Patent ID: 7499869
Filing Date: 2009-03-03
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
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.