Give'em a Break

Main Dashboard Interface Features

Upper Status bar

Displays the name of the currently loaded shift and various informational messages including program usage tips.

Lower Status bar

Displays the day, date, current time, scheduler type (main or spawn), state of the scheduler (Manual or Automatic Tracking Mode), shift hours and the amount of time remaining in the shift.

Employees List

Displays the names and total numerical amount value of all employees who are currently working the active workday shift.

Employees List Textbox Field

Manually enter an employee name that will be added to the shift scheduler.

Add Employee button

Click the Add Employee button to add an employee's name into the employee list.

Current Position List

Displays job positions assigned to corresponding employees shown in the adjacent employees list. The total numerical amount value will automatically update in real-time to reflect the total count of job positions that are currently filled by working employees while other employees are taking their scheduled breaks.

*If the Automatically Change Current Position feature is activated, employees current job positions will automatically update in the current positions list to reflect their First, Lunch or Last break job position assignments.

Example: Employee F's current position is Busboy. This employee's First Break Position assignment has been set to Dishwasher. As soon as Employee F's First Break completes, Employee F's job position in the current position list will automatically change from Busboy to Dishwasher.

Please select... Combo Box

The combo box drop down list feature displays all job positions that have been added to the shift scheduler. The combo box provides the option of manually assigning job positions to selected employees within the employees list. This feature is also used to manually start or end the First, Lunch or Last breaks for one or more employees during the workday shift.

Create button (Job Positions)

Click the Create button to display the Create Job Position window. Enter a new job position into the textbox field and then click Create. The new job position will then populate within the Job Positions list. Click the Close button or the X (upper right corner) to close the Create Job Position window. *Once a Job Position is created it will automatically become available for selection in the Please select... Combo Box drop down list.

Remove button (Job Positions)

Click the Remove button to display the Remove Job Position window. Click on the desired position within the list to highlight it an then click Remove. The job position will then be removed from the Remove Job Position list. Click the Close button or the X (upper right corner) to close the Remove Job Position window. *Once a Job Position is removed it will be automatically deleted from the Please select... Combo Box drop down list.

Off Work List

Displays the names and total numerical amount of all employees who are currently not working the active workday shift.

Remove Employee button

Highlight the desired employee in the Off Work list and then click the Remove Employee button to remove an employee's name from the shift scheduler.

Horizontal Arrows

Click the left arrow to move an employee from the Employees list to the Off Work list. Click the right arrow to move an employee from the Off Work list to the Employees list.

Vertical Arrows

Click the up arrow to move an employee up within the Employees list. Click the down arrow to move an employee down within the Employees list.

Sort buttons (Employees list/Current Position list)

These various sort buttons are used to sort the names within the employees list, current job positions, next upcoming breaks, breaks in progress and breaks completed.

S = Set default sort. Arrange the employees within the list to your preference and then click the S button.
D = Once the default sort is established, click the D button at any time to sort the Employees list based off of how it was initially displayed when the S button was clicked.
N = Sort by employee name.
P = Sort by current position.
F (red) = Sort by employee next first break start time.
L (red) = Sort by employee next lunch break start time.
L (red) = Sort by employee next last break start time.
F (yellow) = Sort by employee first break in progress.
L (yellow) = Sort by employee lunch break in progress.
L (yellow) = Sort by employee last break in progress.
F (green) = Sort by employee first break completed.
L (green) = Sort by employee lunch break completed.
L (green) = Sort by employee last break completed.

First, Lunch and Last Break columns

Top left checkboxes next to each break column = These checkboxes are used to activate (checkmark) or deactivate (no checkmark) a scheduled break for one or more employees. Example #1: Employee A is held over from the previous shift to provide coverage because an employee is running late to work. Employee A will receive a First Break only. Click on Employee A within the Employees list to highlight that employee. Next, ensure that there is a checkmark for that Employee's First Break and then remove the checkmarks from the Lunch and Last Break columns. The main dashboard operations and the visual colored status graph will adjust and function appropriately based off of the break column checkbox settings for that employee. In addition, the Final Break Report will also reflect that Employee A was scheduled to receive the First Break only. Example #2: Employee B already received their First and Lunch breaks. Employee B has now announced that they are feeling sick and will be leaving work. Since Employee B will be leaving work before they receive their Last break, you would remove the checkmark for that employee in the Last break column. Example #3: You have two groups of employees. Group #1 will work four hours only. Use your mouse to select those employees within the Employees list. Next, confirm that a checkmark is added to the First break column only. Group #2 will work six hours. Use your mouse to select those employees within the Employees list. Next, confirm that a checkmark is added to the First and to the Lunch break columns only. *When a first, lunch or last break is deactivated for an employee, that employee's break start time, Position and Relief Employee settings will automatically become disabled and inaccessible.

Break Start Times = The First, Lunch and Last break columns contain the break start time for each employee displayed in the Employees list. The break start times include the Hour, Minute and AM/PM. Directly above the break start time is the break duration minutes for each break column. The default value is a 15 minute break for the First Break. A 30 minute break for the Lunch break and a 15 minute break for the Last Break. Example: Employee A's first break start time is set at 10:00AM. Employee A's first break will end at 10:15AM. Employee B's lunch break start time is set at 12:00PM. Employee B's lunch break will end at 12:30PM. *You can configure the shift scheduler's Break Duration Minutes within the Options & Settings window.

Position Combo boxes = By default, the First, Lunch and Last break Position Combo boxes will automatically pre-fill with the employee's job position that is displayed within the Current Position list. An employee's job position can be changed at any time to any job position within these three break columns and is not dependant on any column. The Positions feature is an important option because it is very versatile depending on the needs of management. The Positions feature concept is based off of the flow of a workday shift.

Example: At the very start of a shift, the employee starts at the job position that is assigned to them and displayed in the Current Position list. Once that employee completes their first break, they will work at the job position that is assigned to them in the First break column. The employee then takes lunch. Once their lunch break completes, they will work at the job position that is assigned to them in the Lunch break column. The employee then takes their last break. When the employee returns from their last break, they will work at the job position that is assigned to them in the Last break column and for the remainder of their shift. If management wants an employee to work the same job position throughout the entire workday shift, that employee's job position would be the same identical job position that is displayed in the Current Position list and also the Position sections in the First, Lunch and Last break columns.

*Give'em a Break offers the ability to automatically update an employee's job position displayed in the Current Position list with different job positions assigned to that employee in the First, Lunch and Last break columns. To activate this feature, navigate to Tools/Options... on the main dashboard menu and then add checkmarks to the desired settings located within the Automatically Change Current Position section.

Example: The Automatically Change Current Position feature has been activated for the First Break section. Employee K's Current Position is Line Cook. Employee K's Position in the First Break column has been selected to the Chef job position. Employee K starts their first break. As soon as employee K's first break completes, their job position in the Current Position list will automatically change from Line Cook to Chef.

Relief Employee Combo boxes = By default, the First, Lunch and Last break Relief Employee Combo boxes will automatically pre-fill with the employee's name when that employee is first added into the Employees list of the shift scheduler. If the Employee's name displays their own name then they will relieve themselves upon starting a break. If the Employee has been assigned a different employee's name in the First, Lunch and Last break Relief Employee Combo boxes then those assigned employees will provide relief to the employee scheduled to take their break.

Example: Click on Employee A in the Employee's list to highlight that employee. Next, within the First Break column, click the drop down arrow in the Relief Employee section and change the Employee A entry to Employee B. Next, within the Please select... combo box, choose ON FIRST BREAK. Employee A's Current Position will now display ON FIRST BREAK. Employee B's Current Position will now display Employee A's position because Employee B is relieving Employee A for their break. Once Employee A's First break is completed, choose END FIRST BREAK within the Please select... combo box. Employee A's Current Position will then revert to the job position they were assigned to before they went on break and Employee B's Current Position will then revert to their assigned job position before they relieved Employee A.

Relief Employee checkboxes (Inherit) = The Relief Employee section for the First, Lunch and Last break columns contains a checkbox for each column. These checkboxes are used for the Inherit feature. The Inherit feature offers the ability for relief employees to inherit job positions that they were covering while giving a break to another employee.

Example: Click on Employee A in the Employee's list to highlight that employee. Next, within the First Break column, click the drop down arrow in the Relief Employee section and select Employee B. Next, add a checkmark to the checkbox (Inherit feature). Employee A is assigned to the Hostess position. Employee B is assigned to the Waitress position. Employee A now goes on first break and Employee B covers the Hostess position. Employee A's first break is now completed and reverts to the Hostess position. Since Employee B's Inherit setting is activated (check marked), Employee B will inherit the Hostess position and not revert to the Waitress position. At this point, two employees are staffing the Hostess position and the Waitress group is less one Waitress.

*The Inherit checkbox feature will not be enabled when an employee is scheduled to relieve them self (Self Relief).

Relief Employee E (Email) button = The blue colored E button is located directly to the left of the Inherit check boxes for the First, Lunch and Last break columns. The E button provides the ability to manually and simultaneously send a pre-notification email to one or more Relief Employees to provide a First, Lunch or Last break to designated employees.

*The E button will not be present on the main dashboard interface until the Outgoing SMTP Email Settings have been setup and the Manual Tracking Mode setting is activated (check marked) within the Send Email to Employees to start their Relief breaks feature of the Email Notification Options section that is located within the Options & Settings window.

Pre-Check, Start and Stop buttons (Automatic Tracking Mode)

Give'em a Break offers two main functions to manage employee breaks throughout the workday shift. They are: Manual Tracking Mode and Automatic Tracking Mode. By default, the Manual Tracking Mode feature is ready for use at any time when Automatic Tracking Mode is not activated. The Pre-Check, Start and Stop buttons are specifically designed for use of the Automatic Tracking Mode feature. Clicking the Pre-check button invokes an algorithm which cross checks break start time conflicts and employee relief conflicts for all employees that are scheduled to receive a first, lunch or last break. Once pre-check has successfully completed its analysis, Automatic Tracking Mode is ready for use. To start Automatic Tracking Mode, click the Start button. To stop Automatic Tracking Mode and revert to Manual Tracking Mode, click the Stop button.

Employees Break Status Graph (Red/Yellow and Green break status colors)

The Employees Break Status Graph feature provides a visual real-time status of employee breaks during the work shift. All employee names scheduled for a first, lunch or last break will appear in the graph. The red color state means that the employee has not yet started their break and that their break is pending. The yellow color state means that the employee is on their break and it is in progress. The green color state means that the employee has finished their break and that it is completed. If an employee has been scheduled to not receive a first, lunch or last break, their name will not be displayed in the corresponding break column located in the graph view.

Manual Tracking Mode

The Manual Tracking Mode feature is used to manually manage the start and completion of all employee breaks in the main dashboard throughout the workday shift. Manual Tracking Mode can be used exclusively throughout the workday shift or it can be used in unison with the Automatic Tracking Mode feature too. Manual Tracking Mode is also designed to manually change job positions of employees in real-time during the shift. These features enables management to not only keep track of employees whereabouts throughout the workday but it also ensures seamless management of business operations while increasing the confidence and tranquility of managing simple and complex situations that can and do arise during a shift.

Example #1 (Self relief): Employee A has been assigned to the Cashier job position. Click on Employee A in the employees list to highlight that employee. Next, if needed, add a checkmark to the checkbox at the top left in the First Break column. Now set the break start time for Employee A to 10:00AM. Employee A's first break Position defaults to Cashier. Employee A's Relief Employee defaults to relieving them self (Employee A). Next, navigate to the Please select... combo box and select ON FIRST BREAK within the drop down list. Employee A will now start their first break. Notice Employee A's current position no longer displays Cashier but instead, now displays ON FIRST BREAK. In addition, Employee A's entry in the Employees Break Status Graph section has changed from the color of red to the color of yellow. These real-time updates indicate that Employee A's first break is in progress. Now, end Employee A's first break by clicking on that employee in the employees list to highlight. Next, navigate to the Please select... combo box and select END FIRST BREAK within the drop down list. Employee A's current position will now revert to Cashier and Employee A's entry in the Employees Break Status Graph section has changed from the color of yellow to the color of green. These real-time updates indicate that Employee A's first break is now completed.

Example #2 (Relief Employee): Employee A has been assigned to the Cashier job position. Employee B has been assigned to the Host job position. Click on Employee A in the employees list to highlight that employee. Next, if needed, add a checkmark to the checkbox at the top left in the First Break column. Now set the break start time for Employee A to 10:00AM. Employee A's first break Position defaults to Cashier. Next, within the Relief Employee First Break column, click the drop down arrow and select Employee B displayed in the list. Employee B is now assigned to give a first break to Employee A. Next, navigate to the Please select... combo box and select ON FIRST BREAK within the drop down list. Employee A will now start their first break. Notice Employee A's current position no longer displays Cashier but instead, now displays ON FIRST BREAK. Also, Employee A's entry in the Employees Break Status Graph section has changed from the color of red to the color of yellow. In addition, Employee B has now assumed the Cashier position and is no longer staffing the Host position. These real-time updates indicate that Employee A's first break is in progress and Employee B is now providing coverage at the Cashier position. Now, end Employee A's first break by clicking on that employee in the employees list to highlight. Next, navigate to the Please select... combo box and select END FIRST BREAK within the drop down list. Employee A's current position of ON FIRST BREAK will now revert to Cashier and Employee A's entry in the Employees Break Status Graph section has changed from the color of yellow to the color of green. These real-time updates indicate that Employee A's first break is now completed. Lastly, Employee B is no longer at the Cashier position and has returned to their assigned Host position.

You can start and end multiple employees breaks simultaneously by using your mouse to highlight those employees or by holding down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and then selecting the desired employees.

**By design, Give'em a Break does not analyze employee break start time conflicts when starting employees First. Lunch and Last Breaks in Manual Tracking Mode. Instead, Give'em a Break relies on the operator of the program to properly assign break start times to employees. Give'em a Break will analyze and notify the operator of conflicts when attempting to start employee breaks if a Relief Employee is not available to provide or receive a break.

Example: Employee B has been assigned to relieve Employee A when Employee A takes their First Break. The operator places Employee A ON FIRST BREAK. Next, the operator then attempts to start the First, Lunch or Last Break for Employee B. Give'em a Break will automatically display a message to the operator that Employee B cannot start their break because Employee B is currently providing a relief break to Employee A.

Automatic Tracking Mode

The Automatic Tracking Mode feature is used to automatically manage the start and completion of all employee breaks in the main dashboard throughout the workday shift. Automatic Tracking Mode can be used exclusively throughout the workday shift or it can be used in unison with the Manual Tracking Mode feature too. Automatic Tracking Mode is also designed to automatically change job positions of employees in real-time during the workday shift. These features enables management to keep track of employees whereabouts throughout the shift plus it also ensures seamless management of business operations while increasing the confidence and tranquility of managing simple and complex situations that can and do arise during a work shift. Automatic Tracking Mode offers complete and full automation of all employee break related tasks and can operate throughout an entire workday shift thus bypassing any need for management to actively manage breaks at all. Automatic Tracking Mode truly is the definition of the set it, forget it and rely on it solution in any business environment today.

Example #1 (Self relief): The time is now 9:00AM. The First Break time duration is set to 15 minutes. Employees N and P have been assigned to the Waitress job position. Employee K has been assigned to the Line Cook job position. These employees are set to relieve themselves. Using your mouse, highlight these three employees in the employee list. Next, set the First Break start time to 11:00AM. Click the Pre-check button. Give'em a Break will now commence analyzing these employees for conflicts of break start times and relief/self relief employees for the First, Lunch and Last Break columns respectively. Once the Pre-check function successfully confirms that there are no conflicts, click the Start button. Automatic Tracking Mode will now activate. At 11:00AM, Give'em a Break will automatically start the First Break for employees N, P and K. The current positions for these employees will display ON FIRST BREAK. At 11:15AM, Give'em a Break will automatically end the First Break for these employees and their current positions will revert to their assigned job positions of Waitress and Line Cook.

Example #2 (Relief Employee): The time is now 9:00AM. The First Break time interval is set to 15 minutes. Employee E has been assigned to the Bartender job position. Employee Z, has been assigned to the Barback job position. Employee Z will provide a relief break to Employee E. Using your mouse, highlight Employee E in the employee list. Next, set the First Break start time to 11:00AM. Within the First Break Position section, select Employee Z in the drop down list. Next, click the Pre-check button. Give'em a Break will now commence analyzing these two employees for conflicts of break start times and relief/self relief employees for the First, Lunch and Last Break columns respectively. Once the pre-check feature confirms that there are no conflicts, click the Start button. Automatic Tracking Mode will now be activated. At 11:00AM, Give'em a Break will automatically start the First Break for employee E and simultaneously change Employee Z's job position from Barback to Bartender. At 11:15AM, Give'em a Break will automatically end the First Break for Employee E. Employee E's job position will then display Bartender again and Employee Z's job position will revert back to the Barback Job position.