General Help

Be sure to read 'Program Overview', 'Getting Started',

and 'General Help Summary' below.

See also:  Help Index.

Access to Help (F1)

Press the F1 function key when any Help topic (such as this one) is active to see the 'How to Use Help' topic provided by Microsoft Windows.

When the Help window is not open, press the F1 function key for context-sensitive help concerning the program's active window, the program function being used, or a highlighted option on the program's Main Menu.  In some cases the help will apply to the specific area that you are using within the active window and in others the help will cover all items in the active window.  If no window other than the Main Menu is open and no Main Menu option is highlighted, F1 will call the program's Help Index topic.

You may also find it helpful to use the Help window's Search button (see the menu bar above in this window) to find information on a specific word, phrase or topic.

This General Help topic and the Help Index topic can also be accessed by selecting Help on the Main Menu and then selecting 'General Help' or 'Help Index', respectively, on the drop-down list.  Also, the About... option on that list provides access to the author's name, address and phone number for any help you require that is not covered in one of these on-line help topics.

Navigating Help

This on-line help is provided in hypertext format, i.e. instead of reading topics in a set order, you can jump back and forth from topic to topic and see pop-up definitions at any time.

Solid-underlined topics can be jumped to by clicking on them or by using the Tab key to move the highlight to the topic and pressing Enter.  Use the Back button at the top of the help window as often as necessary to return to any previously viewed topics.  In some topics, any other topic referred to within that topic will be listed and underlined next to 'See Also' at the top of the Help window -- the part of the window that does not scroll.  Hence, not all references to another topic will be underlined, since you can select the topic from the 'See Also' list at the top of the Help window.  In other cases in which a topic referred to is not underlined, there will usually be another reference to the topic immediately preceding that one and the earlier reference will be underlined.

Dotted-underlined topics are definitions that pop-up over the current Help screen.  To clear the definition from the screen, click anywhere in the help window or click on any underlined topic in the definition window.  Version 3.0 of Windows may require a different method for clearing the pop-up -- see 'How to Use Help' (F1 now).

Use the vertical scroll bar on the right side of the help window to scroll to portions of the help text above or below the lines visible in the window.  The Help window is sizeable.  Since some topics are quite lengthy, you may want to widen the Help window to be able to see more lines of a topic at one time without scrolling, or you may want to make the Help window shorter or more narrow in order to see the function window to which the help topic refers.  All text within the scrollable area of the help window will adjust itself to the width of the window.

Browsing Tip:  In this or any Windows application's Help window, it is possible to browse through all of the topics in the order in which they appear in the help file (which is not necessarily a logical order), even if the application does not use browse buttons in the Help window.  In your WIN.INI file in your Windows directory, under the line [Windows Help], add the line SeqTopicKeys=1.  It isn't necessary to restart Windows after saving that change.  Then, in any Help window, you can move forward from topic to topic by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow, and you can use the 'Back' button in the Help window's menu bar to move backwards.

Press F1 now for more detailed information about using the Windows Help function.

Printing Help Topics

To copy this or any help topic to your printer, select 'File' on this help window's menu bar (not the program's menu bar), then select 'Print Topic' on the drop-down list.  Printing topics is a Microsoft Windows function -- see your Windows manual.  For more information in this regard, press F1 now and select 'Print a Help Topic' under the 'How to...' section.

Program Overview

The Personnel Management and Scheduling program's primary purpose is to facilitate employee scheduling and rescheduling, reducing the time needed to complete those tasks from hours to minutes.  It provides a wide variety of scheduling options for adapting the schedule to the personal needs of each employee and to management policies.  It also provides automatic calculation of hours and labor costs for each scheduled employee and for the total schedule, plus the ability to quickly and easily edit a schedule to accomodate last-minute changes and the ability to duplicate (repeat) a schedule with different dates.  Options are available to exclude unpaid break times from the hours and cost calculations and to apply weekly work hours limits for individual employees.  Supplemental management tools are also included, such as an automated suspense system, a method for tracking employee absences and the reasons for them, and a method for tracking sales data by date, department, position or employee.  Written initially for a restaurant, the program has been adapted to the scheduling needs of virtually any business.  The program can maintain data for and schedule thousands of employees, subject only to memory constraints and disk space.

The program automates the following functions:

--  Storage, maintenance and easy access to:

--  a personnel roster

--  the personal data and scheduling-options, plus any special pay data, applicable to each employee

--  department and position descriptions (including stations and substations within a department)

--  the salary or wage rates (including any guarantee or minimum wage) applicable to each position

--  data defining the work week, pay period, regular hours, and overtime and holiday multipliers for each position

--  shift times and descriptions

--  identification of holidays for scheduling, pay or other purposes

--  termination codes identifying the reason for an employee's termination or inactive status

--  sales data by date, department, position and/or employee.

--  Manual or automated scheduling and rescheduling, including:

--  a variety of scheduling and non-availability options that can be applied to any employee and that determine whether the employee is or is not eligible to be scheduled for a particular date, position and shift, including:

--  options related to non-availability times, days, dates or date ranges and maximum weekly hours

--  automatic removal of expired date and date-range non-availability settings prior to scheduling

--  options related to overtime, shifts, stations, holidays, rotation, etc.

--  optional rotation of employees between positions within a department

--  automatic calculation of the hours and labor cost of a given schedule for each employee and for the total schedule, adjusted appropriately for any unpaid break times within scheduled shifts

--  repeated schedules in which only the dates are different.

--  Review and unrestricted editing of any schedule, including changes to employees or shifts and the inclusion of customized shifts.

--  A complete year-to-year suspense system:

--  automatic reminders of actions required on given days or dates

--  weekly, monthly or yearly

--  from the current date to the last day of the next month

--  add, delete, change or review suspense items for an entire year

--  automatic carryover of suspense dates from year to year, with automatic updating of certain dates that change from year to year (e.g. Labor Day).

--  Analysis of schedule costs, sales, etc.  This feature is an option that can be provided by the author, i.e. customizing the program to include any analysis functions that you desire.  One example is provided:  labor costs as a percentage of sales.

--  Printing of employee data, schedules, customized lists, blank forms and other items.

--  Implementation of two levels of security:

--  password protection of  the program itself and of the change-password and data-encryption/decryption procedures

--  data encryption/decryption of personnel data via a separate encryption code.

--  Backup of data files to another drive or directory and retrieval of backup data at any time.

--  Time displays in either 12-hour or 24-hour format.

All functions are provided within a typical Windows environment that includes a separate window for each major function, complete context-sensitive on-line help and on-screen procedural reminders and safeguards.

Getting Started

Before using any part of the program, be sure to read the topics listed in 'General Help Summary' below.  Also, before entering data in or otherwise using any window for the first time, review the on-line instructions for the window by pressing F1 after the window is on the screen, or by clicking on any underlined reference to the window within this on-line help.  The F1 procedure is recommended because it allows you to refer to the window while reading the instructions.  For most windows, a little experimentation will help you to quickly understand the procedures and instructions.

The only burdensom part of the program is the initial entry and saving of the required data describing your business's existing positions, pay rates, shifts and employees and any of the optional data able to be maintained by the program.  Once that is done, adding to or changing any data later is easy.

Before the program can be used for scheduling, data must be entered and saved in the following windows (be sure to read the underlined topics before entering data in these windows):

Position/Department List:  This should be completed first.  Be sure to read the topic Add/Edit Position Frame, especially the section 'Position/Department Description' for details in this regard.

Position Pay Rates and Guarantees:  This data, required for calculating schedule labor costs, should be entered after completing the Position/Department List.  If you do not want to have labor costs calculated, you can ignore this window.

Shifts and Holidays:  Shift descriptions must be on file before any scheduling can be performed.  Any holidays that affect scheduling or involve holiday pay should also be identified.

 Employee Roster:  Each employee's personal data and separate pay and scheduling data must be entered via the 'Add' button in the Employee Roster window.  This should be done after the position/department data has been entered and saved, since a primary position for scheduling will be required as part of each employee's pay/scheduling data.  The entry of pay data for individual employees is only necessary when it differs from the pay rates set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for the positions to which the employee may be scheduled and you want to have labor costs calculated for a given schedule.  See also  'ACCESSING, ADDING AND EDITING EMPLOYEE DATA' under 'General Help Summary' below.

Although optional, another extremely helpful part of the program is the Suspense List window, in which you can enter and save dated items of which you want to be reminded during regular use of the program throughout the year (e.g. the date for an employee's next evaluation).

The termination codes need not be entered and saved unless and until an employee becomes inactive and you want a record of the reason for the inactive status.

The data provided for in the Sales windows is optional and is not required for effective use of the program, unless you want to use the example function in the Analysis window.

Finally, the example function in the Analysis window cannot be used unless at least one schedule has been prepared and saved with labor costs included and sales data has been entered and saved for the period covered by the schedule.

General Help Summary

The remainder of this General Help topic contains instructions and comments applicable throughout the program in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

Accessing, Adding and Editing Employee Data

Backing Up and Retrieving Data

Cancel

Close

Data Encryption and Password Protection

Entering Dates

Entering Text

Exiting the Program

File-Not-Found Errors

Holidays

If a Selected Control Button Fails to Activate

If You Encounter Errors or Other Anomalies

Installation, Re-installation and Uninstalling

Keyboard Use

Main Menu

'Select'

Suspense

Time Displays

Using Drop-Down Lists

Using Scroll Bars

 ACCESSING, ADDING AND EDITING EMPLOYEE DATA

Access to employee data is achieved by selecting 'Roster' on the Main Menu's menu bar to call the Employee Roster window and then selecting an employee from the Roster.  Employee data is then available in two windows -- one containing the employee's personal data, accessed by selecting the 'Personal Data' button in the Roster window, and the other containing the employee's pay and scheduling data, accessed by selecting the 'Pay/Scheduling Data' button in the Roster window.  Each of those windows can also be accessed from the other by selecting the appropriately named button, i.e.  'Employee Data -- Personal', 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' or 'Employee Roster'.

To add data for a new employee, select the Roster's 'Add' button.  Before adding the first employee, you should have already entered the appropriate data in the Position/Department List window and the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window, both of which can be accessed under File on the Main Menu.  Also, be sure to enter data for each employee in both the Employee Data -- Personal window and the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

To facilitate the entry of new employee data, you may want to use the blank Employee Data forms that can be printed in the Print Options window.  By having those forms filled out, the data-entry procedure will be easier because the data will be in the same order and format as in the Employee Data -- Personal and Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling windows.

At some point prior to scheduling, you should become familiar with the options in the Scheduling Options window, determine whether any of those options should be applicable to any employees and, if so, mark the appropriate options for those employees in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

To view or edit an employee's data, select the employee from the Roster list and then select either the 'Personal Data' or 'Pay/Schedule Data' button.

See also 'Data Encryption and Password Protection' below.

Backing Up and Retrieving Data

Whenever changes are made to any of the data files (*.DAT), it's always a good idea to keep backup copies of the files in a different directory.  Doing so enables you to recover from erroneously saved changes or to recover any data files that are accidentally deleted or overwritten for any reason, in either case by copying the appropriate backup file with the unchanged data to the program directory.  See Backup for details about accomplishing this within the program.

 CANCEL

Select  the Cancel button in any window to close the window.  If any editing or other changes were made within the window but not saved by selecting a save button, they will be ignored when the window closes.  However, if a change was made (and set where appropriate) but not saved, you will be asked if you wish to save it before closing the window.  This will also occur if unsaved changes exist in any open window when you choose to exit the program.  The Esc key also can be used to close a window.

 CLOSE

A Close button has the same purpose for a frame within a window as the Cancel button has for the window itself.  The Close button will close the frame (ignoring any changes not saved, transferred to or updated in the main window), but it won't close the window having the frame.

 DATA ENCRYPTION AND PASSWORD PROTECTION

Two levels of security are provided by the program.  The first is the requirement to enter a password in order to gain access to the Main Menu, to change the password or to encrypt or decrypt data.  The password must be entered initially in the About... window, which appears first when you run the program and provides access the program's Main Menu.  If you enter the correct password, the 'Continue' button in the About... window will be enabled and you can select it to access the program's Main Menu.  When you enter the password, each character will be displayed as an asterisk (*).  If you enter an incorrect password, the program will terminate.  (The point at which the program terminates is not necessarily an indication of the type or number of characters in the password.)

The second level of security is the option of encrypting employee data, using a code to permit encryption and the same code to enable decryption.  The data must be decrypted in order to use any part of the program that requires access to employee data.

You can change the password and you can use a different encryption code each time you encrypt data.  (In order to decrypt the data, of course, the same code as was used to encrypt it must be used.)  In order to prevent unauthorized changes to the password or unauthorized encryption or decryption of data, each of those actions require entering the current password first.

The nature and content of the password and encryption code are different and are explained in the PASSWORD.TXT file on the distribution disk for a registered version of the program.

If you lose or forget the password or encryption code:  Contact the author for assistance.

The initial password when the program is distributed is 5 spaces, i.e. press the space bar 5 times.  Five spaces can also be used as an encryption code, but no encryption actually takes place when that code is used (even though the program will tell you that the data is encrypted).

See also Change Password and Data Encryption and Decryption.

 ENTERING DATES

In most cases, dates are set using a scroll bar under the box containing the date, instead of having to type the date.  If the box for the date has a scroll bar attached to it, you must use the scroll bar and will be unable to type the date in the box.  (See 'Using Scroll Bars' below.)

If you are required to type the date (no scroll bar), it may be entered in almost any recognizable format, provided that the year is entered last.  The month name can be either the full month name or the first  three letters of the name.  (Upper or lower case letters, or both, can be used.)  Dates from the 1st to the 9th of the month can be entered as one or two digits, and  you can use either two or four digits for years before 2000.  After 1999, always use four digits for the year.  For example, the following are some of the acceptable date formats:   "22 March 37", "Mar 22, 1937", "8 Mar 37", "march 05 37".

Dates entered as all numbers (e.g. '3/22/37') must be in the month/day/year format and use a slash ( / ) as the separator.

Note:  When the program begins, it checks the date formats and separator currently set for your system in the International section of the Windows Control Panel and, if necessary, changes those settings to the 'MDY' format for all dates and a slash ( / ) as the separator for all-numeric dates.  If any such changes are made, you will be so advised and your original settings will be re-established when you exit the program by any normal method (see 'Exiting the Program' below).  Note also that the MDY setting permits dates using the month name to have the month before or after the date number and permits including or excluding a comma before the year.

If no date is applicable (e.g. the date of last evaluation when no evaluation has been performed) or the date is not known, leave the box blank.  If a date must be entered in order to save the other data in the window, use any obviously ficticious date.

Be sure that your system has the correct current date.  In working with dates, the program uses the current system date as a basis for calculation.  The Microsoft Windows 'Calendar' application is a handy way to check the current system date.  The system date can be changed at the DOS prompt by typing 'Date' and pressing the Enter key, and then following the on-screen prompts.

 ENTERING TEXT

In order to conserve space and facilitate printing, when entering text into text boxes (e.g. names), it is recommended that you turn off the Caps Lock and use upper and lower case letters (e.g. 'Smith', not 'SMITH'), and that you do not enter text  that extends beyond the visible part of the text box.  The boxes have been sized for the most efficient use of space for printing and display.  If the text does extend beyond the visible part of the box, use the cursor control keys to see the portions not visible.

 EXITING THE PROGRAM

Exiting the program is normally a two-step procedure (but see Express Exit below).  The first step is any one of the following:

--  Select the Quit option on the Main Menu.

--  Press Ctrl+X on the keyboard (hold down the Ctrl key and press the X key).

--  Select the File option on the Main Menu and then select 'Exit' on the drop-down menu.

--  Select 'Exit' in the About... window or press the Esc key when the About... window is displayed.

--  Select the Help option on the Main Menu, select About... on the drop-down menu, and then select 'Exit' in the About... window or press the Esc key.

Whichever of those first steps you use, the 'Do you want to exit the program?' window will appear, with a file cabinet in the middle that repeatedly opens and closes.

Then, to exit the program from that window, do any one of the following:

--  Press the Esc key.

--  Select the 'Yes, Exit' button.

--  Click on the closed file cabinet next to 'Yes, Exit'.

--  Click on the middle file cabinet when the drawer is closed.

--  Press Alt+Y on the keyboard (to activate the 'Yes, Exit' button).

Or, to continue without exiting, do any one of the following:

--  Select the 'No, Continue' button.

--  Click on the open file cabinet next to 'No, Continue'.

--  Click on the middle file cabinet when the drawer is open.

--  Press Alt+N on the keyboard (to activate the 'No, Continue' button).

Express Exit:  The fastest way of exiting the program is to double-click on the control box in the upper left corner of the Main Menu.  If you do so, the 'Do you want to exit the program?' window does not appear.

Unsaved Changes:  If there are unsaved changes in any open window at the time any of the above exit methods is completed, you will be so advised and given the opportunity to save the changes before the program closes.  If the dialog box advising you about unsaved changes includes a 'Cancel' button (not all of them have one) and you select it, the exit procedure will be aborted and the program will continue.

File-Not-Found Errors

Certain data files, even if they are empty, must be present on your hard disk in order for the program to operate properly.  The required files were copied to your hard disk when you installed the program.  If the program aborts as a result of a file-not-found error, it probably means that you have somehow deleted a required file.  To reinstate the file, re-install the program from the Distribution Disk.  See 'Installation, Re-installation and Uninstalling' below.  None of your existing data files will be affected, but the missing ones will be replaced.

 HOLIDAYS

When you run the program, it checks to see if any holiday dates listed in the Shifts and Holidays window have passed and, if so, updates them for the next year.  If any are updated, you will be so advised and will be given the opportunity to correct any holiday dates that change from year to year.   Most such dates, if included in the holiday list, are changed automatically by the program for each year and do not require correction.  See Shifts and Holidays -- 'Selected US Holidays'.

If a Selected Control Button Fails to Activate

There are two times when, if you select a control button, it may not activate.  One is when the control selected is in a window which is not the active window.  If more than one window is open, only one window can be active at a time (the top one when the windows are arranged in cascade fashion).  If you select a control in an inactive window, the control may or may not activate, depending on its type.

The other time is when the item that previously had the focus is programmed to take certain action when it loses the focus.  An example of this is in the Sales window.  (See the Note under 'Department / Position / Shift / Employee Button' in that topic).

In either case, the solution is to select the desired control again to activate it.

If You Encounter Errors or Other Anomalies

Every effort has been made to avoid errors or other anomalies in the program.  If you encounter any problem, please be sure to bring it to the attention of the author so that it can be resolved.  Suggestions for improvement of the program are always welcome, even if they don't involve an error or other anomaly.

Installation, Re-installation and Uninstalling

Installation:  When the program was installed, the following files were copied to your hard disk in the indicated directories.

\WINDOWS\PMASPSET.EXE -- This file is not needed after installation and can be deleted.

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VBRUN300.DLL -- This file is necessary to run the program.  It should not be deleted, even if you uninstall the program, unless you are sure that it is not needed by any other program that you have.  (Any program written in Microsoft's Visual Basic for Windows requires a VBRUNxxx.DLL file to run, where xxx may be 100, 200, 300 or a higher number.)

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\GRID.VBX -- See the comments about VBRUN300.DLL above.

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSMASKED.VBX -- See the comments about VBRUN300.DLL above.

The following files were copied to the directory you designated for the program files during installation.  (Some of the .DAT files may not be copied during installation but are created later when you use the program.)

PMASP.EXE, PMASP.HLP, ABSnnnn.DAT (where nnnn is a year), DATESALE.DAT, DEPSALES.DAT, EMPIND.DAT, EMPLOYEE.DAT, EMPSALES.DAT, HOLIDAY.DAT, POSLIST.DAT, POSSALES.DAT, REASONS.DAT, SCHEDOPS.DAT, SHIFT.DAT, SUSPLIST.DAT, TERMCODE.DAT, and WAGE.DAT.

Two files are left on the distribution disk.  README.1ST is a text file describing the shareware and registered versions of the program, installation procedures and several other items of interest.  PASSWORD.TXT (registered version only) is a text file that contains information concerning the nature and content of the password and encryption code used by the program.  Either file can be read from the distribution disk by opening it in the Windows Notepad utility.

Moving the PMASP Icons and Deleting the PMASP Program Group:  When installation was completed, a PMASP program group was created in Program Manager containing the PMASP program icon and the PMASP help file icon.  If you wish, you can move the program and help file icons to any other program group.  After moving the icons, you can delete delete the PMASP program group.  You can also change the icon labels.  See your Windows manual for ways to do this.  Note that it is not necessary to keep the help file icon in any program group, since the help file can be accessed from within the program.

Re-Installation:  If something happens to your program, help or data files, the files can be re-installed in the same manner as the original installation, i.e. by inserting the PMASP Windows Setup Disk in drive A: (or B:), running windows, selecting FILE -- RUN in Program Manager, entering A:SETUP (or B:SETUP) and pressing Enter or selecting OK.  None of your existing data files will be affected by re-installation, but any missing files will be re-installed.  Hence, any files that you want to be re-installed should first be deleted from the installation directory.  For example, if you want to re-install one or more blank data files, delete the .DAT files to be replaced before re-installing them.  Note that certain data files must be present in the installation directory in order for the program to run.

Note:  Data files can also be recovered from backup copies saved via the backup procedure.

Uninstalling:  If you want to remove the program and its files from your hard disk for any reason, delete all of the files in the directory you designated for the program files during installation.  See 'Installation' for other files that may be deleted.

 KEYBOARD USE (With or without a mouse)

The program is designed for use either with or without a mouse.  Virtually all actions can be taken from the keyboard by following any of the following steps, which are generally the same as the keyboard actions that are used throughout Windows and in most Windows applications.  Several of these actions, e.g. the first one, will also be helpful even if you use a mouse.

1.  Press Enter after typing data in a box. That will usually shift the 'focus' (a dotted line around the item's caption, a blinking cursor in a text box, or a flashing button on a scroll bar) to the next appropriate item for data entry or some other action.  Even if no data is entered or changed in the box, the Enter key still can be used for this purpose and, in effect confirms the present content of the box.  As described below, the Enter key can also be used to activate command buttons and to select an item in a list.

2.  Use the Tab key to move the focus from one item to another.  If the focus disappears, press the Tab key repeatedly until the focus reappears.  (A disappearing focus can occur when there are hidden controls in the window.  However, in some cases, the focus has simply moved to a position that is not noticed.)  Shift+Tab moves the focus back to the previous item.  The Tab key cannot be used to move the focus between a group of option buttons after one of them has the focus, but see items 4 and 7 below for alternatives.  The arrow keys can also be used to move the focus from item to item, except when a list has the focus, when the arrow keys change the selected list item.

3.  To select an option on the Main Menu's menu bar,  first press and release F10 (or Alt) to shift the focus to the Main Menu, then press the key for the underlined letter in the option's caption.  To select a sub-option in a drop-down list under any Main Menu option, press the key for the underlined letter in the sub-option's caption.

4.  To select a control, option button, list, text box or any other item in an active window, if the item's caption has an underlined letter (e.g. the options in the Print Options window), press and hold down the Alt key and press the underlined-letter's key to either shift the focus to that item or to activate it, depending on the type of item.  For example, in the Print Options window, to select the 'Suspense List' option, which has the letter 'S' underlined, you would use Alt+S or Alt+s.  In some cases the underlined character will be a number or other character instead of a letter.  Also, not all items' captions in a window will have an underlined character for this purpose.  If the caption of the item that you want to select or activate does not have an underlined character, select an item adjacent to it that does have an underlined character and then use the Tab key to move the focus to the desired item (Tab to move forward, Shift+Tab to move backwards).  Note, however, that if you move the focus to a command button (e.g. Cancel, Save, etc.) using the Alt+key combination, it will be activated and not just selected.

5.  Use the up-arrow, down-arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home and End keys on the keypad to move the highlight between items in a list, and press Enter to select the highlighted list item.  In some lists, just moving the highlight to a list item selects it (e.g. the 'Sorted by' list in the Employee Roster window).

6.  See 'Using Drop-Down Lists' below for ways to use such lists from the keyboard.

7.  When one of a group of two or more 'option buttons' (sometimes called 'radio buttons') has the focus, use the arrow keys on the keypad to shift the focus between options in the same group or frame (e.g. the 'Female' and 'Male' options in the Employee Data -- Personal window).  In some cases, (e.g. some of the options in the Print Options window), moving the focus to an option button will activate other actions intended to be performed when that option button is selected.  In that case, if the desired option is not the next one in the group, use the Alt+key procedure described in paragraph 4 above to select and activate the desired option.    When one of a group of option buttons in a frame or window is adjacent to, and intended to work with, a drop-down list, the arrow key may move the focus to the list, rather than to the next option button.  In such cases, use the Alt+key procedure to select the desired option button, and/or use the arrow key or the Tab key (or Shift+Tab) to move the focus to the list.

8.  When a command button (e.g.  'OK', 'Save', 'Cancel', etc.) has the focus, press the Enter key or the Space Bar to activate the button.

9.  Press the space bar to check [X] or uncheck [   ] a check box when it has the focus.

10.  Use a Ctrl+ or Shift+ key combination to activate Main Menu sub-options that show such combinations. See, for example, 'Exit' under File on the Main Menu, which shows Ctrl+X  as the keyboard alternative.  Ctrl+X refers to holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the X key.

11.  Press the Esc key to close the active window.

12.  See 'Using Scroll Bars' below for ways to use scroll bars from the keyboard's keypad.

Main Menu

All primary functions are accessed via the Main Menu's menu bar.  Select one of the options listed on the menu bar, and then, if a drop-down list of sub-options appears, select one of them.  For general information about any of the options on the Main Menu, press and release F10 or Alt, then move the highlight to the desired item using the arrow keys on the keypad or by pressing the option's underlined-letter key (see 'Keyboard Use' above).  When the desired item on the menu bar is highlighted, press F1.  For more detailed information, select the Main Menu option or sub-option first and then press F1 after the item's window appears.

'SELECT'

In all instructions, the term 'select' means that you should use the mouse to move the on-screen pointer to the desired item and then click the left mouse button once.  See 'Keyboard Use' above for ways to select items using the keyboard.

Double-Clicking in Lists:  In some lists, you can select and take action on an item by double-clicking on the item in the list. This will often be the case when there is only one appropriate action to take in connection with a selected item.  For example, when transferring position numbers from the Position/Department List window to the 'Qualified Positions' list in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, double-clicking on a position in the Position/Department List will select and transfer the position description to the Qualified Positions list without having to first select the position and then select the 'Transfer' button.  If you are not transferring positions, i.e. the 'Transfer' button in the Position/Department List window is not enabled, double-clicking on a position in that list will call the Add/Edit Position frame in that window.

 SUSPENSE

When you run the program and the Main Menu appears, the program first displays the Suspense List window and checks it to see if any item on the list has a date that is the current date, during the next 7 days, later in the current month or during the next month.  If no such item is found for those periods, the suspense list will close itself.  If a suspense item has a date within one of those time frames, the list will remain on the screen for your review.  Be sure that your system has the correct current date.  If it doesn't, the suspense system will not work properly.

Set Initial Suspense Cutoff Point:   You can customize this initial use of the suspense window by setting the initial suspense cutoff point beyond which you don't want the window to appear.   For example, you may only want the window to appear if a current suspense item exists for the current date or during the next 7 days.  To set the cutoff point, select 'File' on the Main Menu's menu bar, then select 'Set Initial Suspense Cutoff Point' from the drop-down list of options.  A dialogue box will appear in which you can enter 1, 2, 3 or 4 to set the cutoff point, as explained in the box.  For example, if you enter 1 and either press Enter or select the OK button, then the suspense window will only appear at program startup if there is a current suspense item due on the current date.  If you enter 2, the cutoff will be 7 days from the current date;  if you enter 3, the cutoff will be the end of the current month; and, if you enter 4, the cutoff will be the end of the next month.  The setting will remain in effect until changed.  (This setting has no effect on the use of the suspense window when 'Suspense' is selected from the Main Menu's menu bar.)

Time Displays

Time displays, for example in shifts and non-availability times, may be in 12-hour or 24-hour format and the format may be changed at any time.  See Display Times in 12-Hour/24-Hour  Format for details.

Using Drop-Down Lists

Drop-down lists are used in several places in the program and are identified by a small down-arrow button on the right side.  A drop-down list is one in which only one item in the list is displayed until the entire list is dropped down.  To drop or raise the list, select the list's top box or the small down-arrow button connected to it, or press Alt+down-arrow on the key pad, i.e. hold down the Alt key and press the down-arrow key.  (The Alt+down-arrow combination may not work if your system has that combination assigned to some other function.  If that is the case, use the procedure described in the next paragraph.)

When a drop-down list has the focus, i.e. a dotted line appears around the item displayed and/or it is highlighted with a different color, you can press the down-arrow, up-arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home or End keys on the keypad to navigate the list without dropping it down first.  To move the focus to the list using the keyboard, press the Tab key one or more times and the focus will move from item to item in the window and eventually reach the list, or use the procedure described in item 4 under "Keyboard Use" above.

A drop-down list in its dropped position will only display 8 items.  If there are more than 8 items in the list, a scroll bar will appear on the right side of the list and can be used to scroll through all items in the list.

Note for keyboard users:  Some drop-down lists do not have a caption or title box attached to them to enable access via the Alt+key procedure.  For keyboard access to such lists, use one or more of the procedures described in items 2, 4 and 7 under "Keyboard Use" above to access a control or other item near the list, and then move the focus to the list via those same procedures.

Using Scroll Bars

Scroll bars are used throughout the program to set numbers, times and dates and to move portions of the display that extend beyond the visible part of its container (e.g. the schedule grid).  Use the arrow buttons at the ends of the scroll bar to increase or decrease the number or date, or to move the position of the displayed item, by the smallest increment.  Click on the space between those buttons to make larger changes, or drag the scroll button between the arrow buttons to make even larger changes.  To drag the scroll button, move the cursor to it, press and hold down the left mouse button, move the scroll button (by moving the mouse) to the desired position and then release the mouse button.

For example, when setting a date, the arrow buttons on the scroll bar will change the date by one day, and clicking on the space between those buttons will change the date by one month or one year, depending on the scroll bar being used.

When a scroll bar has the focus, the cursor control keys on the keypad may also be used to make changes.  For example, pressing the Home or End key will move the scroll button to the beginning or ending position within the scroll bar.  Pressing PgUp or PgDn is the same as clicking on the space between the scroll bar's arrow keys, and pressing the arrow keys on the keypad is the same as pressing the arrow keys on the scroll bar.

Hold down the mouse button or keypad key to make rapid changes.  For example, when a scroll bar has the focus, holding down the PgDn or PgUp key is a convenient way to make large, rapid changes in numbers, times or dates, and pressing the Home or End key will instantly reset the scroll bar to its extreme starting or ending positions, respectively.


Employee Data -- Personal Window

See also:  Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling.

The Employee Data -- Personal window displays the personal data for a selected employee and is used in conjunction with the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, which displays pay and scheduling data for the employee.

To access this window, first select  Roster on the Main Menu to access the Employee Roster window.  If you want to add a new employee, select the Roster's 'Add' button.  To view or edit the personal data for an existing employee, select the employee from the Roster, and then select the 'Personal Data' button.  In either case, the personal data window will appear.  It can also be accessed by selecting the 'Employee Data -- Personal' button in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Note:  Current or future legislation or administrative regulations in any jurisdiction may prohibit maintaining or restrict the use of certain types of employee data, such as the social security account number, race, age or other information.  Knowledge of and compliance with such legislation are the user's responsibility.

The remainder of this topic contains instructions applicable to the items in the Employee Data -- Personal window in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

# Street

1st Name, Middle

Age

Apt. Etc.

Cancel

City

Clear

DOB

Employee Data -- Pay Scheduling

Employee #

Hired ... To

In Emergency, Notify

Inactive

Last Name, Suffix

Last Eval

Male/Female

Nickname

Phone

Race

Rating

Remarks

Reset

Save

SSAN

ST

Term Code

Yrs

Zip Code

# STREET (Permanent and Current)

Enter the employee's street address (number and street name limit:  30 characters/spaces).  This is the first line of the address.  If a second line is required, see 'Apt. Etc.' below.  Note that the 'Current' address is intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.

Note for Keyboard users:  To access the items within the Permanent and Current address frames, press Alt+P for the Permanent frame or Alt+C for the Current frame, then use the Tab key or the Enter key to move from item to item within the frame (Shift+Tab to move backwards).

1 ST NAME, MIDDLE

Enter the employee's first name, including any middle name or initial.  (Limit:  25 characters/spaces.)  If the employee has no middle name, it is not necessary to indicate that fact, but you could include '(NMI)' for clarity to indicate that there is no middle initial.

AGE

The program calculates and displays the employee's current age, based on the date of birth ('DOB') shown in this window and the current date.  Be sure that your system has the correct current date.

APT. Etc. (Permanent and Current)

Enter any additional address data, such as an apartment number (limit:  30 characters/spaces).  This data will be printed as a second address line (after the '# Street' address line) on printouts.  Note that the 'Current' address is intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.

CANCEL

Select this button (or press Esc) to close the Employee Data -- Personal window.  If data changes have been made but not saved, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save them before the window closes.

CITY (Permanent and Current)

Enter the employee's city name (limit:  25 characters/spaces).  Note that the 'Current' address is intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.

CLEAR

This button appears in both the 'Permanent Address and Phone' and 'Current Address and Phone' frames.  Select it to erase all data in the frame in which the selected button appears.  Note that the 'Current' address and phone data are intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.  Hence, this button comes in handy when the employee again moves to a permanent address and you want to erase the 'current' data and/or change the 'permanent' data.

If you are making changes to existing data and want to clear the changes, you can use this button or the 'Reset' button described below.

DOB

Enter the employee's birth date in the DOB (Date Of Birth) box in any acceptable format.   See General Help -- 'Entering Dates'.  A date must be entered in this box.  If you don't know the correct date, enter any obviously ficticious date (e.g. the current date or one far in the past) and enter the correct one when you get it.

EMPLOYEE #

Enter the person's employee number as 6 digits (limit:  000001 to 999999), using leading zeros when necessary.  Do not use commas or decimals.

EMPLOYEE DATA -- PAY/SCHEDULING

Select this button to call the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window and close this window.  If you are entering data for a new employee, this button is not enabled until the appropriate data in this Employee Data -- Personal window has been saved.  (See 'Save' below.)  For new employees, after entering the personal data in this window, your next action should be to enter the employee's pay and scheduling data in the pay/scheduling window.

HIRED ... TO

Enter the beginning and ending dates of employment in any acceptable format.  If the end date is blank, the program will enter the current date for convenience.  The 'Hired' date must be entered.  If you don't know the correct date of hire, enter any obviously ficticious date and enter the correct one later.  If the employee is not terminated or inactive, the 'To' date should either be blank or have the current date.

When the employment terminates, enter the termination date in the 'To' box, check the 'Inactive' box and enter an appropriate termination code in the 'Term. Code' box.  (See 'Inactive' and 'Term. Code' below.)

IN EMERGENCY, NOTIFY

Enter the name, address, phone, and relationship if appropriate, of a person to contact in case of an emergency involving the employee (limit: 75 characters/spaces).  Include as much identifying information as possible in any format, abbreviating where necessary.

INACTIVE

Check this box if the employee is terminated or is unavailable for an extended period.  (See also 'Hired...To' above, and 'Term Code' below).  Checking this box and entering an appropriate termination code might be appropriate for intermittent (full- or part-time) employees during the period when they are inactive.  Note that absences of any length can also be recorded in the Absence Records and Reasons window, but for scheduling purposes, this box must be checked if the employee is not active and available for scheduling.

LAST EVAL.

Enter the date of the employee's last evaluation in any acceptable format.  It would be a good idea to enter in the Suspense List window an appropriate date or dates for the next evaluation(s).  Also, after each evaluation, remember to enter its date and rating in this window.

LAST NAME, SUFFIX

Enter the employee's last name, including any suffix (e.g. Jr., III, etc.).  Limit: 25 characters/spaces.

MALE/FEMALE

Select the appropriate option button for the employee's gender.  The left and right arrow keys on the keypad can be used to shift the focus from one option to the other.

NICKNAME

Use this space for the employee's nickname or preferred form of address.  It can also be used for any other identifying characteristic(s) when more than one employee has the same name (e.g. 'Big David' and 'Little David').  Limit: 12 characters/spaces.

PHONE (Permanent and Current)

Enter the employee's permanent or current phone number, with the area code first.  The box is formatted so that you don't have to enter any spaces, parentheses or hyphens between the parts of the number and can just enter the 10 digits (3 for the area code and 7 for the phone number).  If there is an alternate phone number (as opposed to a 'current' one), include and identify it in the 'Remarks' box.  Note that the 'Current' phone is intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.

RACE

Enter 1 or 2 characters to describe the employee's race or ethnic origin.  Examples: (C)aucasian or (W)hite, (B)lack or (AA) African American, (H)ispanic, (AI) American Indian or (NA) Native American, etc.  Any one or two characters can be entered, but try to be consistent  for record purposes (within the limits of the individual's personal preference or legal requirements).  This entry can be left blank.  Current or future legislation in any jurisdiction may prohibit maintaining or restrict the use of any record of an employee's race.  Knowledge of and compliance with such legislation is the user's responsibility.

RATING

Enter the employee's overall rating from the last evaluation (limit: 15 characters and spaces).  Any rating description (words and/or numbers) can be entered, but be as consistent as possible for record purposes.  (See also 'Last Eval.' above.)

REMARKS

Use this space to add any appropriate comments (limit: 300 characters and spaces) concerning the employee, the employee's status, performance, alternate phone number(s), etc.  Note that the program inserts 'Remarks:' at the beginning of this box if it is empty.  You can delete or type over that entry if you wish, but you may want to leave it, since the box is not otherwise identified.  If the text extends beyond the visible limits of the box, use the cursor control keys on the keypad to move the text, but remember that the text is limited to a total of 300 characters and spaces (including the 8 characters in 'Remarks:' and any spaces after it).  Keyboard users:  To access the Remarks block, press Alt+O (moves the focus to the 'Term. Code' box), then press Enter (moves the focus to the Remarks block).

RESET

Select this button to reset all data to the values, if any, currently on file for the selected employee, thereby discarding any changes made in the window but not saved in the file.  If you were entering data for a new employee, all the data will be erased or reset to the default values.  See also 'Clear' above.

SAVE

Select this button to save (in the Employee.Dat file) all currently displayed data for the employee.

If significant data items are missing, set at zero (0) or in the wrong format, you will be so advised.  To avoid that message for missing significant items, enter any fictitious data for the item in the proper format until you can obtain the correct data.  For example, for a missing date, enter a date that is obviously fictitious (e.g. a date 100 years in the past for DOB ).  For a missing address or any item that calls for a text entry (names, etc.), enter 'missing' or a similar explanation.  For a missing social security or phone number or any number that must have a specific format, enter an obviously fictitious number in the correct format, such as 123-45-6789 for the SSAN, 123-456-7890 for a phone number, or 12345 for a zip code.  Note that it is not necessary to enter fictitious data unless the program advises you that the data is missing when you attempt to save it and you do not have or do not wish to enter the correct data.

SSAN

Enter the employee's 9-digit Social Security Account Number.  This box is formatted so that you don't have to enter the hyphens between the three sections of the number and can just enter the 9 digits.

ST (Permanent and Current)

Enter the 2-character state abbreviation for the employee's address.  Note that the 'Current' address is intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.

TERM CODE

When the employment ends or is suspended for any reason, enter the appropriate termination code number (limit: 1 to 32767).  To add termination codes or view or change them, select File then Termination Codes on the Main Menu.  Appropriate termination codes could also be used for employees who are unavailable for an extended period for any reason but not terminated, and for intermittent employees during periods when they are inactive.  (See also 'Hired...To' and 'Inactive' above.)

YRS

The program calculates and displays the number of years that the employee has been employed, based on the beginning date of employment ('Hired') and the current date or termination date ('To').  Be sure that your system has the correct current date.  Periods during which the employee may have been inactive are not taken into account for this calculation.  If you require a record of that data (i.e. periods of inactivity), include it in the 'Remarks' box.

ZIP CODE (Permanent and Current)

Enter the 5-digit zip code for the employee's address in the first box and the 4-digit extended zip code (optional) in the second box.  Note that the 'Current' address is intended for use when the employee is temporarily residing at a different address.


Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates Frame
Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame

See also:  Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling,

                     Shifts and Holidays

                     Prepare New Schedule.

The 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window (referred to in this topic as the 'main window') shows any days, times or dates that the employee is not available for scheduling, allows you to set a weekly hours limit for the employee and allows you to set an unpaid break option.  If you select the  'SET DAYS/TIMES/DATES NOT AVAILABLE and Unpaid Break Option' button in that section or click on any time-range or date-range box,  the 'Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option' frame appears (referred to in this topic as the 'frame').

Individual non-availability days, times and dates (and reasons), and the unpaid break option, can be set in this frame and then transferred to the main window by selecting either the 'Set Days/Times/Break' or 'Set Dates' button in the frame.

Note:  Non-availability day/time and break option settings remain in effect until changed.  Non-availability date settings are erased automatically after the date or date range passes.  This is done prior to preparation of the next schedule.

Non-availability settings are used by the scheduling procedure to determine if an employee is eligible to be scheduled for a selected date and shift.  In addition to using these settings to adapt work schedules to the personal schedules of employees, they also can be used to schedule vacation and family leave dates, and those and other reasons for the absence(s) can be identified (see 'Reasons' below).

Note:  If an employee's scheduling data reflects non-availability for a time that coincides with a shift time, even if only the first or last minute of the shift, the program will consider that employee to be ineligible for scheduling for that shift.  Therefore, it is important to insure that such conflicts are avoided through the careful setting of non-availability times and the use of overlapping shifts, when necessary, to insure compatibility between an employee's non-availability times and shift times.  See the topics 'Shifts and Holidays' and 'Prepare New Schedule' for details.

The unpaid break option is discussed in detail under "Unpaid Breaks" below.

In the remainder of this topic, each item in the Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame is described in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

All Day

Clear Current Setting

Close

Date Range 1 ... Date Range 4

Dates Not Available

Days/Times Not Available

Every Day

From ... To

Monday ... Sunday

Reasons

Set Day/Time/Break

Set Dates

Unpaid Breaks

ALL DAY

First select a day name (or the 'Every Day' option).  Then, if you want to indicate that the employee is not available for scheduling for any shift on that day (or every day), check this 'All Day' box.

Instead of selecting individual days, the 'Every Day' option could be used with this 'All Day' option when an employee will be unavailable for a full week.

Note:  The 'All Day' -- 'Every Day' combination is an alternative to setting a non-availability date range in cases where the duration of non-availability is not known.  The 'Inactive' check box in the main window could also be used for this purpose.  This might be appropriate, for example, in cases where the employee is sick.  (See also the Absences and Reasons window.)

When you select the 'All Day' option, the 'From' and 'To' settings are changed by the program to 12:00 AM (midnight), but when the setting is transferred to the main window it will show '12:00AM--11:59PM'.  This is done to insure that an 'All Day' setting for one day does not interfere with the possibility of a shift beginning on midnight of the following day.

Note:  'All Day' for this purpose refers to all shifts for the selected day(s), even though the last shift may run into the next day (after midnight).  In other words, if a shift begins before midnight and extends to or beyond midnight, it will be considered by the program to be the last shift for the day on which the shift began, and if a shift begins at or after midnight, it will be considered to be the first shift for the day that begins at midnight.

When both the 'From' and 'To' settings are the same (midnight or another time), the 'All Day' box must be checked to confirm your intention, and the program will so advise you if you attempt to transfer the change to the main window when both settings are the same but the 'From' box is checked instead of the 'All Day' box.

CLEAR CURRENT SETTING

One button with this caption is available for the day/time and break option settings and another is available for dates and date ranges.  In both cases, the button's purpose is to clear (erase) the settings in the main window.  (The Clear button does not clear the settings in this frame.)  For days, select a day (or 'Every Day'), then select the 'Clear Current Setting' button in that part of the frame to clear the setting for that day (or days) in the main window.  For dates, select one of the four date options, then select the 'Clear Current Setting' button in the date part of the frame to clear the setting for that date option in the main window.  For example, if you select 'Monday' and then select the 'Clear Current Setting' button, any time range displayed for 'Mon' in the main window will be erased.  For the break option, selecting the 'Clear Current Setting' button clears any existing setting and changes the note in the main window to 'Unpaid break option set at 0 hrs. for 0 mins'.

The purpose of these buttons is to remove any entries in the main window's 'Not Available for Scheduling' section.  To change the entry in the frame, it is not necessary to clear it first.  When you select the 'Set Days/Times/Break' or 'Set Dates' button in the frame, the new setting will replace the previous setting in the main window.

CLOSE

Select this button to close the frame after you have finished making any changes.  Note that you must select the 'Set Days/Times/Break' or 'Set Dates' button -- before selecting the 'Close' button -- if you want to make any changes effective in the main window.  If you have made changes but did not 'set' them (i.e. transfer them to the main window), you will not be warned of this fact when you select the 'Close' button.  (The changes in the Main Window must also be saved before closing the window, but you are warned about unsaved changes in that case.)

DATE RANGE 1 ... DATE RANGE 4

Select one of these options before setting the 'From ... To' date range for that option.  The four options correspond to the 'Date(s) 1' to 'Date(s) 4' labels in the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the main window.  When you select one of the four options, the current date-range setting, if any, in the main window for that option will be shown in the 'From ...To' boxes in the frame and any reason identified will be shown.  If no date(s) had been set in the main window for the selected date option, the current date will be shown in those boxes, and if no reason is indicated, the 'Other' option will be selected and 0 (zero) will appear in the box next to that option.

Note that the non-availability dates are set in the frame with year designations but that the year is not shown in the main window's boxes.  The significance of this is that the dates do not carry over from year to year (unless, of course, the specified date-range spans more than one year -- for example, 'Dec 12 -- Jan 13').  After the last date in any non-availability date range has passed, the setting will be erased automatically.  The dates are reviewed by the program and erased, if appropriate, whenever the Prepare New Schedule window is opened.  If any dates are erased, you will be so advised.

See also the first Note under 'All Day' above.

DATES NOT AVAILABLE

Use this part of the frame to set dates when the employee is not available for scheduling.  Select one of the 'Date Range 1 ... Date Range 4' options, set the 'From ... To' date range using the scroll bars, indicate the 'Reason' for the absence and then select the 'Set Dates' button to transfer the setting to the appropriate date entry in the main window.  See the quoted sub-topics for details.

DAYS/TIMES NOT AVAILABLE

Use this section of the frame to set the days and times when the employee is not available for scheduling.  Select a day or 'Every day', set the 'From ... To' time range using the scroll bars or select the 'All Day' option, and then select the 'Set Days/Times' button to transfer the setting to the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the main window.  See the quoted sub-topics for details.  The 'Unpaid break' option included in this section of the frame is explained below.

EVERY DAY

Select this option button to set a scheduling non-availability time range for every day.  Set the time range using the 'From...To' scroll bars, or select 'All Day' if the employee will be unavailable for one or more full weeks, and then select the 'Set Day/Time/Break' button to transfer the setting to the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the main window.  See also the first Note under 'All Day' above.

FROM ... TO (Dates)

First select one of the four 'Date Range ...' options, then use the scroll bars to set the date(s) during which the employee is not available for scheduling.  See also the first Note under 'All Day' above.

Note:  To indicate a single date, set both 'From' and 'To' to be the same date.

FROM ... TO (Times)

First select a day or 'Every Day', then check the 'From' box and use the scroll bars under these boxes to set the time range during which the employee is not available for scheduling.  Note that 12:00 PM is noon and 12:00 AM is midnight.  See also the first Note under 'All Day' above.

Note:  If the 'From' and 'To' times are the same, which would imply (at least to the program) that the employee is not available for any shift on the selected day, you will be asked to confirm that setting by selecting the 'All Day' option.

MONDAY ... SUNDAY

Select one of these option buttons to identify a specific day, set the non-availability time range for that day using the 'From...To' scroll bars or select 'All Day', and then select the 'Set Day/Time/Break' button to transfer the setting to the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the main window.  See also the first Note under 'All Day' above.

Reason

After setting the dates of absence, identify the reason for it, if you wish, by selecting either the 'Vacation' or 'Family Leave' option button, or selecting the 'Other' option button and entering the appropriate digit or letter code for the reason.  Select the List Reasons button to call the Absence Records and Reasons window to view the list of reasons.  (When selected in this way, the window will appear with the drop-down list of reasons already dropped down.)  See the 'Prepare New Schedule' topic for details as to how these settings can be used during scheduling to automatically update absence records in the Absence Records and Reasons window.

SET DATES

Select this button to transfer the date range settings (and reasons) to the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the main window.  Up to four dates or date ranges can be set.

SET DAY/TIME/Break

Select this button to transfer the displayed day, time and break settings to the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the main window.

Unpaid Breaks

Some employees are provided unpaid breaks (for meals or any other purpose) of varying durations if scheduled to work a given number of hours on any day.  The break provision may apply only once per day or each time the given number of hours occurs during the day.  For example, an employee might be given a 60-minute break on any day that he works 6 hours or more or regardless of the hours worked, or the employee might be given one 60-minute break for each 6 hours worked on any day.

Unpaid breaks are taken into consideration during scheduling in order to insure the accuracy of labor costs and to insure that any overtime and work hours limits are applied correctly.  In other words, unpaid breaks are not included when calculating work hours for any purpose during scheduling -- and the program will adjust the hours and labor cost totals automatically during scheduling if you set this option correctly for the affected employees.  For example, if an employee has an unpaid break of 60 minutes, which is to be applied when he has worked a minimum of 6 hours, then, when he is scheduled for 6 hours or more, the program would deduct 60 minutes from the total shift times scheduled, both before checking the employee's eligibility for scheduling based on the applicability of any overtime or work hours limits for that employee and, if the employee is selected for scheduling, before calculating and updating the total hours and labor costs for the week shown on the schedule grid.

To set the unpaid break option for an employee:

First check [X] the 'Unpaid break' box.

Use the scroll bar to set the hours value in the 'at ... hours' box.  If the 'Unpaid break' box is checked and you leave this box set at zero (0), the employee will be assumed to have an unpaid break on any day that he is scheduled to work, regardless of the number of hours scheduled.  If you set the value at 1 or higher, it signifies the number of hours that the employee must be scheduled on any given day for the unpaid break to be applicable.

Set the duration in minutes of the unpaid break in the 'mins.' box, using its scroll bar.  This box must have a number larger than 0 if the 'Unpaid Break' box is checked.  Note that the value is minutes.  If the employee's break time is broken down into different periods, set the box to the total minutes for all periods, unless you select the 'Every x hours' option button (see below), in which case the 'mins.' box should only reflect the duration of one break period.

Select the 'Once per day' option button if the break time is to be applicable only once per day (even if broken down into different periods) whenever the employee is scheduled to work at least the number of hours set in the 'at...hours' box.  This is the only proper choice if the value in the 'at...hours' box is zero.

Set the 'Every x hours' option button if the break time is to be applied for every x hours that the employee is scheduled on any day, where x is the number of hours set in the 'at...hours' box.  In other words, if the 'at...hours' box is set at 6, and the employee is scheduled for 12 hours on a given day, the value in the 'mins.' box would be deducted twice from the total shift hours scheduled for that day before calculating labor cost or overtime or work hours limits.  (In this example, the deduction would not occur again until the employee was scheduled for 18 hours.)

The unpaid break option is intended to account for unpaid breaks when calculating work hours.  It is not intended for paid breaks, nor is it intended for scheduling any kind of break for specific times.  If you want to schedule paid or unpaid breaks for specific times, create shifts for those times in the Shifts and Holidays window and identify them as breaks in the shift description.  However, if you schedule unpaid breaks as shifts, you should still use this option to insure the accuracy of the paid work hours calculations.

Note that, while it is possible to set a different break option for each employee, it is not possible to set different break options for different days for the same employee.  You can only set one break option for each employee, and it will be applied in the same way on all days for that employee.


Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling Window

See also:  Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break OptionFrame

                     Prepare New Schedule

                     Employee Data -- Personal.

Purpose and Access

This window displays pay and scheduling data for a selected employee and is used in conjunction with the Employee Data -- Personal window, which displays personal data for the employee.  The pay/scheduling data is used by the program's scheduling procedure not only to form the schedule but also to determine the labor cost of a given schedule.

To access this window, first select Roster on the Main Menu to access the Employee Roster window.

To add a new employee, select the Roster's 'Add' button and complete -- and save -- the data in the personal data window first.  (This pay/scheduling data window cannot be accessed for a selected employee until the personal data has been saved for that employee.)  After entering an employee's personal data, select the 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' button in the personal data window to access this pay/scheduling data window.

To view or edit the pay/scheduling data for an existing employee, select the employee from the Roster, and then select the 'Pay/Scheduling Data' button in the Roster window.  As indicated above, the pay/scheduling data window can also be accessed from the Employee Data -- Personal window if the personal data for the selected employee has been saved.

Default and Alternate Data Sets

Two sets of pay/scheduling data can be maintained for each employee -- a default set and an alternate set.  The window is divided into the three sections described below.  Each section has its own set of controls to 'Get', 'Save'  or switch the default or alternate data sets for that section.

Note:  Scheduling is based on the default (Def) data set, which is the data shown when this pay/scheduling window first opens.

The alternate data will come in handy for employees whose scheduling options are regularly changed, particularly the non-availability options.  See 'Def <--> Alt' below for details.

Note for keyboard users:  Because of the number of controls in this window, the 'Def <--> Alt', 'Get' and 'Save' buttons in each of the three sections of this window do not have an underlined letter in their captions and cannot be activated by the Alt+key procedure.  Note, however, that the Default (Def) option adjacent to those buttons in each section does have an underlined letter for that purpose.  Therefore, to access one of the mentioned buttons, first shift the focus to a Def option in the same section, use an arrow key to select the appropriate option if necessary, and then use Tab (or Shift+Tab) to move the focus to the desired button.  See General Help -- 'Keyboard Use' for details about these keyboard procedures.

Section 1:  Position and Pay Data For Scheduling

This section of the window displays a drop-down list of up to thirty positions to which the selected employee is qualified to be scheduled, the primary position for scheduling the selected employee, the pay data applicable to the selected employee when assigned to each qualified position and, via the 'Last-Scheduled Data' button, the position number, date and shift to which the employee was last scheduled.  (See 'Itemized Instructions' below for details about the purpose of the 'Last-Scheduled Data' button.)

After changing any settings in this section, select either the 'Def' or 'Alt' option (see above) and the 'Save' button in this section to save the changed settings.  To later view or edit the saved settings, select either the 'Def' or 'Alt' option and the 'Get' button in this section.

Actually, the only item that can be different in the default or alternate data sets for this section is the 'Position'.  In other words, the only purpose of the two data sets for this section is to store a primary and alternate position for scheduling the selected employee.  And you can always change either the default or alternate position by selecting a different position from the qualified-positions list and saving it as part of either the default or alternate data set.

See 'Procedure for Setting Special Pay Amounts...' below for a way to save different special pay amounts for each of the selected employee's thirty qualified positions.

Note:  In determining the labor cost of a given schedule, any default wage ('Rate'), guarantee or salary data set for an employee in this window for the employee's default scheduling position will take precedence over the data established in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for that position.

The normal wage, guarantee or salary amounts for all positions should be set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.  If no special wage, guarantee or salary amounts have been set in this pay/scheduling window for a qualified position for a given employee, the amounts shown when the window is opened will be the wage, guarantee or salary amounts established in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for the 'Position' shown in this window.

Note:  Any 'Extra' wage rate for a given employee in a given position must be set in this window, since the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window makes no provision for extra pay.

When you want an employee to be scheduled to a given position with special wage, guarantee or salary amounts (other than those set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for that position), you have two possible choices in this section of the window.  First, if only extra wages are involved, you could set the additional wage rate for each desired 'Position' in the 'Extra' box .  (See 'Extra' below.)  Otherwise, set the special wage, guarantee, extra or salary amounts for each position in their respective boxes.

Procedure for Setting Special Pay Amounts for Each Qualified Position:  Special pay refers to pay that is different from the amounts set for the position in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.  After transferring up to thirty positions from the Position/Department List to the 'Qualified Positions' list in this window, select a position from the list for the 'Position' box and set in their respective boxes any special wage, guarantee, extra or salary amounts applicable to the selected employee when occupying that position.  Then save the settings as either default or alternate data.  (It doesn't matter which data set is used for this purpose.)  Do this for each position to which you want to apply special pay for the selected employee when occupying that position.  Thereafter, each time you change the 'Position' in either data set, the previously set values for that position for that employee will be displayed, and the values saved for the selected default 'Position' will be applied in determining the labor cost for a given schedule.

Note:  After using this procedure, be sure that the Default and Alternate positions are correctly set.

See 'Itemized Instructions' below for more information.

Section 2:  Not Available For Scheduling

This section of the window shows the days, times and dates that the employee is not available for scheduling.  It also includes the maximum weekly hours that the employee can be scheduled, if appropriate, and provisions for any unpaid breaks applicable to the employee.  To change the day, time or date settings, either click on one of the time-range or date-range blocks, or select the 'Set Days/Times/Dates Not Available and Unpaid Break Option' button below the boxes, to call the Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame.  To change the maximum weekly hours, simply enter the new amount in the box.  To set up unpaid break provisions, select the 'Set Days/Times/Dates Not Available and Unpaid Break Option' button.

After changing the settings in this section of the window, select either 'Def' or 'Alt' (see above) and then select 'Save' to save them.  To later view or edit the saved settings, select either the 'Def' or 'Alt' option and then the 'Get' button in this section.

Note:  The unpaid-break settings will be the same for both 'Def' and 'Alt'.

See 'Itemized Instructions' below for more information.

Section 3:  Other Scheduling Options

This section of the window includes the list of Scheduling Options, together with buttons for marking up to 15 of them as Applicable or Not Applicable for scheduling the selected employee.

Note:  The scheduling-options list may contain numerous options, but only 15 of them can be marked as applicable ('Mandatory' or 'Preference') in the default data set -- and 15 in the alternate data set -- for each employee.

After changing the applicability settings in this section, select either the 'Def' or 'Alt' option and the 'Save' button in this section to save the changes.  To later view or edit the saved settings, select either the 'Def' or 'Alt' option and the 'Get' button in this section.  Note that unmarked scheduling options (i.e. no 'M' or 'P' after the option) are assumed to be 'Not Applicable' when scheduling the selected employee.

Itemized Instructions

The remainder of this topic contains instructions applicable to all of the items in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

Alt / Def

Close

Date(s)1 ... Date(s) 4

Def <--> Alt

Delete

Employee # and Name

Employee Data -- Personal

Extra

Get

Guarantee

Last-Scheduled Data

Mandatory / Preference / Not Applicable

Max. Hours Per Week

Mon ... Sun

Position

Qualified Positions

Rate

Reset

Salary

Save

Save All

Select for 'Position'

Set Days/Times/Dates Not Available and Unpaid Break Option

Transfer From Position List

Unpaid Break Option set at ...

ALT / Def

Two sets of data, Def(ault) and Alt(ernate), can be saved for each section of this window, but only the Def data is used for scheduling.

Default Data Set:  Before you 'Get' or 'Save' data (see below), select the 'Def' option button to indicate that you want to get or save the default data for the section in which the button appears.  Scheduling will be based on the saved default data.  See 'Def <--> Alt' below for details.

Alternate Data Set:  Select the 'Alt' option button to indicate that you want to get or save the alternate data for the section in which the Alt option button appears.

Note:  In the '1. Position and Pay Data for Scheduling' section of this window, the 'Position' (for scheduling) is the only item with both Def and Alt settings.  The Qualified Positions are the same for both the Def and Alt settings.  The Rate, Guarantee, Extra and Salary amounts also do not have different default and alternate settings, but those amounts can be different for each position in the Qualified Positions list and, hence, different for the default and alternate 'Position' setting.  See the description of Section 1 above for details.

Also, the unpaid break settings in section 2 of the window will be the same for both 'Def' and 'Alt'.

Also, in order to avoid confusion or duplication of data, you should only change the Alt or Def setting when you are ready to get or save data.  You will be reminded of this the first time you

change the setting in any of the three sections of the window.

CLOSE

Select this button to close the 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' window.

DATE(S) 1 ... DATE(S) 4

These boxes show up to four dates or date ranges during which the employee is not available for scheduling and (in parentheses) code digits or letters indicating the reasons for the absences.  To edit these settings, click on the box you want to edit, or select the 'Set Days/Times/Dates Not Available and Unpaid Break Option' button (see below).  The meaning of the reason code in parentheses is shown in the Reasons List in the Absence Records and Reasons window.

The years are not shown and the dates do not carry over from year to year (unless, of course, the date range shown spans more than one year -- for example, the date range 'Dec 12 -- Jan 13').  After the last date in any date range has passed, the setting will be erased automatically.  The dates are reviewed by the program and erased, if appropriate, whenever this window or the Prepare New Schedule window is opened.  If any dates are erased, you will be so advised.

In order for these dates to be accurately given effect, your system date must be accurate.

DEF <--> ALT

At some point you may wish to switch the Alt set to be the Def set.  However, if you 'Get' the Alt set and then 'Save' it as the Def set, you wind up with two identical sets of data. To achieve the same purpose, i.e. to switch the Def and Alt data sets and still keep the two different sets on file, select the 'Def <--> Alt' button.  That switches the Def and Alt data sets both in the file and in the window, i.e. the Alt data becomes the Def data and vice versa.

Note:  Since the Def <--> Alt switch changes the data both in the window and in the file, it is not necessary to use 'Save' after making the switch.  However, if you make changes to either data set, be sure to save the changes before switching them.

If you select 'Save' after changing the 'Def' or 'Alt' setting, you will be reminded of the possible outcome, i.e. duplicate data sets, and the alternative procedure, i.e. using 'Def <--> Alt'.  See also the Note under 'Alt / Def' above.

DELETE

The 'Qualified Positions' list (see below) should include only the positions to which the employee can be scheduled.  To delete a position from the drop-down 'Qualified Positions' list, first select the position from the list.  Then select the 'Delete' button to delete the position from the list.  (The position number will change to 00000 to indicate that it is an unused entry.)  Finally, select the 'Save' button in that section of the window.  The position will not be deleted from the employee data file until the change is saved.  (Deleting a position from this list has no effect on the list of positions in the Position/Department List window.)

Note:  If the deleted position appeared in the 'Position' box above the list, its number will be deleted from that box and you will have to select another position from the list for that box.  Also, if the same deleted postion is in the 'Position' setting for the data set that is not displayed (Alt or Def), and you later 'Get' that data set, you will be reminded that the position was deleted and requested to select another position for the 'Position' setting for that data set.

See also the Note under 'Alt / Def' above.

EMPLOYEE # AND NAME

The employee number of the currently selected employee will appear at the top of the window, followed by the employee's name, with any nickname or other identifying information in parentheses after the name.

EMPLOYEE DATA -- PERSONAL

Select this button to call the Employee Data -- Personal window and close this window.

EXTRA

If you the selected employee is paid an extra hourly wage rate for a given position, i.e. an amount in addition to the normal 'Rate' shown in this window (which may or may not be the normal wage rate from the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window), set the position in the 'Position' box and enter the additional rate (not the total rate) in the 'Extra' box.  Then save the change as part of either the default or alternate data for that position.

For example, if the 'Rate' box shows 4.50 per hour and the employee is paid an extra dollar per hour, for a total of $5.50, when occupying the displayed 'Position', you would enter the difference, 1.00, in the 'Extra' box.

If the extra amount will not always be applicable when the employee is scheduled for that position, or if it is a one-time occurrence, set and save the extra amount as part of the Default data before scheduling and then change it back after scheduling.  If you elect the rotate-employees option during scheduling, and if the extra rate for one or more positions does not always apply, you will have to change the default data for each such position prior to scheduling.  See the references to employee-rotation in the Prepare New Schedule topic.

GET

First select the 'Def' or 'Alt' option button (see above), then select the Get button to retrieve the filed default or alternate data for the section in which this button appears.  See 'Def <--> Alt' for details.  Also, see the Note under 'Alt / Def' above and the Note under 'Save' below.

When you select this button, you will be asked if you also want to get the 'Alt' or 'Def' data  (depending on which option is selected) for the other two sections of the window.  Having the same type of data (Alt or Def) displayed in all three sections may help to avoid confusion in some cases, but it's not necessary.

This button can also be used to reset the data in the section in which the button appears when you want to discard changes made but not saved in that section.  This is an alternative to using the 'Reset' button (see below), which resets the data in all sections of the window.

GUARANTEE

If you want the employee to have a guaranteed hourly pay rate for the 'Position' shown that is different from the one established in the Position Pay Rates and Gurantees window, enter the guaranteed hourly pay rate in the Guarantee box.

Note:  If no default 'Rate', 'Guarantee' or 'Salary' has been set and saved previously for this employee, the default amount shown, if any, will be the normal one for the 'Position' shown, as established in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.

Also, if a wage 'Rate' or 'Guarantee' amount is shown, you will not be able to enter a 'Salary' amount, and vice versa.

Last-Scheduled Data

Select this button to call the 'Last Scheduled' frame in order to view or edit the position number, date and shift to which the employee was last scheduled.  This data normally does not require adjustment by you.  It is normally maintained and updated by the program.  The data is used in the 'Prepare New Schedule' window for employee rotation and other scheduling procedures.

Normally, there will be only one circumstance which would require you to edit this data, to wit:  if an employee does not actually work his or her last-scheduled shift in any given schedule.  Note that this refers only to the employee's last-scheduled shift, i.e. the employee's last shift on the employee's last-scheduled date in the last segment in which the employee appears in the last schedule in which the employee appears.  If the employee does not work the last-scheduled shift, you must change this data or the rotation option and other scheduling eligibility procedures may not work properly for the next schedule.

To edit the 'Position' in the Last Scheduled frame, enter the number for the position last worked by the employee.  The number must be one of those listed in the 'Qualified Positions' list in this window.  If that position is not listed, you should add it to the list, if the employee actually worked in the position.

To edit the 'Date' in the Last Scheduled frame, enter the date on which the employee last worked.  The date can be in any acceptable format (see General Help -- Entering Dates), but will be changed to a consistent format when 'Set' (see below).

To edit the 'Shift' in the Last Scheduled frame, enter the times for the last shift worked by the employee.  The entry must be in the format:  hh:mmx-hh:mmx, where hh is two digits for the hour, mm is two digits for the minute and x is either A or P (for AM or PM).  You can use the single letter 'a' or 'A' or 'p' or 'P', as appropriate, but do not add 'm' or 'M' after it.  For example:  02:05p-10:30p.  Note that the beginning and end times must be separated by a single hyphen ( - ) and that no spaces can be used.

Mandatory / Preference / Not Applicable

In section 3 of this window is a list of all of the available scheduling options that can be applied to any employee.  If you want one of the options to apply to the selected employee, first select it in the scheduling options list above these buttons, then select the Mandatory or Preference button to mark that item as applicable to the employee during scheduling (the letter M or P, respectively, will appear after the option description).  Both mandatory and preference options will be applied during scheduling.  The reason for the distinction between mandatory and preference is that, during manual scheduling, the identification of the option as either mandatory or a preference in the list of ineligibles may assist you in deciding whether to schedule the employee despite the existence of the option.  For example, if an employee cannot work an opening shift, the option 'Do not schedule for opening shift' should be selected and then the Mandatory button should be selected to place an M after that option.  However, if the employee can work an opening shift but prefers not to, select the Preference button.  Then, during manual scheduling, the P after that option in the ineligibles list will indicate to you that the option is only a preference and that the employee can be scheduled if necessary.  See  Prepare New Schedule -- 'Select Employees Frame' for details regarding the ineligibles list.

Applying scheduling options should be done judiciously, since they will never be ignored during scheduling and, hence, could prevent completion of the schedule, with two exceptions:  first, the 'Do not schedule for double shifts' and the 'Do not schedule for split shifts' options can be overridden during the scheduling procedure and, second, it is possible to ignore scheduling limitations and to schedule ineligible employees during manual (not auto) scheduling.  See the Prepare New Schedule topic for details.

To remove a mandatory or preference designation from an option in the list, select the option and then select the Not Applicable button to remove the 'M' or 'P' designation.  The use of this button is only necessary for scheduling options on the list that have previously been marked as mandatory or preference.  If a scheduling option has no 'M' or 'P' after it, it is assumed to be not applicable to the employee.

If you select an option that refers to a specific type of shift (e.g. 'Closing shift'), be sure that you have identified that type of shift in the  Shifts and Holidays window.

The use of the 'Rotate positions' and 'Do not rotate positions' options should usually be restricted to those employees who will be exceptions to your usual scheduling procedure.  For example, if you will usually choose the rotation option included in the scheduling procedure, you should not use the 'Rotate Positions' option in this window and should only mark the 'Do not rotate positions' option for those employees who will rarely, if ever, be rotated.  In other words, marking these options in this window provides an opportunity to overrule for individual employees your decision as to rotation during the scheduling procedure.

Several of the options conflict with other options, but you will not be permitted to mark two conflicting options as applicable.  For example, if the 'Rotate positions' option is marked as applicable, you will not be able to mark the 'Do not rotate positions' option, unless you first remove the mark from the former option.  Note also that the distinction between mandatory and preference only has meaning for those options that could render an employee ineligible for scheduling and, hence, result in the employee being on the list of ineligibles during manual scheduling.  For example, if the 'Allow overtime' option is marked, the employee will be considered eligible for overtime when appropriate, regardless of whether the option is marked as mandatory or a preference.  The 'Rotate positions' option is another example.

See also the Note under "Max. Hours Per Week" below.

Max. Hours Per Week

If an employee can only be scheduled for a limited number of hours per week, enter the maximum number of hours that can be scheduled for the employee in the box after this caption and save it as the 'Def' setting.  During scheduling, if the shift being scheduled would cause the employee to exceed the maximum, the employee will be considered ineligible for scheduling and will appear on the ineligibles list with the reason "Work hours limit".

Note:  Setting the "Allow overtime" scheduling option as applicable to an employee will override the maximum work hours per week setting.

If the employee has no applicable maximum, enter 0 in the box.  If a number is entered, it must be a whole number between 0 and 168 (no decimals and no negative numbers).

MON ... SUN

These boxes show the time period on given days that the employee is not available for scheduling.   To edit these settings, select the 'Set Days/Times/Dates Not Available and Unpaid Break Option' button below the boxes or click on the time-frame box next to a day name.

Note that there is no way to enter more than one non-availability time period per day.  If that situation arises, there are two possible work-arounds.  First, you could note the extra non-availability period(s) in the 'Remarks' block in the Employee Data -- Personal window and adjust the schedule manually to provide for them.  See View/Edit Schedule.  Second, you could develop, with the author's assistance, a 'scheduling option' to cover that situation, especially if the non-availability periods apply to every day or to several employees.  See Scheduling Options.  If the non-availability refers to shifts, rather than times, there are scheduling options that could be used.

POSITION

The number in the 'Position' box, when the default data is displayed, indicates the position in which the selected employee will be scheduled during the scheduling process.  When the alternate data is displayed, it simply indicates an alternate position for scheduling, but alternate data has no effect on the scheduling process.  (For descriptions of the positions, see the Position/Department List.)

To insert a position number in this box, you can either select the desired position from the 'Qualified Positions' list and then select the 'Select For Position' button below the list, or select the position in the list and press Enter.  In either case, the position number will be transferred to the Position box.  (See 'Qualified Positions'.)  To replace the existing number in the box, just transfer another position from the list.

QUALIFIED POSITIONS

This drop-down 'Qualifed Positions' list should include all positions to which the employee is qualified to be scheduled, up to a maximum of 30.  (Unused entries in the list will have the number 00000.)  In the case of supervisors or others who may be qualified to hold more than 30 positions, it is suggested that you list only the most significant ones, i.e. the ones in which the person is most likely to perform when not scheduled for the default position.  See 'Position' above.

To add to this list positions for which the employee is qualified, transfer them from the Position/Department List to this list.  See 'Transfer From Position List' below.  Also, see 'Position' and the Note under 'Alt / Def' above.

In addition to providing a handy list from which the default position for scheduling can be selected, this list is used in the Prepare New Schedule window when you elect to use the employee-rotation option or whenever you use manual scheduling.  See the Prepare New Schedule topic for details.

Note:  If you intend to use the rotation option during scheduling, you should not include in the qualified-positions list any positions to which you do not want the employee to be rotated, but only if those positions are within the same department.  This issue does not apply to positions in different departments, since scheduling rotation is applied only to positions within the same department.

For the same reason, you should also exclude any positions to which an employee is unlikely ever to be scheduled.  For example, if a server is also qualified to be a busser but would rarely if ever be scheduled for that position, don't include the busser position in the qualified-positions list unless it is in a different department.  Note that, during manual scheduling,  employees on the ineligibles list can still be selected for scheduling.

See also Add/Edit Position Frame -- Position/Department Descriptions.

RATE

If you want the selected employee to have a wage rate for the 'Position' shown that is different from the one established in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for that position, enter the hourly wage rate for the 'Position' number shown.  Also, see 'Extra' and the Note under 'Guarantee' above.

Reset

Select this button to reset all data in this window to the (Def)ault values, if any, currently on file for the selected employee.  You will be asked to confirm your intention to reset the data.  If you select 'Yes', any displayed changes that you may have made -- but not saved -- will be ignored.

SALARY

If you want the selected employee to have a salary for the 'Position' shown that is different from the one established in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for that position, enter the salary per pay period for the 'Position' number shown in section 1 of this window.  Be sure that the correct pay period is set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window and that any salary amount set in that window or this one is for the correct pay period.  The salary rate per pay period is limited to $32,767 and must be an even dollar amount (no cents).

Note:  Since salaried employees usually are not subject to overtime considerations, when a salary (as opposed to an hourly wage) is set in this window for the employee's default 'Position' in section 1 of the window, you should normally also mark the 'Allow overtime' scheduling option as mandatory in section 3 of the window or, if the employee's default 'Position' is identified as a salaried position in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window, you could set an appropriately larger amount of 'regular hours' in that window for that position.  Otherwise, during scheduling, the employee could be considered ineligible for scheduling if the scheduled hours exceed the 'regular hours' set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for the position being scheduled.  (Note that, during manual scheduling, it is possible to select ineligible employees for scheduling.)  In any case, during scheduling, when a salary is applicable to the employee, no overtime pay will be applied when calculating labor costs, regardless of the amount of hours scheduled for that employee.

  Also, see the Note under 'Guarantee' above.

SAVE

A Save button appears in each of the three sections in this window to permit you to save changes for just one section.  First select the 'Def' or 'Alt' option for that section, then select the Save button to save in a file, as either default or alternate data, the data displayed in the section in which the button appears.  See 'Def <--> Alt' above for details.  Also, see the Note under 'Alt / Def' above and see 'Save All' below.

Note: If you want to switch and save the Def and Alt data sets, select the 'Def <--> Alt' button.  If you 'Get' one set of data and 'Save' it as the other set, that will result in both sets being identical.  (You will be warned of this when appropriate.)

SAVE ALL

Select the 'Save All' button at the bottom of this window to save all of the window's data.  When you select the Save All button, each 'Save' button in each of the window's three sections is activated in turn.  If a problem exists in connection with saving the data in any one section and if you elect to cancel the save for that section, saving of the remaining sections' data will also be cancelled.  Be sure that the Def or Alt data that you want to save is displayed in each section of the window, and that the proper Def of Alt option is selected, before you select this button.

SELECT FOR 'POSITION'

After selecting a position in the drop-down list of qualified positions, select this button to enter the selected position number in the 'Position' box.  See also 'Position' and 'Qualified Positions' above.

Note:  Pressing Enter when the desired position is shown in the top box of the 'Qualified Positions' list has the same effect as selecting this button, i.e. the selected position number is transferred to the 'Position' box.

SET DAYS/TIMES/DATES NOT AVAILABLE and Unpaid Break Option

Select this button to call the separate frame for setting or changing the time ranges or date ranges shown above the button, i.e. the days, times and dates when the employee is not available for scheduling, or to set up the Unpaid Break option.  See Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame for details.  Also see 'Section 2. Not Available for Scheduling' above.

TRANSFER FROM POSITION LIST

Select this button to see the list of position numbers and descriptions and to transfer a selected position from that list to the 'Qualified Positions' list.  See 'Position' and 'Qualified Positions' above and see Position/Department List -- 'Transfer' for details.

Unpaid Break Option set at ...

At the top of Section 2 of this window will appear a statement beginning 'Unpaid break option set at ...', followed by the settings for the hours and minutes in the unpaid break option.  If the minutes are larger than zero, the type of break (once a day or every x hours) will appear in parentheses after the minutes setting.  See Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame for details.  Also see 'Section 2. Not Available for Scheduling' above.


Print Options Window

This window is accessed by selecting Print on the Main Menu's menu bar.  In this window, select one of the option buttons under 'Item to Print', then select from among any options applicable to your choice that may be displayed.  After any applicable options have been selected, set the number of copies to print , using the scroll bar in the lower left of the window, prepare the printer and select the Print button.

Note:  If an options frame appears when you select one of the print options, in order to print the item with the additional selected options, the Print button must be selected prior to closing the options frame via its 'Close' button.  There are two exceptions to this.  First, the 'Schedule ...' option uses two consecutive option frames.  Select the Print button before closing the second frame.  Second, the 'Schedule, Blank ...' option specifically offers the print option after several other options are presented and, hence, you do not have to select the Print button.

Also, before selecting the 'Schedule, Blank . . .' option, you should set the number of copies to be printed, using the scroll bar in the lower left of the window.  This is the only option that requires setting the number of copies before selecting the option.

If there is no data on file for any one of the 'Item to Print' options, that option will be disabled.  Options with an ellipsis (. . .) after them call a frame with additional options.  When you close such a frame, you will note that the 'Scheduling Options' option will be selected, instead of the option you had selected before.  This is normal and allows you to re-select the prior option again, if you wish.

Most of the items available for printing in this window should be self-explanatory.  The first five items on the left of the window and the 'Scheduling Options' item on the right each print a list of all of the data available for that item, as shown in the window pertaining to each item.  For example, if you select 'Suspense List' and then select the Print button, all suspense items listed in the Suspense List window will be printed.  Items that may require additional explanation are discussed in the sub-topics below.

List Employee( s) . . .

Select this item to print data for one or all employees.  An options frame will appear in which you can select the data to be included in the printout and, if a single employee's data is being printed, to identify the employee number.

If you elect to print a list of all employees, select the data item to be used as the basis for sorting the entries in the printout from the drop-down list of sorting bases in the frame.  The list will be printed in ascending alphabetical or numerical order according to the sorting basis that you select.

Then select the data items to be included for each employee in the printout.    You can select one or several of the included-items in the list, or you can select or deselect all of them using the 'Select All' or 'Deselect All' buttons.  For a list of all employees, the item selected as the basis for sorting will be selected automatically as an included-item.

In any case, the printout will always include at least the employee's number and name and, for an all-employees list, will include the item used as the basis for sorting (if it is other than the number or name, which are always included).

Employee Data -- Personal...

Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling...

The data items for these options are the same as those included in the windows Employee Data -- Personal and Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling, respectively.

Blank Form:  If you select the 'Blank Form' option button, a form similar in format to the appropriate window's format will be printed, but without any data.  Either or both types of blank form could be used to obtain necessary personal and other data from a new employee or could be used by an existing employee to provide data changes.

Filled-In Form:  If you select the 'Filled-In Form' option button, also select the employee number using the scroll bar, and the appropriate data for the selected employee will be printed on a form similar in format to the appropriate window's format, according to your selection.  These forms could be used as a hard-copy record of the computer data.

Except for the absence of controls, there is virtually no difference between the format of the personal data window and its printed equivalent.  For pay/scheduling data, in addition to the absence of controls, the differences between the window and the printed form are that the printed form includes both the default and alternate data items, the 'Qualified Positions' list appears as a box which contains all of the qualified-position numbers but without descriptions, the employee's last-scheduled data is included in the top section of the form, the Reason Code for any non-availability date or period is included next to the date block in the middle of the form, and the Other Scheduling Options list at the bottom of the form appears as a box containing only the numbers, not the descriptions, of the default and alternate scheduling options applicable to the employee, i.e. those that have the letter designation 'M'' or "P".  The numbers for inapplicable scheduling options are not listed.

Schedule . . .

If you select this item, a frame will appear with a list of all schedules on file.  Select the desired schedule, then select the 'Select' button, or select the 'Close' button to close this frame and abort the printing option.  If you select the 'Select' button (or double-click on the desired schedule on the list), an options frame will appear in which you can select from options to print the selected schedule for one department or for all departments (the master schedule, arranged by department), for one position or for all positions (the master schedule, arranged by position), or for one employee or for all employees (the master schedule, arranged by employee).  If you elect to print the schedule for one department, one position or one employee, select the department, position or employee number, using the appropriate scroll bar.

The schedule will be printed in the same format as a blank schedule (see below).  A new page will be printed for  each 7-day segment in the schedule period.  If more than 16 employees are scheduled for a segment, a new page will be printed for each group of up to 16 employees.  A new page also will be printed for each different position.

Each shift block has room for up to three shifts.  Since most employees will have only one or two shifts, that should leave room for any notes you may wish to write on the printed schedule.

All pages will have the same heading format, will have 'Approved' and 'Date' lines and will have footnotes regarding BD and closing shifts.

Hour and labor cost totals, per schedule segment and per employee, are printed on a separate page after the selected schedule is printed.  On that same page, the grand totals for the entire schedule period also will be printed.

Schedule, Blank . . .

Select this option to print a blank schedule form that you can use for any purpose.  You will be asked in three separate dialogue boxes to enter a department name, a position name and the first of the seven dates to be covered by the form.  This data will be printed as the heading of the blank form.  If you don't want a data item printed on the blank form, leave the dialogue box's response space empty or select the box's 'Cancel' button.  If you do want the data printed, enter it in the dialogue box's response space and either press Enter or select the box's 'OK' button.  If you enter the first date when asked to do so, the form will include that date and the next six dates in the heading.

Each blank form page will have room for up to 7 schedule days for up to 16 employees and will include 'Approved' and 'Date' lines at the bottom, plus footnotes regarding BD and closing shifts.   The top row of blank boxes are for the dates.  The left box in each subsequent row is for the employee's name and/or number, and the boxes to the right of the name box are for the shifts times for each date.

Note:  Before selecting the 'Schedule, Blank . . .' option, you should set the number of copies to be printed, using the scroll bar in the lower left of the window.  This is the only option that requires setting the number of copies before selecting the option.

Sign-In Form (Sample) . . .

This option is reserved for customized programs.  A sample of how it could be used is included.  The sample prints a customizable sign-in form (for use by a casino in the sample).  Note that , when entries are made in the lists for the customizable lines, those entries can be saved and will be retrieved each time this option is selected.  Also, the selected item in each list will be the item last selected during the previous access to this option.  It is emphasized that this is only an example of what could be done for this option.  Contact the author to have your own custom option programmed.

Sales Data . . .

If you select this option, a frame will appear in which you can select the date and category (department, position or employee) for which you want sales data printed.  You can also elect to have sales data printed for all dates for the selected category.

To print the data for a selected date, check the 'Selected Date' box and select the date using the scroll bar.  The box will be checked automatically if you select the date first.  If you want the data for all dates printed, check the 'All Dates on File' box.  In either case, then select the category of data to print, select the number of copies to print and select the Print button to begin printing.

Categories for which no sales data is on file will be disabled.

Note:  When you save the sales data for a specific date for any category in the Sales window, if you leave the 'Date Total' box blank or set at 0, that date will not appear later on the 'Selected Date' list in this window and, hence, you will be unable to print data for that date for any category, even if data is on file for that date and category.  However, if you select the 'All Dates on File' option in this window for sales data, all data on file for the selected category will be printed, including data for dates that may not appear in the 'Selected Date' list.

Sales, Blank Form . . .

Select this option to print a form for entering manually the sales data for a selected category (department, position or employee).  If you select this option, the same frame will appear as appears when you select the 'Sales Data . . .' option (see above), except that the date options will be disabled.  Select the desired category and then select the number of copies to print and select the 'Print' button to begin printing.  The printed form will have a heading describing its purpose with a space for the date for which sales are to be entered.  Under the heading will be a list  of all items in the category, followed by a space for the sales total for each item.  The last line will provide space for the total sales for that category.

Use this form to gather the data to be entered in the Sales window.


Scheduling Options Window

See also:  Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

                     Shifts and Holidays

                     Prepare New Schedule.

This window can be accessed by selecting either File or Schedule on the Main Menu's menu bar, and then selecting 'Scheduling Options' from the drop-down list of sub-options.  The window's only purpose is to list all of the available scheduling options.  Although many of the procedures and data connected with the scheduling process can be referred to as scheduling options, all references to 'scheduling options' in this documentation refer to the options in this window (which are also listed in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window for each employee).

Their primary purpose is to give management and employees the same flexibility when preparing a schedule via this program as they would have when preparing a schedule manually.  In a manual scheduling process, management applies certain scheduling policies, such as avoiding overtime and scheduling employees for split or double shifts when needed.  But, occasionally, employees present management with conditions, such as not wanting to work a split shift, which may constitute exceptions to the normal scheduling policies.  And management occasionally finds it necessary to make exceptions to its own policies, such as scheduling an employee for overtime when necessary.  The scheduling options in this window are designed to allow the application of such exceptions during programmed scheduling.

In other words, these scheduling options involve conditions which, together with all of the other data maintained by the program, help to determine whether a given employee is or is not eligible to be scheduled for a given position, date and shift.

The application of these scheduling options to individual employees takes place initially in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, where up to 15 of the available options can be selected as applicable to a selected employee and saved as Default data.  (Up to 15 may also be selected and saved as Alternate date, but only the Default data is used for scheduling.)  Then, during the scheduling procedure, the options identified as being applicable to a given employee are given effect by either identifying or not identifying the employee as eligible for scheduling for a specific date, position and shift, pursuant to the terms of the particular option.

Note:  The Scheduling Options list is not editable, except by the author.  The reason is that the specific condition described in each option must be programmed into the scheduling procedure.

A variety of options have been included in the list.  If, after reviewing them and reading the descriptions of them below, you want to have more options added or want to change or delete any on the list, contact the author to have a customized list programmed.

Although scheduling options covering non-availability for a specific shift have been included in the list, most options that refer to non-availability times, days or dates should be implemented in the 'Not Available for Scheduling' section of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, instead of in the 'Other Scheduling Options' section of that window, which includes this scheduling options list.  For example, if an employee cannot be scheduled for a closing shift on Fridays, you would use the day/time non-availability procedure, selecting that day and specifying the time range of the closing shift, rather than attempting to use the 'Do not schedule for a closing shift' scheduling option, which does not permit applying it to a given day.

On the other hand, if either a day/time non-availability option or a specific scheduling option can be used to achieve the same purpose, the choice is yours.

Note the use of both negative and affirmative options.  If a negative option, e.g. 'Do not schedule on holidays' is not marked as applicable to a selected employee in the pay/scheduling window, then the affirmative form of the option is assumed to be applicable to that employee during scheduling (e.g. scheduling on holidays is ok).  For affirmative options, the reverse is the case.  'Allow Overtime' is an example of an affirmative option that, unless made applicable to a given employee, would be considered not to be applicable to the employee during scheduling, i.e. the employee would not be considered eligible to be scheduled for overtime.

When scheduling options are selected for application to a selected employee in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, the option will be applied without exception during the scheduling procedure.  For example, if the shift being scheduled is an opening shift and the 'Do not schedule for an opening shift' option has been designated as applicable to a given employee, that employee would be considered ineligible for that shift, i.e. the employee would not be included in the list of eligible employees for either manual or automated scheduling for that shift.

The following numbered options are included in the scheduling options list:

00001 = Do not schedule for double shifts

00002 = Do not schedule for split shifts

These options determine whether an employee may or may not be scheduled for double or split shifts.

Note:  For the purpose of recognizing and implementing double and split-shift scheduling options, the program considers a double shift to be one in which the second shift begins immediately or less than one hour after the previous shift ends, and a split shift is considered to be one in which the second shift begins one hour or more after the previous shift ends.

For manual scheduling, each employee will be considered eligible for scheduling for a double or split shift unless one of these options is marked as applicable to the employee.   For automatic scheduling, the reverse is the case.  For example, during manual scheduling, if option 1 is applicable, the employee will not be scheduled for a double shift, unless you have opted to override that option during the initial scheduling procedure by allowing double or split shifts when asked.

00003 = Do not schedule for an 'Opening' shift

00004 = Do not schedule for a 'Closing' shift

00019 = Schedule for 'Opening' shift only

00020 = Schedule for 'Closing' shift only

These options determine whether an employee may (19 and 20) or may not (3 and 4) be scheduled for an opening or a closing shift.  Options 19 and 20 require that the employee can only be scheduled for one shift per day and, if scheduled, that the shift must be either an opening or closing shift, depending on the option.  Those two options also imply the application of options 1 and 2, i.e. do not schedule for double or split shifts.

Note:  An opening or closing shift must include the word 'opening' or 'closing', respectively, in the description of the shift.  Conversely, do not include those words in the description of shifts that are not to be considered opening or closing shifts.

See also Shifts and Holidays.

00017 = Do not schedule for consecutive 'Closing' and 'Opening' shifts

The program will consider an employee eligible for an opening shift even if the employee was scheduled for a closing shift on the previous day.  This option would prevent that.

00005 = Do not schedule for a 'Lunch' shift

00006 = Do not schedule for a 'Dinner' shift

00021 = Schedule for 'Lunch' shift only

00022 = Schedule for 'Dinner' shift only

These options determine whether an employee may (21 and 22) or may not (5 and 6) be scheduled for a lunch or dinner shift.  Options 21 and 22 require that the employee can only be scheduled for one shift per day and, if scheduled, that the shift must be either a lunch or dinner shift, depending on the option.  Those two options also imply the application of options 1 and 2, i.e. do not schedule for double or split shifts.

Note:  A lunch or dinner shift must include the word 'lunch' or 'dinner', respectively, in the description of the shift.  Conversely, do not include those words in the description of shifts that are not to be considered lunch or dinner shifts.

See also Shifts and Holidays.

00007 = Do not schedule on a holiday

00023 = Schedule only on holidays

These options determine whether an employee may (23) or may not (7) be scheduled on an identified holiday, provided that the holiday is marked with 'P' or 'S' during scheduling.  Holidays are identified in the Shifts and Holidays window.  Then, during the scheduling procedure, a holiday can be marked with 'P' or 'S'  (pay or schedule) to indicate that it should be considered a holiday for the purpose of applying either or both of these options.  (See  Prepare New Schedule for details.)  Note that option 23 states that the employee should be scheduled only on a holiday.

00008 = Do not rotate positions

00024 = Rotate positions

The scheduling procedure includes an option for rotating employees between positions within a department from schedule to schedule (i.e. a different position on each schedule, within the limits of the 'qualified positions' list in the pay/scheduling window).  If you establish and schedule positions by station or substation (e.g. 'Server -- Station 1' ... 'Server -- Station 12'), as described in the Position/Department List Window topic, and if you choose the rotation option in the scheduling procedure, the 'Do not rotate positions' scheduling option (8) could be used to insure that certain employees always have the same station or substation while others are being assigned to a different station or substation in each schedule.  In other words, if you elect to rotate employees during scheduling, an employee to whom the 'Do not rotate positions' option is applicable would not be rotated.  The same principle applies to positions generally, even if you don't have stations or substations.

The 'Rotate positions' option (24), on the other hand, could be used to rotate an employee to different positions or stations from schedule to schedule even if you elect not to rotate the other employees when scheduling.

00009 to 00015 = Rotate Sundays ... Saturdays

These are examples of options that are not possible in the pay/scheduling window's day/time non-availability options.  They allow you to specify that the employee will only be scheduled every other Saturday, or every other Monday, etc.  Stated the other way, if one of these options applies to an employee, that employee will not be scheduled on the specified day if he or she was scheduled on that day in the previous week.

00016 = Allow overtime

This option allows an employee to be scheduled for overtime.  Normally, the program will not schedule an employee for a selected shift if the hours in the shift would result in the employee going into overtime for the work week in question.  The number of regular hours before overtime and the identification of the first day of a work week are set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.

This option will also override the "Max. hours per week" setting in section 2 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.  In other words, if this option is applicable to an employee, any maximum hours per week setting will be ignored.

Note:  Overtime is calculated based on each 7-day segment of the schedule.  Hence, scheduling should be set to begin on the first day of a work week.  If it isn't, overtime and labor cost calculations may not be accurate.

If you have other scheduling policies which are not covered by any of the listed options or by the program's normal scheduling procedures, such policies could be accomodated either by using manual scheduling to implement them or by editing appropriately an automated or manual schedule after it is produced.  See View/Edit Schedule.  Or, contact the author to include additional scheduling options or different scheduling procedures to cover those policies.


Add/Edit Positions Frame
Add/Edit Position Frame

See also:  Position/Department List

                     Prepare New Schedule.

This frame appears in the 'Position/Department List'  window (referred to in this topic as the 'main window') when the window's 'Add' or 'Edit' button is selected.  The purpose of the frame is to facilitate adding to or editing positions and departments in the list.

This topic contains instructions applicable to all of the items in the Add/Edit Position frame in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

Clear

Close

Department Number

Position Number

Position/Department Descriptions

Update Position List

CLEAR

Two 'Clear' buttons are available, one for the position description and the other for the department number and description.  Select either button to erase, or reset to its original state, the data in the boxes to which the button is attached (so that you can start over).  If you are editing a position, the clear button will reinstate the original data in the box(es).  If you are adding a new position, the button will erase the data in the box(es).  The Position Number cannot be cleared or changed.

CLOSE

Select this button to close the Add/Edit Position frame when you have finished adding or editing a position and have selected the 'Update Position List' button (see below), or when you want to abort the procedure without updating the list.

DEPARTMENT NUMBER

'Department' refers to the major divisions of the business.  Since the scheduling procedure assigns employees to individual positions, the only significant reasons for including department descriptions in the program is to be able to distinguish between positions with the same name or description in different departments and to facilitate employee rotation.  For more information in this regard, see the discussion in the 'Position/Department Descriptions' subtopic below.

The department number can be any number you select using the scroll bar.  If a description for that number is already in the position list, that description will be shown in the department description box.

Note:  If a department description is already in the list for a given department number, you should not change the description in this frame unless you also make the same change to that department description in all other position entries that include that same department number.

When you are adding positions, you will find it more convenient to do so by department.  When this frame is called, the Department Number (and description) shown will be the same as the last one that you entered, thereby avoiding the necessity of entering the department number and description until you begin to add positions for another department.

POSITION NUMBER

The position number is controlled by the program and will be the one you selected for editing or, when adding a position, the first blank position number or, if none are blank, the number of the last item in the position list plus one.  If you use a different position-numbering scheme, add your number as part of the position description, but don't use any commas (hyphens are ok).  To be able to see the list sorted by your position number, always add your number as the first part of the position description and select the sort-by-position-name option (see Position/Department List -- 'Sort').

Remember that the position number is distinct from the employee number.  You control the employee number and the program controls the position number.  The list is limited to 32,767 positions.

POSITION/DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTIONS

'Department' is intended to refer to the major sections or divisions to which employees are assigned.  For the purposes of this program, 'Department' does not necessarily refer to accounting classifications or categories.  If your business doesn't assign employees to departments, invent a fictitious department number and name for use in the program, and either use the same one for all positions or different ones for different positions.  If you want to rotate employee assignments within a given area of the business, identifying different departments is vital, as explained below.

'Position' refers to a specific job assignment, such as cashier, server or clerk, within a department.  The same position description may exist in more than one department and may be anything that describes a specific job within the business.  Position refers to duties, not to the employees who occupy the position.  For example, if the only employees assigned to the dining room (department) are ten servers and two bussers, then that department has only two positions: server and busser.  However, if you want to schedule employees to stations or substations within that department, then you will have to identify a position for each station or substation, as explained below.

Note:  Make sure that each position description refers to a different position and is not just different wording for a position already described with another number.

Positions and departments are identified by the program in order to facilitate the process of scheduling employees.  If you intend to schedule employees to positions in stations or substations within a department, or if you want to be able to rotate employees among positions or stations within a department, the proper identification of positions and departments is important, as explained below.  Also, during automated scheduling, you will indicate how many persons to assign to each position within each department.

To have the most flexibility in scheduling, be sure to include management and other supervisory positions in the Position/Department list and be sure that management and other supervisory personnel are included in the Employee Roster.

Enter the names (and/or any descriptions) for the position and its department in their respective boxes.  The description can be any length, but if it exceeds the width of the box, it may result in the combined position/department description not being fully visible in the position list in the main window or any other window that includes the position list.  (The full position/department description still could be viewed in this frame by selecting the position in the main window and then selecting the 'Edit' button to read the position and department descriptions in their respective boxes, using the cursor positioning keys.)

Note:  When adding or editing positions, be sure that the description text is completed and accurate before selecting the 'Update Position List' button, and do not use the edit procedure to delete a position (by deleting the description).  If even one character or space (as a result of pressing the space bar) is included in the text box, the program will assume that it is a valid position for scheduling and other purposes.

Stations and Substations Within a Department

If you assign employees to stations (sections) within a department, e.g. server stations within a dining room, you can use the program to schedule employees for each station.  To do so, identify a separate position for each station (e.g. 'Server -- Station 10' and 'Server -- Station 11').  If you intend to assign the employees to their stations when they report to work or otherwise outside of the program's scheduling procedure, you can define the position without the station identification (e.g. simply 'Server') and ignore the existence of stations.

If you have substations within stations and want to schedule employees for the substations, use the same procedure, i.e. add a separate position for each substation, e.g. 'Server -- Dining Room 2 -- Station 3', where 'Server' is the position, 'Dining Room 2' is the station, and 'Station 3' is the substation, all within a department that might be named 'Service'.  Note that the substation procedure is not necessary unless each station has substations with the same designations as substations in other stations and you want the program to schedule employees for each substation.  For example, if you have different dining areas but only one set of station numbers spread throughout the different areas, you don't need to break the positions down by substation, but if each dining area has its own Station 3, for example, you would need the procedure if you want to schedule employees for each substation.

Note:  'Position', 'Station' and 'substation' in these examples could also refer to teams or other specified groups within a department, position or station.

Rotating Employees

In the Prepare New Schedule window, you are offered the option of rotating employees, from schedule to schedule, among different positions within a department.  In order for the rotation procedure to be effective, it is important to identify the positions subject to rotation by including them within a single department.  This may require identifying additional departments.

For example, if you have a 'Service' department that is broken down into stations, and you have server and busser positions in that department, and you want to schedule the servers to stations (not just to the department, as explained above), and you want to rotate employees among the different server stations from schedule to schedule -- but you don't want to schedule the bussers to specific stations or don't want to rotate them -- you would have to identify different departments for the servers and bussers.  For example, you might have a 'Dining Room -- Servers' department and a 'Dining Room -- Bussers' department.  Then, for the bussers, you would only identify one position in that department:  'Busser'.  In the servers' department, you would identify one position for each station, e.g. 'Server -- Station 10'.  Of course, you also could establish station positions for the bussers and could rotate the bussers within the busser department, using the same procedure as for the servers.  But, in any case, you would probably still want to keep the server and busser positions in different departments in order to avoid having servers rotated to busser positions and vice versa.

Note:  If you intend to use the rotation option, the Scheduling Options list includes the option 'Do not rotate positions' to provide for situations in which certain employees should be assigned to the same position or station in each schedule.  Also, the 'Rotate positions' option is available for the reverse situation.

This may seem complicated, but it really isn't.  The only thing you need to remember, when identifying departments and positions, is that, if you want to be able to rotate employees among the positions in a given department from schedule to schedule, you need to insure that the only positions identified as being within that department are the ones subject to rotation.  The scheduling procedure will take care of the rest.

UPDATE POSITION LIST

Select this button, after you have entered and/or edited the data in the position and department boxes, to transfer the displayed data from this frame to the Position/Department List in the main window as a new or edited entry.  Then select the 'Save' button in the main window to save the changed or edited list.

Note:  Selecting this button transfers the new or edited position to the main window, but it is not saved in the file until you select 'Save' in the main window.


Position/Department List Window

See also:  Add/Edit Position Frame

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

                     Prepare New Schedule

                     View/Edit Schedule

                     Position Pay Rates and Guarantees.

The Position/Department List window is accessed by selecting File on the Main Menu's menu bar, then selecting 'Positions and Departments' on the drop-down list of sub-options.  Positions and departments are identified by the program in order to facilitate the process of scheduling employees.  During the scheduling process, you will indicate how many (auto scheduling) or which (manual scheduling) persons to assign to each shift for each position within each department for a given date.   See also the Note under 'Add' below.

You can add, delete or edit positions.  Also, the list can be displayed sorted in a variety of ways.  When the window opens, positions are sorted by position number in the following format:  'Position Number = Position Description, Department Number, Department Description'.  For example:  '00023 = Expediter, 00004, Kitchen'.  The heading above the position list always will show the format for the list, based on the way it is sorted.

The 'Position Number' refers to the number used by the program to keep track of the position and of data related to the position.  Do not confuse it with the employee number.

This topic contains instructions applicable to all of the items in the Position/Department List window in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

Add

Cancel

Delete

Edit

Save

Sort by Dept.

Sort by Position

Transfer

ADD

Select this button to add a new position to the list.  The Add/Edit Position frame will then be shown.  If any position numbers in the list have blank descriptions, the first such number will be used for the new position.  Otherwise, the number will be the next highest unused position number.

Note:   Before adding any positions, be sure to read 'Position/Department Descriptions' in the 'Add/Edit Position Frame' topic for more information about the nature and purpose of positions and departments.

You can add as many positions as you wish, up to a total of 32,767.

CANCEL

Select this button to close the window.  Any changes to the list that have not been saved before selecting this button will be ignored and not saved.  You will be advised when this is the case and will be given an opportunity to save the changes before the window closes.

DELETE

Select a position on the list and then select this button to delete it's description.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.  Note that the position's number will not be deleted.  See also the Note under 'Save' below.

EDIT

Select a position on the list and then select this button to edit the position description.  The Add/Edit Position frame will then be shown.  This button can also be used to add a position description to a position number that has no description (as a result of an earlier deletion).  See also the Note under 'Save' below.

SAVE

After making any changes to the list, select this button to save the changed list.

Note:  If you change or delete any existing position,  it could have a significant effect on some employees' default position for scheduling and list of qualified positions and, consequently, on any current or future schedule.  See 'Position' and 'Qualified Positions' in the topic Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling and also the topics Prepare New Schedule and View/Edit Schedule.  Position changes could also affect the data settings in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window, since all of that data is related to specific positions.

SORT BY DEPT.

Select this button to view the list sorted by department number or name.  You will be asked if you want to sort the list by department number.  Select 'Yes' to do so.  If you select 'No', the list will be sorted by department name, as indicated in the dialog box with the question.

SORT BY POSITION

Select this button to view the list sorted by position number or name.  You will be asked if you want to sort the list by position number.  Select 'Yes' to do so.  If you select 'No', the list will be sorted by position name, as indicated in the dialog box with the question.

Note:  No actions can be taken to add to or change the list until it is sorted by position number.

TRANSFER

This button is enabled only when this window is called by selecting the 'Transfer From Position List' button in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.  In that case, select a position to transfer, then select the 'Transfer' button to add the selected (highlighted) position's number to the 'Qualified Positions' list in the pay/scheduling window.

Note:  When the Transfer button is enabled, if you double-click on the desired position in the list, the position number will be transferred without having to select the Transfer button.


Suspense List Window

See also:  General Help --  'General Help Summary -- Suspense'

                     Shifts and Holidays Window

The Suspense List window is accessed by selecting Suspense on the Main Menu's menu bar.  Its purpose is to remind you of actions that need to be taken on any given day(s) or date(s) throughout the year.

Each time you run the program, it first checks the suspense list to see if any items require action on the current date, during the next 7 days, later in the same month or during the next month.  If any such suspense items are found, the suspense list window remains on the screen for your review.  Otherwise, the window closes itself.  By running the program on a daily basis, you can be assured of not missing any suspense dates that you have entered in this window -- even if you forget to check the window yourself.

Note:  You can change the setting for the initial suspense cutoff point to limit the times when the window will appear at program startup.  See 'General Help -- General Help Summary -- Suspense' for details.

The suspense list sorts itself chronologically by means of the code number that appears before each entry, which you can ignore.  Dates before the current date appear after it in the list because they apply to the next year (the year is not shown).  For example, if the current month is August and the list includes items for August, September and March, the items will appear in that order because, in August, the September item refers to September of the current year and the March item refers to March of the next year.  Hence, in September, the list would be in the order September, March and August.

Note:  Suspense items remain in effect until changed or deleted, and they carry over from year to year.  Also, if any of the listed 'Selected US Holidays' in the Shifts and Holidays window that change from year to year (e.g. Labor Day) are transferred to the suspense list, they will be automatically changed to the correct date for each year.  See 'Shifts and Holidays Window' for details about those dates and transferring one or more of them to the suspense list.

Typical items that are appropriate for entry in this window include the due dates for inventories, inspections, employee evaluations, etc., birthday dates for employees and regular customers, significant holidays (see the Note above), items that require action on a given day each week or on a given date each month, and any items that require action on certain dates but are the responsibility of outside agencies.  (For example, the suspense list could remind you when the exterminator is due to come.)

If you want to use the suspense list as a reminder of several appointments on a given date, simply add several suspense items for the same date -- one for each appointment time -- and include the appointment time in the item description.  Note, however, that there is no alarm feature to warn you when the appointment times occur and, therefore, you may want to use the Windows Calendar application for individual appointment reminders, in addition to or in lieu of using this program's suspense list feature.

Below are instructions for each of the items in this window in alphabetical order, as follows:

Add

Add/Edit Frame

Cancel

Close

Current

Date, Every Year

Date, Every Month

Day, Every Week

Delete

Edit

Full List

Save List

Update List

ADD

Select the 'Add' button to establish a reminder for a specific date each year (e.g. Aug 15), for a group of suspense items for a given day of every week (e.g. every Monday), or for a group of suspense items for a given date of every month (e.g. the 15th of every month).  The Add button calls the 'Add/Edit' frame with options to cover any of those possibilities.  Select one of the options (see the Note under 'Add/Edit Frame' below), use the scroll bar below the option to set the date, day of the week or day of the month, add the description in the 'Suspense Item Text' box, and select either the 'Update List' button to add the new item(s) to the list or the 'Close' button to close the Add/Edit frame.

Note:  You can enter more than one suspense item with the same date.

There is no special format required for the item description.  When the new suspense item is added to the list in the main window, a code number will be inserted at the beginning of the entry in the list.  (The code is used to sort the list chronologically and you can ignore it.)  When you have finished adding entries to the list, select 'Close' to close the frame and then select the 'Save List' button in the main window to save the changed list.

See the sub-topics 'Date, Every Year', 'Day, Every Week', 'Date Every Month', 'Update List', 'Close' and the next paragraph below for details about working within the Add/Edit frame.

ADD/EDIT FRAME

This frame appears when you select the 'Add' button or the 'Edit' button in the main window.  The frame contains three option buttons for establishing a suspense item for a 'Date, Every Year', a 'Day, Every Week', or a 'Date, Every Month', with scroll bars below the options for setting the specific date or day value.  It also contains a box for entering the description of the suspense item, an 'Update List' button for updating the suspense list in the main window with the new or edited suspense item(s), and a 'Close' button to close the frame.  See the quoted items above and below for details.

Note:  When adding new suspense items, first select one of the three option buttons, set the desired value using the scroll bar, and then enter the description in the text box.  You will not be able to enter the description first.

To select one of the option buttons from the keyboard, hold down the Alt key and press the underlined letter in the desired option's caption.  For example, to select 'Date, Every Year", press Alt+Y.

CANCEL

When all additions or other changes have been saved, or to ignore any unsaved changes made to the list, select the 'Cancel' button to close the window.  If changes have been made but not saved, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save them before the window closes.

CLOSE

Select this button in the Add/Edit frame to close the frame.

CURRENT

Select the 'Current' button to see all suspense items whose dates are within the time periods described by any of the four frames that will be displayed:  'Today', ' Next 7 Days', 'Later This Month' and 'Next Month'.  No changes can be made in those frames.  Select the button again (its caption will have changed to 'Full List') to close those frames and see the full suspense list again.  (See 'Full List' below.)

DATE, EVERY MONTH

To add a group of suspense items for  a given date in every month (e.g. the 15th of every month), select the 'Add' button to call the Add/Edit frame and select the 'Date, Every Month' option button.

Then, using the scroll bar, select the desired date (1 to 31).  The selected date will appear in the box above the scroll bar and in the box below the 'Day/Date' label.

Then enter the text describing the suspense item in the box below the 'Suspense Item Text' label.   If you press Enter after scrolling to the desired date, the cursor will move to the 'Suspense Item Text' box.  If you press Enter after entering the desired text, the focus will move to the 'Update List' button.  If you press Enter without entering any text (and the text box has the focus), the focus will move to the 'Close' button.

Finally, select the 'Update List' button to add the new items to the suspense list in the main window.  Up to twelve new suspense items will be added to the list.  For example, if you select the 'Date, Every Month' option, set its value to '15' and enter a description of the item, a new item will be added to the suspense list for the 15th of every month, including the current month and the next eleven months -- for a total of twelve new items -- all with the same description.  If you select '31' as the date, there will be only seven new items, since five months do not have that date.

If you want to have a suspense item for the last day of each month, you should use either 28 (since every month has at least 28 days) or 1 (the first of the next month) for the date number.  Either choice will serve as an effective reminder since the 'Current' frames, when selected, show all suspense items from the current date through the last day of the next month.  To further highlight the intent of the item, you might also include 'last day of month' (for 28) or 'last day of prior month' (for 1), or something similar, as part of the item description.  Note that using 1 in this case will only be effective if you run the program prior to the first of the next month and thereby have an oppotunity to see the suspensed item.

Note:  If you select '29' as the date number, the list will not show a Feb 29 item for any year that is not a leap year.  If you save the suspense list at any time when Feb 29 is not listed, it will not be in the list at any time thereafter, leap year or not.

Remember that changes to the list are not effective unless saved via the 'Save List' button in the main window.

DATE, EVERY YEAR

To add a suspense item to the list for a given date each year, select the 'Add' button to call the Add/Edit frame and select the 'Date, Every Year' option button in the frame.

Then, using the scroll bar, set the desired date.  The date will appear in the box above the scroll bar and in the box below the 'Day/Date' label.  If you press Enter after scrolling to the desired date, the cursor will move to the 'Suspense Item Text' box.

Note:  The date above the 'Date, Every Year' scroll bar will include the year, simply as a convenience, but neither the date below the 'Day/Date' label nor the date of the item when it is included in the list in the main window will have the year, since suspense items carry over from year to year automatically.

Also, if you select Feb 29 in a leap year, it will be listed as Mar 1 during any non-leap year.  If you save the list when Feb 29 is listed as Mar 1, it will remain listed as Mar 1 thereafter, leap year or not.

After setting the desired date, enter the text describing the suspense item in the box below the 'Suspense Item Text' label and, finally, select the 'Update List' button to add the new item to the suspense list in the main window.  If you press Enter after entering the desired text, the focus will move to the 'Update List' button.  If you press Enter without entering any text (and the text box has the focus), the focus will move to the 'Close' button.

Remember that changes to the list are not effective unless saved via the 'Save List' button in the main window.

DAY, EVERY WEEK

To add a group of suspense items to the list for a given day of every week (e.g. every Monday), select the 'Add' button to call the Add/Edit frame and select the 'Day, Every Week' option button in the frame.

Then, using the scroll bar, select the desired day of the week ('Sun' to 'Sat').  The selected day will appear in the box above the scroll bar and in the box below the 'Day/Date' label.  If you press Enter after scrolling to the desired day, the cursor will move to the 'Suspense Item Text' box.

Then enter the text describing the suspense item in the box below the 'Suspense Item Text' label.  If you press Enter after entering the desired text, the focus will move to the 'Update List' button.  If you press Enter without entering any text (and the text box has the focus), the focus will move to the 'Close' button.

Finally, select the 'Update List' button to add the new items to the suspense list in the main window.  Fifty-two suspense items will be added to the list.  For example, if you select the 'Day, Every Week' option, set its value to 'Mon', enter a description of the item, and then select the 'Update List' button, a new item will be added to the suspense list for every date that falls on a Monday, from the current date to a date 365 days into the future -- for a total of 52 new items.

Note:  For this option only, the day name will appear after the date for each item when it is added to the suspense list by selecting the 'Update List' button.

Remember that changes to the list are not effective unless saved via the 'Save List' button in the main window.

DELETE

To delete a suspense item from the list, select the item and then select the 'Delete' button.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.  If you do, by selecting 'Ok', the item will be deleted from the list, but the deletion will still not be effective until you select the 'Save List' button to save the changed list.

If you confirm the deletion by selecting 'OK' when asked, and if there are other, identical suspense items in the list, i.e. items with the same date and text description, you will be told how many there are and asked if you also want to delete them.  Select 'Yes' or 'No', as appropriate.  Selecting 'Yes' in response to this question is the easiest way of purging duplicate entries from the list.

If you confirmed the initial deletion by selecting 'OK', and regardless of your answer to the above question (if presented), if there are other suspense items in the list with the same text description (i.e. everything after the comma in the entry) but with different dates, you will be told how many there are and asked if you also want to delete those items.  Select 'Yes' or 'No', as appropriate.  These may be a group of items that were added via the 'Day, Every Week' or 'Date, Every Month' option (see above), and answering 'Yes' is the easiest way to delete an entire group of such items.  The number of items shown in the question may give you a clue as to whether they are part of an every-week or every-month gourp.  See the comments about the number of items that are added under 'Day, Every Week' and 'Date, Every Month' above.

Remember that changes to the list are not effective unless saved via the 'Save List' button.  Hence, you can respond 'OK' to confirm the initial deletion and respond 'Yes' to either or both of the other questions and still not effect the suspense list on file.

After you have reviewed the list and confirmed that the deletions were what you intended, you must select the 'Save List' button to make the deletions in the file.

EDIT

To change the description of any suspense item in the list, select the item in the list and select the 'Edit' button to call the Add/Edit frame for editing.  Edit the description in the box below the 'Suspense Item Text' label, then select the 'Update List' button in the frame to return the item to the list in the main window with the changes made.  If you press Enter after making the changes (and if the focus is still on the text box), the focus will shift to the 'Update List' button.  The program will include the code number when the changed item is returned to the list.

If you select the 'Edit' button and change the date of the selected item, keep in mind that you are editing and not adding a new item.  That means that, if you change the date and then select the 'Update List' button, regardless of whether you also changed the text description, the edited item will replace the item you selected for editing.  If you want to keep the original item and add an item with the same description but a different date, you should select the 'Add' button in the main window rather than the 'Edit' button, set the date and enter the same text as the other item.  See also the notes above regarding Feb 29.

When the Add/Edit frame is called by selecting the 'Edit' button, the 'Day, Every Week' and 'Date, Every Month' option buttons are disabled, since there is no way for the program to identify or make changes to an entire group of items added via those options.  If you want to make a change that applies to a group of such items, you should first delete the group (see the discussion under 'Delete' above) and then re-enter the group via the 'Add' button and the appropriate option button, with any desired changes.  Otherwise, if you change the description of just one of a group of every-week or every-month items and later delete the entire group (as described under 'Delete' above), the changed item will not be deleted.

To ignore any editing changes before selecting the 'Update List' button, select  'Close' to close the Add/Edit frame.  When editing (as opposed to adding new items), selecting the 'Update List' button also closes the frame.

When you have finished making changes to the list, select the 'Save List' button in the main window to save the changed list.  No changes become effective until the list is saved.

Full List

When the frames showing the current suspense items are displayed, select this button to close those frames and see the full suspense list.  The button's caption will then change to 'Current' (see above).

SAVE LIST

To save a changed list, select 'Save List'.  Be sure that the list is the way you want it before selecting this button.

UPDATE LIST

This button is in the 'Add/Edit' frame (see above).  What happens when you select the button depends on which option you selected in the frame, as follows:

'Date, Every Year':  adds a single suspense item for the date shown with the description shown.

'Day, Every Week':  adds 52 suspense items with appropriate dates and the description shown.

'Date, Every Month':  adds up to 12 suspense items with appropiate dates and the description shown.

See  'Date, Every Year', 'Date, Every Month' and 'Day, Every Week' above for more information.

If you accessed the 'Add/Edit' frame via the 'Add' button in the main window, the frame remains open after you select the 'Update List' button so that you can add more items.  If you accessed the frame via the 'Edit' button in the main window, the frame closes when you select the 'Update List' button.

Keep in mind that changes to the list are not effective unless saved via the 'Save List' button in the main window.

Note:  The 'Update List' button will be disabled whenever there is no text in the 'Suspense Item Text' box.  Entering any character or a space in the box enables the button.


Termination Codes Window

See also:  Employee Data -- Personal

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

                     Absence Records and Reasons

To access the Termination Codes window, select File on the Main Menu and then 'Termination Codes' in the drop-down list.  The purpose of the window is to list and explain the code numbers used in the 'Term. Code' box in the Employee Data -- Personal window.  The Termination Codes window consists of a Code List and buttons for adding, deleting or editing individual codes and for saving the list or closing the window, as well as an 'Add/Edit Termination Code' frame that appears when needed for adding or editing codes.

A termination code is used to explain the reason for an employee's inactive employment status.  An employee's status can be inactive (i.e. the 'Inactive' box is checked [X] in the personal data window) as a result of a permanent, temporary or indefinite termination or suspension, and it can be voluntary or involuntary.  Each termination code description should describe the exact status and the reason for it.  Extended absences and the reasons for them could also be recorded in the Absence Records and Reasons window and in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window (non-availability dates and reasons).

ADD/Edit Termination Code

To add a new termination code, select the Add button.  To change the description of an existing code, select the code to be changed and then select the Edit button.  Either button will call the 'Add/Edit Termination Code' frame.

Adding:  First, use the scroll bar in the Add/Edit frame to set the code number, which can be any number from 1 to 32,767.  The smallest unused code number will appear in the box above the scroll bar when the frame first opens, but you can set any number that is not already in use.  Numbers need not be in sequence, i.e. you can skip numbers.  After you have set the desired code number, enter the description for that code in the frame's 'Description' text box.  After the code number is set and you have entered the description, select the OK button to add the new code and description to the code list in the main window, or select Close to close the frame without updating the list.

Editing:  The selected code number will be shown in the Add/Edit frame and cannot be changed.  (The scroll bar will be disabled.)  The current description will also be shown and can be edited.  After you have changed the description for the selected code, select the OK button to change the selected entry in the code list in the main window, or select Close to close the frame without making the change in the list.

If you want to change the code number, first delete the existing item from the list (see 'Delete' below) and then enter it as a new item by selecting the 'Add' button.

Additions or changes to the list must be saved (see 'Save List' below) before closing the Termination Codes window or they will be ignored.

CANCEL

When all additions or changes to the Code List have been saved, or to ignore any unsaved additions or changes made to the list, select the Cancel button to close the window.  If changes have been made but not saved, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save them before the window closes.

DELETE

To delete an item from the list, select the item and then select the Delete button.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.  After doing so, select Save List to save the changed list.  To recover a deletion -- before saving the list -- close and reopen the Termination Codes window.

SAVE LIST

To save a changed list, select the 'Save List' button.  Any additions or changes that are not saved in this manner before closing the window will be lost.


Position Pay Rates and Guarantees Window

See also:  Prepare New Schedule

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

                     Shifts and Holidays

                     Position/Department List

                     Scheduling Options

To access this window, select File on the Main Menu's menu bar, then select 'Position Pay Rates and Guarantees' on the drop-down list.  The purpose of this window is to establish values for several types of pay data for each position in the drop-down position list at the top of the window.  Those values then can be used by the scheduling procedure to calculate the labor cost of a given schedule.  See the Prepare New Schedule topic for details.

First select a position from the drop-down position list at the top of this window, then set appropriate values for each of the items in the window that apply to that position.  If the 'Guaranteed Wage Rate' is not applicable, set it to zero (0).  If the 'Holiday Multiplier' is not applicable, set it at 1.  All other items should be set to an appropriate value.  If the settings of the five items in the bottom portion of the window for one position are the same for all positions, check the '[X] Check here if...' box.

Note:  When determining the labor cost for a given schedule, any wage or salary amount set for the default scheduling 'Position' for a given employee in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window will take precedence over the amount set in this window for the same position.

You should set the salary or wage and guarantee amounts for each position in this window.  If special rates apply to certain employees when occupying certain positions, you can set them for each employee's default scheduling 'Position' in the pay/scheduling window.  Any 'extra' pay rate (in addition to the regular rate or any guarantee) applicable to a given employee in a given position must be set in the pay/scheduling window.

When all items have been set to appropriate values, select the 'Set For Position Shown' button to confirm the settings for the selected position, then select another position.  Repeat these steps until all positions in the list have appropriate values set for all items.  Then select 'Save All Position Settings' to save all settings for all positions.

Below are instructions for each of the items in this window in alphabetical order, as follows:

Cancel

Check Here If ...

Guaranteed Rate

Holiday Multiplier

Hourly Wage Rate or Salary

Minimum Wage

Overtime Multiplier

Pay Period

Position List

Regular Hours

Salary

Save All Position Settings

Set For Position Shown

Shifts and Holidays

Week Begins On

CANCEL

After all appropriate settings for all positions have been saved, or to ignore any changes not saved, select 'Cancel' to close the window.  If you have changed any setting -- and used 'Set For Position Shown' -- you will be asked if you want to save the change(s) before exiting the window.  Any changes that have not been set will be ignored.

CHECK HERE IF ...

Check this box if the currently displayed settings of the five items in the bottom of the window, i.e. day, hours, overtime multiplier, holiday multiplier and pay period, apply to all positions in the positions list (the usual situation).  Then, when you select the 'Set For Position Shown' button, if this box is checked, the values of all five of the items in this section will be set for each of the positions on the position list -- provided that you then select the 'Save All Position Settings' button.

To later change the settings for all positions, make the change for one position and make sure that this box is checked when you select the 'Set...' and 'Save...' buttons.

To later change the settings for individual positions, make the change for each individual position requiring it, make sure that this box is not checked and select the 'Set...' button.  Then, after all individual position changes are made, select the 'Save...' button.

GUARANTEED Wage RATE

If a guaranteed minimum hourly pay rate is applicable to the selected position (other than the minimum-wage requirement), use the scroll bar under 'Guaranteed Wage Rate' to set the hourly amount guaranteed.

This section should be used only if a guarantee applies that is larger than the minimum wage requirement.  If that is not the case, the rate should be set at zero (0), or you should insure that both this section and the Minimum Wage section have the same rate amount.

Note:  The guarantee and minimum wage rates do not apply if the Salary option is selected.  If the Salary option is selected, the scroll bars for the guarantee and minimum wage rates will be disabled and both values will be changed to 0, but any values that were previously 'set' for the selected position will remain in memory (unless and until the Set for Position Shown button is selected) and can be recalled by selecting the Hourly Wage Rate option.

HOLIDAY MULTIPLIER

Use the scroll bar to set the amount by which the regular hourly pay will be multiplied to arrive at the holiday pay amount (e.g. 2 for double-time or 1.5 for time-and-a-half).  If this setting applies to all positions, check that box.  Holidays are identified in the Shifts and Holidays window.  You will be asked during the scheduling procedure whether an identified holiday is for scheduling or pay purposes or both.   See 'Shifts and Holidays' below for details.  If the Holiday Multiplier is not applicable for the selected position or all positions, set it at 1.  The Holiday Multiplier does not apply if the Salary option is selected.  See also 'Check Here If ...' above.

HOURLY WAGE RATE OR  SALARY Per Pay Period

First select a position, then select either the 'Hourly Wage Rate' or 'Salary (Pay Period)' option for the selected position, and set the hourly wage or pay-period salary amount, using the scroll bar.  Note that the salary is per pay period and that the 'pay period' is set in the lower portion of this window.  Until the Hourly Wage amount is 'set', any Salary previously set will remain in memory and can be recalled by selecting the Salary option.

Note:  Since salaried employees usually are not subject to overtime considerations, when a salary (as opposed to an hourly wage) is set in this window for a given position, you should either set an appropriately larger amount of 'regular hours' for the position in the lower portion of this window or mark the 'Allow overtime' scheduling option as mandatory in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window for any employee that has the salaried position listed in the 'Qualified Positions' list or has the salaried position as the default 'Position' in section 1 of that window.  Otherwise, during scheduling, the employee could be considered ineligible for scheduling if the scheduled hours exceed the 'regular hours' set in this window for the position being scheduled.  (Note that, during manual scheduling, it is possible to select ineligible employees for scheduling.)  In any case, during scheduling, when a salary is applicable to the employee, no overtime pay will be applied when calculating labor costs, regardless of the amount of hours scheduled for that employee.

MINIMUM WAGE

Set the legally established minimum wage for the position.  See also the Note under 'Guaranteed Wage Rate' above.

OVERTIME MULTIPLIER

Use the scroll bar to set the amount by which the regular hourly pay will be multiplied to arrive at the overtime pay amount (usually 1.5 for time-and-a-half) for the selected position.  The Overtime Multiplier does not apply if the Salary option is selected.  See also 'Check Here If ...' above.

PAY PERIOD

Use the scroll bar to set the number of 7-day work weeks in a pay period for the selected position.  This data is only significant when a salary has been set for the selected position.  See also 'Check Here If ...' above.

POSITION LIST

The drop-down position list appears at the top of the window, under a heading that indicates the order in which the data appears, i.e. 'position number = position description, department number, department description'.  Use the list's down-arrow button to display the list of positions, then select a position before setting the percentages and amounts in the rest of the window.

Note:  Before you select the 'Set For Position Shown' button, be sure that the selected position is the one to which you want the currently displayed settings applied.

The position list includes all positions listed in the Position/Department List window.

REGULAR HOURS

Use the scroll bar to select the number of hours to which the regular hourly wage applies during a work week (usually 40 hours).  Overtime pay will be applicable to any hours over this amount.    See also 'Check Here If ...' above.

SALARY

See 'Hourly Wage Rate or Salary' above.

SAVE ALL POSITION SETTINGS

Be sure that the appropriate amounts have been 'Set...' (see below) for all positions in the list, then select the 'Save' button to save the settings for all positions.

SET FOR POSITION SHOWN

After all applicable items for the selected position have been established using the scroll bars, and any inapplicable items have been set at 0 or 1 (multipliers), as appropriate, select this button to confirm all settings for the selected position, and then select another position.

Note:  Before you select the 'Set For Position Shown' button, be sure that the selected position is the one to which you want the currently displayed settings applied.

The Set For Position Shown button establishes in memory the displayed values for the selected position so that you can set new values for another position, but it does not save the settings to a file.  This gives you the chance to review all positions' settings before selecting the Save All Position Settings button to save them to the file.  See also 'Check Here If ...' above.

SHIFTS AND HOLIDAYS

Select this button to call the Shifts and Holidays window to view or edit the data that defines shifts and holidays for scheduling and/or pay purposes.  The Shifts and Holidays window makes no distinction as to the purpose of a holiday listing, but the scheduling procedure does and asks you to identify the purpose of any applicable holiday.  For example, a holiday may be identified in the Shifts and Holidays window simply as a reminder, or it may be identified for the purpose of scheduling or not scheduling employees to whom a holiday scheduling option may apply (see the Scheduling Options topic), or it may be identified as a day on which holiday pay is applicable.  See the Prepare New Schedule topic for details.

WEEK BEGINS ON ...

Use the scroll bar to select the day on which the work week begins for pay purposes for the selected position.  See also 'Check Here If ...' above.

Note:  Scheduling should be set to begin on the first day of the work week in order to insure the accuracy of overtime and labor cost calculations.  See the Prepare New Schedule topic for details.


Employee Roster Window

See also:  Employee Data -- Personal

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling.

The Employee Roster is accessed by selecting Roster on the Main Menu's menu bar.  In addition to being the beginning point for adding new employees and the place for deleting employees or listing basic data for all employees, the roster is the means of access to detailed data for any existing employee in the Employee Data -- Personal and Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling windows.  Sorting the roster also provides access to more detailed data.

Below are instructions for each of the items in this window in alphabetical order, as follows:

Add

Cancel

Delete

Pay/Schedule Data

Personal Data

Sorted By

ADD

Select this button to add a new employee to the roster.  The Employee Data -- Personal window will be called for entry of personal data applicable to the selected employee.

CANCEL

Select this button (or press Esc) to close the Employee Roster window.  The window also closes if you select either the 'Personal Data' or 'Pay/Scheduling Data' button to call either of those windows.

DELETE

First select an employee on the roster, then select the 'Delete' button to delete that employee from the employee data file.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

This action should not be used for a terminated employee unless you do not wish to keep any data for that employee.  The preferred procedure would be to check the 'Inactive' box in the Employee Data -- Personal window and enter an appropriate termination code in the 'Term. Code' box in that window.

PERSONAL DATA

First select an employee on the roster, then select the 'Personal Data' button to call the Employee Data -- Personal window to view or edit the personal data for that employee.

PAY/SCHEDULE DATA

First select an employee on the roster, then select the 'Pay/Schedule Data' button to call the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window to view or edit the pay and scheduling data for that employee.

SORTED BY

When the roster window first appears, it is sorted by employee number, as shown in the drop-down list of sorting bases at the top left of the window.  If you want to see the roster sorted on a different basis, select a sorting basis from the list and the roster will be sorted immediately according to the selected basis.  Sorting is always done in ascending numerical or alphabetical order, according to the selected sorting basis.

To drop or raise the sorting list, select the list's top box or the down-arrow button connected to it, or press Alt+down-arrow (i.e. hold down the Alt key and press the down-arrow key on the key pad).  When the sorting list has the focus, which is the case when the window opens, you can press the down-arrow, up-arrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home or End keys on the keypad to navigate the list without dropping it down first.  To move the focus, using the keyboard, to or away from the sorting list, press the Tab key one or more times and the focus will move from the sorting list to the roster list to each of the command buttons at the bottom of the window and back to the sorting list.

The heading above the roster (which includes the sorting list) shows the order in which the data items always appear, i.e. the item on which the sorting is based appears first, followed by a colon and then the employee's number, last name, first name, and nickname or other ID in parentheses.

You can view other data applicable to the listed employees by selecting that data as the basis for sorting.  For example, if you select social security number on the sorting list, you will see the roster sorted in ascending numerical order by each employee's social security number, and the social security number will appear first in each entry, followed by the employee number and name.


Shifts and Holidays Window

See also:   Prepare New Schedule

                      Employee Data - Pay/Scheduling

                      Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame

                      Scheduling Options.

                      Position Pay Rates and Guarantees

This window can be accessed by selecting File on the Main Menu's menu bar, and then selecting 'Shifts and Holidays' from the drop-down list of sub-options.  The purpose of the window is to list all of the working shifts and holiday dates applicable to the business.

The window is divided into two sections, with shifts listed at the top and holidays listed at the bottom of the window, each section having its own set of add, delete, edit and save buttons.  Each section is discussed as a separate sub-topic below.

The identification of shifts and holidays is important to the scheduling procedure in the Prepare New Schedule window and is used in conjunction with time-related non-availability options in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window and the scheduling options related to shifts and holidays in the Scheduling Options window.

Shifts

A 'shift' describes the beginning and ending times of a specific period during which an employee assigned to that shift will work.  Shifts can begin and end at any time and can partially or completely overlap each other.  Hence, while there must be at least one identified shift, you can identify as many shifts as you wish.

Different shifts can be identified for use on different days or for different departments, positions, employees or purposes (e.g. breaks).  In such cases, include the applicable day, department, position, employee name or purpose in the shift description to help you identify the shift easily during the scheduling procedure, since all shifts are listed in that procedure, regardless of the day, department, position or employee being scheduled.

Some shifts, particularly overlapping ones, may be identified as 'BD' (Business Decline) shifts.  A BD shift may (but doesn't have to) cover the same time period as another shift, the difference being that the BD shift can be terminated early or extend beyond the specified time, depending on the amount of business and the needs of management.  Some restaurants distinguish between BD and DBD (Dinner Business Decline) shifts, but the program does not, since the times specified for the shift and the optional Lunch, Dinner, Opening and Closing designations make clear the type of shift.

Overlapping shifts can also be used for other purposes, which you can identify in the shift's description.  (See 'Add Shift/Edit Shift' below and the next paragraph.)

Also, two or more shifts that end at the same time may begin at different times, and vice versa.  Such partially overlapping or staggered shifts can serve two purposes.  First, they allow you to schedule employees to arrive at work or to leave work in intervals (e.g. several minutes apart), in order to avoid congestion in any arrival or departure procedures or to account for gradual increases or decreases in the amount of business.  Second, they permit accommodating a variety of employee non-availability options.  For example, the family or school schedules of some employees may not permit them to arrive right at the beginning of a regular shift or may require them to leave prior to the end of a regular shift.  When such non-availability times occur on a regular basis, creating separate shifts to cover those time adjustments enables the program to give effect to the non-availability options of all employees and still schedule them to work during periods when they are available.

The proper identification of separate and/or overlapping shifts is vital to the scheduling process.  For example, if  several employees are regularly unable to report to work before 11:15 (and their scheduling data reflects that non-availability), they would not be eligible for a shift that starts at 11:00.  But, if you identify two shifts, one that starts at 11:00 and one that starts at 11:15, all employees could be eligible for scheduling.  Also, see the Scheduling Options topic regarding the use of the terms 'lunch', 'dinner', 'opening' or 'closing' when describing shifts.

Note:  If an employee's scheduling data reflects non-availability for a time that coincides with a shift time, even if only the first or last minute of the shift, the program will consider that employee to be ineligible for scheduling for that shift.  Therefore, it is important to insure that such conflicts are avoided through the careful setting of non-availability times and the use of overlapping shifts, when necessary, to insure compatibility between an employee's non-availability times and shift times.  See the topics 'Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame' and 'Prepare New Schedule'.

If it is known that the non-availability and shift-time conflict for a particular employee will be infrequent, it may not be necessary to create a specific shift to avoid that conflict, if enough other employees will be available to cover the shift in question.  On the other hand, since there is no practical limit (except memory constraints) to the number of different shifts that can be identified for use in scheduling, creating a separate shift to accommodate even a one-time non-availability conflict would not be unreasonable and could avoid having to create the shift for another employee's conflict in the future.

Below are instructions for each of the items in the Shifts section of the window in alphabetical order, as follows:

Add Shift / Edit Shift

Cancel

Delete Shifts

Save Shifts

ADD SHIFT / EDIT SHIFT

To add a new shift to the list, select the 'Add Shift' button.  To edit an existing shift description, first select the shift from the list, then select the 'Edit Shift' button.  The Add/Edit Shift frame then will be displayed.

In the Add/Edit frame, enter the new shift name, or edit the existing one, in the box below 'Shift Name and/or Description'.  If you want the shift to be identified as a lunch, dinner, opening or closing shift (for purposes of implementing scheduling options that include those terms), select one of those option buttons before or after entering or editing the shift name.  When one of those option buttons is selected, the appropriate identifying term will be added (in parentheses) to the shift name.  You also can enter one of those terms yourself as part of the shift description, without selecting one of the option buttons but, for consistency of appearance, that procedure is not recommended.  To remove one of those designations from the existing shift description, select the 'None of the above' button.

Note:  If you want a shift to be identified as a lunch, dinner, opening or closing shift, one of those terms must be included in the shift name or description.  If it's not, the scheduling options related to those types of shifts will not be effective.  See the Scheduling Options topic for more information in this regard.

Note also that you cannot identify a shift as both BD and Closing.  The alternative is to establish two shifts with the same times and designate one as BD and the other as Closing.  A Closing shift is assumed to be also a BD shift, i.e. it is assumed that the CLosing shift will not end until the business is closed and/or all assigned closing functions have been completed.

Then set the appropriate 'From' and 'To' times for the shift using the scroll bars.  Noon is 12:00 PM and midnight is 12:00 AM.  Then check [X] or uncheck [  ] the 'Business Decline' box, as appropriate.

If you check the Business Decline box, you still must set a 'To' time.  The Business Decline box provides the option of having 2 shifts that are the same except that the Business Decline shift may be terminated earlier or later than the time specified.

Then select 'OK' to add the new or edited shift to the shift list in the main window.  To ignore the Add/Edit frame's currently displayed settings, or after selecting the 'OK' button to update the shift list, select 'Close' to close the frame.

Note:  For scheduling purposes, if a shift begins at or after midnight, it will be considered by the program to be the first shift for the day that begins at midnight.  If a shift begins before midnight and extends to or beyond midnight, it will be considered to be the last shift for the day on which the shift began.

Finally, select the 'Save Shifts' button in the main window to save the changed Shift list.

CANCEL

Select this button (or press Esc) to close the Shifts and Holidays window.  If unsaved shift  or holiday changes have been made, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save the changes before closing the window.

DELETE SHIFT

First select the shift from the list and then select the 'Delete Shift' button to delete that shift.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.  If you confirm it, select the 'Save Shifts' button in the main window to save the changed Shift list.

SAVE SHIFTS

After you have finished adding, editing or deleting shifts, select this button to save the changed list.

Holidays

The holidays identified in this window are intended to indicate dates on which the business is closed, or dates on which the 'Holiday multiplier', if any, as set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window, is applied to appropriate positions, or dates on which a scheduling option related to holidays will be applied.  However, you can identify any date for any purpose.  During the scheduling procedure, if a holiday listed in this window falls within the period being scheduled, you will be asked to confirm the purpose of the holiday.

If Holiday Pay (pursuant to the multiplier set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window) is applicable to a certain day of each week (e.g. Sunday), it will be necessary to enter the date of each such day in this window in order to be able to give effect to the holiday pay when calculating labor costs during scheduling.

Automatic Updating:  Each time you run the program, it checks to see if any holiday dates have passed, and, if so, updates them for the next year.  If any holidays are updated, you will be so advised and will be given the opportunity to correct (in this window) any holiday dates that change from year to year.  Most such dates, however, if listed, are changed automatically for each year by the program and will not need correction.  See 'Selected US Holidays' below for details.  On the other hand, if, for example, you have entered the dates of all Sundays as holidays, those dates will have to be changed for each new year.

Below are instructions for each of the items in the Holidays section of the window in alphabetical order, as follows:

Add Holiday / Edit Holiday

Cancel

Delete Holiday

Save Holidays

Selected US Holidays

ADD HOLIDAY / EDIT HOLIDAY

To add a new holiday to the list, select the 'Add Holiday' button.  To edit an existing holiday description, select the holiday from the list, then select the 'Edit Holiday' button.  The 'Add/Edit Holiday' frame will be displayed.  In the Add/Edit frame, enter the new holiday name or description, or edit the existing one, in the box below 'Holiday Name'.  Then set the holiday's date using the scroll bar.

Select 'OK' to add the new or edited holiday to the holiday list.  To ignore the currently displayed settings in the frame, or after selecting the 'OK' button, select 'Close' to close the 'Add/Edit Holiday' frame.  When the new or edited holiday is added to the list, a code number, which you can ignore, will be inserted at the beginning of the entry.  Its purpose is only to insure that the dates are listed in chronological order.

Finally, select the 'Save Holidays' button in the main window to save the changed Holiday list.

CANCEL

Select this button (or press Esc) to close the Shifts and Holidays window.  If unsaved changes have been made, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save them before closing the window.

DELETE HOLIDAY

First select the holiday from the list and then select the 'Delete Holiday' button to delete that holiday.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.  If you confirm it, select the 'Save Holidays' button to save the changed list.

SAVE HOLIDAYS

After you have finished adding, editing or deleting holidays, select this button to save the changed list.

Selected Us Holidays°

Select this button to call the 'Selected US Holidays' frame in order to add or delete selected holidays in the holiday list.  The frame lists 21 selected holidays that are recognized by some or all of the states and/or the federal government.  If any of the selected holidays are already included in the holiday list, they will be checked [X] when the frame appears.

Selected holidays that are added to the holiday list in this manner will be marked with an asterisk ( ° ).  Any listed holiday with an asterisk cannot be deleted or edited using the Delete Holiday or Edit Holiday buttons in the main window.  They must be deleted in the Selected US Holidays frame via the 'Update Holiday List' button in that frame, as described below.  These selected holidays cannot be edited.

Each time the program is run, all holiday dates listed in the Shifts and Holidays window are reviewed by the program to see if any are before the current date.  If any listed holiday date is before the current date, the holiday date is changed for the next year and its chronological position in the list is adjusted appropriately.  The dates, or methods for determining the dates, for each year during this automatic updating procedure for the 21 selected holidays are shown below.

  New Year's Day -- January 1

  Martin Luther King, Jr. -- third Monday in January

  Presidents Day -- third Monday in February

  Memorial Day -- last Monday in May

  Independence Day -- July 4

  Labor Day -- first Monday in September

  Columbus Day -- second Monday in October

  Election Day -- first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

  Veterans Day -- fourth Monday in October

  Thanksgiving Day -- fourth or last Thursday in November

  Christmas -- December 25

  American Indian Day -- fourth Friday in September

  Armed Forces Day -- third Saturday in May

  Father's Day -- third Sunday in June

  Flag Day -- June 14

  Halloween -- October 31

  Mother's Day -- second Sunday in May

  St.Patrick's Day -- March 17

  St. Valentine's Day -- February 14

  Lincoln's Birthday -- February 12

  Washington's Birthday -- February 22

Note:  Holidays that fall on the same date each year can be added to, deleted from or edited in the holiday list via the 'Add Holiday' button in the main window, but the holidays whose dates change each year should only be added or deleted via this selected-holidays procedure in order to insure that they are accurately updated for each year.

Update Holiday List:  Before selecting this button, first insure that all holidays that you want included in the holiday list are checked [X] and that holidays that you do not want in the holiday list are not checked [   ].  Then, if you select this button, all checked holidays that are not already on the list will be added to it and all unchecked holidays that are on the holiday list will be removed from the list.  In other words, if you want to add a selected holiday to the holiday list, check it and then select the 'Update Holiday List' button.  If you want to remove a selected holiday from the holiday list, uncheck it and then select the button.

Add to Suspense List:  Select this button to add all checked [X] holidays to the suspense list in the Suspense List window.  Holiday dates added to the suspense list in this manner will be identified by the ( ° ) character at the end of the suspense item description.  If you attempt to transfer any holiday that already appears in the suspense list as a result of a prior transfer from the holidays list, it will not be added again to the suspense list.

Close:  Select this button to close the 'Selected US Holidays' frame.

General holiday information:  New Year's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas are observed in all states.  Lincoln's Birthday and Washington's Birthday are combined and observed by the federal government as Presidents Day.  The original dates of observance of Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day (formerly Armistice Day and observed as Victory Day in Tennessee) were changed by the federal government in 1968 to be on Mondays but are observed by some states on their original dates.  For those and any other holidays that are observed on different dates by the federal government and the states (except for Lincoln's Birthday and Washington's Birthday, which are listed and can be selected separately from Presidents Day), the program uses the federal government's dates.  Good Friday is not included in the list of selected holidays, even though it is celebrated as a holiday in at least 12 states, because the date is determined by the date of Easter and there is no standard formula for establishing the date of Easter each year.

Source for holiday information:  Microsoft's "Encarta" Multimedia Encyclopedia on CD-ROM, 1994 Edition.


Help Index

For 'How to Use Help', press the F1 function key now.

See also:  General Help.

The topic 'General Help' should be read in its entirety before using the program for the first time.  To access that topic, click on the underlined 'General Help' after 'See also:' above, or use the Tab key to highlight it and then press Enter.  'General Help' includes detailed information about accessing and navigating this Help function, printing Help topics, getting started in using this program, a program overview, and general instructions and comments applicable to all program functions.

Listed below in three sections in alphabetical order are all of the available on-line Help topics.  The first section contains pop-up definitions.  The second section contains topics that briefly describe the options on the Main Menu's menu bar.  The third section contains the primary Help topics, i.e. the ones with detailed instructions covering the various program functions.

DEFINITIONS

Cancel

Clear

Close

Main Menu

Reset

Save

Select

Set

MAIN MENU OPTIONS

Analysis

File

Help

Print

Quit

Roster

Sales

Schedule

Suspense

Window

MAJOR TOPICS

About... Window -- Copyright, license, disclaimer and author contact information

Absence Reasons and Records Window -- View, add, edit employee absence records and reasons

Add/Edit Position Frame -- Add or edit position descriptions in Position/Department List Window

Backup Data Files/Retrieve Backup Data Window -- Backup data files and retrieve backed up data

Change Password -- Change the access password

Changes -- A summary of changes in each new registered version of the program.

Data Encryption and Decryption -- Encrypt or decrypt personnel data file

Display Times in 12-Hour/24-Hour Format

Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling Window -- View, add, edit employee's pay and scheduling data

Employee Data -- Personal Window -- View, add, edit employee's personal data

Employee Roster Window -- View, add, delete employee list, with sorting options

General Help -- General help applicable throughout the program.

Position Pay Rates and Guarantees Window -- View, add, edit position pay rates, work week, hours, overtime and holiday multipliers, etc.

Position/Department List Window -- View, add, edit position and department descriptions

Prepare New Schedule Window -- Prepare a schedule in 7-day or less increments

Print Options Window -- Print lists, blank or filled-in forms, schedules, sales data, etc.

Repeat Schedule Window -- Duplicate an existing schedule with new dates

Rotating Employees -- General discussion about issues related to employee-rotation options

Scheduling Options Window -- Scheduling options available for application to any employee

Set Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame -- Set non-availability info and unpaid break option for the Pay/Scheduling window

Shifts and Holidays Window -- View, add, edit shifts and holidays used in scheduling

Suspense List Window -- View, add, edit reminders of actions for days or dates throughout the year

Termination Codes Window -- View, add, edit codes explaining reasons for employee inactive status

View/Edit Schedule Window -- View or change schedules on file


SELECT

In all instructions, the term 'select' means that you should use the mouse to move the on-screen pointer to the desired item and then click the left mouse button once.  See also 'Keyboard Use' and 'Select' in the General Help topic for information about selecting items via the keyboard.


Cancel

The Cancel button in each window closes the window.  Pressing the Esc key also closes the active window.  If changes have been made to the data in the window and the changes have not been saved, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save the data before the window closes.  This will also occur when all windows are being closed prior to exiting the program.  A Cancel button in any dialog box will cancel the part of the function being performed when the dialog box appeared.  For example, if a window is being closed and a dialog box appears asking if you want to save changes made, and if the box has a Cancel button, selecting the Cancel button in that dialog box will cancel the window's closing.  See the sub-topic 'Cancel' in each of the window topics for more information.  See also Clear and Close.


Close

The 'Close' button is used to close (remove) a frame in a window.  Frames are used to enclose controls that perform special functions in some windows.  Note that, if changes have been made to the data in a frame but have not been 'set', transferred to the main window or otherwise saved prior to selecting this button, you usually will not be warned of that fact, as you would when the window itself is closed via the Cancel button when unsaved changes exist.  See also Cancel, Clear and Set.


Clear

A 'Clear' button is used in some windows to enable you to erase the data associated with the button.  The button facilitates leaving the data box(es) blank or with default data and/or preparing to re-enter new data.  See the 'Clear' sub-topic in the topics for windows that have a Clear button for more specific information about the effects of using this button.  See also Reset.


Reset

A 'Reset' button is used in some windows to remove (erase) the currently displayed data and re-display the original or default data from a file.  See the 'Reset' sub-topic in the topics for windows that have a Reset button for more detailed information about the effects of using this button.  See also Clear.


Set

'Set' refers either to establishing in memory (as opposed to saving in a file) the values for one or more data items or to transferring data values from a frame to the window containing the frame.  In windows that provide for establishing data values for different categories (e.g. pay data for different positions), in some cases a 'Set...' button is provided to establish the values in memory for each category before saving the data for all categories to a file.  In windows that use a frame for setting data values, a Set button is provided to transfer the data displayed in the frame to the appropriate part(s) of the window containing the frame.  In the latter case, the button may have the caption 'Set...' or 'Update...'.  For more specific information, see the sub-topic referring to the Set or Update button under the topics for windows that have one.  See also Save and Close.


Save

'Save' refers to saving data items to a file on your hard disk (as opposed to simply setting them in memory).  In order for data that you have entered or changed in a window to be available from one program run to another, or from the closing of a window to its next reopening, you must save any new or changed data in the window before closing the window.  Normally, you will be advised if unsaved changes exist and will be given an opportunity to save them before the window closes.  A 'Save...' button will be available for this purpose in each window in which you can enter or change data.  See the sub-topic that refers to the Save button in topics for windows that have one.  See also Set.


Main Menu

The 'Main Menu' is the window that fills the screen when you run the program and enter the password in the About... window.  The Main Menu is the primary (parent) window in which all the function (child) windows appear.  It consists of two lines at the top and a large space below them for the other windows.  The top line of the Main Menu has its control box, the program title and the window's sizing buttons.  The second line has the menu bar with the Main Menu options that provide, directly or through sub-options in a drop-down list, access to all program functions.

The Main Menu options available for selection are:

Analysis

File*

Help*

Print

Quit

Roster

Sales

Schedule*

Suspense

Window*

*  Options that, when selected, provide a drop-down list of sub-options.


File

'File' is an option on the Main Menu.  Select it to access a drop-down list with the following sub-options (listed here in alphabetical order):

Absence Records and Reasons

Backup Data Files

Change Password

Data Encryption and Decryption

Display Times in 12-Hour Format

Display Times in 24-Hour Format

Exit

Position Pay Rates and Guarantees

Positions and Departments

Retrieve Backup Data

Scheduling Options

Set Initial Suspense Cutoff Point  (See General Help -- 'General Help Summary -- Suspense')

Shifts and Holidays

Termination Codes


Roster

See also:  Employee Roster

                     Employee Data -- Personal

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling.

'Roster' is an option on the Main Menu.  Select it to access the Employee Roster window, which lists all employees with a variety of sorting options and provides access to the Employee Data -- Personal and Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling windows for viewing, adding, deleting or changing employee data.


Schedule

'Schedule' is an option on the Main Menu.  Select it to access a drop-down list with the following sub-options:

Prepare New Schedule

Repeat Schedule

View/Edit Schedule


Prepare New Schedule

Be sure to read the 'Additional Notes' at the end of this topic.

See also:  View/Edit Schedule     Add/Edit Positions Frame

                     Scheduling Options    Shifts and Holidays Window

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

                     Non-Availability Days/Times/Dates and Unpaid Break Option Frame

                     Position Pay Rates and Guarantees

SCHEDULING PROCEDURE

To prepare a new schedule, select Schedule on the Main Menu's menu bar, then select 'Prepare New Schedule' on the drop-down list of sub-options.  (Prior to revealing the scheduling window, the program will check the non-availability dates or date ranges for each employee and remove any that have expired.  If any are removed, you will be so advised.)  See also Repeat Schedule for a method of preparing a duplicate of an existing schedule with different dates.

The Prepare New Schedule window is divided into two sections.  The top half will contain the controls and frames necessary to prepare the schedule, and the bottom half contains the schedule grid.  (Detailed information concerning each of the items in the window is in the sub-topic 'Itemized Instructions' below.)

Each schedule produced in this window covers a selected period in segments of up to 7 dates each, and each segment covers only one position.  If more than 7 days are being scheduled, each 7-day or less segment must be scheduled and saved separately.   If more than one position is being scheduled, each position is scheduled in 7-day or less segments for the entire schedule period before the next position is scheduled.  Scheduling is done by department, position, date, shift and employees, in that order.  For a complete understanding of the terms 'department', 'position', 'shift' and 'holiday' as they apply to the scheduling process, be sure to read 'Position/Department Descriptions' in the topic 'Add/Edit Positions Frame' and 'Shifts' and 'Holidays'  in the topic 'Shifts and Holidays Window'.

The program identifies and lists the employees who are eligible for the selected position, date and shift being scheduled.  (Ineligibles can also be made available for scheduling -- see 'Select Employees Frame' below.)  Eligibility for scheduling is based on each employee's scheduling limitations and other scheduling options, as set in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, other options set in this scheduling window and a 'no overtime' policy assumed by the program.  The no-overtime policy can be can be overridden through the application to individual employees in the Pay/Scheduling window, section 3, of the 'allow overtime' option listed there.  (See also the description of the steps used by the program to identify eligible employees in item 8 under 'Additional Notes' at the end of this topic.)

Scheduling can be either automatic or manual.  For manual scheduling, you select employees from the list of eligibles (or from the list of ineligibles) for the selected position, date and shift.  For automated scheduling, you indicate how many employees to schedule for the selected position, date and shift and the program selects the employees from among those eligible.  The number of employees that can be displayed on the schedule grid for one date and position is limited by memory constraints but could be up to several thousand for each date for each position.  You will be advised if and when the limit is reached.  (Up to 32,767 employees could be scheduled, provided that the grid limit is not exceeded for any one date for any one position.)

The following is a summary of the steps required to prepare a schedule, in the order in which they should be performed:

1.  Begin by selecting the Type of schedule, i.e. Auto or Manual.

2.  Set the Begin date for the schedule and the number of days to be scheduled.

3.  If there are certain days during the period to be scheduled when the business will be closed (other than identified holidays), check the Days Closed boxes for those days.

4.  Identify the department(s) to be scheduled by selecting either the All Departments button or the Select Department button.

5.  After you select one of the department buttons, one or more of the following may occur:

a.  If any identified holiday dates occur within the schedule period you have set, a frame with a list of  them will appear, in which you can identify their purpose and then close the frame.  (See 'Holidays Frame' below.)

b.  If any employee has Extra pay set in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, you will be asked whether you want to include, when calculating labor costs, the extra pay if overtime or holiday pay is also applicable to the employee at any point during the scheduling.  This option gives you added flexibility in determining which labor costs to have reflected on the schedule.  Overtime pay, if any, will always be included in the labor costs.  Holiday pay will only be included if the holiday is identified as being for pay purposes.  (See 'Holidays Frame' below.)  Extra pay will be included or not, depending on your answer to the question when it is presented.

c.  If any previously prepared schedule on file overlaps, duplicates or is later than the period being scheduled, or leaves an unscheduled gap, you will be so advised at this point.  If a schedule is on file that begins on the same date as the period being scheduled, you will be advised that the current schedule will overwrite the schedule already on file if and when you save the current schedule.  In any case, you will have the opportunity to cancel the scheduling at this point so that you can take action to correct the anomalous situation by editing or deleting the other schedule(s) or by changing the period covered by the current schedule, if you wish to do so.  (See 'Additional Note' 9 at the end of this topic.)

d.  If a schedule is on file for a period that predates the period currently being scheduled, you also will be asked whether you want to be presented with the option to rotate employees each time a new department is selected for scheduling, i.e. to schedule them to a position within the same department that is different from the position to which they were scheduled previously (assuming that more than one position within the same department is listed in the 'Qualified Positions' list in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window for the employee to be rotated).  Note that if you elect to be presented with the rotation option for each department, you can then, of course, decline to apply the rotation option for any department.  See paragraphs 6 and 7 below as to when the employee rotation option, if applicable, will be presented.

    Details concerning this rotation option and its significance with respect to other options are discussed throughout this documentation, particularly in the topics 'Shifts and Holidays Window', 'Scheduling Options', 'Employee Data -- Pay Scheduling', and 'Add/Edit Positions Frame'.  (Use the Search button above in this Help window and search for 'rotating employees', or see the topic Employee Rotation, which summarizes the applicable provisions in the other topics.)  Note that, regardless of your decision as to this rotation option, there are 'Do not rotate positions' and 'Rotate positions' options in the 'Employee Data -- Pay Scheduling' window, section 3, that can be selected to override that decision with respect to individual employees.

6.  If you selected the All Departments button and did not elect to have the employee rotation option presented (or if the rotation query was not presented), skip this step and go on to step 7.  Otherwise, if you selected the All Departments button, the employee rotation option, if applicable, will be presented for the first listed department as soon as you respond affirmatively to the rotation query and thereafter as soon as the next department is ready for scheduling.  If you selected the Select Department button, select the specific department from the drop-down list of departments that will appear.  Then select the  Schedule Selected Department button.  In actual practice, it is not necessary to select this button before selecting the position(s) to be scheduled.  Selecting it simply shifts the focus to the select-position part of the window.  However, if you do select the Schedule Selected Department button, the employee rotation inquiry described above will be presented at that time.

7.  Identify the position(s) to be scheduled by selecting either the All Positions button or the Select Position button.  In the latter case, select the specific position from the drop-down list of positions in the selected department and then select the Schedule Selected Position button.  Note that, if you elected to have the employee rotation option presented for each selected department and if you did not select the Schedule Selected Department button, the employee rotation option will be presented when you select either the All Positions or Select Position button and, after responding to the option, you will have to select the desired position button again.  Hence, if you elected to have the employee rotation option presented for each selected department , the preferred procedure would be to use the Schedule Selected Department button after selecting a department, even though it isn't necessary.

8.  After you select the position(s) to be scheduled, a frame will appear with a list of the identified shifts.  Select a shift and then select the Schedule Shift button.  If any employees are not eligible for the selected shift solely because of a scheduling option preventing double or split shifts, you then will be told how many employees are eligible for that shift and how many would be eligible but for the mentioned options, and you will be asked whether you want to override any double or split shifts options.  See 'Additional Notes' 8g and 10 at the end of this topic for details about this option and the differences between automatic and manual scheduling.

Note:  The program considers a double shift to be one in which the second shift begins immediately or less than one hour after the previous shift ends, and a split shift is considered to be one in which the second shift begins one hour or more after the previous shift ends.

9.  The next step will depend on which type of scheduling you selected:

     If you selected Manual as the type of schedule:

a.  After you select a shift and respond to the double or split shift question (if presented), a frame will appear with lists of the Primary and Other employees eligible for that shift on the selected date for the selected position.  Select an employee from either list and then select the 'Schedule ...' button below the list to transfer that employee's name to the schedule grid.  'Primary' employees are those whose default position for scheduling (in the Employee Data -- Pay/scheduling window) is the one being scheduled.  'Other' employees are those whose default position for scheduling is not the one being scheduled but whose 'Qualified Positions' list includes the position being scheduled.

Note:  Select the 'List Ineligibles' button to see a list of the employees who are ineligible for the date and shift being scheduled and the reason for the ineligibility.  Along with that list will be an "Add to 'Others' List" button, which enables you to select even an ineligible employee for scheduling.  See 'Select Employees Frame' below for details.

b.  Continue selecting employees in this way until the desired number of employees for the selected position, date and shift have been selected (or until no more employees remain in the lists), then select the Close button to close the Select Employees frame.

     If you selected Auto as the type of schedule:

a.  After you select a shift and respond to the double or split shift question, you will be asked how many employees to schedule for that position, date and shift.  Enter the desired number and select OK or press Enter.

b.   After you answer that question, the desired number of employees to fill the schedule for the selected position, date and shift will be selected automatically.

For either type of schedule, after completing the above steps, either select another shift for the same date and position or select the Next Date button in the Select Shift frame to begin scheduling shifts for the next date in the selected schedule period for the same position.  When you have finished scheduling shifts for all segments in the schedule period for the selected position, either select the Close button to close the Select Shift Frame and select another position, or select the Next Position button to schedule the shifts for the next position.  In some cases, when appropriate, the Next Date, Next Position or Close button selections will be performed automatically.

When a schedule covering the selected period or a 7-day segment of the period has been completed for a selected position, you may wish to select the Sort Segment button to arrange the displayed schedule segment in ascending alphabetical order by employee last name.

When a schedule covering the selected period or a 7-day segment of the period has been completed for a selected position, you then can save it by selecting the Save Segment button.  Then, if dates remain to be scheduled, begin scheduling the dates in the next segment.  When the full selected period has been scheduled for one position, select the next position or next department, depending on which department and position options you chose.  If you select the Next Date button when a 7-day segment of the schedule period has been completed or when the entire schedule period has been completed, you will be prompted to save the currently displayed schedule segment before taking any other action (except sorting).  Also, if you select the Next Position button at any time, you will be given an opportunity to save the current segment before proceeding, since each schedule segment covers only one position.  Each 7-day segment must be saved before beginning a new segment or it will be lost.

You should not select the Next Position button until you have finished scheduling all dates in the selected schedule period or all dates for which you want a particular position scheduled.

To begin a new schedule, or to abort the scheduling procedure, either select the <-- Reset --> button in the main window to close the department and/or position list(s) and keep the schedule period, days closed and holiday settings as they are, or select the Reset Window button to begin a new schedule with all new settings.  In either case, the currently displayed schedule segment will be erased and, if you did not already save it, it will be lost.  (If the main window's reset buttons are not visible, first select the Close button for the frame that is visible.)

Be sure to read the "Additional Notes" at the end of this topic.

Itemized Instructions

In the following sections, each item in the Prepare New Schedule window is described in the following sub-topics in alphabetical order:

All Departments / Select Department

All Positions / Select Position

Auto / Manual

Begin ... For ... Days

Cancel

Days Closed

Holidays Frame

<-- Reset -->

Reset Window

Save Segment

Schedule Grid

Schedule Selected Department / Schedule Selected Position

Select Employees Frame

Select Shift Frame

Sort Segment

Type

ALL DEPARTMENTS / SELECT DEPARTMENT

Select the former button if you want to schedule all departments.  Select the latter button if you want to select each department to be scheduled.  The latter is the preferred procedure, even if you intend to schedule all departments.  The reason is that all-departments scheduling will be interrupted if there are not enough employees eligible for any selected position within any department.

ALL POSITIONS / SELECT POSITION

Select the former button if you want to schedule all positions within the selected department(s).  Select the latter button if you want to select each position to be scheduled within the selected department(s).  The latter is the preferred procedure, even if you intend to schedule all positions.  The reason is that all-position scheduling will be interrupted if there are not enough employees eligible for any selected position within any department.

AUTO / MANUAL

The type of scheduling is determined by your selection of either the 'Auto' or 'Manual' option button in the upper left corner of the window.  If you select Auto, the program will schedule eligible employees automatically for the selected shift.  If you select Manual, you will be able to select the employees from lists of those eligible (and even from those not eligible if necessary).  In any case, the program will determine and list which employees are eligible for the selected department, position, date and shift, based on each employee's scheduling availability data and scheduling options and, for manual scheduling, the program will make available a list of those determined to be ineligible and the reason for the ineligibility.

Unless all eligible employees are to be scheduled for a given date, position and shift, 'Manual' is the preferred option.  Auto scheduling will usually result in the same employees being scheduled for the same shifts for each consecutive schedule.

BEGIN ... FOR ... DAYS

Set the date on which the schedule is to begin, using the Begin scroll bar.  When the window opens or is reset, the date shown will depend on whether the work-week starting day is the same for all positions (as set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window).  If it is, the first date which is that day, on or after the current date, will be shown.  Otherwise, the first date that is a Monday, starting with the current date, will be shown.  In either case, of course, you can change the date to the current date or any date thereafter (limit:  32,767 days after the current date).  If you press Enter after setting the desired date, the focus will move to the 'For' scroll bar.

Then set the number of days to be scheduled, using the For scroll bar. When the window opens or is reset, the number of days shown will be 7, which can be increased or descreased.  If you press Enter after setting the desired number of days, the focus will move to the 'All Departments' button.

Note:  Whenever possible, set the schedule to begin on the first day of a work week.  The reason is that overtime is calculated for each 7-day segment of the schedule and, if any segment does not begin on the first day of a work week, the overtime and labor cost calculations may not be accurate.  Also, remember that, regardless of the length of the period to be scheduled, the schedule must be prepared and saved in 7-day segments for each position.

Ideally, the work week for all positions will begin on the same day of the week and you should set the schedule to begin on that day.  (The day on which the work week begins for each position is set in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.  See the 'Check here if...' box in that window.)  If that's not the case, i.e. if you set the schedule to begin on a day that is not the first day of the work week for any position, or if different positions' work weeks begin on different days, the calculation of any overtime may be inaccurate for such positions, as mentioned in the Note above.

You can set the schedule period to be any number of days, from 1 to 32,767 (subject to memory constraints on your system).  Ideally, the number of days should be a multiple of 7 (i.e. 7, 14, 21, etc.).  Clicking on the space between the scroll bar's arrow buttons will change the number in increments of 7.  In any case, if the schedule period is more than 7 days, you will schedule it in 7-day segments and the last segment may be less than 7 days.

The number of days includes the beginning date.  For example, if you set the beginning date as August 25 and set the number of days to 7, the schedule will cover August 25 through August 31.

CANCEL

Select the 'Cancel' button to close the scheduling window.  Be sure that you have saved the last schedule segment before closing the window.

DAYS CLOSED

Check the appropriate box for any day on which the business will be closed for any reason other than it being an identified holiday (see 'Holidays' below).  For example, if the business is normally closed on Mondays, you would check the Monday  box, i.e. [X] Mon.  No scheduling will be performed for any day for which one of these boxes is checked.  More than one box can be checked.

If you are scheduling more than one week and you want to identify a specific day (Mon ... Sun) in one week during the schedule period when the business will be closed for some reason, and you don't want that day to be ignored when scheduling the other week(s), enter the date of that day in the 'Holidays' section of the Shifts and Holidays window and then go through the scheduling procedure, identifying that date as a (C)losed date when asked (see 'Holidays' below).  Then, after completing the schedule, delete that date from the Holidays section of the Shifts and Holidays window.

The same procedure should be used if you want to identify a specific date (as opposed to a day of the week) on which the business will be closed for any reason (holiday or not) during the schedule period.  In other words, treat it as if it were a holiday and respond appropriately when asked about the nature of the holiday (see 'Holidays' below).  After the schedule is completed, if the business will not be closed on the same date the following year, delete the date from the Holidays section of the Shifts and Holidays window.

In either of the above cases, you may want to withhold deleting the date from the Shifts and Holidays window until after the date has passed, since you may want to revise the schedule or generate a new schedule before then.  The program will advise you when the date is being automatically updated for the next year, and you can delete it then.

In any case, you should not check any of the 'Days Closed' boxes to account for holidays identitifed in the Shifts and Holidays window.

HOLIDAYS FRAME

Holidays are identified in the Shifts and Holidays window.  When you select either 'All Departments' or 'Select Department' in the scheduling window, if any identified holiday date falls within the period set for scheduling, a frame will appear in which you must then specify how each such holiday is to be treated for scheduling purposes.  You do so either by selecting a holiday from the 'Holidays' list in the frame and then selecting either the 'Closed', 'Pay' or 'Schedule' button below the list or by doing nothing with the list and selecting the 'Close' button to close the frame.

Note:  Dates on the holiday list that do not have 'C', 'S' or 'P' in front of them are treated as regular work days (non-holidays) for scheduling purposes.

The following paragraphs describe the effect of the buttons in the holidays frame.

Closed  (Holidays frame):  Select a date on the holiday list above this button and then select this button to identify that date as a day on which the business is closed.  No scheduling will be performed for any date identified as 'Closed'.  The letter 'C' will be inserted before the holiday description in the list.

Pay  (Holidays frame):  Select a date on the holiday list above this button and then select this button to identify that date as a day on which the 'holiday multiplier' will be applied to the pay of employees occupying positions to which the multiplier is applicable, as identified in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.  This information will be used during scheduling to calculate the labor cost of the schedule.  The letter 'P' will be inserted before the holiday description in the list.

Note:  If you identify a holiday date as one to which the holiday multiplier applies, it will also be considered as one to which the 'Schedule' option applies, but only the letter 'P' will be inserted before the listing.  See 'Schedule' below.

If you identify a holiday as being for pay purposes, you should then select the appropriate option -- 'Holiday', 'Overtime' or 'Both' -- so that the program can determine which type of multiplier(s) to apply to an employee who may be subject to both overtime and holiday pay on the same date.  If you want only the holiday multiplier to be applied in such cases, select Holiday.  If you want only the overtime multiplier to be applied in such cases, select Overtime.  If you want both to be applied when appropriate, select Both.  Note that if only the holiday multiplier or only the overtime multiplier (but not both) is applicable to a given employee on a given date, this issue does not arise and the proper mutliplier will be applied.

Schedule  (Holidays frame):  Select a date on the holiday list above this button and then select this button to identify that date as a day on which any scheduling option related to holidays will be applied.  The letter 'S' will be inserted before the holiday description in the list.  For example, if an employee has an applicable scheduling option that states 'Do not schedule on holidays', that employee will not be scheduled on any date on the list with an 'S' or 'P' in front of it.

Note:  If you identify a holiday date as one to which holiday-related scheduling options apply, it will NOT be considered as a date on which the holiday multiplier is applied for pay purposes.  To indicate that both pay and scheduling options are to be applicable to a given date, select the 'Pay' button.  There is no method for identifying a holiday as a date on which the holiday multiplier will be applied but on which a holiday-related scheduling option will not be applied.

See the Note under 'Pay' above.  See also the topics 'Scheduling Options' and 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' for more information about scheduling options.

Clear All / Clear Selected  (Holidays frame):    To remove the 'C', 'S' and 'P' identifiers from all holidays on the list, select the 'Clear All' button.  To remove the 'C', 'S' or 'P' identifier from any one date on the holiday list, select the date and then select the 'Clear Selected' button.  It is not necessary to use either button for dates that have none of those letters in front of them.

Close  (Holidays frame):  When you have finished identifying the purpose of all holidays on the list, select 'Close' to close the holidays frame.

Note:  Be sure that the holiday identifiers are correct before you select the Close button.  You cannot later change these identifiers without re-starting the scheduling procedure.  If you want to make changes to the holiday identifiers, select either the '<- Reset ->' button in the main window to close the departments and positions lists, or select the 'Reset Window' button to reset all values in the window.  In either case the currently displayed schedule will be erased.

See also the discussion about holidays under 'Dates Closed' above.

<-- RESET -->

Select this button to close the departments and positions lists and erase the currently displayed schedule prior to restarting the scheduling procedure.  The advantage of this button is that the other values set for scheduling are not erased or changed.

RESET WINDOW

Select this button to close the departments and positions lists, erase the currently displayed schedule and reset all values in the window to their default settings prior to restarting the scheduling procedure.  Note that it is not necessary to reset the window before closing it.  All values are reset whenever the window is opened.

SAVE SEgment

After any segment of the selected schedule period has been scheduled, select this button to save that segment in a file for that schedule period.  If one or more other segments within the same schedule period have been saved previously, the new segment will be added to the same file.  The file name will be 'n.DAT', where n is a code number representing the start date of the schedule period, e.g. the file '34239.Dat' would contain the data for a schedule beginning on September 27, 1993.

Note:  Each 7-day (or less) segment of the schedule period must be saved before beginning to schedule another segment.  Otherwise, the unsaved segment will be lost.

Automatic Updating of Absence Records:  If, during the scheduling of a segment, any employees, who were otherwise eligible for scheduling, were found to be ineligible because of a non-availability setting in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, then when you save that schedule segment, you will be offered the opportunity to have those employees' absence records automatically updated in the Absence Records and Reasons window.  One record will be saved for each day that the employee was unable to be scheduled solely because of a non-availability setting.  The reason code will be the one you entered when you made the non-availability setting in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Note:  If an employee actually works on any date for which an absence record was created automatically by the scheduling procedure, you should delete the appropriate record from the Absence Records and Reasons window.

Schedule Grid

The bottom half of the window contains the schedule grid.  The heading of the grid initially contains summarized instructions for scheduling.  Once scheduling has begun, the heading of the grid will contain the names of the department and position being scheduled and the overall period being scheduled.

In the top row of boxes in the grid, under the heading information described above, will be the one to seven dates for the segment being scheduled.  As each employee is scheduled, the employees' names and employee numbers will be listed down the left side of the grid and the scheduled shift times will appear to the right of each name, under each date heading.

On the far right of each employee's name will be the total hours and total labor costs for the shifts assigned to that employee for that schedule segment.  The labor costs will be calculated based on the pay data for each employee or each position, as entered in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window or the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window, respectively, with the data in the Pay/Scheduling window taking precedence.  If any of the required pay items in those windows are missing or incorrect, the labor costs shown on the schedule will not be accurate.

To the right of the total labor costs will be the labor cost based on the minimum wage and the labor cost based on any applicable guarantees.  These last two costs are included to show the maximum potential costs in the event that a tipped employee does not earn enough tips, the assumption being that the minimum wage or an alternative larger guarantee will have to be met if the employee's wages and tips do not equal that minimum or guarantee.  If minimum wage or guarantee amounts have not been entered in the appropriate windows, one or both of these amounts will be zero.

The total hours and costs for the schedule segment will be shown at the bottom of the grid.  Use the scroll bars on the right side and/or bottom of the grid to move the schedule within the grid frame.  See also Additional Note 4.

SCHEDULE SELECTED DEPARTMENT / SCHEDULE SELECTED POSITION

If you select the 'Select Department' button, the 'Schedule Selected Department' button will appear above a drop-down list of the departments, which will appear in place of the 'All Departments' and 'Select Department' buttons.  After selecting a department to be scheduled from the drop-down list, select the 'Schedule Selected Department' button to confirm your choice and shift the focus to the position-selection part of the window.  (If you prefer, you can skip this step and go directly to position-selection.)  Note that, prior to the appearance of the 'Schedule Selected Department' button and the list of departments, you may be required to provide additional information.  See step 5 in the summary of scheduling steps above.

If you select the 'Select Position' button, the 'Schedule Selected Position' button will appear above a drop-down list of all positions within the selected department (the selected department is the one that appears at the top of the department list).  The position list will appear in place of the 'All Positions' and 'Select Position' buttons.  After selecting a position to be scheduled from the drop-down list, select the 'Schedule Selected Position' button to confirm your choice and to call the shift-selection frame.

If you select the 'All Departments' button, the 'Schedule Selected Department' button will not appear and access to the department list will be disabled.  If you select the 'All Positions' button, the 'Schedule Selected Position' button will not appear and access to the position list will be disabled.

Select EMPLOYEES FRAME

When you select a shift to be scheduled and select the 'Schedule Shift' button in the 'Select Shift' frame, the 'Select Employees' frame will appear.  This frame will contain four command buttons and the 'Primary' and 'Others' employee lists, which include the names of all employees who are eligible for scheduling on the selected date for the selected position and shift.  Eligibility for scheduling will be determined according to each employee's scheduling limitations and scheduling options as shown in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, other options set in this scheduling window (such as the rotation option) and other factors (such as whether the employee has already been scheduled for a shift that overlaps the one being scheduled, etc.).

The following paragraphs describe each of the items in the Select Employees frame.

Primary List (Select Employees frame):  The employees on the Primary list are those whose Default  'Position' in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window is the position being scheduled and who otherwise are eligible for scheduling on the date and for the position and shift being scheduled.

Others List (Select Employees frame):  The employees on the Others list are those who are qualified for the position being scheduled, i.e. whose 'Qualified Positions' list in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window includes the position being scheduled, but who do not have that position set as the Default scheduling 'Position' in that window, and who otherwise are eligible for scheduling on the date and for the position and shift being scheduled.  (This list may also include, at your option, employees who are not eligible for scheduling.  See 'List Ineligibles' below.)

Schedule Primary (Select Employees frame):  To schedule an employee on the Primary list, select the employee and then select the 'Schedule Primary' button.  When you do, the employee's name will be added to the schedule grid in the bottom half of the scheduling window, the times for the shift being scheduled will be entered on the grid to the right of the employee's name under the date being scheduled, and the hours and cost data will be added at the end of the row.  If the employee is already on the schedule grid, the shift times will be added to any existing shift data under the appropriate date, and the existing hours and cost data will be updated appropriately.  After the data for that employee and shift is added to the schedule grid,  the employee's name will be removed from the Primary list for that shift.

Schedule Other (Select Employees frame):  To schedule an employee on the Others list, select the employee and then select the 'Schedule Other' button.  When you do, the employee's name, together with the shift, hours and cost data, will be added to the grid, as described above for the Primary list, and the employee's name will be removed from the Others list for that shift.

List Ineligibles (Select Employees frame):  Select this button to call a separate frame with a list of the employees found to be ineligible for the position, date and shift being scheduled, together with the reasons for the ineligibility.

Ineligibles Frame:  This frame contains the list of ineligibles and the two command buttons described below.  The list will include, next to each employee's name and number, the reason for the ineligibility.  For those reasons that relate to scheduling options made applicable to the employee in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, the mandatory or preference (M or P) indicator will also be shown.  If more than one reason is applicable, only the first one encountered will be displayed. The following are the reasons that could be displayed, listed in the order in which they are considered by the program (see also Additional Note 8):

Inactive:  The employee is marked as inactive in the Employee Data -- Personal window.

Not Qualified:  The position being scheduled does not appear in the employee's Qualified Positions list in section 1 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Position Rotation:  A rotation option is in effect, either for this employee (the 'Rotate positions' option is marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window) or for all employees being scheduled (the rotate employees option was selected during the initial scheduling procedures), and the employee's last-scheduled position was the position currently being scheduled.

Day/Time Limit:  The day of the week or shift being scheduled is within a non-availability day or time period specified in section 2 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Holiday:  The day being scheduled is a holiday marked for (P)ay or (S)cheduling during the initial scheduling procedures, and the employee has a 'Do not schedule on holidays' scheduling option marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Not a Holiday:  The day being scheduled is not a holiday marked for (P)ay or (S)cheduling during the intitial scheduling procedures, and the employee has a 'Schedule on holidays only' scheduling option marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Shift-Type Limit:  The shift being scheduled is specified as an Opening, Closing, Lunch or Dinner shift and the employee has an applicable scheduling option that prevents scheduling for that type of shift (marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window), or the shift being scheduled is not one of the specified types of shifts and the employee has an applicable scheduling option that requires scheduling only for one of the those types of shifts.

Work Hours Limit:  The shift being scheduled would result in the employee being scheduled beyond the weekly work-hours limit set in section 2 of the Employee Data -- Pay/scheduling window.  If an unpaid break option is applicable and has been taken into account before applying this limit, '(adjusted)' will appear after the reason.

Overtime:  The shift being scheduled would result in the employee being scheduled for overtime, and the employee does not have the 'Allow overtime' scheduling option marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.  If an unpaid break option is applicable and has been taken into account for calculating overtime, '(adjusted)' will appear after the reason.

Shift Overlap:  The shift being scheduled partially or completely overlaps another shift to which the employee has been scheduled for the same date (for the same or a different position).

Double/Split Shift:  The shift being scheduled would be a double shift or split shift for the employee, and double or split shift scheduling is prevented by a scheduling option related to that type of shift marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window or applied during auto-scheduling.

Consecutive Closing & Opening Shift:  The shift being scheduled is an Opening shift, the employee was scheduled for the Closing shift on the previous day, and the employee has a 'Do not schedule for consecutive closing and opening shifts' scheduling option marked as applicable in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Date Limit:  The date being scheduled is identified as a non-availability date for the employee in section 2 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Day Rotation:  The day of the week being scheduled is subject to rotation for the employee by an applicable scheduling option in section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, and the employee's last-scheduled day was the same day of the week.

Add to 'Others' List (Ineligibles frame):  Select an employee from the list of ineligibles and then select this button to transfer the employee's name to the 'Others' list in the Select Employees frame, thereby making the employee available for scheduling from the 'Others' list, despite the existence of a reason for ineligibility.  When transferred, the employee's name will be removed from the ineligibles list.

Note:  If an employee is transferred from the ineligibles list in the Ineligibles frame to the 'Others' list in the Select Employees frame, any scheduling option or other factor that rendered the employee ineligible for scheduling is ignored but is not changed and will remain in effect for the next time the employee is considered for scheduling for another position, date or shift.

Close (Ineligibles frame):  Select this button to close the Ineligibles frame and return to the Select Employees frame.

Close (Select Employees frame):  When all desired employees have been scheduled for the date, position and shift being scheduled, select the 'Close' button to close the Select Employees frame.  You can then begin scheduling another shift, date or position.  Before beginning to schedule another segment or position, however, be sure to save the displayed schedule segment.

Note:  Closing the Select Employees frame signifies that you have finished scheduling the selected shift and that shift will be removed from the shift list in the Select Shift frame.

SELECT SHIFT FRAME

Shifts are identified in the 'Shifts and Holidays' window.  When you select the 'Schedule Selected Position' button, this 'Select Shift' frame appears to allow you to select the shift(s) to be scheduled for the previously selected dates, department and position.  The frame includes a drop-down list of the available shifts and the command buttons described below.

Schedule Shift (Select Shift frame):    Select the desired shift from the drop-down list and then select this button to call the 'Select Employees' frame, from which the employees are selected for the date, department, position and shift being scheduled.  (See 'Select Employees Frame' above.)  When scheduling for a given shift is completed (signified by your closing the Select Employees frame), the shift will be removed from the shift list.  The entire list will be reestablished when you begin to schedule a new date or new position.

Next Date (Select Shift frame):  When you have finished scheduling employees for all desired shifts on a given date (the Select Employees frame has been closed), select this button to begin selecting shifts for the next date in the schedule period.  In some cases, this button will be selected for you at the appropriate time, and in some cases this button will not be enabled (such as when no other dates remain unscheduled in the schedule period).

Next Position (Select Shift frame):  When you have finished scheduling employees for all desired shifts on all desired dates (the Select Employees frame has been closed), select this button to begin selecting shifts for another position.  In some cases, this button will be selected for you at the appropriate time, and in some cases this button will not be enabled (such as when no positions remain to be scheduled).  You should not select the Next Position button until you have finished scheduling all dates in the selected schedule period for a position or all dates for which you want a particular position scheduled.

.

Close (Select Shift frame):  When you have finished scheduling employees for all desired shifts for the selected date and position, or for all dates and positions, select this button to close the Select Shift Frame.  Closing the Select Shift Frame indicates that you have finished scheduling one 7-day or less segment of the schedule for a selected position.  If you want to save the schedule segment, you must do so at this point before taking any other action (other than sorting the schedule).

SORT SEgment

Select this button to sort the currently displayed schedule segment by employee name in ascending alphabetical order.  Note that, once you have sorted the segment, it cannot be unsorted, i.e. the names cannot be put back in the order in which you scheduled them.

Note:  If you do not sort the schedule segment in this window, it can be sorted in the View/Edit Schedule window, either just for viewing or to save the segment in sorted order.  When you print the schedule, it will be printed in whichever order was last saved in this window or in the View/Edit Schedule window.  Hence, if you want to print an unsorted schedule, do so immediately after scheduling.  You can then print it later in sorted order after sorting and saving it in the View/Edit Schedule window.

TYPE

Select Auto to have the program select and schedule the eligible employees for each shift automatically after you select the shift.

Select Manual if you want to select the employees for each shift yourself.  Manual scheduling also provides the option of scheduling employees who are not considered eligible for scheduling by the program.

Additional Notes

1.  If an employee's scheduling data reflects non-availability for a time that coincides with a shift time, even if only the first or last minute of the shift, the program will consider that employee to be ineligible for scheduling for that shift.  Therefore, it is important to insure that such conflicts are avoided through the careful setting of non-availability times and the use of overlapping shifts, when necessary, to insure compatibility between all employees' non-availability times and shift times.  See the 'Shifts and Holidays Window' and 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' topics for details in this regard.

2.  Insure that pay items are correct.  Several pay items from the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window for each employee, and/or from the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for each position, are used to calculate labor costs for the schedule, with any pay amounts set in the Pay/Scheduling window for an employee taking precedence over the position amounts.  If any of the required pay items are missing or incorrect, the labor costs shown on the schedule will not be accurate.

3.  The '1' and '2' next to the departments and positions lists:  When the list of departments is visible, you will note an underlined "1" next to it.  Also, when the list of positions is visible, you will note and underlined "2" next to it.  These are the characters that can be used to shift the focus to either list by using the Alt+key procedure, i.e. either Alt+1 or Alt+2, respectively.  See General Help -- Keyboard Use for details about this and other keyboard procedures.

4.   If you want to move the grid to see the parts of the grid that are not visible within the window, use your mouse on the scroll bar(s) at the bottom and/or right side of the grid.  If you don't have a mouse, you can move the focus to the grid with the Tab key and then use the cursor control keys on the keypad to move the focus to any grid cell; but, in order to avoid confusion about which date or employee is being scheduled, you should move the focus back to the grid cell from which you started.  Any other mouse or keyboard activity within the grid while the segment is being scheduled could have unpredictable results.  Specifically, you should not click on individual cells in the schedule grid.  Note that the grid will shift position automatically to insure that the visible part of the grid includes the employee row and date column being scheduled.

5.  The selection and content of each cell in the schedule grid is controlled by the program.  To add, change or delete any name(s) or shift(s) on the schedule grid, you must either begin the schedule again or complete and save all remaining segments in the selected schedule period and then make the desired changes in the 'View/Edit Schedule' window.  The schedule cannot be edited in the Prepare New Schedule window.

6.  To add additional dates to a completed segment or add additional segments to a completed schedule period, there are two possibilities.  The first is to prepare a new schedule for the dates in question.  For example, if you prepare and save a 7-day schedule and then want to extend it to 10 days, you can simply prepare a new 3-day schedule that begins the day after the prior schedule's end date.  The second possibility only exists if you select schedule periods in multiples of 7 days but don't actually schedule shifts for all of the days in the last segment (you must schedule at least one day in the last segment or it will not be part of the saved schedule).  If you do that, those last few days will be available for adding shifts in the 'View/Edit Schedule' window.  For example, if you only want to schedule 3 days, you can still select a 7-day schedule period and leave the last 4 days available for adding shifts later in the 'View/Edit Schedule' window.

7.  If an employee does not work the last shift on the last date for which he or she was scheduled, you should change the 'last-scheduled data' in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window before preparing the next schedule.  If you don't, the scheduling procedure may not properly implement employee rotation or other scheduling procedures and policies.  See also item 9 below.

8.  Eligibility Steps:  During the scheduling procedure, after the program has identified the position, the date, the day of the week and the beginning and ending times for the shift being scheduled, the steps taken to identify employees eligible for scheduling for a specific shift are as follows:

a.  Get an employee record from the Employee.Dat file, ignoring empty records and inactive employees.

b.  Check the employee's rotation-scheduling option, if any, then check the employee's last-scheduled position.  If the position being scheduled is the same as the employee's last-scheduled position, then:

(1)   If the rotate-positions option was selected for this schedule, or if the employee has Scheduling Option 24 (rotate) applicable, then get another employee.

(2)  If the rotate-positions option was not selected for this schedule, but  the employee has Scheduling Option 24 (rotate) applicable, then get another employee.

(3)  If the rotate-positions option was selected for this schedule and the employee does not have Scheduling Option 8 (do not rotate) applicable, then get another employee.

c.  See if the day of the week and shift times being scheduled are within any non-availability limitations that the employee may have.  (Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, Section 2)  If so, get another employee.

d.  See if the date being scheduled is a holiday marked for (P)ay or (S)cheduling.  If it is and if  the employee has Scheduling Option 7 (no holidays) applicable, get another employee.  It it's not and the employee has Scheduling Option 23 (holidays only) applicable, get another employee.

e.  See if the shift being scheduled is an opening, closing, lunch or dinner shift.  If it is and if the employee has Scheduling Option 3, 4, 5 or 6 (no opening, closing, lunch or dinner shift, respectively) and the option matches the type of shift, get another employee.  If the employee has Scheduling Option 19, 20, 21 or 22 (opening, closing, lunch or dinner shift only, respectively) applicable and if the shift being scheduled is not the type referred to in the option, get another employee.

f.  Check to see if the shift being scheduled would result in overtime for the employee being scheduled or would cause the employee to exceed his or her weekly work-hours limit, if any.  If it would result in overtime, or if it would cause the employee to exceed the weekly work-hours limit, and if the employee does not have Scheduling Option 16 (allow overtime) applicable, get another employee.  (Any unpaid break option applicable to the employee is taken into account when calculating overtime and weekly work hours.)

g.  Check for overlapping, double or split shifts by comparing the shift being scheduled with the employee's last-scheduled shift.  If there is an overlap, get another employee.  If the shift being scheduled would be a double or split shift for the employee being considered, check to see if the employee has Scheduling Option 1 (no double shift) or 2 (no split shift) applicable, or if the no-double-or-split-shifts option was selected during scheduling.  If so, and if the type of shift matches the option, get another employee.  This procedure differs slightly between automatic and manual scheduling.  See Additional Note 10 below.

h.  See if the last-scheduled date for the employee being considered was the day before the date being scheduled.  If so, see if the shift being scheduled is an opening shift.  If so, then if the last-scheduled shift was a closing shift, and if Scheduling Option 17 (do not schedule for consecutive closing and opening shifts) is applicable to the employee, get another employee.

i.  See if the date being scheduled is one of the employee's non-availability dates or within a non-availability date range (Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, Section 2).  If so, get another employee.  (Data for updating the employee's absence records is also saved temporarily at this point in case the option to update the absence records is chosen when the schedule segment is saved.)

j.  See if the employee has Scheduling Option 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 (rotate Sundays through rotate Saturdays, respectively) applicable.  If so and if the day being scheduled matches the day in the option, check the employee's last-scheduled day.  If that day matches the day being scheduled and the applicable option also matches, get another employee.  (The last-scheduled data will be adjusted when appropriate to avoid having this option applied the next time the employee is considered for scheduling.)

k.  If the program reaches this point, the employee being considered is eligible for scheduling for the position, date and shift being scheduled.  If the employee's default scheduling position (Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling, Section 1) is the one being scheduled, the employee is added to the Primary List in the Select Employees frame; otherwise, the employee is added to the Others List.  If the program selects another employee before reaching this point, the ineligible employee is added to the ineligibles list.

9.  Schedules should be prepared in consecutive chronological order, with no unscheduled periods (gaps) between them.  The program maintains data regarding the last position, date and shift to which an employee was scheduled, which data can be edited in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window (see item 7 above).  This data is used to determine an employee's eligibility for scheduling under various scheduling policies and options, including employee rotation.  The data pertains to the last date on which an employee was scheduled.  When identifying eligible employees during the scheduling procedure, the program will disregard any last-scheduled data on file that applies to a date that is later than the date being scheduled.  Also, when preparing a new schedule or editing an existing schedule, the program will not change the last-scheduled data for an employee if the last-scheduled date on file for that employee is later than the date(s) being scheduled.  Nevertheless, schedules normally should be prepared in consecutive chronological order, with no unscheduled periods between them, in order to prevent any unforeseen consequences.  You will be advised at the beginning of the scheduling procedure if any previously prepared schedule on file overlaps, duplicates or is later than the period being scheduled or leaves an unscheduled gap.

10.   Double and split shift scheduling policies

a.  For manual scheduling, the program's scheduling policy provides that an employee will be considered eligible for a double or split shift unless the employee has the 'do not schedule for double shifts' option or the 'do not schedule for split shifts' option, respectively, marked in the 'Other Scheduling Options' list in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.  During the manual scheduling procedure, if any employees were considered ineligible solely because of one of those options, you are told how many employees are eligible for scheduling and how many additional would be eligible for scheduling except for a no-double or no-split shift option.  You are then asked if you want to override the double and split shift options.  If you select 'No', the only employees that will not be eligible for double or split shifts will be those who have one of those options applicable.

b.  For automatic scheduling, the program's policy is not to schedule double or split shifts, since the automated procedure would likely result in an excess of double and split shifts.  However, you will be shown how many employees could be scheduled if all no-double and no-split shift options are overriden and how many could be scheduled if no double or split shifts are scheduled.  You also will be told how many employees would be eligible for scheduling except for a no-double or no-split shift option applicable to the employees.   You then will be given the option of choosing to have all such options overriden, or to apply all such options for the employees that have them but to allow other employees to be scheduled for double or split shifts, or to not schedule any double or split shifts.

11.  Salaried Employees and Overtime

See paragraph 8f above for details as to overtime considerations generally.  For salaried employees (whether the salary is applicable as a result of a salary settting in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window for the position being scheduled or as a result of a salary setting in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window for the employee and position being scheduled), overtime is taken into consideration when determining the employee's eligibility for scheduling, but overtime is not taken into consideration when calculating labor costs for a scheduled employee if a salary is applicable.  In other words, the program assumes that the pay of a salaried employee stays the same, regardless of the number of hours scheduled per pay period.  To avoid having overtime considerations render a salaried employee ineligible for scheduling, mark the 'Allow overtime' scheduling option as mandatory for the employee in section 3 or the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window or set an appropriately larger amount of 'regular hours' for salaried positions in the Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window.  See the Note under 'Salary' in the 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' topic and the Note under 'Hourly Wage Rate or Salary Per Pay Period' in the 'Position Pay Rates and Guarantees' topic for more information in this regard.  Note, however, that, even if neither of those actions are taken, ineligible employees (salaried or otherwise) can still be selected for scheduling during manual scheduling.

12.  Prior to beginning a new schedule, in order to avoid complications during scheduling, you should delete or move to another directory (see Backup Data Files) any schedule files in which all dates are prior to the current date, except for the most recent one.  Schedule files can be identified and deleted in the View/Edit Schedules window.  Schedule files have only a number for the file name with the .DAT extension, e.g. 34015.DAT, with higher numbers indicating later dates.


View/Edit Schedule

Be sure to read the Additional Notes at the end of this topic.

See also:  Prepare New Schedule and Repeat Schedule

                     Shifts and Holidays Window

                     Employee Roster

                     Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

Purpose

The purpose of this window is to facilitate reviewing, making changes to or deleting any schedules on file.  Schedules may be changed quickly and easily, because none of the contraints that are applied when a new schedule is prepared are applied in this window.  Hence, you can add, delete or change shifts or employees without regard for any applicable scheduling limitations, such as employee availability, overtime limits, position qualification, etc.  You can even create and add customized shifts, i.e. shifts not listed in the Shifts and Holidays window.  These factors, however, have their consequences.  See the Additional Notes at the end of this topic for details.

This window can also come in handy when you are preparing a lengthy schedule in the Prepare New Schedule window and you want to review the segments that have already been scheduled and saved, prior to or while scheduling the next segment.

Schedule Editing Procedure

To change -- or simply review -- any schedules on file, select Schedule on the Main Menu's menu bar, then select 'View/Edit Schedules' on the drop-down list of sub-options to call the 'View/Edit Schedule' window.  See the 'Prepare New Schedule' topic for details about how schedules are prepared and saved.

At the top left of the 'View/Edit Schedule' window is a drop-down list of the starting and ending dates of all schedules on file (schedule list) and a drop-down list of the starting and ending dates of all 7-day or less schedule segments (segment list) in the currently selected schedule.  At the bottom of the window is a grid in which the data for the selected schedule segment will be displayed.  The schedule grid in this window is the same as the one in the 'Prepare New Schedule' window.  When a schedule segment is displayed, any shifts marked with a single asterisk ( * ) are Business Decline (BD) shifts and any shown with a double asterisk ( ** ) are Closing shifts.  The asterisks will be displayed only for those shifts that have been specifically so identified in the 'Shifts and Holidays' window.

To edit a schedule segment, select the schedule and schedule segment from the drop-down lists and select the 'Show Segment' button to display the selected segment.

To add or delete a shift, select the grid cell under the date for which the shift is to be added or deleted and to the right of the employee's name.  This will call the 'Edit Schedule' frame (see below) with options for either of these purposes .

To add, delete or change an employee name, select the grid cell with the employee's name.  This will call the 'Edit Schedule' frame (see below) with options for any of these purposes.  Note that adding a name implies adding shifts for the added employee, that deleting a name includes deleting all of the deleted employee's shifts from the schedule, and that changing an employee's name is the equivalent of assigning the shifts for one employee to another employee.  When adding employees, keep in mind that the schedule grid's ability to display additional employees and shifts is limited by memory constraints.  You will be advised if you attempt to add too many.

To delete, sort or save a schedule or segment, see 'Delete Schedule', 'Sort Segment' and 'Save Segment' below.

To add additional dates to a schedule segment or add additional segments to a schedule:  There is no way to add additional dates to a completed segment or additional segments to a completed schedule in this window.  However, the same result can be achieved by simply preparing a new schedule for the dates in question in the 'Prepare New Schedule' window.  See "Additional Notes", note 5, at the end of the 'Prepare New Schedule' topic for details and examples.

Keyboard use of the schedule grid:  When a schedule segment is shown on the grid, selecting the Show Segment button (Alt+w) shifts the focus to the grid and you will note the dotted focus line around one of the grid cells.  Use the arrow keys on the keypad to move the focus from cell to cell (right, left, down or up) and, when the desired cell has the focus, press Enter  to call the 'Edit Schedule' frame with options appropriate for the type of cell selected (name or shift).  To return the focus to the schedule grid from that frame, select the frame's Close button.

The following sections, presented in alphabetical order, describe in detail each of the items in the 'View/Edit Schedules' window.

Cancel

Select this button to close the View/Edit Schedules window.  If unsaved changes have been made to the currently displayed schedule segment, you will be given the opportunity of saving them prior to closing the window.

Delete Schedule

To delete an entire schedule file for a given period, including all 7-day or less segments within that period, select the schedule from the Schedule List and then select this button to delete it.  You will be asked to confirm your intention to delete it.  There is no provision for deleting one of two or more schedule segments, since that would leave a gap in the schedule period.  However, if you wish to do so for any reason, you can achieve the same effect by deleting each of the employees in the segment, as described under 'Schedule Editing Procedure' above, and then saving it.

Dpt

This box shows the department number and description covered by the schedule segment selected in the Segment List.

Edit Schedule Frame -- Employees

The 'Edit Schedule' frame, with the following options for editing employees, is called whenever you select any grid cell with an employee name.  See also the Note at the end of 'Edit Schedule Frame -- Shifts' below.

Delete Selected Name (and shifts):  Select this option to delete the selected employee's name from the grid along with all shifts shown on the grid for that employee, then select the Edit button to perform the deletion or select the Close button to close the frame.  The deleted employee's name will be replaced by the word 'Deleted'.  Note that the employee name referred to is the one in the cell that you selected to call this frame.  (The drop-down list of employees in the frame is used by the other two options described below.)

Change Selected Name to:  Select this option to change the name selected from the grid to any one of the names on the drop-down list of employees to the right of this option.  The list includes all names on the 'Employee Roster'.  Select a name from the list and then select the Edit button to replace the name selected on the grid with the name selected from the list, or select the Close button to close the frame.  Changing an employee's name is the equivalent of assigning the shifts for one employee to another employee.

Add Name:  Select this option to add to the schedule grid a name from the drop-down list of employees to the left of this option.  The list includes all names on the 'Employee Roster'.  Select a name from the list and then select the Edit button to add that name to the grid, or select the Close button to close the frame.  If you select the Edit button, the cell next to the new name and under the first date on the grid will be selected for you and the Edit Schedule frame will reappear, so that you can begin adding shifts for the added employee.

Edit Schedule Frame -- Shifts

The 'Edit Schedule' frame, with the following options for editing shifts, is called whenever you select any grid cell below any date on the grid.

Delete Shift:  Select this option to delete any one of the shifts shown in the selected cell, which are listed on the drop-down list to the right of this option.  Select the shift from the list and then select the Edit button to perform the deletion and/or select the Close button to close the frame.

Add Shift:  Select this option to add to the selected cell one of the shifts on the drop-down list to the right of this option.  The list includes all shifts identified in the 'Shifts and Holidays' window.  Select a shift from the list and then select the Edit button to add the shift to the selected grid cell and/or select the Close button to close the frame.

Add Custom Shift:  Select this option to add to the selected cell a shift with customized start and stop times, using the scroll bars to set the 'From' and 'To' times.  (The scroll bars are only enabled when this option is selected.)  The shift does not have to be one on the shift list in the 'Shifts and Holidays' window.  This option makes it easy to adjust shift times to revise labor costs or for any other reason.  Note, however, that, if the custom shift overlaps a shift already in the selected cell, you will first have to delete the existing shift and then add the custom shift.  To facilitate this procedure, when you delete a shift, the deleted shift times appear in the 'From' and 'To' blocks for the Add Custom Shift option.  You can also designate the custom shift as either BD or Closing by checking [X] the appropriate box.  (Note that you cannot check both boxes.)  After setting the custom shift times and checking or unchecking either box, select the Edit button to add the custom shift to the selected grid cell and/or select the Close button to close the frame.

Note:  When the 'Edit Schedule' frame is visible, you can still select either a shift cell or a name cell on the schedule grid to change the options in the frame to those appropriate for the type of cell you selected.

Pos

This box shows the position number and description covered by the schedule segment selected in the Segment List.  (Each segment in the list also shows the position number in covers, in parentheses.)

Save Segment

Select this button to save the changes in the currently displayed schedule segment in the currently selected schedule file.  This button will only be enabled when a change has been made to the displayed schedule segment.  Changes to one 7-day segment will not affect any other 7-day segments in the file.

Note:  You must save the changes to one 7-day schedule segment before selecting another segment.  If you don't, the changes to the segment will be lost and the original schedule segment will remain in the file.

Schedule List

The drop-down 'Schedule' list in the upper left corner of the window includes all schedules on file and lists them in chronological order by their starting and ending dates (e.g. 9/27/93 -- 10/10/93).  Keep in mind that a schedule file includes all 7-day or less schedule segments for the schedule period shown.  When this window opens, the first available schedule (chronologically) is selected automatically.

To ignore any changes made in the currently displayed segment, you can reselect the schedule from this drop-down list, reselect the segment from the Segment List, and then select the Show Segment button.  An easier method, however, is to simply reselect the segment and then select the show button.

Segment List

The drop-down 'Schedule Segment' list at the top middle of the window includes all 7-day or less schedule segments in the schedule file selected from the Schedule List.  The segments are listed in chronological order by their starting and ending dates.  (When you drop down the segment list, you will see a number at the end of each segment description, which you can ignore and which represents the segment's position in the schedule file for internal program purposes.)

Since each segment will cover only one position and more than one segment can have the same starting and ending dates (normally for different positions), the position number scheduled in each listed segment is shown in parentheses after the segment dates.  For example, 9/27/93 -- 10/03/93 (32) and 9/27/93 -- 10/03/93 (33) would be two segments covering different positions, 32 and 33, for the same 7-day period.

Whenever a segment is selected, the department and position numbers and descriptions covered by that segment are shown in their respective boxes in the upper right corner of the window.  (If two or more segments have the same dates and position number, you will have to select and 'show' each one to determine its content.)

To ignore any changes made in the currently displayed segment, reselect the schedule segment from this drop-down list and then select the Show Segment button.

Show Segment

After selecting a schedule from the schedule list and a segment from the segment list, select this button to display the selected schedule segment on the schedule grid.  Note that this button can also be used to redisplay the original segment after changes have been made but not saved, i.e. to ignore the changes.

Sort Segment

The employee names in each schedule segment are displayed in the order in which they appear in the selected schedule file (which may or may not be alphabetical order, depending on whether the sort option was used at the time of scheduling or later in this window).  If you want to see the schedule sorted by employee name in ascending alphabetical order, select this button.  If you then want to save the segment in sorted order, select the Save Segment button.  Note, however, that once a segment has been saved in alphabetically sorted order, it cannot later be re-sorted into the order it was in previously.  If you have sorted the segment only for viewing and want to see the segment in its filed order, reselect the Show Segment button.  (The Sort Segment button will only be enabled when a schedule segment is displayed.)

Additional Notes:

1.  When shift changes are made, the total hours for that employee's shifts will be adjusted by the number of hours in the added, changed or deleted shift.  No adjustment will be made for any unpaid break times applicable to the employee, nor will any weekly-hours or overtime limits be considered.

2.  When adding or deleting shifts, the labor cost totals will be adjusted based on the average cost per hour before the change multiplied by the number of hours after the change, without regard for any overtime or unpaid break considerations that might come into play or that may no longer be applicable as a result of the change.  If you change an employee name, the labor cost totals will remain the same.  If you add an employee and shifts for that employee to the schedule, the labor cost totals for that employee's shifts will not be calculated.

3.  An employee name or shift change does not take into account any scheduling limitations or options applicable to the affected employee.  If a shift change would cause two shifts in the same segment for the same employee on the same date to overlap, you will be advised of that fact, but you will not be advised if the shift change would cause an overlap with a shift in a different schedule segment (e.g. for a different position).

4.  If you want to insure that scheduling limitations are given effect and/or you want to have the most precise labor cost totals for each employee and schedule segment, you should prepare a new schedule in the 'Prepare New Schedule' window instead of editing an existing one in this window.  If you do make schedule changes in this window, be sure to consult the 'Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling' window for the affected employee to determine what scheduling limitations or options may be applicable.

5.  If any change in this window results in a change to an employee's last-scheduled data, that data will be updated automatically and you will be so advised.  The last-scheduled data for any employee can be viewed in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

6.  In order to avoid complications during scheduling, you should use this window regularly to delete any schedule files in which all dates are prior to the current date, except for the most recent one (for employee rotation, etc.).  If you want to keep prior schedules other than the most recent one, you may want to consider storing them in a different directory.  (See Backup Data Files.)   Schedule files have only a number for the file name with the .DAT extension, e.g. 34015.DAT.


Sales

See also:  Analysis

Access and Purpose

The 'Sales' window is accessed by selecting 'Sales' on the Main Menu's menu bar.  The window is used for reviewing, editing and saving past sales data and for entering and saving new sales data.  Sales data can be viewed, edited and saved by date, department, position or employee, or any combination of those categories.  This data is not required for any other program function, but it is used in the example option in the Analysis window.

In order to be able to access this window there must be position and department descriptions and employee data on file.  If any such data is missing, you will be so advised and this window will not open.

To understand the instructions that follow, you should understand the following concepts.  The term 'category' refers to either 'department', 'position' or 'employee'.  The category is selected via one of the three category buttons with those captions on the left side of the window.  'Item' refers to an individual entry in a category list, i.e. a department, position or employee in the list displayed in the center of the window when a category button is selected.  'Selection Total' refers to the total sales for the selected item in the selected category, i.e. the selected department in the list of departments, the selected position in the list of positions, or the selected employee in the list of employees.  'Category Total' refers to the total sales for the selected category (departments, positions or employees).  And, 'Date Total' refers to the total sales for the selected date.

It is not necessary to enter sales data for all dates nor to enter all sales data for all categories for a given date, nor to enter all sales data for all items in each category.  Hence, if you wish, you can track the sales for one or more categories without having to enter and save data for the other categories that you don't wish to track and without having to enter and save data for all items within a category.  (This window is intended as an analysis tool, not as a basis for tax or other financial reporting.)  And, you can save Date Totals without having to enter sales data for any category or any item within any category.

The 'Category Total' and 'Date Total' can be adjusted automatically by the program as you enter each 'Selection Total' or, at your option, you can enter or edit the Category and Date Totals yourself, then or later.  In other words, you can save a Category Total that doesn't match the sum of the individual Selection Totals (item totals) or a Date Total that doesn't match any of the Category Totals, either because you didn't enter all of the individual totals or for any other reason.

Note:  If you enter sales data for all departments, positions and employees (all items in all categories), each category total for a given date and the date total should be the same.  In other words, ideally, the total for each category (all departments or all positions or all employees) will be the same as the total for each other category and will be the same as the date total.  Only the 'Selection Total' (for each item in a category) will be different.  However, that procedure is not necessary.

Procedure

All references to 'change' in the following paragraphs include changing values from zero (or blank) to a higher amount, i.e. adding values when none have been previously entered and saved, and changing existing values to a different value.

First, select a date, using the 'Selected Date' scroll bar or the drop-down 'Dates on File' list.  If total sales data for the selected date is on file, it will be displayed in the Total Sales box when you select the date.  Then, select a category by selecting either the Department, Position or Employee button.  When you select a category button, a list of the individual items in that category will be displayed and the first item will be selected.  If sales data for the selected category and list item is on file, it will be displayed in the Selection Total and Category Total boxes as soon as you select the category.

If you change the Selection Total, as soon as that total loses the focus (e.g. when you select any other item in the window), you first will be asked if you want the Category Total updated and then, if the Category Total does not match the Date Total, you will be asked if you want the Date Total updated -- in both cases to reflect the change in the Selection Total.  If you change the Category Total, as soon as that total loses the focus, and if it does not match the Date Total, you will be asked if you want the Date Total updated.  In either case, if you agree to this automatic update option, the Category or Date Total will be changed by adding or substracting, as appropriate, the difference between the previous and changed Selection Total amounts.  For example, if the Selection Total was changed from 100 to 200 and you agreed to the update option, the Category or Date Total would be increased by 100.

If you change the Date Total, the change has no effect on the Selection or Category Totals.

If you select another list item, the Selection Total on file for that item will be displayed.  If you select a new date and changes have been made but not saved for the currently displayed category, or if the Date Total has been changed, you will be offered the opportunity to save the changes.  If you choose not to save the changes, they will be lost.

Selecting a Category and Saving Changes:  Each time you select a category button (Department, Position or Employee), the previously saved sales data on file, if any, for that category will be displayed.  Therefore, when you select a category -- even if it is the one currently displayed -- if any changes have been made but not saved for the currently displayed category, you will be offered the opportunity to save them.  If you don't save them, the changes will be lost.  A change to the Date Total will not be lost when you select or reselect a category.

Ignoring Changes (Reinstating Filed Values):  As explained in the previous paragraph, reselecting the button for the currently displayed category and electing not to save the changes is a way of ignoring any changes made for that category and reinstating the filed values.  Selecting any other category button, or changing the selected date, and electing not to save the changes to the currently displayed category when asked, is another way.  A change to the Date Total is only lost if you change the selected date, close the window or exit the program and elect not to save the change when asked.

'Selected Date' Scroll Bar and 'Dates on File' List

Use the scroll bar under 'Selected Date' to set the date for which sales data is to be viewed, edited or entered, or select a date from the 'Dates on File' list to have that date transferred to the 'Selected Date' box.  The 'Dates on File' list contains all dates for which a 'Date Total' has been saved.  (See the Note under 'Save' below.)

When the window opens, the 'Selected Date' will be set to the current date.  Be sure that your system date is accurate.  You can then use the scroll bar to set any date from the current date to a date about 90 years in the past (32,767 days exactly).  See General Help -- 'Using Scroll Bars'.

Department / Position / Employee Buttons

These three buttons on the left side of the window allow you to select the category for which you want to view, edit or add sales data.  When you select a button, the list in the center of the window is filled with all items in that category (i.e. all departments or all positions or all employees), the first item is selected and, if sales data is on file for the selected date and item, the Selection Total for the selected item and Category Total for the selected category are displayed on the right side of the window.  The category lists are taken from the data maintained by the Position/Department List  and Employee Roster windows.

If you have made changes to either the Selection Total or Category Total for any category but have not saved the changes, you can reinstate the values on file for those totals by reselecting the category button.  See 'Procedure -- Selecting a Category and Saving Changes' above for more information.

Note:  If you shift the focus from the Selection Total or Category Total box by selecting one of the category buttons, and if a change has been made in the total, the category button will have the focus after you respond to the prompts about updating the Category Total and/or Date Total, but the button will not be activated and you will have to select it again to activate it.

Department / Position / Employee Lists

When you select a category button, one of these lists will be displayed, the first item on the list will be selected, and the Selection Total for the selected item and the Category Total for the selected category will be displayed.  Select another item in the list to see the Selection Total for that item displayed.  If you double-click on the item or press Enter when the item is highlighted, the focus will be shifted to the Selection Total box so that you can edit the total or enter a new total.

Selection / Category / Date Totals

These boxes on the right side of the window display the total sales for the selected item on the category list, the total sales for the selected category, and the total sales for the selected date, respectively.  You can edit any of the totals or enter a new total if one is not shown.  Do not use a dollar sign or commas when entering totals.  Do use a decimal point (for cents) when appropriate.  When the focus shifts from any of these boxes to any other item in the window, the total will be formatted automatically with a dollar sign, any appropriate commas and a decimal point.

Delete -->  From ... Thru ...

In order to conserve disk space and improve data search times, it's a good idea to delete sales data that is no longer needed.  To do so, set the range of dates for which you want the data deleted by using the scroll bars next to 'From' and 'Thru', and then select the 'Delete -->' button.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.  If for any reason you want to delete the data for just one date, set both the 'From' and 'Thru' dates to the desired date.

Note:  When you confirm your intention to delete sales data for the selected date range, ALL sales data on file for that date range will be deleted, including the Date Totals, Category Totals and all Selection Totals for each category, and the dates within that date range will no longer appear on the 'Dates on File' list.

An alternative to deleting past sales data would be to move the data files to another directory.  (See Backup Data Files.) The files for category sales are DEPSALES.DAT, POSSALES.DAT and EMPSALES.DAT for department, position and employee sales, respectively, and the file for date totals is DATESALE.DAT.

Save

Select this button to save the currently displayed Selection, Category and Date totals and the Selection totals for all other items in the currently displayed category list to their respective files.  If no changes have been made for the currently displayed category list or the Date Total, this button has no effect.

Note:  If Category or Selection Totals have been entered or changed but there is no Date Total displayed (or it is zero), you will be asked if you want the program to save a Date Total that is the same as the largest of the three category totals.  You should normally permit this update to the Date Total.  If you don't, the date will not appear on the Dates on File list and you will be unable later to print category totals for that date.  (See Print Options Window -- 'Sales Data' and the Note thereunder.)

Also, failure to save accurate Selection, Category or Date Totals can affect the amount or accuracy of data and percentages available via the example option in the Analysis window.  (See the Analysis topic for more information.)

Cancel

Select this button to close the Sales window.  If changes for the currently displayed category list have been made but not saved, you will be given an opportunity to save the changes before the window closes.


Analysis

See also:  Sales

The 'Analysis' window is accessed by selecting 'Analysis' on the Main Menu's menu bar. This window is intended for any analysis procedures that you might find beneficial.  One example is included in the window and is described below.  Contact the author to have this window programmed with other options adapted to your individual needs.

Note:  The example function provided in this window and described below can only be used if a schedule has been saved with labor costs included and sales data have been saved for at least one of the dates covered by a saved schedule.

Example:  Labor Costs as a Percentage of Sales

Select the Labor ÷ Sales = % button to see an example of the types of analysis that can be programmed for this window.  The button calls the 'Labor Costs as a Percentage of Sales' frame.  In the frame, you can view and compare labor costs and sales data, and view the percentage arrived at by dividing sales into labor costs, for any schedule period or for the dates covered by any segment of any saved schedule.  The labor costs, sales data and percentages for the selected period (a full schedule period or any segment thereof) can be viewed by category (all departments, all positions and/or all employees) or for individual items within any category (one department, one position and/or one employee) and/or by overall totals for the selected dates ('Segment Totals').

Procedure

First, select a schedule from the list.  All schedules on file, listed by their beginning and ending dates, are in the drop-down list at the top center of the window.

Then select either the 'By Schedule (All Segments)' option or the 'By Schedule Segment' option, depending on which period you want analyzed.  Note that, when this frame is called, the first listed schedule and the 'By Schedule (All Segments)' option are selected automatically.

If you select the 'By Schedule (All Segments)' option, the segment list (see below) will be disabled and the drop-down lists for each category will be filled with the individual items appropriate for each list, i.e. the name and number of each department, each position and each employee scheduled in all segments of the selected schedule.  Also, the first item in each list will be '* All scheduled departments *', '* All scheduled positions *' and '* All scheduled employees *', respectively.

If you select the 'By Schedule Segment' option, select the desired segment from the drop-down list (to the right of the option) of segments included in the selected schedule.  (The segment list is only enabled when this option is selected.)  The segments are listed by their beginning and ending dates and include, in parentheses after the dates, the number of the position scheduled in each segment.  (All schedule segments cover only one position and, hence, only one department.)  When you select this option, the department and position category lists will include only the department and position covered by the selected schedule segment, and the employee list will include the '* All scheduled employees *' item, followed by a list of all employees scheduled in that segment.

If you want to see the data for a specific department, position and/or employee, select the desired one from each of the drop-down category lists.  If you want to see the data for all departments, all positions and all employees scheduled in the selected schedule or segment, you don't have to take any action in connection with the drop-down category lists, since the first item in each list ('*All ...') will be selected automatically.  Note that, if you selected the 'By Schedule Segment' option, only one department and position will be listed.

Calculate

To view the data and calculated percentages for the selected period and category items, select the 'Calculate' button.

All labor cost data is taken from the selected schedule file, and the inclusion (and accuracy) of labor cost data in a schedule requires that accurate pay data be on file, either from the  Position Pay Rates and Guarantees window or the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, or both, at the time the schedule is prepared.

The amount (and accuracy) of the sales data and the percentages shown will depend on how much and which sales data were saved.  See the Sales topic for information about how sales data is saved.  For example, if in the Sales window a Category Total was saved for the Department category but Selection Totals were not saved for the individual departments, you will only be able to see the data and percentage for the '* All scheduled departments *' item in the department list in this frame and not for the individual departments in the list.  On the other hand, if in the Sales window you saved Selection Totals for the individual departments but did not save a Category Total for the Department category, you will only be able to see the data and percentage for each individual department and not for the '* All scheduled departments *' item, since the '* All ... *' item for each category requires that a sales Category Total be on file for that item.

And, of course, the accuracy of the percentage shown will depend on the accuracy of the labor cost and sales data.  For example, if sales data has only been saved for some, but not all, of the dates in the selected schedule or segment, the sales data and percentage will be inaccurate.

Segment Totals

The 'Segment Totals' labor cost shown is the total labor cost for the selected schedule or segment period and is unaffected by the category selections made in the category lists.  Its accuracy will be determined by the accuracy of the pay data available when the schedule was prepared.

The 'Segment Totals' sales amount shown is the sum of all 'Date Totals' saved in the Sales window for the dates covered by the selected schedule or segment period and is unaffected by the category selections made in the category lists.  Hence, if a 'Date Total' was not saved for each of the dates in the selected schedule or segment period, the sales amount shown will not be accurate.

If either the labor cost or sales amount shown is zero (0) for any category or for the Segment Totals, no percentage will be shown.

Print

Select the Print button to copy the displayed data to your printer.  The printout will be a copy of the 'Labor Costs as a Percentage of Sales' frame without the three control buttons at the bottom and with 'Notes:' added as a reminder that the blank space at the bottom of the printout could be used for adding any desired notes.

Close

Select the Close button to close the 'Labor Costs as a Percentage of Sales' frame.

Cancel

Select this button to close the Analysis window.


Suspense

'Suspense' is an option on the Main Menu that calls the Suspense List window for viewing, adding, editing or deleting suspense items.  Suspense items are reminders to take certain actions on certain days or dates.  Current suspense items (those for any day or date from the current one to the last day of the next month), if any, are displayed when you run the program.


Print

See also:  Print Options

                     General Help -- Printing Help Topics.

'Print' is an option on the Main Menu that calls the 'Print Options' window for copying a variety of items to your printer.


Window

'Window' is an option on the Main Menu that calls a drop-down list with the sub-options listed and described below.

Cascade -- arranges all open windows in overlapping fashion from the upper-left to the lower-right of the Main Menu.

Tile -- arranges all open windows in a side-by-side fashion.

Arrange Icons -- arranges the icons for minimized windows in an orderly fashion along the bottom of the Main Menu.

Close All (Except Main Menu) -- closes all open windows except the Main Menu, including any reduced to an icon.  If changes have not been saved in any open window, you will be so advised and given an opportunity to save the changes before closing that window.  In some cases, you will also be given the opportunity to cancel the closing if unsaved changes are pending.

Normalize/Maximize Main Menu Window -- reduces the Main Menu to its normal size, or enlarges it to its maximum size (its size when it is first opened), according to its current size.  To minimize the Main Menu to an icon, use the minimize button in the upper-right corner of the window.

Minimize/Restore Active Window -- reduces the active window to an icon, or restores the active window to its normal size, depending on its current size.  (Windows within the Main Menu window cannot be maximized.)  The active window is identified with a check mark in the list of open windows at the bottom of the 'Window' option's drop-down list.

Open-Windows List -- appears (without a title) at the bottom of the 'Window' option's drop-down list when one or more windows (in addition to the Main Menu) are open.  Each window is numbered and may be selected from the list to be the active window.  A check mark in the list identifies the active window.  If you select a window on the list that is reduced to an icon, it will be enlarged to its normal size.  If a large number of windows are open, the list will include 'More ...' and you can select that entry to see the full list of open windows in a separate dialog box.  If more than one function window is open, one may cover the other. In that case, this list of open windows will be helpful in determining which windows are open and in accessing any one of them.


Help

'Help' is an option on the Main Menu that calls a drop-down list with the sub-options listed below.

Help Index -- calls the 'Help Index' topic, which lists all available Help topics and definitions, each of which can be jumped to (or popped up in the case of definitions) by selecting the topic or definition.

General Help -- calls the 'General Help' topic, which includes information about accessing, navigating and printing help topics, information about getting started using the program, a program overview, and general instructions applicable throughout the program.

About ... -- calls the 'About ...' window, which displays the program title and version number, the copyright statement, the author's name, address and phone number and license and disclaimer terms.  When called from the Help menu (as opposed to its appearance at the beginning of the program run), the About window does not include the password frame.

For context-sensitive help, press the F1 function key.  The Help topic presented will relate either to the option highlighted on the Main Menu, if any, or to the active window within the Main Menu or to the function currently being used in the active window, or, if you press F1 when a Help window is the active window, the Windows 'How to Use Help' topic will be displayed.


About... Window

For 'How to Use Help', press the F1 function key now.

See also:  General Help

                     Change Password.

The 'About ...' window includes the program title and version number, the copyright statement, the author's name, address and phone number, license information and a disclaimer statement.  The window is shown automatically when you run the program and can be viewed later by selecting Help on the Main Menu's menu bar and then selecting 'About...' from the drop-down list of sub-options.

This is the window that appears first when you run the program and, at that time, the window also includes a frame for entering the password necessary for accessing the prigram's Main Menu.  The password frame does not appear in this window when you select the 'About...' sub-option under the Help option on the Main Menu.

Note:  The initial password when the program is distributed is 5 spaces, i.e. press the space bar 5 times.

To continue in the program from the About... window, select the 'Continue' button.  When the program begins, the 'Continue' button is disabled until you enter the current password in the 'Enter Password' box.  When the correct password is entered, the 'Continue' button is enabled and has the focus.  Select it or just press Enter to access the Main Menu.

To exit the program from this window, select the 'Exit' button or press the Esc key.

See the topics 'General Help -- General Help Summary -- Data Encryption and Password Protection' and 'Change Password' for more information about the password, and 'General Help -- General Help Summary -- Exiting the Program' for details about other methods of exiting the program.


Quit

See also:   General Help

'Quit' is an option on the Main Menu.  Select it when you are ready to exit the program.  The 'Do you want to exit the program' window will appear, from which you can either exit or continue in the program.  See 'General Help -- General Help Summary -- Exiting The Program' for details concerning this and other methods of exiting the program.


Change Password

See also:  Data Encryption and Decryption

                     General Help -- 'Data Encryption and Password Protection'.

A password is required to access the Main Menu and to access the data encryption and decryption functions.  To change the password, select File -- 'Change Password'.  You will be asked to enter the current password and then a new password in separate dialog boxes.

The initial password when the program is distributed is 5 spaces, i.e. press the space bar 5 times.

When entering the current or new password, enter it in the box, then select 'OK' or press Enter.  In doing so, remember that case is significant, i.e. the uppercase letter 'A' is not the same as the lowercase letter 'a'.  Also, be careful when entering the new password -- you will not be asked to confirm the entry.  It's a good idea to write it down before you enter it, and then be sure to enter it carefully and to keep it in a safe place.

If you enter the wrong current password, or if you enter a new password that doesn't conform to the nature and content expected by the program, the change-password procedure will be aborted.

Note:  When changing the password, the current password and the new password will be visible on the screen as you enter each one.  For maximum security, insure that no one else can see the screen when you are entering the new password.

The nature and content of the password and encryption code are different and are explained in the PASSWORD.TXT file on the distribution disk for a registered version of the program.

If you lose or forget the password or encryption code:   contact the author for assistance.


Data Encryption and Decryption

See also:  Change Password

                     General Help -- 'Data Encryption and Password Protection'.

Employee data can be protected by encrypting it.  To do so, or to decrypt encrypted data, select File -- 'Data Encryption/Decryption' from the Main Menu.

Note:  Employee data cannot be accessed when it is encrypted.

To access the procedure for either encrypting or decrypting data, you first will be asked to enter the current password.  Enter it carefully and remember that case is significant, i.e. an uppercase letter 'A' is not the same as a lowercase letter 'a'.  If you make a mistake, select 'Cancel' and begin the procedure again.  You will not be asked to confirm the password after entering it.  If you enter an incorrect password, the procedure will be aborted.

The initial password when the program is distributed is 5 spaces, i.e. press the space bar 5 times.  You can also use 5 spaces as the encryption code.  With that encryption code, however, the data will not actually be encrypted but the program will advise you that it has been, both at the time of encryption and each time you run the program without having followed the decryption procedure.  The 5-space encryption code is allowed in order to enable users of an evaluation or shareware version of the program to see how the function works, since they will not have been provided information as to the actual nature and content of an encryption code.

If you enter the correct password, you then will be asked to enter the encryption code.  You will not be asked to confirm the encryption code after you enter it.  Hence, when encrypting data, it's a good idea to write down the encryption code before entering it.  Then enter it carefully and store it in a safe place.

After you enter the encryption code, the program checks to see if the data is already encrypted.  If it is, the program compares the code you just entered with the one that was entered when the data was encrypted.  If they match, the data is decrypted.  If the data is not encrypted at the time you enter the encryption code, the program encrypts the data.  In either case, you are advised when the procedure is completed.

Note:  You can enter a different encryption code each time you encrypt the data, but you must use that same code to decrypt the data that you used to encrypt it.  There is no provision for changing the encryption code after the data has been encrypted.

If you enter the wrong encryption code when decrypting data or, when encrypting data, if you enter an encryption code that doesn't conform to the nature and content expected by the program, the encryption or decryption procedure will be aborted and you will be so advised.

Note:  Both the password and the encryption code will be visible on the screen when you enter them -- be sure that no one else can see the screen at those times.

The nature and content of the password and encryption code are different and are explained in the PASSWORD.TXT file on the distribution disk for a registered version of the program.

If you lose or forget the password or encryption code:   contact the author for assistance.


Absence Records
Absence Records and Reasons Window

See also:  Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling

                     Prepare New Schedule

To access the Absence Records and Reasons window, select File on the Main Menu, then "Absence Records and Reasons" on the drop-down list of sub-options.  Its purpose is to keep track of the absences from work of each employee and the reasons for the absences.

Year

Absence records are saved by year.  In the upper left corner of the window is a drop-down list which will contain the current year and any other years for which absence records have been saved.  To see the absence records for a given year, select it from this list.

Absence Records List

Each absence record for the selected year is contained in the drop-down list at the top center of the window.  Each record includes the employee's number and name, the starting date of the absence, the number of consecutive days of absence, and a single digit or number code indicating the reason for the absence (see Reasons List below).  The number of days includes the starting date, and the number of days can be a fractional amount, e.g. half a day would be shown as 0.5 (or just .5).  New records can be entered and each record can be changed (edited) or deleted.  A separate record is used for each separate absence or period of absence (consecutive days); so it's possible for one employee to have several absence records.  Duplicate records are automatically purged from the list.

Total (Days)

To the right of the list of records, under the heading "Total", is the total number of days that the selected employee was absent during the selected year (the total of all days-absent in all records for that employee for that year).

Note:  An absence that begins in one year and ends in another (e.g. 25 Dec 94 for 10 days) will only be recorded in the file for the year in which the absence began.  In such cases, therefore, the total number of days absent shown under "Total" for the selected employee will include the days that were in the next year and the next year's records will not include those days.

Delete Year

Select a year from the Year List, then select the Delete Year button to delete the file containing the absence records for the selected year.  Prior year's absence files may be helpful in comparing an employee's absentee record from one year to the next and should only be deleted when they are no longer useful or you need to free disk space.  As an alternative to deletion, prior years' records could be moved to another directory.  (See Backup Data Files.)

Add/Delete/Edit Record

If you want to add a new absence record, select the 'Add Record' button.  If you want to edit an existing record, select the record from the list of absence records at the top middle of the window and then select the 'Edit Record' button.  In either case, the Add/Edit Record frame will appear.  Enter or change the data shown in the frame (Employee #, Start Date, # of Days and Reason) and then either select the OK button to add the new record or make the change to the existing record in the list of absence records, or select the Close button to close the frame.

If you want to delete a record, select it from the list of absence records and then select the 'Delete Record' button.  You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

Note that additions, changes or deletions in the list will not be saved unless you select the 'Save Records' button.

Save Records

Select the Save Records button to save the list of absence records in the file for the selected year.  The absence records for each year are maintained in files named ABSnnnn.DAT, where nnnn is the year to which the records apply.

Adding/Editing Reasons

Up to 35 reasons can be included in the Reasons List in the lower half of the window, which can be edited to assign any reasons to the code numbers (0-9) and letters (A-Z) shown in the list. The codes 0 (zero), F and V are permanently assigned and cannot be changed.  They mean "None or not applicable", "Family Leave" and "Vacation", respectively.

To edit a reason, select it and then select the "Edit Reason" button.  In the "Edit Reason" frame which will appear, type the description of the reason in the white block and then select the OK button.  To close the frame, select the Close button.

Do not include the code digit or letter in the description of the reason.  You cannot change the code digits or numbers, only the text following them.

Changes to the reasons list will not become effective until you select the 'Save Reasons' button.

Save Reasons

Select the 'Save Reasons' button to save the list of reasons.  The list of reasons is maintained in the REASONS.DAT file.

Automatic Updating during scheduling

The absence records for each employee can be automatically updated when a new schedule is prepared.  If, during the scheduling of any schedule segment, any employees, who are otherwise eligible for scheduling, are found to be ineligible solely because of a non-availability date setting in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window, then when you save that schedule segment, you will be offered the opportunity to have those employees' absence records automatically updated in this window.  One record will be saved for each day that the employee was unable to be scheduled solely because of a non-availability date setting.  The reason code will be the one you entered when you made the non-availability setting in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.

Note:  If an employee actually works on any date for which an absence record was created in this window, especially one you chose to have added automatically by the scheduling procedure, you should delete the appropriate record from this window.


Rotating Employees

See also:  Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling -- 'Last-Scheduled Data'

                     Prepare New Schedule

                     Scheduling Options

                     Position/Department List

This topic contains a summary of the various references to employee rotation that appear in other help topics.

The scheduling procedure in the Prepare New Schedule window includes an option for rotating employees between positions within a department from schedule to schedule (i.e. a different position on each schedule, within the limits of the 'Qualified Positions' list in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window).  During the scheduling procedure, if a schedule is on file for a period that predates the period currently being scheduled, you will be presented the option of being asked, each time a new department is selected for scheduling, whether you want to rotate employees.  This option will only be offered if the last date of the prior schedule is prior to the first date of the period currently being scheduled.  Note that, regardless of your decision as to this rotation option, there are options that can be applied to individual employees in the Employee Data -- Pay Scheduling window that will override that decision with respect to those individual employees.  (See the references to scheduling options 00008 and 00024 below.)

 When you elect to use the employee-rotation option for the department being scheduled, the 'Qualified Positions' list in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window is used to determine to which positions the employee can be rotated.  Therefore, if you intend to use the rotation option during scheduling, you should not include in the Qualified-Positions list any positions to which you do not want the employee to be rotated -- if those positions are within the same department.  This issue does not apply to positions in different departments, since scheduling rotation is applied only to positions within the same department.

In order for the rotation procedure to be effective, it is important to identify the positions subject to rotation by including them within a separate department in the Position/Department List window.  This may require identifying additional departments.  For example, suppose you have a 'Dining Room' department that is broken down into stations, and you have 'Server' and 'Busser' positions in that department.  If you want to schedule the servers to specific stations within that department, and you want to rotate them among the different server stations from schedule to schedule -- but you don't want to schedule the bussers to specific stations or don't want to rotate them -- you would have to identify different departments for the servers and bussers.  For example, you might have a 'Dining Room -- Servers' department and a 'Dining Room -- Bussers' department.  Then, for the bussers, you would only identify one position in that department:  'Busser'.  In the servers' department, you would identify one position for each station, e.g. 'Server -- Station 10'.

In the Scheduling Options window, two options relate to employee rotation:  00008, Do not rotate positions, and 00024, Rotate positions.  Either of these options can be applied to specific employees in Section 3 of the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window.  If you establish and schedule positions by station or substation, and if you choose the rotation option during scheduling, the 'Do not rotate positions' scheduling option (00008) could be used for certain employees to insure that they always have the same station or substation while others are being assigned to a different station or substation in each schedule.  In other words, if you elect to rotate employees during scheduling, an employee to whom the 'Do not rotate positions' option is applicable would not be rotated.  (The same principle applies to positions generally, even if you don't have stations or substations.)  The 'Rotate positions' option (00024), on the other hand, could be used to rotate an employee to different positions or stations from schedule to schedule even if you elect not to rotate the other employees when scheduling.

The application of the 'Rotate positions' and 'Do not rotate positions' options in the Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window should be restricted to those employees who will be exceptions to your usual scheduling procedure.  For example, if you will usually choose the rotation option during scheduling, you should not mark the 'Rotate Positions' option in the Pay/Scheduling window for individual employees and should only mark the 'Do not rotate positions' option for those employees who will rarely, if ever, be rotated.  In other words, marking these options in that window provides an opportunity to overrule for individual employees your decision as to rotation during the scheduling procedure.

If an employee does not actually work his or her last-scheduled shift, you must change the 'Last-Scheduled Data' in the Employee Data--Pay/Scheduling window prior to preparing the next schedule in order for rotation or other scheduling eligibility procedures to work properly.


Repeat Schedule

See also:  Prepare New Schedule

                     View/Edit Schedule

To access the Repeat Schedule window, select Schedule on the Main Menu, then "Repeat Schedule" on the drop-down list of sub-options.  The purpose of this window is to allow you to quickly and easily prepare a schedule that duplicates a schedule already on file, except for the dates.

For example, if you have a schedule on file for the period Monday, April 25 through Sunday, May 1 and you want to use the same schedule for the following week, i.e. Monday, May 2 through Sunday, May 8, you could use this window to save a repeat schedule.  The new (repeat) schedule will cover the same positions on the same days of the week and will have the same shifts and the same employees assigned to those shifts.  Only the dates will be different.

Any schedule for any period that is on file can be repeated.  The only limitations are that the beginning date of the new schedule must be on or after the current date and that the new schedule must begin on the same day of the week and be for the same number of days as the schedule being repeated.

Note:  No scheduling, rotation or non-availability options are taken into account when preparing a repeat schedule.  The new schedule is intended to be a duplicate of the schedule being repeated, except for the dates.

To repeat a schedule, select the schedule from the list of schedule files at the top of the window, then set the start date for the new schedule, using the scroll bar in the middle of the window, and then select the 'Save New Schedule' button.

Schedule Files

The drop-down 'Schedule Files' list at the top of the window includes all schedules on file in chronological order, according to the starting date of the schedule.  Each entry on the list includes the name of the schedule file, the starting and ending dates of the schedule, the day of the week on which the schedule begins, the number of days covered by the schedule and the number of holidays, if any, included in that schedule period.

To repeat a schedule, first select the schedule to be repeated from the Schedule Files list .

Day of the Week:  The schedule list specifies the day of the week (Monday thru Sunday) on which each listed schedule begins because the new schedule must begin on the same day of the week.

Number of Days:  The schedule list specifies the number of days covered by the entire schedule period (which may include more than one 7-day segment) because the new schedule must have the same number of days.

Holidays:  The schedule list specifies how many holidays are included in the schedule period.  Any holidays referred to in the list's file description are holidays listed in the Shifts and Holidays Window window and may or may not have been considered holidays for pay or scheduling purposes during preparation of that schedule.  See the sub-topic 'Holidays Frame' in the topic 'Prepare New Schedule' for details in this regard.  The number of holidays in the schedule is noted to alert you to the possibility that the schedule may have been affected by the holidays, either in connection with the employees scheduled or the labor costs calculated, and that the same employees and labor costs will be shown in the new schedule, regardless of whether the new schedule period includes any holidays.

Note:  Normally, you should not repeat an existing schedule that includes one or more holidays, unless you are sure that the holidays had no effect on the preparation of the schedule being repeated, since labor costs for the new schedule may not be accurate and any scheduling options related to holidays that were given effect in the schedule being repeated may have an unpredictable result in the new schedule.

Not also that the existence of holidays in the new (repeat) schedule may be significant.  If any holidays listed in the Shifts and Holidays window fall within the new schedule period, you will be so advised when you select the 'Save New Schedule' button and you will be given an opportunity to cancel saving the new schedule.

View Schedule

Select a schedule on the Schedule Files list and then select the 'View Schedule' button to call the View/Edit Schedules window in order to review the content of the selected schedule.  The View/Edit Schedule window will appear with the first segment of the selected schedule already displayed.  See the 'View/Edit Schedules' topic for details about using that window.  If you prepare a new schedule or edit an existing schedule and save it while the Repeat Schedule window is open, the Schedule Files list will be updated to include the new or edited schedule as soon as the Repeat Schedule window again becomes the active window.

Start Date for New Schedule

Select the date on which you want the new schedule to begin by using the scroll bar under the 'Start New Schedule on' box.  The box will be preset to a date that is the same day of the week as the beginning date of the selected schedule and is the closest such day to the current date (on or after the current date).

Because the beginning day of the week in the new schedule must be the same as that of the selected schedule, the arrow buttons on the scroll bar will increase or decrease the displayed date in 7-day increments.  Clicking on the space between the arrow buttons will increase or decrease the displayed date in 14-day increments.  Note that the earliest date able to be set by the scroll bar always will be on or after the current date, provide that your system date is accurate.

Save New Schedule

After selecting the schedule to be repeated and the start date for the new schedule, select the 'Save New Schedule' button to save a duplicate of the selected schedule with the new dates.

Prior to saving the new schedule, if holidays are included in the new schedule period, the program will advise you of their dates and descriptions.  Also, if the new schedule begins on the same date as a schedule already on file, you will be advised that, if you save the new schedule, it will overwrite (replace) the existing schedule file that begins on that date.  And, if the new schedule will overlap in whole or in part an existing schedule, you will be so advised.  In any of those cases, you will then be asked if you still want to save the new schedule and, if you select 'No', nothing will be saved.

Note:  Normally, you should not save a new schedule that includes one or more holidays, since the labor costs for the new schedule may not be accurate and any scheduling options relating to holidays will not be taken into account.

When it is saved, the new schedule will be added to the Schedule Files list at the top of the window.

Last-Scheduled Data:  When the new schedule is saved, the last-scheduled data (date, position and shift times) for each employee appearing in the new schedule will be updated if the last-scheduled date in the new schedule for the employee is the same as or later than the employee's existing last-scheduled date on file.  See Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling -- 'Last-Scheduled Data ' for details in this regard.


Changes

As a guide for users of prior registered versions, this topic describes the changes made in each registered version of the Personnel Management and Scheduling Program (PMASP).

Version 1

Development of PMASP was begun in April 1993 and the first shareware version (1.0) was uploaded to CompuServe (CIS) in April 1994 in the Business Applications section (6) of the then "IBM Applications Forum", which is now the "PC Applications Forum" (GO PCAPP).  Several changes were made in the shareware version over the next year and new versions were uploaded to CIS (up to 1.91), which resolved several anomalies, modified some procedures (e.g. allowing the employee rotation option to be applied to individual departments during scheduling) and added functions for backing up data files and retrieving backed up data (under File on the Main Menu's menu bar), and for specifying weekly work-hours limits and/or daily unpaid breaks for individual employees (Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window).

Version 2

Version 2.0 increased the maximum number of qualified positions from 10 to 30 per employee (Employee Data -- Pay/Scheduling window), and included options for changing the time displays from 12-hour to 24-hour format and vice versa (under File on the Main Menu's menu bar).  This version cannot use employee data entered and saved under prior versions.

Other Changes -- All Versions

All new versions also usually include minor asthetic or procedural changes to enhance the operation of the program, or changes to resolve errors or other anomalies discovered in prior versions, and such changes may not be specifically mentioned in this topic.  Also, each new version may include revisions in Help topics other than this one, either to reflect significant procedural or other changes or to clarify the topics.


Backup/Retrieve Data Files
Backup Data Files

Retrieve Backup Data

Access and Purpose

Both the backup and retrieval options are included in the drop-down list below File on the Main Menu's menu bar.  It's always a good idea to keep backup copies of the data files (those with the extension '.DAT') in a directory other than the program directory.  Doing so enables you to recover from erroneously saved changes or to recover any data files that are accidentally deleted or overwritten for any reason, in either case by copying the appropriate backup file(s) to the program directory.  It's also a convenient way to archive old data files, such as prior schedules or prior years' sales data or absence records.

Backup

To make backup copies of one or more data files, select the 'Backup Data Files' option under File on the Main Menu.  You will be presented with a 'Backup Options' dialog window with two options:  Backup All Data Files and Backup Selected Data Files.  The primary difference between the option for backing up all data files and the option for backing up selected data files is that the selected-files option requires that the backup directory already exist, whereas the all-files option will create a directory for you if necessary.  (The selected-files option also permits selecting all files for backup.)  It is suggested that, the first time you backup data files, you should use the all-files option and then use that same directory for all future backups of either some or all of the data files.

1.  Backup All Data Files

If you want to backup all data files, enter 1 in the box at the bottom of the 'Backup Options' dialog window, or just press Enter or select the OK button, since 1 is the default response.

If you select option 1, you will be presented with the 'Backup Path' dialog window in which to identify the path for the directory where you want to store the backup data files.  The program will suggest a subdirectory named 'Backup' under the program directory.  To select that directory, just press Enter or select OK.  Otherwise, enter the desired path in the box at the bottom of the 'Backup Path' dialog window and then press Enter or select OK to begin the backup.  If the directory entered in the window does not already exist, you will be so advised and asked if you want to create it.  If you select OK, the directory will be created for you and the copying will be performed.

 If you change your mind at any time during this procedure, select any available Cancel button to abort the backup procedure.

2.  Backup Only Selected Data Files:

If you want to select one or more specific files for backup (including all of them if you wish), enter 2 in the box at the bottom of the 'Backup Options' dialog window, then press Enter or select OK.  If you do, the 'Backup Selected Data Files' window will appear.

The 'Source' directory in the 'Backup Selected Data Files' window will already be selected and will be the program directory.  You must then select the desired 'Destination' directory, using the 'Destination Drive' and 'Destination Directory' list boxes at the top of the window.  The source directory is the program directory where the current data files are stored.  The destination directory is the one where you want the backup data files to be stored.  If a subdirectory named 'Backup' exists below the program directory, it will already be selected as the destination directory when the window opens, but you can change it if you wish.

After selecting the destination drive and directory, select the file(s) that you want to back up.  All files with the '.DAT' extension in the program directory will be listed in the 'Source Files' list box.  Muilitple selections can be made.  If you wish to select all of the data files listed, use the 'Select' button next to the caption 'All Files'.  To unselect all selected files, use the 'Unselect' button.  To unselect a specific selected file, select it again and the highlight will be removed, i.e. it will be unselected.

After all desired data file selections are made in the 'Source Files' list, use the 'Backup' button to copy them to the selected destination directory.

When you have finished making backups, or to abort the backup process, select the 'Cancel' button to close the window.

Note:  The 'Backup Selected Data Files' and 'Retrieve Backup Data' windows are very similar.  Be sure to note the window's title and to review the various captions in the window to insure that you are performing the desired task.

Retrieve Backup Data

To restore the backup data for one or more of the data files, select the 'Retrieve Backup Data' option under File on the Main Menu.  The 'Retrieve Backup Data' window will appear.  (See the 'Note' above.)

The 'Destination' directory in the window will already be selected and will be the program directory.  You must then select the desired 'Source' directory, using the 'Source Drive' and 'Source Directory' list boxes at the top of the window.  The destination directory is the program directory where the current data files are stored.  The source directory is the one where the backup data files to be retrieved are stored.  If a subdirectory named 'Backup' exists below the program directory, it will already be selected as the source directory when the window opens, but you can change it if you wish.

After selecting the source drive and directory, select the file(s) that you want to retrieve.  All files with the '.DAT' extension in the source directory will be listed in the 'Source Files' list box.  Muilitple selections can be made.  If you wish to select all of the data files listed, use the 'Select' button next to the caption 'All Files'.  To unselect all selected files, use the 'Unselect' button.  To unselect a specific selected file, select it again and the highlight will be removed, i.e. it will be unselected.

After all desired data file selections are made in the 'Source Files' list, use the 'Retrieve' button to copy them to the program (destination) directory.  Each selected backup data file from the source directory will overwrite a current data file with the same name in the program directory.

When you have finished retrieving backup data files, or to abort the retrieval process, select the 'Cancel' button to close the window.


Display Time Format
Display Time in 12-Hour Format

Display Time in 24-Hour Format

The two options above are included in the drop-down list below File on the Main Menu's menu bar.  They provide the opportunity to have all times displayed by the program in 12-hour format, which uses AM and PM designators (e.g. 1:30 AM and 1:30 PM), or to have the times displayed in 24-hour format (e.g. 01:30 and 13:30 represent 1:30 AM and 1:30 PM), which doesn't require the AM or PM designators.

The 12-hour format option is in effect when the program is distributed.  If the format option is changed, the new format option remains in effect, from one program run to another, until the option is changed again.  Note that the format selected for the video display will be the one used in printouts also.

In the 12-hour format, midnight is 12:00 AM and noon is 12:00 PM.  Because of space and formatting considerations, the 12-hour display may vary in different parts of the program, i.e. it may or may not use a leading zero for hour values less than 10, it may show AM or PM in upper or lower case and/or using only the A or P, and the space between the minutes and the AM or PM designator may or may not be included.  In other words, you may see 1:30 AM displayed that way or as 01:30 AM or 1:30AM or 1:30a, etc.

In the 24-hour format, midnight is 00:00 and noon is 12:00.  The 24-hour format will always consist of a 5-character display, i.e. 2 digits for the hour, with a leading zero when appropriate, a colon and 2 digits for the minutes.  Note that, in a shift list, a shift ending at midnight (00:00) may not be in the proper chronological position in the list because of midnight's zero value.