Getting Started - Read this first

Do not use browser functions like back, next, and refresh when you are logged on. Using the back button just causes you to virtually go back in time and see old data that is probably not pertinent anymore. Using your browser's refresh button can cause the last action performed to be repeated. Do not use your browser's refresh button. Always use the buttons that are part of the Work Schedule DOT NET web site to be safe. If you get lost somewhere in the system, you can always close the browser and logon again.

NEW: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows IS NO LONGER REQUIRED but still recommended for the manager console!

Tested browsers include Netscape and Firefox for both Windows and the Mac, as well as IE for Mac. There are known issues with Safari on the Mac. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows or higher is still the only officially supported browser for the manager console.
If you notice a problem with any major browser, please report it to support@workschedule.net and we will do our best to solve the problem. Employees can logon using any major browser.

YOU MUST HAVE JAVASCRIPT ENABLED
JavaScript must be enabled in your browser. Normally JavaScript is enabled, but if you have problems (especially if you see only the left menu load and nothing else the first time you log on) then you may have JavaScript off. To turn JavaScript on, go to Tools | Internet Options from the VERY top menu of Internet Explorer, and click on the Security tab. Click on the Internet icon (picture of the earth). Click on Custom Level. Scroll down to the Scripting area. Make sure both Active scripting, and Scripting of Java applets are ENABLED. If you have any questions about this, contact us at support@workschedule.net, or call 866-846-3123.

YOU MUST HAVE SUN MICROSYSTEMS JAVA (NOT MICROSOFT'S VERSION)
Download from www.java.com

In order to use the manager section of Work Schedule DOT NET, you must have have the Sun Microsystems version of Java, which is very easy to download from www.java.com. It does not normally even require a reboot. Download it from here now. Although the system may seem fine at first, without this download there can be random freezing problems when using the top menu in the manager console. If you have any questions about this, contact us at support@workschedule.net, or call 866-846-3123.

DECEPTIVE PROGRESS BAR IN INTERNET EXPLORER
Don't assume a page is still loading because the progress bar below in Internet Explorer is still moving. Very often the progress bar will continue moving indefinitely, long after the page has loaded. There is a known bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer (you can read about it on Microsoft's web site here) that causes the progress bar to be completely inaccurate under certain circumstances. Sometimes users think that the page is still loading because there are no time blocks on the page, and the progress bar is still moving. When you first start using the system, there will not be any time blocks on the page until YOU add them, so please do not be confused into thinking the page is still loading.

It is very important to understand what a time block is. The time block is the key building block for this system. It is the smallest unit of your schedule. Time blocks, like building blocks, are combined together to build a schedule. "Time block" is often used interchangably with "shift" in our documentation, although a time block is a bit more general. A time block is used to indicate time that a single employee is, or will be scheduled. It is also used to indicate time that an employee is scheduled to be off work, such as vacation or personal time off. Furthermore, if you are using the availability sections, a time block is used to indicate a period of time that an employee may or may not be available.

Another point of clarity is that a "shift", in English, can sometimes mean the time of day being worked, such as "1st shift", or "the overnight shift". In Work Schedule Dot Net, that would be called a Time Of Day.

In Work Schedule Dot Net, a time block / shift can only have no more than ONE employee assigned to it.

We highly recommend, as your next step, that you run these two tutorials! They are only about 11 minutes each, and they will run you through all the basics of building your schedule. This will save you lots of time later.

Basic time block tutorials

STEP1: How to build a recurring schedule (tutorial)
STEP2: How to create a schedule for one week (tutorial)