This form can be opened from the Settings task group or by selecting FORM | OTHER FORMS | SHIFT LENGTHS from the menu.
ESP uses the Shift lengths forms when generating the schedule to determine the length of shifts to assign and when to assign them. Most locations will only need to define two or three Shift lengths forms to produce a good schedule.
Each form is divided into three sections:
Enter a name for the form in the top box and a longer, more descriptive statement about the form in the larger box at the bottom of this section. The name you enter will also appear on the form's tab at the top to help you identify and move between forms.
ESP allows you to use different lengths of shifts throughout the day and week. Many operations prefer to schedule longer shifts for their day staff and shorter shifts for their part-time staff.
For each form, enter the days and times that it will be used in the Times section and the shift lengths that you want scheduled during that time in the Shift lengths permitted section. Shift lengths can range from 1 hour to 24 hours and can be entered in quarter hour increments. Give each shift length a priority from 1 to 10: give the shift you want used most often a priority of 1, the next most preferred shift length a priority of 2, and so on.
Customize the shift lengths and priorities to your location. You don't have to include every shift length on each chart; only include the shift lengths you want scheduled during the time the chart is active You don't have to assign the priorities in ascending order and if two shift lengths are equally desirable you can assign them both the same priority. For example, if you don’t have a preference between 7.0 or 8.0 hour long shift lengths then you can rate both of them 1. Likewise, if you feel that 7.5 hour shift lengths should be allowed but only in limited amounts you could rate it 5. This chart would only include shift lengths of 7.0 and 8.0 hours long with both ranked 1 and a 7.5 hour shift ranked 5; you don't have to include. This is a good way to ensure that the shift lengths you want used most are assigned.
Remember
that any shift length listed must fit into the time frame of the chart; you cannot ask
for an 8 hour shift length in a chart that is active for only 4 hours.
This form features an Advanced form, which can be opened from the Advanced button at the bottom of the form. Use this advanced form to tell ESP if there are times when you don't want any shifts starting, stopping, or both. This feature prevents ESP from beginning and/or ending shifts during times when doing so would be disruptive.
Consider this situation. On weekdays a restaurant has mostly full-time adults working during the day, with a changeover crew of students arriving at 4:00 PM. Since most students are not able to arrive before 4:00 PM because it takes time to get from school to work, the challenge is to ensure that ESP does not assign mid afternoon shifts that will prevent students from being scheduled. The solution is to use the Advanced form to specify that you will not allow any shift to start between 2:00 PM and 3:45 PM on weekdays. This still allows shifts to end during those times, which is important since many of your lunch shifts need to finish earlier than 4:00 PM. But no new shifts could start during those hours, forcing ESP start the dinner shifts at 4:00 PM or later when the students are available.
Be careful not to setup too many
restrictions on the Advanced form or you could create other problems. Also
remember that Fixed shifts will be scheduled regardless of the entries on
the Advanced shift definitions form.
When you select the Add Chart option on the toolbar a new blank form will open, ready for you to fill in.
To remove a form, simply select the form that you want removed, making it the active form and then choose the Delete Chart option on the toolbar. A confirmation box will open asking you to confirm that you want to delete the form. Choose Yes to delete the form, or, choose No and the box will close and the form will remain as an active file.
Return to original page: Online help, The Shift Lengths form
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