US 9,595,016 B1Granted

Method and apparatus for dynamic workforce optimization

AssigneeWorkFlex Solutions, LLC

InventorsLarry S. Schwartz, Mitesh D. Desai

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Abstract

A business can use an improved workforce management system which includes capabilities for supporting intraday dynamic staffing. This dynamic staffing can include identifying wages which should be offered to workers to induce them to meet the business' needs, based on, for example, historical information stored in a database. Systems which include dynamic intraday staffing can be run using remote servers and interfaces accessed through various types of devices, such as internet enabled personal computers.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A machine comprising:

a) a staff database storing staff data for each worker from a plurality of potential staff members;
b) a computer configured to dynamically optimize a workforce by, based on detecting a discrepancy between a projected level of staff demand during a shift and an updated level of staff demand during the shift determined based on real time data provided by a workforce management system, performing a set of tasks comprising:
I) determining one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift, wherein the computer is configured to determine the one or more actions by matching the detected discrepancy against at least one business rule specifying an action to be taken based on a time urgency for the detected discrepancy, wherein the time urgency for the detected discrepancy is a parameter representing:
A) a magnitude for the detected discrepancy relative to a threshold magnitude from the at least one business rule;
B) a duration for the detected discrepancy relative to a threshold duration from the at least one business rule;
or
C) a time of day for the detected discrepancy relative to a time period from the at least one business rule;
II) generating an optimized call out list by identifying one or more workers from the plurality of potential staff members to provide with personalized requests to perform actions from the one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift;
III) dynamically determining terms for one or more personalized requests based on comparing staff data from the staff database for each worker from the one or more workers with selection criteria corresponding to the one or more actions determined by matching the detected discrepancy against the at least one business rule, wherein the one or more personalized requests comprise a personalized request for each worker from the one or more workers, wherein the terms for each personalized request comprise identification of an action from the one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift;
and
IV) sending, to each worker from the one or more workers, the personalized request for that worker;
wherein the computer is further configured to:
i) on an ongoing basis after sending the personalized requests to the one or more workers, obtain current updated levels of staff demand during the shift;
and
ii) each time a response is received from one of the identified one or more workers and the response accepts the personalized request sent to that worker, selectively implementing the action identified in the personalized request based on concurrency controls and the then current updated levels of staff demand during the shift.

12 more elements

A method of optimizing a workforce comprising:

a) performing a set of triggering tasks comprising detecting a discrepancy between a projected level of staff demand during a shift and an updated level of staff demand during the shift determined based on real time data provided by a workforce management system;
b) based on the set of triggering tasks, performing a set of tasks comprising:
i) determining one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift, wherein determining the one or more actions comprises matching the detected discrepancy against at least one business rule specifying an action to be taken based on a time urgency for the detected discrepancy, wherein the time urgency for the detected discrepancy is a parameter representing:
A) a magnitude for the detected discrepancy relative to a threshold magnitude from the at least one business rule;
B) a duration for the detected discrepancy relative to a threshold duration from the at least one business rule;
or
C) a time of day the detected discrepancy relative to a time period from the at least one business rule;
ii) generating an optimized call out list by identifying one or more workers from a plurality of potential staff members to provide with personalized requests to perform actions from the one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift;
iii) dynamically determining terms for one or more personalized requests based on comparing staff data from the staff database for each worker from the one or more workers with selection criteria corresponding to the one or more actions determined by matching the detected discrepancy against the at least one business rule, wherein the one or more personalized requests comprise a personalized request for each worker from the one or more workers, wherein the terms for each personalized request comprise identification of an action from the one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift;
and
iv) sending, to each worker from the one or more workers, the personalized request for that worker;
wherein each of the tasks from the set of triggering tasks, and each of the tasks from the set of tasks is performed by a computer based on execution of instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium;
and
wherein the instruments stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium are operable to configure the computer to:
i) on an ongoing basis after sending the personalized requests to the one or more workers, obtain current updated levels of staff demand during the shift;
and
ii) each time a response is received from one of the identified one or more workers and the response accepts the personalized request sent to that worker, selectively implementing the action identified in the personalized request based on concurrency controls and the then current updated levels of staff demand during the shift.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A machine comprising:

a) a staff database storing staff data for each worker from a plurality of potential staff members;
b) a computer configured to dynamically optimize a workforce by, based on detecting a discrepancy between a projected level of staff demand during a shift and an updated level of staff demand during the shift determined based on real time data provided by a workforce management system, performing a set of tasks comprising:
I) determining one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift, wherein the computer is configured to determine the one or more actions by matching the detected discrepancy against at least one business rule specifying an action to be taken based on a time urgency for the detected discrepancy, wherein the time urgency for the detected discrepancy is a parameter representing:
A) a magnitude for the detected discrepancy relative to a threshold magnitude from the at least one business rule;
B) a duration for the detected discrepancy relative to a threshold duration from the at least one business rule;
or
C) a time of day for the detected discrepancy relative to a time period from the at least one business rule;
II) generating an optimized call out list by identifying one or more workers from the plurality of potential staff members to provide with personalized requests to perform actions from the one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift;
III) dynamically determining terms for one or more personalized requests based on comparing staff data from the staff database for each worker from the one or more workers with selection criteria corresponding to the one or more actions determined by matching the detected discrepancy against the at least one business rule, wherein the one or more personalized requests comprise a personalized request for each worker from the one or more workers, wherein the terms for each personalized request comprise identification of an action from the one or more actions for addressing the detected discrepancy between the projected level of staff demand during the shift and the updated level of staff demand during the shift;
and
IV) sending, to each worker from the one or more workers, the personalized request for that worker;
wherein the computer is further configured to:
i) on an ongoing basis after sending the personalized requests to the one or more workers, obtain current updated levels of staff demand during the shift;
and
ii) each time a response is received from one of the identified one or more workers and the response accepts the personalized request sent to that worker, selectively implementing the action identified in the personalized request based on concurrency controls and the then current updated levels of staff demand during the shift.

12 more elements