eSchedule | your time is our essence

Monthly Archives:

August 2013

August Update Release Notes

Have you missed us? Here at eSchedule, our tech team has been keeping busy to bring you the latest in new features, fixed bugs and general updates. The following release notes give you the rundown on what you may notice has changed!

Added Features

  • “Add shift” function in View 1 now same as View 2
    • Click on an “open shift” or “add shift” button to pull up the shift editor window that allows you to edit the position, date, time and employee
  • “Add shift” function allows you to create multiple new shifts for multiple days at once
    • Select “shift options” in the shift editor window to add several shifts during the selected week
  • Type of time off requested now appears directly on schedule in View 2
  • Ability to “delete OPEN shifts” under “options” which erases all open shifts from the schedule in the selected date range
  • Bulk update button to set multiple employees max hours/week at once
    • Found under the employees tab, at the bottom of your employee list – use check-boxes to choose which profiles get updated

General Updates

  • Under “options”, the word “schedule” has been replaced by “shifts” in order to reduce confusion
  • Improved overall speed of functions within the application
  • Updated the availability conflict avoidance feature to increase scheduling optimization

Fixed Bugs

  • Geo-coding addresses repaired (if feature enabled)
    • Enter address in profile, then update coordinates – gives ability to assign yourself to nearby locations
  • Can once again create back-to-back shifts
  • Subscribe to eSchedule button simplifies schedule synchronization with third party calendar applications

Removed

  • Print button in View 1
    • To print, select “options” -> export eSchedule -> type: “Printable” -> select date range
  • Ability to drag shifts in View 1 to adjust shift length or shift position
    • Click the shift to open the shift editor, then select time from drop-down menu

We hope you enjoy the improvements!



Glossary of eSchedule Terminology

We want to ensure we’re speaking the same language as you – this page will list any terms we feel aren’t necessarily clear!

Location
The physical place that you are creating the eSchedule(s) for; these could be Stores, Clinics, Buildings, etc.

eSchedule
The online schedule that displays employee shifts for a specific workgroup at a location; this could be Front of House, Back of House, Departments, Groups etc.

Position
The employment title an individual is given that dictates the tasks they will perform in the organization.

Role (User Type)
Determines the functions your account has access to and what tasks you can perform.

Executive

All administrative options are available, access to edit all employees and locations, can assign location(s) to anyone below, and cannot be scheduled.

District Manager

Access to any functions that fall within the location(s) they are assigned to, can assign scheduling managers/employees to these same locations, and cannot be scheduled.

Scheduling Manager

Access to view employees/requests at their location(s), ability to edit schedule at their location(s), no assignment functions, and can be scheduled.

Employee

Access to view shift calendar at their location(s), submit requests and can be scheduled.

Assignment
The position(s) a user is given and the location(s) they are then associated with. Depending on their role (user type), they will have access to different features.

Template
A model that allows the user to outline their optimal shift coverage by selecting a position, day/time for the shift and a skill-level.

Skill Level
Identifies the ability that is required to work a given shift. If an employee meets all other conditions, a higher skill-level will take precedence over a lower skill-level when scheduling.
  • Shift Skill-Level: Junior (1-3), Skilled (4-7), Expert (8-10)
  • Employee Skill-Level: Can range from 1-10 and will match the shift skill-level accordingly

Qualified Employee
A shift for Position X with Skill Level Y at Location Z can be assigned to an Employee with X-Y-Z.
  • Employee has a Position Assignment (X) that matches the shift to be worked
  • Employee has a Skill-Level (Y) that meets or is greater than that of the shift*
  • Employee is assigned to the Location (Z) the shift is at

    • *Condition is only met when generating a new schedule from a template, otherwise irrelevant

Available Employee
The conditions that must be met in order for an employee to be free from scheduling conflicts.
  • Employee is not working another shift at a different location
  • Employee does not have time-off requested
  • Employee’s availability is open for the shift day
  • Employee’s daily and weekly total hours does not exceed the maximum for a location
  • Employee’s weekly total hours does not exceed the maximum hours/week set in their profile

Open Shift
A shift that is assigned a position and time slot, but left unfilled by an employee; staff can then choose if they want to work this shift or not, assuming they are qualified and available.