Introduction
Empeon's Time and Attendance integration offers a scheduling feature that enables the creation of custom recurring schedules, which can then be assigned to employees and linked to their time cards. This feature uses Schedule Patterns to build weekly or bi-weekly schedule templates, which are assigned in the Employee Profile. Schedule Patterns can be tailored for individual employees or groups, such as those in specific positions or departments.
Schedule Patterns help to establish within the time and attendance system when and employee is supposed to be working. Once a Schedule Pattern is assigned, it will be applied automatically each week on an ongoing basis.
Please note that Empeon also offers an Advanced Scheduling integration that encompasses additional features designed to handle more customized and complex scheduling needs. As a result, the scheduling feature within the time and attendance system may be referred to as the "Basic Scheduler". This is a feature that is specifically tailored for the time and attendance system.
Setting up Schedule Patterns
There are two approaches to setting up Schedule Patterns, depending on the intended audience. For groups of employees, such as departments or floor units, it may be best to create a Company Schedule Pattern within the company-level settings of the time and attendance system. This approach can help to simplify the assignment of the Schedule Pattern to those employees.
However for individual employees, it can sometimes be preferred to create a Custom Schedule Pattern from directly within their Employee Profile. This allows for a bit more customization because it is tailored specifically to that employee. It is important to note that any created Custom Schedule Patterns are not included in the company-wide Schedule Patterns as they can only be viewed and maintained within the assigned individual's Employee Profile.
To set up Company Schedule Patterns, navigate to the Attendance section within the Company tab, and select the Scheduling Card. For insight on how to create a Custom Schedule Pattern, please refer to Empeon's article Assigning Schedule Patterns.
The Scheduling Card displays all Schedule Patterns that have been established, along with a column for Employee Count indicating the total number of employees a Schedule Pattern is assigned to. To create a new Schedule Pattern, click the blue "+ New Schedule Pattern" button in the top right corner of the screen.
When setting up a new Schedule Pattern, the system prompts for a Code, along with a Description field to clarify the intended purpose of the Schedule Pattern. Below these settings, there is a grid available to establish the start and end times for each applicable day of the week associated with the Schedule Pattern. Establishing the Start and End times is as simple as typing into the appropriate box and entering the time.
In the top right corner of the grid, a 'gear' icon provides the ability to add a second week to the Schedule Pattern in order to make a recurring bi-weekly schedule. This feature is useful for accommodating rotations where the first week involves a set shifts that differs from the next week of shifts.
When adding a second week, the system will prompt for a First Week Start Date. This date indicates when the first week begins, enabling the system to recognize which week in the cycle it is at any given time. This also ensures the correct schedule (Week 1 or Week 2) is applied when the Schedule Pattern is assigned at a later point in time.
After a Schedule Pattern has been established it is then available to be assigned within the Employee Profile. For more information on how to do this, please refer to Empeon's article Assigning Schedule Patterns.