Configure Schedule Event Rules

Event-based schedule rules enable you to define restrictions or constraints that govern the amount of work time or the number of recurrences that a specific event, such as night shifts or weekend shifts, can be scheduled over a set period of time.

These rules enable you to generate schedules that adhere to shift commitments and schedule fairness, and that comply with global labor laws, work time limits, and industry regulations.

For example, you can use Schedule Event Rules to ensure that:

  • Employees work an equal number of weekends per calendar year
  • Only a certain amount of night shifts are worked per scheduling period
  • Employees cannot work more than a maximum amount per specific type of shift
  • A maximum average number of hours is worked in each reference period
Note:
  • Your function access profile must allow access to Schedule Rules (Administration > Application Setup > Access Profiles > Function Access Profiles. Select an access profile, go to Manager - Common Setup > Schedule Configuration, and set Schedule Rules to "Allowed").
  • Child locations do not inherit employee rule sets from parent locations.

Configure the system setting to enable the system to validate Schedule Event Rules.

  1. In Administration > Application Setup > System Configuration > System Settings, select the Global Values tab.
  2. Set global.scheduling.scheduleeventcomputation.enabled to True.

    3. For more information about this setting, see Global Values System Settings.

  3. Click Tap Save.

Configure the system settings to define how far in the future Schedule Event Rules can be calculated.

  1. In Administration > Application Setup > System Configuration > System Settings, select the Global Values tab.
  2. In global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForActualTotals, and in global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForScheduledTotals, specify the minimum number of days.

    3. For more information about these settings, see Global Values System Settings.

  3. In Application Setup > Scheduling > Shift Builder Criteria > Days for pattern rollout, specify the number of days.

    4. For more information about this setting, see Shift Builder Criteria.

  4. Click Tap Save.

Of the two global settings global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForActualTotals and global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForScheduledTotals, whichever value is greater is compared to the value of the Days for pattern rollout setting. The lower of those two values is used to define the number of days in the future that Schedule Event Rules can be calculated.

For example: If global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForActualTotals = 100 and global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForScheduledTotals = 150, the global.WtkTotalizer.MinimumDaysInFutureForScheduledTotals setting is used because 150 is greater than 100. If Days for pattern rollout = 120, then since 120 is less than 150, the Schedule Event Rules can be calculated no more than 120 days in the future.

A Schedule Event Zone identifies the period of time for validation. For example, a zone could be a day of the week (Sunday), a night shift that occurs between 12 am and 6 am, or a period of 52 weeks.

Rolling increments are supported in days, weeks, and months. A rolling increment allows validation in a period that rolls up or down around the validation day.

  1. Go to Administration > Application Setup > Scheduler Setup > Schedule Rules > Period Definition.
  2. In the Create Period Definition page, click Create.
  3. Enter a Name and Description for the schedule event zone.
  4. In Period Type, select Schedule Event Zone.
  5. Specify the Period Start, Period End, optional Rolling Increment, and Anchor Date. For more information, see Configure Period Definitions .
  6. Click Tap Save.

A Schedule Event identifies the event to track within the schedule event zone. For example, you could define the event as working a specific day of the week or working during a night shift.

The schedule event can be defined according to a minimum and maximum amount of time, whether a schedule event starts or ends within a specified schedule event zone, or a minimum or maximum length of time occurs for the schedule event.

  1. Go to Administration > Application Setup > Scheduler Setup > Schedule Rules > Schedule Event.
  2. In the Schedule Event page, click Create.
  3. Enter a Name and Description for the schedule event.
  4. Select a Schedule Event Type:
    • Shift qualification — Only one shift will qualify for this event.
    • Event qualification — Any shift within the Schedule Event Zone can qualify for this event.
    • Event day(s) qualification — Any shift within each day of the Schedule Event Zone will qualify for this event.
  5. Select a Schedule Event Zone from the list of configured Period Definitions.
  6. In Event Must Include, select:
    • Minimum within Zone — Define the minimum amount of time (in hh:mm format) that must be worked or scheduled in the zone. This setting is required.
    • Maximum within Zone — Define the maximum amount of time (in hh:mm format) that must be worked or scheduled in the zone. This setting is optional.
  8. Optionally, in Event Must Start, select:
    1. Position: Select Before, Before or On, After, or After or On.
    2. Type: Select Time of day or Schedule Event Zone start.
    3. Time: If the Time of day type is selected, specify the time in hh.mm format.
  9. Optionally, in Event Must End, select:
    1. Position: Select Before, Before or On, After, or After or On.
    2. Type: Select Time of day or Schedule Event Zone start.
    3. Time: If the Time of day type is selected, specify the time in hh.mm format.
  10. Optionally, in Event Length, specify:
    • Minimum — Define the minimum length of time that must occur for the schedule event.
    • Maximum — Define the maximum length of time that must occur for the schedule event. The maximum value for the event length is 999:59.

    11. Note: The Event Must Include minimum must be less than or equal to the Event Length maximum.

  11. Click Tap Save.

Configure an occurrence definition to track the occurrences of the Schedule Event.

  1. Go to Administration > Application Setup > Scheduler Setup > Schedule Rules > Occurrence Definition.
  2. In the Create Occurrence Definition page, click Create.
  3. Enter a Name and Description for the occurrence definition.
  4. In Occurrence Type, select Schedule Event Occurrence.
  5. In Occurrence Conditions:
    1. Click Add.
    2. In Occurrence Operator, select either Minimum or Maximum.
    3. In Number of Occurrences, specify the minimum or maximum number of occurrences — based on the selected Occurrence Operator — allowed for the occurrence condition.
    4. In Consecutive, select Yes or No to indicate whether the occurrences can happen consecutively or non-consecutively.
    5. In Schedule Event, select the Schedule Event to use for the occurrence condition.
    6. Click Tap Save.
  6. To add another condition to the occurrence definition, click Add.
  7. Click Tap Save.

The Schedule Event rule defines the criteria that is applied to the occurrences of a schedule event within a schedule event zone. For example, a Schedule Event rule could be configured to validate that there are a maximum of 39 Sundays scheduled in a 52 week period, or that a maximum of 10 hours can be worked during a night shift.

  1. Go to Administration > Application Setup > Scheduler Setup > Schedule Rules > Schedule Event Rule.
  2. In the Schedule Event Rule page, click Create.
  3. Enter a Name and optionally a Description for the rule.
  4. In Rule Type, select either Amount of Hours or Occurrence.
  5. For Occurrence Rule Types: 
    1. Select Prorated to prorate the operation. The operation occurrences are proportionally recalculated for employees that begin work after the start of a fixed time validation period. If prorating generates a portion of a day or other time period, rounding occurs (rounds up for 0.5 and above, and rounds down for 0.49 and below).
    2. For example: If an employee is hired in the middle of the year, the maximum occurrences for a rule that states a maximum of 39 Sundays can be worked in a 52-week period is reduced to 19.5, which is then rounded up to 20.
    3. In Event Occurrence, select a schedule event occurrence definition.
    4. Select a Validation Period.
    5. Optionally, select a Conditional Event Occurrence.
    6. Click Tap Save.
  6. For Amount of Hours Rule Types: 
    1. Select Prorated to prorate the operation. The amount of hours is proportionally recalculated for employees that begin work after the start of a fixed time validation period. If prorating generates a portion of a day or other time period, rounding occurs (rounds up for 0.5 and above, and rounds down for 0.49 and below).
    2. In Operator, select the operator for validation, Minimum or Maximum.
    3. In Amount of Hours, enter the number of hours, in hh:mm format, to be validated.
    4. In Duration Type, select Total or Per Event Zone.

      5. Total validates the amount of hours over the entire reference period.

      Per Event Zone validates the amount of hours using the intersection between all shifts qualifying for the schedule event and the schedule event zone.

      For example, a schedule event rule is configured to validate a minimum of 24 hours worked on each weekend during a 6-week period. Working only 12 hours one weekend during this period would trigger a schedule rule violation.

    5. In Schedule Event, select the schedule event that requires validation.

      6. Only Shift Occurrence schedule event types can be configured for Amount of Hours rule types.

    6. Select a Validation Period.
    7. Optionally, select a Conditional Event Occurrence.
    8. Click Tap Save.

    Note: Once a Schedule Event Rule is saved, you cannot modify its Rule Type.

  7. Note: You cannot delete a Schedule Event Rule that is linked to an Employee Rule Set.

After you create schedule events and schedule event rules, you can configure employee rule sets to associate the schedule events with the appropriate schedule event rule.

  1. Go to Administration > Application Setup > Scheduler Setup > > Schedule Rules > Schedule Rule Sets.
  2. Click Tap the Employee Rule Sets tab.
  3. Select an existing rule set and click Edit, or click New to create a new rule set..
  4. Click Tap the Period Hours tab.
  5. In Occurrence Definition, select a configured Schedule Event occurrence definition.
  6. In Period Definition, select a configured Schedule Event Zone period definition.
  7. Specify the Severity, Operation, Amount of Hours, and Paycodes to Exclude. For more information, see Configure schedule rule sets.
  8. Click Tap the Events tab.
  9. Select a Schedule Event Rule to associate with the Schedule Event.
  10. Specify the Severity, and optionally select a Paycode to Exclude from consideration during rule validation.
  11. Click Tap Save & Close.