Set up Centralized Scheduling

Configure a facility for Centralized Scheduling

In the Facility area you need to set up shifts and shift requirements. Requirements may include credentials, experience, and background checks. You can select a shift manager who will receive alerts when staff members accept shifts. You also can set up any permanent staff assignments, such as a staff member who is assigned to a particular shift Monday through Friday.

1. Go to: Agency > Centralized Scheduling > Shift Management > Shifts Management.
2. Click Service Facility and select the facility to set up for Centralized Scheduling.
3. Click New, then Shifts.
4. Enter the following information.
   • Shift Description – This is the field that shows up on the alerts identifying the shift so be mindful of the naming convention.
   • Program
   • Unit (optional)
   • Shift Manager – If selected, the person designated as a Shift Manager will receive alerts.
   • Effective Date of Schedule
   • Start Time and End Time of the shift for each applicable day of the week.
5. On the Requirements tab, select the appropriate options for a shift assignment. This includes Credentials, Requirements, and Background Checks.
   • Note: Both Requirements and Background Checks allow you the option to select which of these are required and which are optional.
   • Important: Since the Centralized Scheduling feature will validate expiration date of requirements and background checks, you must include the Expiration Date on these forms and make them multi-day events.
6. Click Staff Assignments. You can only have one staff member assigned to any shift at any time. For example, if you have a Monday-Friday shift with one staff member, and a Saturday-Sunday for a second staff member, the Saturday-Sunday shift would need to be a second separate shift.
7. Enter the following for any staff member permanently assigned to this shift:
   • Start Date
   • Staff Name
   • Days of the Week
8. Click Save.

Configure a worker role

Set up a Centralized Scheduling worker role that will be assigned to any staff that accepts a flex shift. This worker role grants the staff access on the day of the shift to clients they would not normally be able to access. At the moment the shift begins, the worker assigned to the shift has this worker role. 

Important: No security for events is set for this worker role. The security for events will be honored based on the staff member’s worker role in the workgroup. As an example, this would allow a Nursing Aide to retain a different set of event security than a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

1. Go to Agency Setup > Staff and Security Setup > Worker Roles > Role Setup.
2. Click Worker Role.
3. Select the worker role that should be assigned to any staff member who is working a flex shift.
4. Click the Is Centralized Scheduling Default check box.
5. Click Save.

Create a Centralized Scheduling workgroup

In conjunction with the Centralized Scheduling worker role, the Centralized Scheduling workgroup defines the worker role security that the flex worker will inherit when they work a flex shift. So that security can be granted to the flex worker (not permanent staff), you need to create a Centralized Scheduling workgroup to place the workers in with the worker role security access they require when assigned.

Staff are assigned to this workgroup using staff profile with security and enrollment into workgroups.

1. Go to Agency > Workgroups > Manually Assigned > Information.
2. Click Select Workgroup.
3. Enter Centralized Scheduling and click Search.
4. Click New to create the new workgroup. 
5. Add programs that can use this workgroup.
6. Click Save.

Set global hourly caps and Centralized Scheduling supervisors

Global hourly caps determine which staff meet the criteria for shift availability. These caps are optional but if they are not used, no alerts will be generated regarding these requirements.

• At least some of these caps should be configured depending on your agency. 
• These caps can be overridden at the staff level.

1. Go to Agency Setup > Agency > Agency > Agency Information.
2. Go to the Centralized Scheduling section.
3. Enter the following global agency settings as desired for daily and weekly caps and breaks.
   • Shift Request Hourly Cancel Limit - Enter the minimum number of hours’ notice prior to a shift that you can cancel the shift.
   • Shift Requests Global Weekly Hourly Cap - Enter the maximum number of hours that a staff member is allowed to work in a week.
   • Shift Requests Global Daily Hourly Cap - Enter the maximum number of hours that a staff member is allowed to work in a day.
   • Shift Requests Global Continuous Hourly Cap - Enter the maximum number of hours that a staff member is allowed to work without a break.
   • Shift Requests Global Continuous Hourly Break - Enter the minimum number of hours break between the maximum continuous hours above that a staff member is required to take.
4. Select the staff to be designated as Centralized Scheduling Supervisors. These are the staff who will receive the management alerts for Centralized Scheduling.
5. Click Save.

Here's an example of how hourly caps would reflect an agency's centralized scheduling policies.

• Staff can only work 16 hours a day maximum (Global Daily Cap = 16)
• After 8 hours, the staff member must have a two-hour break so they can work 8 hours, break for two hours, then work another eight hours (Global Continuous Hourly Cap = 8; Global Continuous Hourly Break = 2) 
• 40 hours maximum per week (Global Weekly Cap = 40) 
• If a shift is canceled less than four hours before the start time, you may need to pay for four hours (Hourly Cancel Limit = 4) 

Configure staff members

In the Staff area, the staff work schedule, workgroup assignments, and individual centralized scheduling options have to be set up for each staff member who wants to pick up shifts.

Create a staff work schedule

1. Click Select Name and search for and select the staff.
2. In the toolbar Select Add New and select Staff Schedule.
3. In the Work Schedule table, select the plus sign and enter the following information
   • Weekday
   • Start Time
   • End Time
   • Is Available for Patient/Clients - Click this check box to indicate if the staff is available for client and patient appointments.
   • Schedule Applies to all Staff Managing Offices - Click this check box to apply the schedule to all locations where the staff member works.
4. Repeat the process for each workday on the schedule.
5. Select Save.

Assign staff to workgroups and set up Centralized Scheduling options

In the Staff area, you must place staff in the Centralized Scheduling workgroup you created earlier designating a worker role that will be assigned when that staff selects a shift to work. You also will designate that the staff member will be working flex time and designate any “staff specific” hourly caps. For example, a staff member working flex may be part time and could have a weekly cap of 20 hours that would override the global agency weekly cap of 40 hours.

1. Go to Agency > Staff & Security > Staff Information > Staff Profiles with Security.
2. Click Select Name and select the staff member who will be working flex time.
3. Make sure that any facility the worker will be working at is added as a Managing Office and add if necessary.
4. Click the Enrollments into Workgroups tab.
5. On the first available row, perform the following actions:
   • Add the Centralized Scheduling workgroup
   • Select the Role in Workgroup he/she should have when assigned a shift.
   • Enter the Start Date of the workgroup assignment.
   • Click the Is Centralized Scheduling? check box. This is the option that specified that the role in workgroup will be honored when picking up the shift.
     NOTE: Only one row should use this checkbox.
6. Click the Centralized Scheduling tab.
7. Click the Flex Time check box.This is where any staff would identify that they want to participate in centralized scheduling to pick up shifts.
   Important: For the Global Caps to be effective, you must have flex time checked.
8. Optionally, enter any exceptions to the global agency hour caps for this staff member.
9. In the top portion of the screen, enter any credentials the staff member may have as this is considered when the system looks for a match.
10. Click Save.

Configure a Navigation Scheme

While there are no events that require worker role security setup, there are options in Navigation Scheme that need to be set.

Centralized Scheduling includes a sub-module and four formsets with formset members. There might appear to be some duplication, but these were designed so you could easily assign these between management and staff members.

1. Go to Setup > Security/Access > Navigation Access Setup > Access to Forms.
2. Click Navigation Scheme and select the navigation scheme that you want to set up for centralized scheduling.
3. Select the options based on duties.
   • Shift Management - This formset is designed for a Centralized Scheduling Administrator who is setting up shifts, managing shift requests, and so on. Within this formset, you have to select the facility first.
   • Shift Request Management - This formset is designed for staff members who will be viewing and accepting shifts.
   • Centralized Scheduling - This formset is designed for a supervisor of the centralized scheduling department who does not need full shift management authority, but automatically has access to all shift requests, programs, and facilities.
   • Centralized Scheduling Reports
4. Click Save.

About Shift Request Utilities

Two utilities are available that relate to Centralized Scheduling:

• Create job to send shift request alerts – Enables a job that will run every morning at 5am to generate shift request alerts to staff members.

While this is useful for shifts that are more than a few days away, if there is an immediate need to fill shifts, the utility below can be used to generate all shift requests immediately.

Note: There is also a way (included in the Centralized Scheduling User Guide) to generate alerts for a single shift request.

• Send now the shift request alerts to all staff – Generates shift request alerts to staff members on demand and can be used if you cannot wait until 5am the next morning to generate those alerts.

Maintain Look-Up Tables

Two look-up-tables are available specific to Centralized Scheduling: 

1. Go to Setup > System > Table Maintenance - Simple > Tables.
2. Click Select Look-Up Table and search for/select Shift Request Reasons. 
3. Enter the reasons that you want to use for creating a shift request.
4. Click Save.
5. Click Select Look-Up Table and search for Shift Requests Denial Reasons.
6. Enter the reasons that you want to use for denying a shift request.
7. Click Save.