As an administrator, you can create recurring schedule templates for your company. A recurring schedule template is a predictable, repeating, weekly or multi-week schedule that administrators and supervisors can use to quickly assign employees to common schedules. At a minimum, a recurring schedule template defines employee in and out times for each day during the recurring schedule. A recurring schedule template can also specify an earnings code, lunch plan, shift rule, and up to two labor charge category values for each regularly scheduled time pair in the template.

Notes:
For some examples of how recurring schedule templates can be used, see Configuring and Managing Recurring Schedules.

The procedure below describes how to create a new recurring schedule template using the Add New button. You can also create a new template by copying an existing template and then editing the copy and saving it with a new name. Copying is particularly useful if you want to create a new recurring schedule template that has a pattern that is similar to that of an existing template.

To create a new recurring schedule template:

4        Click the Home tab.

5        Under the Home tab, click the Recurring Schedules link. The Recurring Schedules page opens and displays the name and description of each recurring schedule template that has been defined for your company.

Note: The list of recurring schedule templates does not display schedules that have been hidden. To display hidden schedule, select Include Hidden Recurring Schedules. The Hidden column will display with check marks for those schedules that have been hidden. Any schedule that appears in the list, including those marked as Hidden, can be assigned to employees.

6        Click the Add New button on the right side of the page. A blank Recurring Schedule page opens.

7        In the Recurring Schedule field, enter a short name for the new recurring schedule template. This name must be distinct from other recurring schedule names. It can be up to 25 characters in length.

8        In the Description field, enter a short phrase that describes the new recurring schedule template. This description will be displayed in the Recurring Schedule Lookup window and can help administrators and supervisors determine which template to select when assigning schedules.

Note: You must enter a description in the text box marked with a red triangle ( ). If your company supports other languages, enter descriptions in the text boxes for those languages as well.

9        In the Start Date field, click the button and select the earliest date on which you want the template to be applied to employee schedules.

Note: The Start Date limits which dates on an employee's schedule the template can be applied to. It does not restrict when administrators and supervisors can view or assign the recurring schedule. Administrators and supervisors can view and assign a recurring schedule any time after its template has been created. For example, if the Start Date defined for a recurring schedule template is July 6, 2008, an administrator or supervisor can only assign an employee to begin working that schedule on or after July 6, 2008. The administrators and supervisors can record the recurring schedule assignment at any time (even before July 6, 2008), but the schedule cannot be applied to any dates before July 6, 2008, on the employee's schedule.

10    In the Week column for Row 1, enter the appropriate week number.

Tip: The Week column determines the sequence in which the schedule rows are applied. If you are defining a weekly schedule in which the scheduled in and out times are the same for each scheduled day, use only one row and assign that row to Week 1. If you are creating a weekly recurring schedule that includes different start and end times on different days, use multiple rows and assign them all to Week 1. To create a multi-week schedule, use multiple rows and assign sequential week numbers to them.

11    In the Day of Week column, de-select the days of the week to which the Row 1 schedule does not apply. By default, all the days of the week are selected.

12    In the Time In column, enter the scheduled start time for the Row 1 time pair.

13    In the Time Out column, enter the scheduled stop time for the Row 1 time pair.

14    If you want to assign a specific earnings code to the Row 1 time pair, click the button in the Earnings Code field and select the appropriate code from the lookup window. This field is optional. If no code is selected, each employee's assigned earnings code is used.

15    If you want to assign a specific lunch plan to the Row 1 time pair, click the button in the Lunch Plan field and select the appropriate plan from the lookup window. This field is optional. If no lunch plan is selected, each employee's assigned lunch plan is used.

Note: Lunch plans are configured and assigned to employees by ADP ezLaborManager representative according to your company's lunch policies. If you are uncertain whether a lunch plan should be specified, or if you do not know which plan to select, contact your payroll administrator or ADP ezLaborManager representative.

16    If you want to assign a specific shift rule to the Row 1 time pair, click the button in the Shift Rule field and select the appropriate rule from the lookup window. This field is optional.

Note: The shift rules feature is optional. If you are uncertain whether a shift rule should be specified, or if you do not know which rule to select, contact your payroll administrator or ADP ezLaborManager representative.

17    If you have Flextime enabled and want to assign a specific Flextime rule to the Row 1 time pair, click the button in the Flextime Rule field and select the appropriate rule from the lookup window. This field is optional.  To preview the associated Flextime rule, click the Preview link.

Note: The Flextime feature is optional. If you are uncertain whether a Flextime rule should be specified, or if you do not know which rule to select, contact your payroll administrator or ADP ezLaborManager representative.

18    If you want the Row 1 time pair to be associated with specific labor charge field values, click the buttons in the labor charge category columns and select the appropriate values from the lookup windows. These fields are optional. If no labor charge field values are selected, each employee's default values are used.

Tip: Although your company may use more than two labor charge categories, only two labor charge fields can be associated with a schedule. Your ADP Implementation Specialist has configured which labor charge fields are available for scheduling.

19    Repeat steps for additional rows, as necessary.

Notes:
If you need more blank rows to define additional time pairs, click the Add more empty rows link near the bottom of the page.

You can create additional time pairs for a particular week by entering the same week number in the Week column. For example, to define a recurring schedule template for employees who work full days on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and half-days on Tuesdays and Thursdays, define in Row 1 a full-day schedule for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and define in Row 2 a half-day schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday. Then assign both Row 1 and Row 2 to Week 1.

You can also create multiple time pairs for the same day, as long as the time pairs do not overlap. To do this, create schedule rows with the same days selected and then assign the same week number to them.

To create a multi-week rotating schedule, define time pairs on multiple rows and then assign sequential week numbers to them.

There cannot be any gaps between week numbers.

20    After you have entered all of the time pairs for the recurring schedule, click the Submit button.

The Recurring Schedules page opens with the new template displayed in the list of recurring schedules. The new recurring schedule template can now be used by any administrator or supervisor. For instructions, see Assigning Recurring Schedules to Employees.

Note: Only rows that have been assigned a valid week number will be saved in the template. If you do not use all of the blank rows available, the unused rows will be discarded when you click the Submit button.