System and method for scheduling employee shifts

• US 7,499,869 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matthew Iknoian
• Original Assignee: Matthew Iknoian
• Inventors: Iknoian, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett; Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US11/346,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/7.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

A system and method for scheduling employee shifts. Two types of users generally utilize the system to post and view schedules, managers and workers. A manager may define shifts for work areas and post the shifts so workers may obtain their schedule and know when to work. Workers may retrieve the schedule from any network enabled device located anywhere. Worker unavailability times and requests for schedule changes may be made remotely by the worker at any network enabled computing device. Managers may accept or reject requests and utilize employee unavailability times to schedule workers to a shift and readily observe conflicts and schedule around these conflicts using a schedule screen that shows the workers, their unavailability times and scheduled times. Time and wage summaries may be updated directly on the screen when changes to the shifts are made to allow a manager to minimize wages for a shift or work area.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling employee shifts comprising:

accepting a shift definition that defines a shift as entered from a manager;

posting said shift so that said at least one worker may obtain said shift;

sending a text message to said at least one worker wherein said text message comprises a schedule containing said shift in shorthand format;

accepting an association of at least one worker with said shift as entered from said manager;

accepting a worker unavailability time period as entered from a first worker who is not said manager;

displaying said shift in a schedule having a worker axis along which workers are displayed and having a time axis along which time intervals are displayed;

displaying said worker unavailability time period in a cell in said schedule wherein said cell is associated with said first worker and a time frame along said time axis wherein said worker unavailability time period is displayed as a dark band in said horizontal bar and wherein worker availability is displayed as a light area in said horizontal bar wherein said horizontal bar is utilized by said manager to avoid conflicts before scheduling workers;

assigning said first worker to said shift by said manager wherein said first worker is selected from said at least one worker;

displaying a conflict warning associated with said worker unavailability time period and said shift while concurrently displaying said schedule;

accepting an assignment of a second worker to said shift wherein said second worker is selected from said at least one worker and wherein said second worker does not have an unavailability time period conflict with said shift;

sending to said manager a first request for time off by a third worker;

executing a find replacement function by the manager and displaying cells in said schedule that are currently associated with said workers that are currently not working an associated shift with said first request for time off;

determining that at least one of said workers associated with said available cells is available to work said associated shift with said request for time off;

submitting a second request for a shift change by said first worker;

displaying to said first worker at least one replacement worker who is available to accept said shift change, wherein said at least one replacement worker is displayed in said schedule;

displaying a contact screen to said first worker wherein said first worker obtains contact information of said at least one replacement worker, wherein said contact information enables said first worker to contact said at least one replacement worker and find a candidate replacement worker without involving said manager;

accepting a third request from said candidate replacement worker for said shift change with said first worker;

presenting to said manager but not to said first worker or said candidate a list of requests comprising at least said first request, said second request, and said third request, wherein said requests are color coded based on how far into the future each of said requests are to occur;

presenting wages summary per worker, a wages summary per shift, and a cost value associated with each request in said list of requests to said manager but not to said first or said second worker, wherein said manager determines a minimum and maximum cost of replacing a worker based on a minimum pay rate and a maximum pay rate of other workers who are not scheduled to work said shift; and

,

presenting in said schedule to said manager percentages of schedule workers divided by sales;

accepting or denying each of said requests based on the manager minimizing wages or costs associated with said shift by utilizing said minimum and maximum cost of replacing said worker, said cost value associated with the request, said wages summary per worker, said wages summary per shift, and said percentages.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

emailing said at least one worker said schedule.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying said shift in a first color when said shift has not yet been posted.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

un-posting said shift so that said at least one worker may no longer obtain said shift;

altering said shift; and

,

posting said shift a second time.

5. A system for scheduling employee shifts comprising:

a computer;

a software component executing on said computer configured to;

accept a shift definition that defines a shift as entered from a manager;

post said shift so that said at least one worker may obtain said shift;

send a text message to said at least one worker wherein said text message comprises a schedule containing said shift in shorthand format;

accept an association of said at least one worker with said shift as entered by said manager;

accept a worker unavailability time period as entered by a first worker who is not said manager;

display said shift in said schedule having a worker axis along which workers are displayed and having a time axis along which time intervals are displayed;

display said worker unavailability time period as a horizontal bar in a cell in said schedule wherein said cell is associated with said first worker and a time frame along said time axis wherein said worker unavailability time period is displayed as a dark band in said horizontal bar and wherein worker availability is displayed as a light area in said horizontal bar wherein said horizontal bar is utilized by said manager to avoid conflicts before scheduling workers;

assign said first worker to said shift by said manager wherein said first worker is selected from said at least one worker;

display a conflict warning associated with said worker unavailability time period and said shift when said schedule is concurrently displayed;

accept an assignment of a second worker to said shift wherein said second worker is selected from said at least one worker and wherein said second worker does not have an unavailability time period conflict with said shift;

send to said manager a first request for time off by a third worker;

execute a find replacement function by the manager and display cells in said schedule that are currently associated with said workers that are currently not working an associated shift with said first request for time off;

determine that at least one of said workers associated with said available cells is available to work said associated shift with said request for time off;

submit a second request for a shift change by said first worker;

display to said first worker at least one replacement worker who is available to accept said shift change, wherein said at least one replacement worker is displayed in said schedule;

display a contact screen to said first worker wherein said first worker obtains contact information of said at least one replacement worker, wherein said contact information enables said first worker to contact said at least one replacement worker and find a candidate replacement worker without involving said manager;

accept a third request from said candidate replacement worker for said shift change with said first worker;

present to said manager but not to said first worker or said candidate a list of requests comprising at least said first request, said second request, and said third request, wherein said requests are color coded based on how far into the future each of said requests are to occur;

present wages summary per worker, a wages summary per shift, and a cost value associated with each request in said list of requests to said manager but not to said first or said second worker, wherein said manager determines a minimum and maximum cost of replacing a worker based on a minimum pay rate and a maximum pay rate of other workers who are not scheduled to work said shift; and

,

present in said schedule to said manager percentages of schedule workers divided by sales;

accept or deny each of said requests based on the manager minimizing wages or costs associated with said shift by utilizing said minimum and maximum cost of replacing said worker, said cost value associated with the request, said wages summary per worker, said wages summary per shift, and said percentages.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said software component is further configured to:

email said at least one worker said schedule.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said software component is further configured to:

display said shift in a first color when said shift has not yet been posted.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein said software component is further configured to:

un-post said shift so that said at least one worker may no longer obtain said shift;

alter said shift; and

,

post said shift a second time.