees as well.

To manually assign Shifts, toggle on Available Shift Mode. Shifts that have been assigned to the Position Group tab that is selected will appear here, making them available for assignment. If certain Shifts do not appear when this mode is toggled on, it indicates that the Shift itself is not assigned to the designated Position Group.

Additionally, there is an option to view only the Shifts or to view the Shifts along with any associated budgets that have been configured. To manually assign a Shift, drag and drop the available Shift to the corresponding day. Manually added shifts will appear in orange, indicating they are not part of any Shift Schedule Pattern.

When Shifts with assigned budgets are added this way, the budget will update to account for the employee being assigned. If assigning a Shift places the Shift over budget, the outcome will depend on the settings within Scheduling Rules, which determine whether this action is allowed, allowed with a warning, or restricted altogether.

Posting Shifts

The ability to post Shifts is also an option within the Available Shift Mode section. Posting a Shift may be preferred when there is an unexpected gap in the schedule or additional coverage is needed. Rather than assigning the Shift directly to a specific employee, it can be posted as an open Shift to all employees assigned to the Position Group linked to that Shift. Once a Shift is posted, eligible employees are notified through their ESS Hub.

To post a Shift, hover over the Shift and a check box will appear. Selecting the check box will present the option to post it. There is the ability to select multiple Shifts through this process if needed.

When posting a Shift, there are options to designate who should be able to receive and request the Shift being posted. Please note the following options for how to manage the recipients of posted Shifts:

Include Approve to Work Employees - Checking this will include employees that have been assigned to the position (associated with the Shift's Position Group) within the "Approved to Work" section of their Employee Profile.
Exclude Approaching Overtime - Checking this will exclude employees who are projected to work overtime.
Employee Type Filter - Specific employment types can be selected in order to filter who should be notified of the open Shift.
Comment - Any comments associated with why the Shift is being posted can be entered here.
Agency Settings - This options within this section determine whether or not Agency employees should be receive notice that a Shift has ben posted.

After a Shift has been posted it can be unposted at any time. Simply select the Shift again and click "Unpost Shift".

Adding Shifts

Within the Available Shift Mode section, there is also the ability to add a Shift if needed. If the Shift's budget has been met but additional staffing is required, this option allows for adding extra Shifts to the budget as necessary. Next to the Unpost shifts button, there is a blue 'plus' icon that can be selected in order to add a Shift to the schedule.

When adding a Shift, it will prompt for the following:

Shift Date - The date the Shift takes place
Shift - The specific Shift that needs to be added. This must be a preconfigured Shift Code and cannot be a newly created Shift.
How Many Shifts - The amount of Shifts that need to be added. This will also update the budget.
Rate/Bonus - If the Shift(s) being added include incentives like a designated Rate or Bonus, that can be entered here.

After clicking "Save", a confirmation screen will appear stating that the Shift has been created. It will also provide the option to post the shift to employees or close out of it in order to then manually assign the Shift as the Admin.

Managing Assigned Shifts

There are various options available to manage and adjust Shifts that have been assigned. Each assigned Shift will have a three-dot menu with the following options available:

View Details - This will display the Shift's Name, Time, Position Group, and the method of assignment, indicating whether it was assigned through a Shift Pattern or manually as an "Override".
Delete - Available only for manually assigned Shifts, this option removes the Shift from the schedule.
Call out (unpaid) - To mark the Shift as a "Call Out" that is unpaid, select this option and indicate the Callout Reason. Once the Shift is saved, the Shift's Budget will automatically update to reflect one less person counted toward the budget.
Call out with PTO - To mark the Shift as a "Call Out" that paid, select this option and indicate the Callout Reason. Additional screens will then appear requiring a selection of which accrual bank to apply toward the Shift. Once the Shift is saved, the Shift's Budget will automatically update to reflect one less person counted toward the budget.
Time-off Request - To record a time-off request associated with an assigned Shift, select this option. Depending on Workforce Role permissions, the request may be set to Auto-Approve, automatically reflecting on the Shift. Otherwise, it will be submitted for approval and marked as Pending on the Shift. Once approved, the Shift and any assigned budget will update accordingly.
Change Work Category - Work Categories are codes that define unique work situations during an assigned Shift where the employee is not performing their normal job responsibilities, requiring the Shift's budget to be adjusted accordingly. To assign the Shift a Work Category, select this option.
Partial Shift - Used to update the Shift's Time when an employee works or intends to work only a portion of the assigned Shift, ensuring the hours reflect the actual time worked. Even with "Partial Shift" updates, the Shift's budget will update accordingly. To backfill any partial shifts, the same Shift can be assigned to another employee, with the "Partial Shift" option used again to specify the time the new employee is covering. Alternatively, the Shift can be posted with a comment indicating that it is a Partial Shift. Once the request is approved and the Shift is assigned on the schedule, it can then be updated to reflect the Partial Shift time.
Rate/Bonus - Used to assign a Rate or Bonus to the Shift. Any rates assigned to a Shift will override the employees assigned default rate.
Quick Notes - Select this option to assign a Quick Note to the Shift.
Comment - Select this option to assign a Comment to the Shift.
Swap - Used to reassign the Shift to a different employee. If there are employees within the Position Group who have no scheduling conflicts, they will be eligible for the Shift. The originally assigned Shift will remain visible on the schedule but will be crossed out to indicate the employee is "Off."
Replace Shift - Select this option to switch out the assigned Shift to a different Shift.

Budget Maintenance

At the bottom of the schedule, the "Show Budget" option provides access to budget details, which can be viewed by Units, Hours, or HPPD. This section displays the budget for each Shift and indicates whether the Shift's budget has been met. Shifts in this section will be color-coded: yellow indicates below budget, green means at budget, and red signifies over budget.