Scheduling with computers

Scheduling with computers 1

Several computer systems presently exist that can effectively perform employee scheduling, using a personal computer and printer to interface with the company's software. Typically, three functions are performed: planning, control, and analysis.

The planning function can be performed at the personal computer directly or from work sheets prepared by the system. Planning includes forecasting and scheduling and is the first step in time management. Planning begins by forecasting the measures of performance for the business: sales, customers, or rooms occupied, for example. These measures are chosen because management wants to control labor in relation to them.

Next, managers must decide who works, what job they will perform, and when they will be scheduled. A software package can show managers the previous week's schedule and ask only for changes to be made. As managers schedule employees for various jobs, they are shown the results of their scheduling and the impact on the forecasted performance measures so they can achieve their targeted labor costs. Each employee can be scheduled individually to begin and end work at any time during the day and at any valid job. Employees can be scheduled for any number of different jobs and time periods during the day. This last feature accommodates split shifts, for example.

A report is then generated showing all the employees who have been scheduled inadvertently for overtime. A wide variety of overtime rules such as hourly limits, weekends, and holiday nights can be entered. The program checks the schedule against the rules to determine whether any of them apply. If so, management can modify the schedule to permit any desired amount of overtime, or none. When management is satisfied with the weekly schedules, they are printed for posting and saved for transmission to a unit where employees will "clock in".

The old employee time clock, now called in some systems the employee terminal unit, controls the schedules, never allowing employees to deviate from them unless management approves the change. Because schedules may change without much warning, however, management has full control of any changes by making a simple input at the unit at any time. A single unit typically can handle up to 500 employees.

Employees may arrive for work and check in at any time. If an employee checks in prior to his or her scheduled start time, the unit issues a receipt showing when that employee is scheduled to begin work. If the employee is asked to work earlier than scheduled, however, a supervisor can start the employee at that time by making a simple manual input at the unit.

If an employee checks in later than the scheduled start time, the unit starts the employee at the next quarter hour. Employees who are not scheduled to work but are called in at the last minute can also be scheduled on the spot by a supervisor at the unit.

At the time employees check in, they are requested to enter a job code, which designates their department and pay code. The unit then checks to see if they are reporting for the job scheduled by management and prevents them from checking in for an unscheduled job. Thus, the system can ensure that each employee is being paid at the correct rate and that the hours and costs are allocated to the proper areas.

When employees leave work they are automatically given a receipt by the unit, which shows them which job or jobs they performed, when they came in and went out, and how many hours they have accumulated so far, for each day during the present pay period.

The receipt also shows any changes the supervisor made on the time card. Thus, employees can audit their paycheck for each day of the pay period. When the pay period ends, the receipt on that day will agree with the payroll information.

If an employee attempts to check out later than scheduled by management, the system will inform the worker that supervisor approval is necessary. This control feature ensures that supervisors are alerted in real time that their scheduled labor costs are going to be higher than planned. At that time or later, the supervisor can take whatever action is appropriate for checking out the employee.

For businesses that require employees to keep track of tips or sales, the unit can be set to require employees to enter that information before receiving the departure receipt. This prevents the problem of having to track down employees who do not make the required reports. Reported tips or sales are automatically incorporated into the payroll preparation.

A buffer can be set into the system to allow employees to check out at any time up to 24 hours past their scheduled ending time without supervisor intervention. This allows management wide latitude in determining how long they can let employees go beyond their scheduled time before supervisors must be informed.

At any time during the day, supervisors can receive reports showing who is scheduled to be working, by department, and the labor costs accumulated by that department so far that day.

The old-time card system is eliminated; employee interaction with the system is through a telephone-like keyboard. Employees can access only their own daily schedule information through their employee number. Supervisors have access to all data and functions through a security code, which they can change at any time.

At the end of each day, the unit transmits the employee activity data it has collected back to the personal computer and receives in return the schedules in effect for the next two days.

The analysis function begins when the personal computer has received the day's employee data. Reports are prepared showing how the actual labor hours and US dollars for that day compare with those that were scheduled, and compares the labor costs with actual measures of the business entered in the personal computer. These analyses are prepared for every department and, if desired, for every employee. Thus, management can see every day how labor costs compare with the targets and measures chosen.

Managers can also be alerted to potential overtime situations before they occur. These reports show which employees are in danger of going into overtime if their schedules are not modified. Management can then take actions to prevent overtime.