Unit Schedule
On the Unit Schedule page, a unit supervisor can perform supervisor actions for the unit. A unit may have multiple supervisors. The Unit Schedule page is the main access point for supervisory functions. The Unit Schedule page is available to all employees, but has more controls and capabilities when the logged-in employee is designated as a unit supervisor for the selected unit.
Tip
Tip:
A user can be defined as a unit supervisor in Sparkrock 365 on the Schedule Unit Employee Card page.
Non-supervisor employees can access the Unit Schedule page to see a list of shifts that are associated with a specific unit. Unlike the My Schedule page, the Unit Schedule page presents groups by pay cycle periods. Depending on the unit configuration in Sparkrock 365, you may or may not be able to see the names of other employees who are working in the unit during the selected time period.
Note
Note:
After a shift is confirmed, the shift does not appear on the Unit Schedule page for non-supervisor employees. Conversely, supervisors can continue to see confirmed and non-confirmed shifts on the Unit Schedule page.
View a schedule for a unit
On the Unit Schedule page, you can view the schedule for any unit to which you are assigned, regardless of your supervisory status. mySparkrock uses the specified unit to obtain the list of pay cycle periods for that unit as well as all published shifts for the unit.
Tip
Tip:
mySparkrock does not display shifts which are created from templates in Sparkrock 365 that have the Status of Open. These Open shifts must be published from Sparkrock 365. If there appear to be no shifts that are associated with a pay cycle, it is likely that an authorized user has not yet created or published the shifts for this pay cycle.
To view the schedule for a unit
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
The Unit Schedule page displays all published shifts for the unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right (
) arrows.To filter the data on the page, you can use the Search By, Search, and Today's Shifts fields.
To change the view from a list to a calendar, choose Calendar.
To view only pending shifts, choose the Pending tab.
To view only vacant shifts, choose the Vacant tab.
View shift details
From the Unit Schedule page, you can open a shift to view the following information:
Shift details
Employee details
Activity details
Offer history
If applicable, bid details
When you view shift details, mySparkrock displays warnings or errors for the shift so that you can correct the shift as required.
To view shift details
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
The Unit Schedule page displays all published shifts for the unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift that you want to view.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
Create shifts
As required, a unit supervisor can create shifts. Shifts are created as vacant shifts. When you create a shift, you have the option to offer the shift, directly fill the shift, or leave the shift vacant. Shifts created in mySparkrock are automatically granted the Published status, so they are visible when you return to the Unit Schedule page. If the unit allows shift bidding, employees are able to bid on the new shift immediately.
To create shifts
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Choose New Shift.
A Select Start Date dialog box appears.
In Shift Start Date, specify the date of the new shift, and then choose Create.
The Shift Details - Published page opens so that you can specify the details for the new shift.
After the shift is specified, the shift date cannot be changed until all required fields are populated. When you create the shift, the start and end times are set to the nearest hour. Other shift details are assigned default values, based on the unit settings.
In Start Time and End Time, specify the start time and the end time for the shift.
You must enter time in the correct format. The correct format is HH:MM AM or PM, for example, 09:00 AM. There must be no spaces between the hours and minutes and one space before AM or PM.
After a non-zero shift duration is established, a single default activity is created to match the shift duration.
If required, to save your progress, choose Save.
(Optional) In Comments, specify a comment.
If required, to save your progress, choose Save.
In Position, specify the position for the shift.
After you specify a value for Position, mySparkrock automatically performs a save.
Delete shifts
If required, on the Shift Detail page, a unit supervisor can delete a shift.
To delete a shift
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift that you want to delete.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
Choose Delete.
A Delete Shift dialog box appears.
To confirm that you want to proceed with deleting the shift, choose Yes.
After you confirm the shift deletion, you are returned to the Unit Schedule page and the deleted shift no longer appears.
Changing shift details
Unit supervisors can update most of the details for any published shift.
To change the details of a shift
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift that you want to update.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
As required, make changes.
mySparkrock automatically performs a save.
Change activity details
Activities are used to subdivide a shift into smaller segments when different billing or payroll codes are required. For example, a shift may include work with different clients which must be captured for billing purposes, or a shift may include some sleep hours which are paid at a different rate.
The following list describes some basic information about shift activities:
By default, each shift has a single activity and HR pay code.
Only assigned employees or unit supervisors can add or change activities.
When an employee makes a change to an activity, mySparkrock directly updates the shift record. Activity changes do not follow the change request approval process that is used to change the shift start and end times.
Shifts must have at least one activity, and the total duration of all activities on an assigned shift must match the overall shift duration.
Activity times cannot overlap, and there cannot be any gaps in the shift. The entire shift duration must consist of scheduled activities.
mySparkrock does not validate activities on a vacant shift. If the activities are incorrect when the shift is filled, mySparkrock displays an error.
It is possible to add an activity to a shift. This may be necessary when the time of a shift has different billing controls.
To add an activity
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to add an activity.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
To add an activity, choose Add Activity.
A new section appears.
The Start Time and End Time default to the shift start and end times.
The value for HR Pay Code defaults from the value that is specified on the shift.
Change values as required.
If you want to use an activity that is not available, you must contact your Sparkrock 365 administrator.
(Optional) In Comment, specify a comment.
Choose Save.
The activity is added to the shift record, and results in an immediate save of the entire shift detail record, as well as a subsequent validation of the shift. As a result, errors and warnings may appear.
To edit an activity
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to edit an activity.
The Shift Details page opens.
On the activity that you want to edit, choose Edit.
You can only edit one activity at a time, so the controls will not appear when another row is in edit mode. To enable editing of another row, choose Save or Cancel.
Make changes as necessary.
Choose Save.
Save causes the activity to be added to the shift, and results in an immediate save of the entire shift detail record, as well as a subsequent validation of the shift. Errors and warnings may appear.
To delete an activity
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to delete an activity.
The Shift Details page opens.
On the activity that you want to delete, choose Delete.
The activity row is deleted. This action cannot be undone.
Fill available shifts
On the Unit Schedule page, a unit supervisor can fill available shifts.
To fill available shifts
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Choose the Vacant tab.
The list of vacant shifts displays.
The Unit Schedule page has three filter tabs: All, Pending, and Vacant. All three tabs include the vacant shifts, but the Vacant tab only shows the set of shifts which must be filled.
Select the shift that you want to fill.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
Choose Fill.
An Employees dialog box appears and you are presented with a list of employees who are eligible to fill the shift. The list is filtered by position.
Employees are presented in priority order, based on the seniority policies of your organization. If required, you can use the search field to filter the list to a specific set of employees whose names match the search criteria.
By default, only employees with unit training are presented. If required, to select a non-trained employee, select the Show non trained employees checkbox.
To help you select the best match, the dialog box indicates the total hours for the day, week, and pay period that the employee would have if this shift were added to their schedule.
To display additional details, including target hours, seniority, closest prior shift, and work history, select an employee row.
When you have decided who you wish to select, to select that employee and assign them to the shift, choose
for the respective employee row.When you choose an employee to fill a shift, mySparkrock performs validations. Any errors or warnings are reported on the Shift Detail - Published page.
It is recommended that you correct all errors, and then save the shift. However, it is possible to leave a shift in an error or warning state.
Offer a shift
You can offer a vacant shift to one or more eligible employees.
To offer a vacant shift
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Choose the Vacant tab.
The list of vacant shifts displays.
Select the shift that you want to offer.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
Choose Offer.
An Employees dialog box appears and you are presented with a list of employees who are eligible to fill the shift. The list is filtered by position.
Employees are presented in priority order, based on the seniority policies of your organization. If required, you can use the search field to filter the list to a specific set of employees whose names match the search criteria.
By default, only employees with unit training are presented. If required, to select a non-trained employee, select the Show non trained employees checkbox.
To help you select the best match, the dialog box indicates the total hours for the day, week, and pay period that the employee would have if this shift were added to their schedule.
To display additional details, including target hours, seniority, closest prior shift, and work history, select an employee row.
For each employee to which you want to extend an offer, choose
for the respective employee row.If required, to remove an employee from the offer list, choose
for the respective employee row.To complete sending an offer to an employee, choose Offer.
Review and accept offers and bids
If permitted in the unit setup, employees can bid on available shifts from the My Schedule page or from a Shift Details - Published page. The Unit Schedule page indicates how many bids have been placed against each vacant shift.
Depending on the unit setup, the following outcomes may happen with offers:
The first employee to accept the offer may be given the shift, in which case, no one else can accept the offer.
Employees who accept the offer are effectively bidding on the shift. The unit supervisor sees their acceptance as a bid and can choose from the set of bids against this shift.
Unit supervisors can review the list of bids for a shift from the Shift Details - Published page and can accept one bid to assign that employee to the shift.
To review open offers
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to view the offer history.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
On the Offer History tab, view the open offers.
The Offers section is a chronological list of open offers that you can review. You cannot perform any actions in this section.
To accept a bid
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to accept a bid.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
In the Bids section, to accept one bid and assign that employee to the shift, choose
.
Replace an employee who is assigned to a shift
As required, a unit supervisor can replace an employee who is scheduled for a shift. Unit supervisors can directly replace an assigned employee with another employee.
To replace an employee who is assigned to a shift
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to replace the employee.
The Shift Details page opens.
Choose Replace.
An Employees dialog box appears and you are presented with a list of employees who are eligible to fill the shift. The list is filtered by position.
Employees are presented in priority order, based on the seniority policies of your organization. If required, you can use the search field to filter the list to a specific set of employees whose names match the search criteria.
By default, only employees with unit training are presented. If required, to select a non-trained employee, select the Show non trained employees checkbox.
To help you select the best match, the dialog box indicates the total hours for the day, week, and pay period that the employee would have if this shift were added to their schedule.
To display additional details, including target hours, seniority, closest prior shift, and work history, select an employee row.
To replace the original employee, choose
for the respective employee who you want to be the replacement.The Shift Details - Published page refreshes with the replacement employee updated.
Make a filled shift vacant
Unit supervisors can remove an assigned employee from a shift, and make the shift vacant, so the shift can be offered or bid upon. Making a filled shift vacant may be required when an employee cannot work the shift, for example, due to illness.
To make a shift vacant
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift that you want to make vacant.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
Choose Make Vacant.
The Vacant dialog box appears.
Perform one of the following steps:
If applicable, in Vacant position, specify a new position for the shift.
If the shift is to be left unassigned, select the Do Not Fill checkbox.
If the shift is vacant due to an employee absence, perform the following steps:
Select the Mark as absent checkbox.
The Cause of Absence and Comments fields become editable. These fields are used to post an absence request.
Specify values for the Cause of Absence and Comments fields.
Choose Save.
The shift returns to a vacant status, unless the Do not fill checkbox was selected. The Shift Details - Published page reloads so that you can immediately offer or fill the shift. If Mark as absent was selected, the Unit Schedule page displays a new record for the absence.
Review employee-requested changes
The Unit Schedule page has three filter tabs: All, Pending, and Vacant. Pending shows the set of shifts which require supervisor action. This includes shifts with open employee change requests, and vacant shifts which must be filled. All three tabs show you the number of corresponding shifts. If the count on the Pending tab is higher than the count on the Vacant tab, some changes are awaiting your review.
To review employee requested changes
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.To focus on the employee requested changes, choose the Pending tab.
Select the shift that you want to review.
The Shift Details page opens and you can review the employee changes.
To highlight the changes, mySparkrock displays a New field directly below the current value.
Perform one of the following steps:
To approve the requested change, choose Accept.
The shift detail record is updated.
To deny the requested change, choose Decline.
The change request is deleted.
Approve or decline shift absences
Unit supervisors can approve or decline shift absences.
To approve or decline a shift absence
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.To view all shifts with a requested absence, choose the Pending tab.
Select the shift with an absence that you want to review.
The Shift Details - Published page opens.
Choose View Request.
A dialog box appears and displays details of the absence request, as entered by the employee.
Perform one of the following steps:
To decline the request, choose Decline.
To approve the request, perform one of the following steps:
In Vacant Position, specify the job position for the vacant shift.
To keep the shift vacant, select the Do Not Fill checkbox.
To mark the employee as absent, select the Mark as Absent checkbox, and then specify a value for Cause of Absence.
Choose Make Vacant.
When a cause of absence is used, the absence is automatically approved, and an absence tracking shift appears on the Unit Schedule with a status of Approved.
Unit supervisor actions for shift trades
On the Unit Schedule page, unit supervisors can view both shifts that are involved in a shift trade. To make it easier to match up the two halves of a pending trade, the trade transaction number is displayed after Proposed or Accepted. Trades are visible on the ALL and Pending tabs.
Note
Note:
If the trade crosses a pay cycle boundary, both shifts are visible at the same time.
A unit supervisor cannot create a trade request from the Unit Schedule. However, unit supervisors can create a trade request for their own shifts from the My Schedule page.
On the Unit Schedulepage, non-supervisor employees do not see Proposed or Accepted. Employees must use the My Schedule pages to propose and respond to trades. Employees cannot see the active trade transactions of another employee.
Selecting a shift row takes the unit supervisor to the Compare view. This view is an augmented version of the Compare page which provides additional information to enable the supervisor to assess the impact of the trade.
Regardless of whether the trade is Proposed or Accepted, the unit supervisor can Deny or Approve the trade.
Approving shift trades
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to approve the trade.
The Trading Shift - Proposed page opens.
To approve the shift trade, choose Approve.
The process ends and the employees are placed in the opposite shifts.
It is recommended that the unit supervisor check both shifts for validation warnings, for example, insufficient rest hours, because warnings do not prevent a trade from completing.
Denying shift trades
Go to Scheduling > Unit Schedule.
The Unit Schedule page opens.
In Unit Schedule, specify a unit.
If the displayed period is not the one that you want, to choose a different period, use the left (
) and right () arrows.Select the shift for which you want to deny the trade.
The Trading Shift - Proposed page opens.
To deny the shift trade, choose Deny.
A dialog box appears.
(Optional) In Comment, specify a message for mySparkrock to include in an email to the respective employee.
Choose Deny.
After a shift trade has been denied, the process ends, and both employees remain assigned to their original shift.
If desired, either employee can propose a new trade.
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