Duty Codes Creation and Update

Three basic duty codes are provided for every work pattern. These are:

·      Zero Hours (0 - Numeric zero) - no work, rest day but not leave.

·      Leave (L) - Statutory, annual or study.

·      Standard day (S) - The normal working week for the pattern will be consulted for the hours.

Some examples of on call duties appropriate to the initially selected intensity are created with a new pattern. These may be used, modified or deleted as required. All other duties for the pattern must be defined.

 

Creation of new duty codes.

The section at the bottom of the screen labelled "Duty Code Creation and Amendment" is used to create and edit duty codes. When all the duty codes you need have been created, this section of the screen can be hidden to give more room for the work pattern table. The button "Hide the duty code update section" is used for this. If this screen is hidden and you wish to create a new code or amend an existing one, just click on one of the buttons above the duty codes table and the duty code creation and amendment and screen will be re-displayed.

This screen usually shows the next duty code to be defined. At the start this will be A. The start and end times for the duty can be typed in or selected by mouse on the timeline above the entry boxes. The timeline allows the start and end times to be selected to the nearest 15 minutes. Move the mouse cursor along the timeline until the time shown in bold on the right is the required start time. Click the left mouse button. The time in bold will be placed in the "start time" field. Move the mouse cursor until the time on the left is the required end time for the duty and click the right mouse button. The time in bold will be placed in the "end time" field. The amount of rest required for the duty will be automatically calculated depending on the work intensity and stored in the "rest" data entry box. It assumes a weekday duty when calculating rest. For a weekend duty in an on-call rota, the rest must be adjusted.

The duty may be given a name. This is useful to identify the duty, but is not required.

The radio buttons to the right of the timeline (labelled start and end) control the action of a left mouse click. Normally, it is easiest to use a left mouse click for a start time and a right mouse click for an end time, but it is possible to only use left mouse clicks to specify both the start and the end time by changing the radio button selected.

If prospective cover applies for this work pattern and "cover for selected duties only" has been selected, it is necessary to specify if the duty being defined is subject to prospective cover. The "Prospective cover (Y/N)" must be completed with a Y or an N as appropriate. The letter can be typed from the keyboard, or you can toggle between Y and N by mouse double clicks.

The duty will take the "Resident?" setting from the setting for the pattern as a whole. This may be changed if the pattern has a mixture of resident and non-resident duties.

If a hybrid pattern is being defined, then the intensity of the duty must be defined. For example, if under "work intensity" at the top of the screen both partial shift and full shift are ticked, then each duty will have options of partial shift or full shift for selection by radio button. If the work pattern is not a hybrid, then each duty defined is given that the intensity specified at the top of the screen.

When all the items for the duty have been defined, click the "Save the duty code specification" button. Details of the duty code will be placed in the duty codes table on the right of the screen. On the duty code creation and amendment screen, the duty code will be set to the next available letter and all the time entry fields will be set to zero.

 

Definition of a second duty on the same day.

Rarely, it is necessary to define a duty code that consists of two separate duties on the same day. To achieve this, define the first duty for the day as normal. Set the duty code to the one used for the first shift but set the time for the start and end of the second duty. Click the "Saved as second duty on the same day" button. This will result in the start and end times been saved as a second duty for the code rather than overwriting the first duty.

 

Amendment of duty codes.

To amend the duty code, first select it in the table. Then click the "amend duty code" button. Alternatively, double click the code in the table. This will result in details of the code being displayed in the "duty code creation and amendment" section. Make the changes necessary and click the "Save the duty code specification" button. If the code has already been used in the work pattern, the times on the work pattern table will be changed and the average duty and work hours for the pattern will be recalculated.

 

Deletion of duty codes.

Select the duty code to be removed, and click the "Delete duty code" button. You will not be allowed to delete a duty code if it appears in the work pattern.

 

The Duty Codes Grid

It may be convenient to split the grid of duty codes into two or more sections to allow columns of interest to be visible at the same time. This can be done using the "splitter bar" which is the small vertical black line in the bottom left hand corner of the grid. Use the mouse to drag this to the right. The grid will be split into two identical copies, both of which can be scrolled horizontally to bring the required columns into view.

The split can be removed by dragging the splitter bar for the second copy of the grid back to the splitter bar of the original grid.

 

More:

Placing Duties in the Work Pattern