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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A system for use in temporary help businesses for screening temporary
help employees, testing said temporary help employees for one or more
employee skills, recording a time that said temporary help employees are
available to perform temporary jobs, receiving and recording job orders
from one or more clients requesting temporary help personnel with one or
more specified required skills to perform temporary jobs, assigning said
temporary help employees to said temporary jobs, recording client comments
about said temporary help employees, determining an amount of money due to
said temporary help employees for specified periods of time, determining
an amount of money due from said clients for temporary help services
performed by said temporary help employees for specified periods of time,
and reporting trends and patterns of said job orders and temporary help
employees applications based on specified input criteria, comprising:
a digital computer;
one or more screening terminals, wherein said screening terminals are
interactive video display terminals operable on said computer to cause
software means responsive to an operator of said screening terminal to
a. enter, for each applicant for temporary work, pre-application
information;
b. activate, for each said applicant which will be considered for temporary
work, an applicant information terminal;
one or more said applicant information terminals, wherein said applicant
information terminals are interactive video display terminals operable on
said computer to cause software means operable on said computer to be
responsive to
a. enter, applicant personnel information;
b. an address, a phone number, and a date of birth,
c. a geographic area where said applicant prefers to work,
d. text describing employment experience,
e. a quantity representing said length of work experience,
f. a first available data and a last available date, between which said
applicant will perform said temporary jobs,
g. days of the week and times of the day when said applicant will not
perform said temporary jobs,
h. whether said applicant has personal transportation available, and
i. data by which income tax withholding from pay should be calculated;
means for determining a statistically based predictor of work site success
representing the applicant's general proficiency with said computer
terminal, based on the time required by the applicant to enter said
pre-application information;
one or more applicant testing terminals, wherein said applicant testing
terminals are interactive video display terminals operable on said
computer to cause software means operable on said computer to:
a. display test instructions to said applicant,
b. display a test problem requiring an exact answer, a timed response, or
both,
c. accept manual entry of a proposed solution to said test problem,
d. repeat said steps until all test problems required for a particular
applicant have been displayed,
e. determine, based on said proposed solutions to said test problems,
scores representing proficiency in said one or more employee skills, and
f. determine a statistically based predictor of work site success
representing applicant's general proficiency with said computer terminal
in relation to other applicants, based on said test scores and the time
required by the applicant to respond to the inquiries presented by said
applicant information terminal;
one or more test review terminals, wherein said test review terminals are
interactive video display terminals operable on said computer to cause
software means operable on said computer to:
a. display said statistically based predictor for each applicant,
b. respond to operator input of character representations of specified
employee skills,
c. respond to operator input of said test review terminal to permit
modification of any data recorded for said applicant,
d. permit entry of a minimum pay rate for said applicant, and
e. permit entry of an activation value which specifies that said applicant
is an active temporary help employee;
one or more job order entry terminals, wherein said job order entry
terminals are interactive video display terminals operable on said
computer to cause software means operable on said computer to:
a. respond to operator input to enter, for each said job order, information
about a specified temporary job including:
i. a client name, address, division, department, contact person, and phone
number,
ii. a unique job order number, a date and time when said job order is
entered,
iii. one or more required skills for said temporary job,
iv. a starting and ending time for said temporary job, and
v. a billing rate for said client for said temporary job;
b. determine, for each temporary job order, one or more temporary help
employees who are candidates to perform said temporary job by:
i. determining which of said one or more temporary help employees will
accept a job and are not already scheduled in a job for the time between
said starting and ending times for said temporary job, wherein said
employees are matching employees,
ii. determining which of said matching employees have skills and pay rates
which match said required skills and pay rate for said temporary job,
wherein such employees are candidate employees, and
c. determining which said candidate employee to assign to said temporary
job order by:
i. displaying said candidate employees and their phone numbers, and
ii. accepting a confirmation from said salesperson of which candidate
employee is assigned to said temporary job;
one or more job monitoring terminals, wherein said job monitoring terminals
are interactive video display terminals operable on said computer to cause
software means operable on said computer to:
a. be responsive to operator input in accepting data which represents
client requests to:
i. replace said assigned employee,
ii. shorten the length of time required to perform said temporary job,
iii. extend the length of time required to perform said temporary job,
iv. store comments on said assigned employee;
one or more accounting terminals, wherein said accounting terminals are
interactive video display terminals operable on said computer to cause
software means operable on said computer to:
a. display, for a specified accounting period, a time worked for all jobs
performed during said specified accounting period by employees which
performed said jobs,
b. respond to operator input to modify said time worked, and
c. print, on said one or more printers, payroll checks for said employees
and invoices for said clients based on said time records;
one or more planners terminals, wherein said planner terminals are
interactive video display terminals operable on said computer to cause
software means operable on said computer to sort, calculate and print data
based on specified input criteria.
2. A system for use in a temporary help business which assigns temporary
help employees to job orders by matching, for each said job order, the
skills required for a job and a quantity of time required to perform said
job order with the skills and availability of said employees, comprising:
(1) a temporary help business computer system;
(2) said computer system maintaining Employee Inventory Records
representing said employees and a schedule of job orders assigned to said
employees;
(3) said computer system maintaining Job Order Records representing said
job orders and a schedule of when said job orders are to be performed;
(4) said computer system including job assignment means for:
(i) comparing required job skills stored in the Job Order Record with
employee skills stored in the Employee Inventory Record and matching
employees with job orders;
(ii) near matching employees when the job skills requirements do not match;
and
(iii) searching the Employee Inventory Records for windows of availability
in the schedules of said matched and near matched employees by determining
whether the beginning and ending dates in the Job Order Record fall
between the beginning and ending dates for the job currently scheduled for
the matched and near matched employees in the Employee Inventory Record,
and assigning an employee to said job order when said job window and said
employee scheduling window correspond, whereby said job orders and
stacked;
(5) a client computer system at a client location and means for
communicating with said temporary help business computer system;
(6) said client computer system further comprising:
(i) client job order management means for communicating job orders in the
form of job order records to the temporary help business computer system;
(ii) means for receiving near matches from said temporary help business
computer system; and
(iii) means for allowing client personnel to review the Employee Inventory
Record of near matched employees and identify satisfactory near matches
and for communicating said satisfactory near match to said temporary help
business computer system, whereby client is provided the greatest
flexibility in the selection of temporary employee.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein said job assignment means further
comprise:
(1) means for comparing a geographic location in the Job Order Record with
a geographic preference and a transportation availability in the Employee
Inventory Record; and
(2) means for comparing training requirements in the Job Order Record with
employee training in the Employee Inventory Record.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the job assignment means further
comprises means for near matching when the geographic location or training
requirements do not match.
5. The system of claim 2, wherein the job assignment means for near
matching further comprises means for determining when the ending dates in
the Employee Inventory Record are within a pre-determined interval of the
starting date in the Job Order Record.
6. The system of claim 2, wherein the job assignment means for near
matching further comprises means for comparing only the general area of
the employee skills in the Employee Inventory Record with the general area
of required job skills in the Job Order Record.
7. The system of claim 2, wherein the job assignment means are capable of
executing the steps of:
(a) determining if the beginning and ending dates in a Job Order Record
fall between the beginning and ending dates of the jobs currently
scheduled for the Employee Inventory Record;
(b) retrieving the next Employee Inventory Record when there is no match,
and returning to step (a);
(c) determining if the skills required in the Job Order Record match the
employee skills in the Employee Inventory Record;
(d) retrieving the next Employee Inventory Record when there is no match,
and returning to step (a);
(e) determining if the geographic location in the Job Order Record matches
the geographic preference and the transportation availability in the
Employee Inventory Record;
(f) retrieving the next Employee Inventory Record when there is no match,
and returning to step (a);
(g) determining if the training requirements in the Job Order Record match
the employee training in the Employee Inventory Record;
(h) retrieving the next Employee Inventory Record when there is no match,
and returning to step (a);
(i) assigning the job specified by the Job Order Record to the Employee
Inventory Record, incrementing the number of jobs currently scheduled for
the Employee Inventory Record, filling the beginning date and ending date
of the next scheduled job in the Employee Inventory Record with the
beginning and ending dates of the job specified in the Job Order Record,
filling the skill required for that scheduled job in the Employee
Inventory Record with the skills required from the Job Order Record, and
filling the assigned client for the scheduled job in the Employee
Inventory Record with the client division department name in the Job Order
Record;
(j) displaying the client information, employee phone number, and current
job information on the computer so that the employee may be contacted;
(k) deleting the assignment information in the Employee Inventory and Job
Order Records when the job is refused, retrieving the next Employee
Inventory Record, and returning to step (a); and
(1) retrieving the next Job Order Record when the job is accepted, and
returning to step (a) as long as more Job Order Records exist.
8. The system of claim 2, wherein said client job order management means
includes means for entering, for each said job order, information about a
specified temporary job including a client name, address, division,
department, contact person, and phone number, a unique job order number, a
date and time when said job order is entered, at least one required skills
for said temporary job, a starting and ending time for said temporary job,
and a billing rate for said client for said temporary job;
9. The system of claim 2, wherein the client job order management means
comprise means for accepting client requests to replace said assigned
employee, shorten the length of time required to perform said temporary
job, extend the length of time required to perform said temporary job, and
store comments on said assigned employee, whereby the changes will be
reflected in all subsequent near matches.
10. The system of claim 2, wherein said job assignment means further
comprises ranking said temporary help employees on their proficiency with
a computer terminal as determined by the time required by the applicant to
enter pre-application information.
11. The system of claim 2, wherein said job assignment means further
comprises means for ranking said temporary help employees based their
performance on proficiency tests.
12. A system for use in a temporary help business which assigns temporary
help employees to job orders by matching, for each said job order, the
skills required for a job and a quantity of time required to perform said
job order with the availability of said employees, comprising:
(1) a temporary help business computer system;
(2) said computer system maintaining Employee Inventory Records
representing said employees and a schedule of job orders assigned to said
employees;
(3) said computer system maintaining Job Order Records representing said
job orders and a schedule of when said job orders are to be performed;
(4) said computer system including job assignment means for:
(i) comparing required job skills stored in the Job Order Record with
employee skills stored in the Employee Inventory Record and matching
employees with job orders;
(ii) searching the Employee Inventory Records for windows of availability
in the schedules of said matched and near matched employees by determining
whether the beginning and ending dates in the Job Order Record fall
between the beginning and ending dates for the job currently scheduled for
the matched and near matched employees in the Employee Inventory Record,
and assigning an employee to said job order when said job window and said
employee scheduling window correspond; and
(iii) near matching employees to said job orders when said job window and
said employee scheduling window do not match, whereby said job orders are
stacked;
(5) a client computer system at a client location and means for
communicating with said temporary help business computer system;
(6) said client computer system further comprising:
(i) client job order management means for communicating job orders in the
form of job order records to the temporary help business computer system;
(ii) means for receiving near matches from said temporary help business
computer system; and
(iii) means for allowing client personnel to review the Employee Inventory
Record of near matched employees and identify satisfactory near matches
and for communicating said satisfactory near match to said temporary help
business computer system, whereby client is provided the greatest
flexibility in the selection of temporary employee.
13. The system of claim 12, further including:
(1) a client computer system at a client location and means for
communicating with the temporary help business computer system;
(2) said computer system further comprised of client job order management
means for communicating job orders in the form of job order records to the
temporary help business computer system;
(3) said temporary help business computer system including means for
communicating near matches to the client computer system; and
(4) said client computer system including means for allowing client
personnel to review the Employee Inventory Record of near matched
employees and identify satisfactory near matches and for communicating
said satisfactory near match to the temporary help business computer
system, whereby client is provided the greatest flexibility in the
selection of temporary employee.
14. A system for use in a temporary help business which assigns temporary
help employees to job orders by matching, for each said job order, the
skills required for a job and a quantity of time required to perform said
job order with the skills and availability of said employees, comprising:
(1) a temporary help business computer system;
(2) said computer system maintaining Employee Inventory Records
representing said employees and a schedule of job orders assigned to said
employees;
(3) said computer system maintaining Job Order Records representing said
job orders and a schedule of when said job orders are to be performed;
(4) a client computer system at a client location and means for
communicating with said temporary help business computer system, wherein
said client computer system further comprising means for allowing client
personnel to review the Employee Inventory Record for matched or near
matched employees and identify satisfactory match, and for communicating
said satisfactory match to said temporary help business computer system,
whereby client is provided the greatest flexibility in the selection of
temporary employee. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to the field of digital computing equipment,
and particularly to the application of computing equipment to temporary
help businesses.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Temporary help businesses schedule personnel suited to particular tasks for
work on a temporary basis. They screen temporary help applicants, match
their particular skills to client job orders, and monitor jobs in
progress. At the same time, they take and fill client job orders. As the
need for temporary help expands, temporary help employees expect
uninterrupted work at a series of jobs. This is known in the art as
"stacking jobs." Scheduling work, training, and "stacking jobs" provides
incentive to temporary help workers to remain employed by a single
temporary help business. Scheduling temporary workers with suitable
talents quickly and economically satisfies clients. Serving temporary
employees and clients is a goal of temporary help businesses and an object
of the present invention.
Temporary help businesses use several techniques to manage their
operations. Some keep paper records of all employees and transactions.
Some use paper records and digital computers in combination. For example,
an applicant requesting temporary work assignments might complete a paper
record of personal data, and take computerized tests to assess specific
skills. Most temporary help businesses use some form of computerized
accounting.
Typically, these various paper and computerized operations management
systems are not integrated within the temporary help business. These
systems often do not facilitate matching employees to jobs by inexact
criteria such as near dates or near skills. Some systems do not facilitate
"stacking jobs." Principally, these systems do not permit automated
communication between buyers and sellers of temporary help services. This
results in duplication of manual input, decrease in responsiveness, and
increased data entry errors.
An advanced example of a computerized system is the System for Monitoring
Temporary Help Usage in a Multi-Vendor Environment, disclosed hereinbelow,
by Stipanovich, co-inventor of the present invention. This system provides
temporary help scheduling for a narrow group of temporary help businesses:
internal temporary help departments of large corporations. This system is
based on cost-tracking, and monitors scheduling of both an internal pool
of temporary help workers, and workers scheduled by outside vendors. Like
the present invention, the system schedules temporary employees based on
availability and skills. Unlike the present invention, the prior system:
1. minimizes expenditures for temporary help,
2. tracks temporary help provided by multiple vendors,
3. is primarily an accounting and mainframe interface system, and
4. does not provide "stacking" of temporary jobs.
Other systems known in the art provide similar, but more limited
functionality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a software system operable on a digital computer
for use in a temporary help business for screening temporary help employee
applicants, testing their skills, and receiving and recording job orders
from one or more clients of the temporary help business. The software then
matches employees to job orders, monitors employee performance, determines
their pay and prints payroll checks, determines an amount due from each
client and prints invoices, and reports on the operation of the temporary
help business. The software, at user activation, can perform "near"
matches, wherein employees are matched to job if they are likely to
suitable to a job or can be made available by rescheduling for a job. The
software permits "stacking jobs," wherein more than one future job can be
scheduled for any employee. Also, the system can communicate
electronically under software control to receive job orders from clients,
and transmit billing information on jobs performed to clients.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a floor plan diagram illustrating the layout of computer
equipment in a temporary help business.
FIG. 2 is a high level block flow diagram of software component functions
of a system for use in a temporary help business.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 3a together form a detailed block flow diagram of software
component functions for screening and review of applicants for temporary
help employee positions.
FIG. 4 is a detailed block flow diagram of software component functions for
receiving temporary help job orders.
FIG. 5 is a detailed block diagram of software component functions for
maintaining and classifying employees.
FIG. 6, FIG. 6a and FIG. 6b together form a detailed block diagram of
software component functions for filling job orders based on the Employee
Inventory File.
FIG. 7 is a detailed block diagram of software component functions for
monitoring jobs-in-progress.
FIG. 8 and FIG. 8a together form a detailed block diagram of software
component functions for time accounting functions within the system.
FIG. 9 is a detailed block diagram of software component functions for
generating payroll checks within the system.
FIG. 10 is a detailed block diagram of software component functions for
generating billing invoices within the system.
FIG. 11 is a high level block flow diagram of software component functions
for reporting trends and patterns for the temporary help business.
FIG. 12 is a high level block flow diagram of software component functions
for system interaction between computer system used by a buyer of
temporary help and a computer system used by a temporary help business.
FIG. 13 is a medium level block flow diagram of software component
functions for system interaction between a computer system used by a buyer
of temporary help and computer system used by a temporary help business.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment,
reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof,
and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in
which the invention may be practiced. This embodiment is described in
sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
invention and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be
utilized, and that structural changes may be made without departing from
the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is,
therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of the
present invention is defined by the appended claims.
FIG. 1 shows a floor plan illustrating the layout of computer equipment in
a temporary help business according to the system of the present
invention. The Temporary Help Business 1 is organized by area of work
responsibility. An Applicant Screening work-station 2 is provided, and
operated by a receptionist who answers calls from individuals seeking
employment with the temporary help business. Each applicant is
pre-screened at the Applicant Screening work-station 2. If it is
determined that the applicant is suited to work for the temporary help
business, the applicant is asked to come in and submit an application for
employment.
When the applicant arrives to submit an application, the receptionist
activates a work-station used to enter personal data about the applicant
through the Applicant Screening work-station 2. Activation is initiated by
an input response to a system prompt on the Applicant Screening
workstation 2, which causes the Applicant Data Entry work-station 3 to
display the applicant's name in character form, prompt the applicant for
an initial response indicating the applicant is ready, and enable an
attached keyboard to accept applicant input. After entering personal data
commonly found on a job application, the applicant is tested for skills.
Testing occurs on a Testing work-station 4. At the completion of testing,
a reviewer reviews the employee skills tests with the applicant at a
Review work-station 5. Through this workstation, a minimum pay rate is
entered for the applicant. Additionally, any errors in the application are
corrected through this work-station. The Review work-station 5 may be used
at any time to update or modify any information about temporary help
employees on the system.
Job orders from a client of the temporary help business are taken by
telephone. When a client telephones the temporary help business with an
order, an operator enters that order onto the system through a Job Order
Taking work-station 6. All pertinent information about the temporary help
position that a temporary employee is sought for is recorded on the
system. Next, an operator activates a Job Order Filling work-station 7,
and searches for all temporary help employees whose skills and
availability match the job order. The displayed employees are contacted
manually by phone, and asked if they would accept the position. When a
temporary help employee accepts a position, the client is notified by
phone that a match has been made. The client is also informed of a billing
rate which is also entered into the system through the Job Order Filling
work-station. After the employee begins performing the temporary job, the
client is contacted manually by an operator of a Job-In-Progress
work-station 8. On this work-station, the operator can display information
about the job, and the employee filling it. The client is asked whether
they have any comments regarding the employee's service. They are also
asked if the term of the temporary job is to be extended or abbreviated,
or whether the employee should be replaced. This information is entered
into the system through the Jobs-In-Progress work-station 8.
Accounting is performed for specified accounting periods. At the conclusion
of each accounting period, invoices are generated for clients based on
employee time records which are submitted by temporary help employees to
the temporary help business. An operator of a Time and Payroll Accounting
work-station 9, can cause the system to print out reports of all time and
job information for each accounting period. The operator of the Time and
Payroll Accounting work-station 9, can then modify and correct any errors
in the information retained by the system. When the employee time records
and the data in the system are in agreement, an operator can cause,
through the Time and Payroll Accounting work-station 9, printing of
payroll checks for the employees, and invoices for the clients. Invoices
reflect all time worked for the clients during the accounting period.
Invoices detail individual jobs performed by employees assigned by the
temporary help business to that client.
To remain competitive in the temporary help industry, the business must
monitor its own performance. To do this, a Report and Trend Pattern
work-station 10, can be used by an operator to specify criteria for
reports. The criteria entered through the Report and Trend Pattern
work-station 10 can specify clients, skill sets, and pay and billing rate
information among other things. Reports based on these criteria reflect
the performance of the temporary help business.
The work-stations shown in the preferred embodiment located in the
temporary help business 1, are networked to a central computer 11.
Individual work-stations described above are dedicated to specific tasks
inside the temporary help business. As will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art, this same system could be implemented without
departure from the present invention on a system of networked
work-stations, multi-purpose work-stations, or other suitable digital
computing equipment configurations.
Data maintained by the system is stored on fixed media on a central
computer 11. The data is organized in database files on this fixed
rotational (disk) storage media. Specifically, the database files are the
Employee Inventory File 200 of FIG. 3, the Job Order File 300 of FIG. 4,
and the Periodic Time File 400 of FIG. 8. These files are organized into
records, and fields within records. As is readily apparent to those
skilled in the art, other representations of the data on fixed media, such
as "flat" character files on disk, could be employed without departing
from the present invention. Further, representations of similar data could
be made in electronic storage media (memory), or some combination of the
two could be employed without departure from the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 2, which is a high level block diagram of the
functions performed by the computer system generally described in FIG. 1,
the flow of information within the system is disclosed. The system is
driven by data which is initially entered when temporary help employee
applicants are screened. This is represented by function block 12. Also
represented in block 12 is the entry of detailed applicant information,
and administration of skill tests to the employee. This information is
preserved on the system and passed to function block 13. Block 13
represents viewing the test results with the applicant and assigning pay
rates to the applicant. This pay rate will be the minimum pay rate
accepted by the applicant as a temporary help employee. Also in block 13,
detailed information about the applicant is reviewed for accuracy and
corrected where necessary.
The clients of the temporary help business submit job orders into the
system through function block 14. Block 14 represents entry of all the
detailed information specifying a job order. That information is preserved
into block 15 which represents the matching of data preserved from block
13 and data preserved from block 14. The system displays a list of
successfully matched employees (candidate employees). Candidate employees
are all suitable temporary help employees who could perform the temporary
help job for each of the job orders. Finally, block 15 represents an
employee being assigned to each of the unfilled job orders. Information
necessary for confirming the matched job order is displayed for the
operator to manually contact the client. When the operator confirms
acceptance of the temporary position with the temporary help employee,
that the employee is notified of the start, end dates, type of work, and
assigned client.
This information is preserved into function block 16 which represents
monitoring temporary help jobs-in-progress. A client is manually
contacted, and pertinent information is preserved on the system as
represented in block 16. All the information gathered to this point is
then passed to the accounting system.
Function block 17 represents time accounting functions. Temporary help
employees submit time records, which details time worked on specific jobs.
Time Accounting 17 includes reconciling those time records with the
information preserved from function block 16 and above. After these are
reconciled, the information is stored in a separate file for that
accounting period, and the all data collected thus far is preserved into
function block 18.
Function block 18 represents generating payroll checks for temporary help
employees. payroll checks are printed for the temporary help employees.
These checks are based on data in the separate file generated in function
block 17, and other data on the system. All data collected thus far is
preserved into function block 19.
Function block 19 represents generating invoices for clients based on the
amount of work performed for them during the accounting period and a
billing rate. This data is preserved in the separate file generated in
block 17, and on other date collected on the system. All data collected
thus far is preserved into function block 20.
Finally, function block 20 represents reporting on trends and patterns.
These trends and patterns are specified by input data and rules from the
operator of the computer system. These data and rules are then applied to
searches and sorts of the data preserves throughout the system to
determine trends and patterns in the temporary help business's operation.
Each of these function blocks are described in expanded functional detail
below.
Screen Employees
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a diagrammatic representation of
the Employee Inventory File 200 maintained in a storage device or memory
in a computer system 11. This file is organized in records, each record
representing an individual temporary help employee of the temporary help
business. Each record is further broken into fields shown as individual
blocks within the Employee Inventory File 200.
FIG. 3 represents a detailed block flow diagram of the software operable on
computer system 11 which performs the functions represented by function
block 12 of FIG. 2. The system begins with decision block 21 representing
that the applicant can interrupt the application function at any time and
return to it without loss of data. If the current applicant is a new
applicant, the "Yes" branch of the decision block is met. In this case,
the receptionist first enters pre-application data 22. This data includes
a name 23, a phone number 24, the type of experience the person has had
represented in textual format 25, the type of work the applicant is
requesting represented in predefined numeric format 26, and how the
applicant was referred to the temporary help business, also in predefined
numeric format, 27. Based on the experience 25 and the type of work
requested 26, the receptionist/operator determines whether the applicant
should complete the application function. This is represented in decision
block 28.
If it is determined that the applicant is not suited to temporary help work
scheduled by the temporary help business, the negative branch of decision
block 28 represents that the screening function is complete. If the
applicant is accepted for further application, the affirmative branch
represents that a work-station suited to entry of applicant information 3
of FIG. 1, is activated as represented in block 29. Function block 30
represents a series of steps wherein the applicant is prompted by the
system for information found on employment applications commonly used in
the industry. This information, entered at work-station 3, includes the
date of birth of the applicant 31, a first and last date the applicant
will be available for work 32, geographic preference for jobs 33, the
applicant's marital status and social security number 34, and the
deductions applicable to income tax withholding 35. Finally, the system
records a numeric representation of the time required to complete the
application 36 in the Employee Inventory File. This figure can be used
later in reviewing the applicant's suitability for work to determine how
well and how quickly the applicant follows instructions and understands
how to operate a computer work-station.
Based on the time required to complete the application for this applicant,
and the applicant's time and availability during the application function,
the system determines whether to administer skill tests or defer them for
a later time 37. If the applicant has taken too long to complete the
application, or does not have time to presently take the skill tests, the
negative branch of the decision represents terminating the screening
process. If exams are to be administered, the affirmative branch of
decision block 37 represents activating a testing work-station 4 of FIG. 1
for applicant skill testing 38.
Function block 39 represents a series of software controlled steps wherein
the applicant is prompted for test answers at Applicant Testing
workstation 4. Responses are timed, and the responses and timings are
stored in the Employee Inventory File 200 maintained in computer system
11. The responses are compared to pre-determined correct responses stored
in the system. From these comparisons, the system determines a numeric
representation of employee skills. This is recorded in the Employee
Inventory File 200.
Referring now to FIG. 3a, the screening process is completed by reviewing
information gathered during preceding steps and confirming its accuracy
with the applicant. The software extracts from the Employee Inventory File
200 the skill test results obtained during the administration of skill
tests 40, and prints them 41 in paper form 42. An operator of the Test
Review work-station 5 of FIG. 1, then manually reviews skill test results
with each applicant. The operator also reviews all the information input
by the applicant during the application process for errors, and corrects
them. This is represented in function block 43.
Function block 43 also represents assigning a pay rate 44 to the applicant,
now a temporary help employee, based on the confirmed application
information such as work experience and skill test results. Additional
information, such as transportation available to the temporary employee
45, is entered into the Employee Inventory File 200. Finally, the record
in the Employee Inventory File for the temporary help employee is marked
"active" or "inactive" 46 based on the first and last available dates 32
of FIG. 3. The system then prompts the applicant for a final confirmation
of all information on the temporary help employee represented in decision
block 47. If it is correct, the screening and reviewing function is
complete. Otherwise, the employee information is reviewed and corrected by
an operator of the Test Review work-station 5 through software controlled
prompts and responses.
Receive Job Orders
Referring now to FIG. 4, the Job Order File 300 is represented in pictorial
form, and a detailed block flow diagram of entering job order information
into it is presented. Job orders received, via telephone or otherwise, are
recorded in the Job Order File 300 through the Job Order Receiving
work-station 6 of FIG. 1. The Job Order File 300 is organized in job order
records, each of which contains a number of specified fields. The
specified fields include data such as a job order number, date and time
entered.
FIG. 4 represents a detailed block flow diagram of the software operable on
computer system 11 which performs the functions represented by function
block 14 of FIG. 2. Function block 48 represents software for initializing
a job order record. A unique job order number 49, and a date and time
entered 50, and other pertinent information are stored into a job order
record in the Job Order File 300. Next, basic client data is entered and
retrieved in the system. This is represented in function block 51. The
data entered includes client division and department name 52. The software
system then searches other data retained on the digital computer not shown
for additional client information. This search is represented by decision
block 53. If additional client information is available on the digital
computer system, not shown in the Figures, that information is retrieved
and stored by the software into the Job Order File represented by function
block 55. Otherwise, additional client information is input by the
operator of the computer system 54 and stored by the software into the Job
Order File 300. Examples of this data are the client division and
department address 56, and a contact person 57 supervising the temporary
job.
The software then prompts the operator 58 for requirements of the temporary
job. One or more skills required for the temporary job 59, the training
required 60, and the starting and ending dates of the temporary job 61 are
stored by the software in the Job Order File 300. Next, the operator is
prompted by the software 62 to enter billing information into the system.
A billing rate 63, comments about the temporary job 64, a client order
reference number 65, and the amount the bill is marked up 66 are all
entered and stored by the software into the Job Order File 300.
Decision block 67 represents the cyclic nature of the job order receiving
function. If there are additional job orders to be processed, the function
repeats itself, otherwise the process is terminated.
Maintaining and Classifying Employees
Referring now to FIG. 5, there it is shown that fields within the Employee
Inventory File 200 updated whenever new data is entered into the file.
Each employee record in the Employee Inventory File 200 contains fields
for recording scheduled jobs. Each scheduled job has identical associated
fields to "Job 1" as shown in FIG. 5: a beginning date 70, an ending date
71, a skill required 72, and an assigned client 73. The total number of
"stacked jobs" or scheduled job fields representing future jobs, is also
stored 69.
FIG. 5 represents a detailed block flow diagram of the software operable on
computer system 11 which performs the functions represented by function
block 13 of FIG. 2. Function block 68 represents the software examining,
for each employee record in the Employee Inventory File 200, each of the
jobs scheduled for each employee record. For each job scheduled, the
beginning date 70 and the ending date 71 are compared to the beginning
date and ending date of all other scheduled jobs for that employee.
The system software sorts 74 the beginning and ending dates from nearest to
most distant time, and determines which are still future jobs based on the
current system time and date. The system software then converts the values
75 of beginning and ending dates to a scaler value representing the number
of days the beginning or ending date is after Jan. 1, 1900. The system
then stores the scaler value representations of starting and ending dates
of the next three future scheduled jobs 76.
The system software first determines the number of future jobs scheduled 77
for each employee record 69. It then stores, from the smallest to the
largest starting date value (arithmetically larger than the similarly
converted value of the current system date), the beginning date of current
job 78, the ending date of the current job 79, the beginning 80 and ending
81 date of the next future job, and the beginning 82 and ending 83 date of
the second future job. The software then repeats this function for all
employee records in the Employee Inventory File 200 as represented by
function block 84.
Filling Job Orders
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a detailed block flow diagram of
the software operable on computer system 11 which performs the functions
represented by function block 15 of FIG. 2. Filling job orders is done by
matching employee records in the Employee Inventory File 200 with job
order records in the Job Order File 300. The system software compares 85
the beginning and ending dates for next future jobs (78, 79, 80, 81, 82,
and 83) with the beginning and ending dates 61 of the job order record in
the Job Order File 300. Then, the system software determines 86 whether
the beginning and ending dates in a job order record fall between the
beginning and ending dates of the jobs currently scheduled, known in the
art as a "window" of time, for each employee record in the Employee
Inventory File 200. If there is no match, alternatives are considered as
described below for FIG. 6b.
If the employee record represents an employee who is available for work
during the matching time "window," the system software then compares 87
the required job skill 59 with the recorded employee skills 40. Decision
block 88 represents determining whether skills required match skills
available. If there is no match, then alternatives are considered as
described below for FIG. 6b.
If they match, the geographic location of the client is compared with the
geographic preference 33 and the transportation available to the employee
45 for the employee record. If these match 90, according to predetermined
criteria not shown, further matching is performed. If not, then
alternatives are considered as described below for FIG. 6b.
Training requirements 60 and training information 94 are compared 91 in the
Employee Inventory File 200, The system determines if these match 92. If
the training requirements are not met by the current employee, then
alternatives are considered as described below for FIG. 6b. Otherwise, the
employee represented by the employee record currently under examination is
a "candidate employee" suitable for assigning to the job specified by the
job order record in the Job Order File 300. This is noted by the software
in the Employee Inventory File 200 and the Job Order File 300 by storing
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