Conference 7.286::digital

    
    I don't know about money, but it wouldn't save me from some incredible
    problems is this was done. Our suffering would be legendary.
    
    /prc

    This would present some serious legal problems.  In California, State
    Law requires all employers, with one exception, to pay employees at
    least twice a month.  That one exception is the State of California
    which pays all employees monthly :-)
    
    

    I'd love it, but given that most people are one weekly pay check away
    from the poor farm, there would have to be a lengthy transition period.
    
    But the other guy is correct....it is illegal in many states.

Cookster, you can avoid those problems by doing as I do:

Save your statements until the end of the month, and add them all into your
checkbook then.

One nice thing about this is that four times a year you get a bonus.

/john

    In the UK, we are paid monthly in advance.  Monthly is usual;
    I don't think "in advance" is.
    

    Not true. We are paid at the end of the first week of any given month
    - on the 7th - for that month, so we are paid one week in arrears,
    three weeks in advance.
    
    
    /andy/

    Actually, it occurs to me that the scheme we use in the UK (.6) would
    probably be legal in most states - your being paid in advance would
    negate most penalties.
    
    As to the basenote, being paid monthly would, if the money was invested
    correctly, garner millions in accrued interest to DEC.
    
    
    /andy/

    I Switzerland we are payed just before the start of each month.  Delays
    in processing the payments through the bank make this payment arrive
    in our personal account in the first week of the month.
    
    David

    When I first moved to New Hampshire I was paid monthly.  If I remember
    correctly, I was at work about 6 weeks before receiving my first
    paycheck, for my first month's work.  I got a little hungry the week
    before the paycheck came in---the savings account had stayed with my
    wife in California, so I had to live on the cash I carried with me.
    
    Yes, I agree that a transition period would be appropriate.  Also,
    the profit made by investing the salary money should be added to
    everyone's base pay, as a sweetener.
        John Sauter

When I lived and worked in NH, I  was paid monthly, on the last day 
of the month, for that month.
When I moved to Massachusetts, I was told that Mass law requires that a worker
be paid within a week of the end of the week for  the work of that week.
Thus if one were to be paid monthly in Mass, part of the pay would be two 
or more weeks in advance, presumably negating savings to the the employer
on interest, though perhaps saving a tiny bit on overhead of preparation
and printing.  I would assume that time reporting, vacation accounting,
and such would be recorded weekly, so these could be kept current and accurate.

Hey, why stop at paying once a month? For really big savings, how about
paying people once a year? Or better yet, only when they retire or quit 
(10-year minimum wait required)? Digital would put the money each week in 
an escrow account and keep all the interest, thus bringing in lots of 
extra revenue.

And for those wimpy crybabies who don't like it, or who claim they need
the money for rent, mortgage, food, or other frivolities -- tough. If
they want the money bad enough, Digital could loan it at "n" points over the
current prime rate, thus making even more money.

P.S.  "Shifting gears" a bit... Re .10: I hope you're right about the Mass. 
state law!  I once worked for a company in Ohio that paid once a month - for
the previous month worked. I didn't care for the practice then, and wouldn't 
welcome it now.

This topic has been discussed to death in the DELTA_IDEAS conference
(KP7 or SELECT to add to your notebook).

    I submitted such an idea over a year ago,  My suggestion was to go to
    a two week pay period.  I am not a financial person but with my
    crued thoughts and ways I came up with savings in the multi million
    dollar range.  Dec would be keeping the money in the bank for a longer
    time and collecting that much more interest.  My idea was basically
    tabled, I was told it had been looked into in the past and that there
    were to many legal / personnel issues etc.  I was also asked that if
    I wanted to pursue it then I needed to supply more info and cost
    savings.  This shocked me because as I said I am terrible with
    finances.  thats what they pay people like osterhoff to do, not me.
    

One thing I don't understand -- why is it that being paid monthly
is apparently acceptable to Europeans [I suppose that since the
service tunnel has been connected, the UK is now part of Europe :-)]
but not in the USA, aside from the details of what the law requires?

    For everyone's information, Payroll has spent the last several months
    looking at cost saving ideas for their function.  Many ideas have come
    in to the DELTA Program along this line and they have been taken into
    consideration in the decision process.  There will be a decision made
    and communicated in the near future.
    

    RE: .14 I've wondered why Europeans accept getting paid monthly
    as well. It doesn't seem like a reasonable thing at all. But there
    are a lot of things, it seems, that European people will put up
    with that Americans will not. Cultural differences I guess. It seems
    rather unfair to force one group to accept something just because
    "Well, this is how it's done in Europe."

    		Alfred

I'd gladly accept monthly pay if I got as much time off as Europeans get.
(Yes, I know U.S. salaries are higher.)

    I used to work for a US company which paid us monthly (I prefer it to
    the every-other-week business; most of my bills are monthly and it is
    much easier to plan a budget).  Of course, you were paid on the 15th
    of the month for that entire month (i.e., you were paid for days you
    hadn't yet worked).
    
    The company that did this was also notorious for paying LOW salaries --
    except to top officials whose salaries made KO's look like minimum
    wage.
    
    -- Russ

    Why not have each employee write a non-tax deductible check for about
    0.08% of their salary around Christmas time and call it a Christmas
    present for Digital?  For an employee earning $52,000 that's $41.58
    (assuming 8% annual interest)

    That's what the out of pocket cost to an employee would roughly be if
    the company went to paying every two weeks.  The company receives the
    interest on money for a week, 26 times during the year.  Who's getting
    this money now?  The employees.  Get the idea, this is a zero-sum game.
    
    I think we ought to concentrate on how to make the shareholders of our
    competitors poorer rather than Digital employees poorer.

I never figured it was much of a hardship to be paid monthly.
In fact, I preferred it that way (lower I/O rate on the bank 
balance; a lot easier to keep track of).

    I can't speak for the GIA employees, but the monthly pay is probably
    done for logistical reasons.  How do you transport weekly checks around
    the world insuring that they always get there on time?  The same
    question arises with direct deposit.
    
    As far as changing the domestic payroll scheme, this would require
    significant administrative changes.  I'm sure we could change to a
    bi-weekly payroll with little pain.  I don't think a semi-monthly
    payroll would work as well because as a company our personel accounting
    is based upon weeks.  Say cutoff is every friday or every other friday.
    When you implement semi-monthly, your cutoff rules are different, i.e.
    the 10th and 25th unless they fall on weekends in which they then
    occur on the previous friday unless that is a holiday or the moon
    is in the later phases before and after the fall equinox [sic].
    
    In justification of changing payroll is the costs of producing and 
    distributing paystubs [paychecks].  It costs the company significantly
    more to cut and distribute the checks than they spent on ecomonic 
    interest lost.  The figures I heard when doing payroll systems years
    ago was a average cost of $1.00 to $1.50 per check when a company had
    10,000+ employees.  I'm sure DEC is in that ballpark because at certain
    points in a distributed company, payroll costs become constant based
    upon number of employees.
    
    In summation, there might be savings, but the imediate disruption
    inside Digital might cost more than any immediate savings.

I used to work for a company that did payroll monthly.  When they went through
some rough times, they switched over to paying us weekly, even though it
meant shelling out money sooner for the first 3 weeks.  The reason they
gave was cash flow, which I guess companies like to keep nice and even.

This was in New Hampshire, by the way, and about 12 years ago, so I don't
know what the current laws are.

- Tom

    RE: .22 European and GIA employees are paid locally by the company they
    work for (in my case Digital Equipment Limited, the British subsidiary
    company). Cheques aren't printed in the USA and "transported around the
    globe'.
    
    Had to grin...

    
    Doesn't it take much more administration to handle four payments per
    employee every month? I know this is pretty much handled by the
    computer, but there has to be someone pushing the bottons.
    
    I can understand temps and contactors wanting their pay on a weekly
    basis, but does it make sense for regular emloyees. (we're not called
    permanent any more for obvious reasons)...;^)
    
    Lars
    

    Piece by piece I suppose I'll have to educate everyone here about the
    time value of money and that to change the flow of money with no value
    added is no "savings" whether it's out of employees', customers', or
    vendors' pockets and into Digital's.  We've got to get smart, not
    greedy.  Maybe the "right" suggestion is to evaluate out-sourcing US
    payroll administration.
    
    Payroll is a system that is heavily weighted on the _input_ side, all
    those records that have to collected and those updates need to be made.

    The _output_ side is mailing out magtapes, checks, and stubs.  Small
    potatoes, I'm afraid.
    
    I'll suggest that we work for _free_ and receive a lump sum upon
    retirement or termination with no accrued interest for "salary".
    
    No, I'll suggest that we work for _free_ and receive a lump sum TEN
    YEARS AFTER retirement or termination with no accrued interest for
    "salary".

The way we could save money is to get everybody in the US in
direct deposit and then send out the stubs once a month.  I have got to
believe that the cost of printing out the forms once a week far exceeds
the savings the company might get from the interest on holding the
money.

Besides, even in these tough times I don't think that Digital really
wants to squeeze a few $$$s in interest from the the employees.  So
if you really want to save DEC money you should sign up for Direct
Deposit.  You get your money faster and even if Digital sends the stubs
weekly they don't have to go through all the control procedures involved
with printing real checks.

How did this get turned into a supposed "U.S. vs. Europe" issue?

As many U.S. persons have mentioned, other companies and government agencies
in the U.S. pay monthly.  Millions of Americans are paid monthly, usually on
the last day of the month.

Massachusetts has a law requiring weekly pay.  It doesn't make sense for DEC
to pay differently than required by law in the single state where the largest
number of DEC employees work.

    re: several
    
    	What seem to be the big deal with planning your month on a 4
    week basis. For all those who can't handle being paid once a week,
    perhaps a small course in basic math is in order.
    
    	I seem to do just fine and figure my budget on a 4 week month
    and even get a bonus 4 times a year. If we are talking saving 
    money for DEC here, then that's a different story. What are the
    people who can't handle the 4 paychecks a month really saying??
    	Greg

    I question the existence of a law in Massachusetts relating to weekly
    pay since I worked for 4 different hi tech companies in Mass. prior
    to coming to DEC and pay schedules ranged from every other week to
    bi monthly to monthly.  I never saw a weekly pay schedule till I 
    came here.   Actually, I found monthly to be quite convenient
    since bills generally come in once a month anyway but it
    did require a certain amount of planning.
    
    -sue
    

    Re: .27
    
    Point well taken regarding direct deposit versus live checks.
    
    It has always amazed me to see people on vacation come in to the 
    facility (during their vacation) to pick up their live check.
    
    Personally, when I'm on vacation, I appreciate the flexibility of
    getting money (out of my account) when I need it.
    
    With the increasing costs of fuel, we may possibly see more people
    converting to direct deposit. I.E., cost of easy touch transaction,
    ~$1.00, being less than the cost of driving to pick up live check and
    cash it.
    
    Kevin

    > I question the existance of a law...
    
    From what I can gather, the law doesn't apply to everyone only those
    people who are paid on an hourly basis. (I think!)
    
    Apparently salaried employees can be paid less often than once a week
    if the company wants.
    
    Edd

    [forwardings removed...]
    
Subj:	Cost savings for DEC of the 1990's

		***** NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION *****

The following decisions have been made based on extensive meetings and
discussions with chief corporate executives.

1) Over the next few weeks, all phones will be removed from individual
   offices. If you wish to make calls, use the pay phones which will
   be installed in each main lobby. You can request reimbursement for
   business-related calls by completing the appropriate expense voucher
   -- itemizing each call with the date, time, duration, party called,
   conversation summary, and business purpose.

2) It has come to our attention that most one-person offices contain a
   minimum of 2 chairs. We believe this is not only a waste of resources
   but encourages unnecessary personal contact. Our goal this quarter is to
   eliminate extra chairs and make our workers more productive professionals.
   Some groups have already initiated the SQUIRT strategy: If anyone comes
   into their office for a reason that is not business or revenue-producing,
   it is permissible to squirt the offender with a water pistol. Check with
   your site training manager for the time and location of the ONLY training
   approved for this quarter: EW290DW -- "Effective Interpersonal Water
   Delivery in a Lair Environment".

3) Effective immediately, all hot water used in restrooms and at kitchen
   islands throughout the facilities will be turned off. Studies have shown
   there is NO evidence of an increase in illness when hands are washed
   using cold water. It has also been found that cold water stimulates the
   brain -- an obvious health/business benefit.

4) All copy machines will be located in locked rooms. Those employees with
   appropriate job titles will be issued "keycards" which can be used to
   access the copy machines. The keycard will be encoded with the employee's
   cost center, badge number, and copy-maximum number. A committee has been
   appointed to determine the copy-maximum number for each job title. Once
   the limit has been reached, the card becomes inactive and a report will be
   sent to the employee's cost center manager. This restricting and monitoring
   of the use of copy machines is estimated to save the company $1,000,000
   each month!

5) There is substantial evidence that the majority of the people working
   past 9 pm are nonconforming, innovative, engineering types whose 'best
   inspirations' come to them between the hours of 9 pm and 5 am. Since our
   new business strategy is to follow the pack rather than lead it, we need
   to make every effort to discourage any troublesome new ideas. Therefore,
   no system manager is permitted to back up any files that have been 
   produced between the hours of 9 pm and 5 am.

6) Given the economic climate today, more employees have been seen
   bringing in their own coffee and lunches. As we all know, the cafeteria
   and vending machines sell the same items. In order for these outside
   businesses to pay the rent on using company space, they must continue to
   make a profit. We cannot afford to lose this revenue, which is often more
   than we make from selling our own products. THEREFORE, the security guards
   will no longer allow anyone to carry foodstuff past the front desk.
   Customers are excluded from this policy.

7) In the past, the company did not feel it was necessary to install a time
   clock in order to ensure that employees put in a full 8 hours of work.
   At those facilities where it was noticed that morale was lowest and
   tardiness was greatest, a senior vice president was stationed at the front
   entrance to monitor offenders. We still do not believe in time clocks;
   however, after careful study of the Japanese, we have decided to institute
   the practice of checking in employee's shoes at the front desk. No one will
   receive their shoes back until 9 hours (1 hour for lunch) have past, except
   in the case of an emergency or a signed note from their cost center manager.

8) It has been proven that the accumulation of spilled coffee around
   coffee machines could be an electrical hazard, though we have had no report
   of anyone getting shocked (except several important customers who 
experienced
   horror at the messy appearance). We have provided paper towels for the
   express purpose of keeping these areas clean and dry. With your safety in
   mind, we will post new signs at each coffee machine with this motto:

	**** USE THEM (the towels) OR LOSE THEM (the machines). ****

   Please note: Caffeine might be included on the DRUG chart in the near 
future.
   Its use and potential abuse is under review at this time. A decision will
   be forecoming as to whether this company wants to give the impression that
   it approves of any DRUG usage.

If you have questions or concerns about your ability to follow these
guidelines, please see your manager for encouragement and support in making 
an appropriate career change. 

     [forwardings removed...]
    
   {"Wall Street Journal", November 29, 1990, p. B2} Maynard - Digital 
    Equipment Announces Termination Program.  

    A company executive confirmed that Digital will terminate in
    excess of 20,000 employees through a program known internally
    as "Fat Man".  The official, who declined to be identified,
    revealed that anti-personnel explosives will be detonated in an
    unspecified number company cafeterias to down size overall
    headcount.
    
    "We looked at a lot of options, and decided that this approach would 
    accomplish our financial goals within the context of Digital's values 
    of respecting the dignity of the individual, valuing differences, and 
    returning a fair profit to our shareholders."  The executive went on to 
    explain that all employees have an equal opportunity of being 
    terminated.  "Several important details deserve recognition.  Out of 
    compassion, we decided to shoot the wounded.  Furthermore, we decided 
    to wait until after the holidays...we wanted to make sure that everyone 
    had an opportunity to enjoy the season of peace and good will toward 
    humankind.  Then people can start the new year looking forward to a 
    wonderful opportunity."
    
    From a financial perspective, the spokesperson indicated that Digital 
    will provide surviving family members with a generous severance package 
    which will include a burial benefit of up to $5,000 with a $250 out of 
    pocket deductible.  The official elaborated, "Our research shows that 
    our burial benefit is one of the most liberal in the industry.  And 
    since the employee dies on the job, the family receives four times the 
    employee's salary in the form of a lump sum life insurance payment 
    under the terms of the accidental death and dismemberment clause of 
    Digital's group insurance contract.  We are very excited about this 
    program, and we feel that we are going to turn the corner on the head 
    count problem, and the best part of the whole program is that it will 
    not cost DEC a nickel and it reduces costly floor space to boot!
    
    Wall Street analysts indicate that it won't be enough.

    re: -2
    
    Mike - 
    
    At first I thought that you may have been serious in what you wrote.
    Humor or no humor, our hot water heater in our facility conveniently
    broke last week, and it will take some time for replacement parts to
    arrive.  Meanwhile, we make do with cold water.
    
    I wonder if our joggers in the building are taking cold showers?

	Last I knew, the MA law was (in a nutshell):

	o  Hourly employees must be paid weekly.

	o  No employer may hold more than a week's pay in arrears.


	[Note:  I am not a laywer.  The information I have is several years
old and may have changed. There may be exceptions. I know at least one employer
who holds wages for the entire summer, but does supply room and board for his 
staff.]

						--Doug

.30>    came here.   Actually, I found monthly to be quite convenient
.30>    since bills generally come in once a month anyway but it
.30>    did require a certain amount of planning.
.30>    
.30>    -sue
    
    The planning effort needed to stretch a monthly paycheck
    is probably equal to the the effort needed to budget money each
    week for making monthly payments so effortwise it's about equal.
    
    Re: a few back, weekly direct deposit and monthly stubs
    
    Some people still get paid overtime (sigh, none for me since '83!)
    and thus each deposit can only be estimated. The stub is typically
    needed since the electronic system doesn't let you query about
    deposits made to your account.
    
    I'd vote to keep the pay weekly if asked.
    
    Lee    
    
    
    

    Now this one will save us *millions*, or perhaps even better, maybe
    more than the cancellation of bottled water will save us.  Just found
    out that [allegedly] there is a new 'cost saving policy' in place that
    says if we want 1991 refills for our Day-Timers, it comes out of our
    own pocket.  Work *smarter*, not [necessarily] harder, but make sure
    the expense comes out of your own pocket...
    
    Jon

    Although I could have submitted the bills for my Franklin refill
    for reimbursement I felt it was terribly petty to do so because I
    use them all the time - not just during work hours.   Digital paid
    for the course and materials initially and I don't mind paying 
    subsequently for refills - figured it was a reasonable trade off.
    
    Do you use the Day-Timers only during work hours?  If so, you're
    probably further ahead to find another method that the company will
    pay for....if you use them outside of work too, and really rely on
    them, just bite the bullet and be glad you got them for free before.
    
    Evelyn

    I get my calendars from a local store that gives them away to
    customers.  They imprint their name and address on the front, but
    I can live with that.
        John Sauter

   Nows to the for someone to come up with an innovative Postscript program
   for generating daytimer refills...
   
   q
   

    Regarding PostScript (tm) look alikes for Daytimers (tm).  The
    appearance of the page is protected by copyright.
    
    Regarding "free" calendars with advertising imprints.  Digital in years
    gone by, did that and distributed them to customers as tokens like
    those coffee mugs with the logo.
    
    In 1975 as a new employee I was in a meeting with an IBM sales rep who
    handed out a few calendars.  He knew that I wasn't a customer, but of
    course, he wouldn't be crass and single me out for not getting a
    calendar.  When I started to use it in the DEC office, people went
    ballistic and insisted that I get a Daytimer from Allentown PA.  It was
    only then that I learned that Digital did this gratis.

    I wanted one of the Franklin time management systems that I've seen
    many people use effectively in meetings.  I would use it about 80% for
    business and 20% for personal/academic use.
    
    For some reason, only managers in my group can get sent to the Time
    Management course where you get the calendar systems as part of the
    package.  I begged and pleaded to attend, but couldn't convince anyone
    it would be worth it.  (Helping me stay organized is actually one of the
    better investments DEC could make in me in terms of its business.)
    
    I finally decided that it was worth it to me in peace of mind to get a
    good system that would help me eliminate all the little scraps of paper
    that I scribble things on.  I decided to purchase one of the Franklin
    systems myself for next year.  I got the catalog and ordered one -
    there are even packages that even include books and tapes on how to use
    them.  (It's probably pretty intuitive.)
    
    Other people may differ, but I found that I really didn't mind paying
    for something that would make this much of a difference to me
    personally.  I would *like* it if DEC would buy it for me, but staying
    organized and not hunting for little pieces of paper and old meeting
    notes and other miscellaneous things will buy me some tangible personal
    time and serenity.
    
    I am really glad DEC pays for university courses, but I've always been
    surprised (and pleased) that DEC pays for our schoolbooks.  I always
    write in mine and keep them for my personal use.  That too feels like
    something that is nice in a time of abundance, but is it really
    necessary in a time of belt-tightening?
    
    Holly 

    As of the recent purchasing memo, everyone will be paying for their own
    Franklin Time Management systems and updates at least for the rest of
    FY91.  I just ordered my refills last night.  
    
    -Ken

    We have some really nice Postscript printouts from ALL-IN-1 Time
    Management, available soon through ASSETS.
    
    You might want to take a look at them - they're so nice that I don't 
    use paper calendars at all anymore.
    
    Mail me if you have questions,
    Leslie

    About a month ago, I sent to DELTA_IDEAS a suggestion that Digital
    officially entrench the use/access to Employee Interest Notesfiles
    as an official benefit of working a DEC. The cost savings were obvious
    - less time & energy expended by people who want to shut them down,
    therefore higher productivity.
    
    Here is the reponse I got today:
    
    -----------------------------------------
    
    From:  TRCO01::MRGATE::"KAOA00::AKOV00::OGOMTS::CAPNET::A1::CENTRAL2.IDEA"
    To:     FINNEY
    CC:
    Subj:   DELTA IDEA REGARDING NOTESFILE
     
    From:   NAME: IDEA CENTRAL2
            FUNC: DELTA PROGRAM OFFICE
            TEL: Karen Agule 276-9339             <CENTRAL2.IDEA AT A1 at CAPNET atOGO>
    To:     ALBERT ANG @WRO,
            KEN FINNEY @TRC
     
     
     
     
          We received a response from Dan Infante regarding your notesfile
          suggestions.
     
     
          Regards,
    		Karen Agule
    
    ***************************************
    
    well, the rest is that by-now-famous memo from Dan Infante (no need to
    reproduce it).
    
    
    I responded by asking what my suggestion has to do with Mr. Infante,
    I don;t work for him or his organization, and as far as I could tell,
    Mr. Infante has no corporate purview over Notes Files, or the Digital 
    Employee benefits programs.
    
    Scooter

    You may find LESLIE::EMPLOYEE_INTEREST_NOTING of interest...

    .45 - Leslie:  Can you tell us where we can get copies of the
    postscript printouts from ALL-IN-1 Time Management???  If I was
    creative and if I had the time, I could just type something up and
    photocopy it myself, I suppose... But I just learned that COSMOS is
    shut down completely 'til January.  I had been trying to order a
    calendar for my boss since November [I'm a secretary] with no luck.
    
    The little stickies with notes for next year's calendar just can't cut
    it any more!
    
    

        Attached is part of the description from the Office ASSETS library
        for the Month Overview printout.  I believe the weekly print-out
        (which looks like a day planner page) is still in the ASSETS
        submission queue.  Type VTX ASSETS_OFFICE from DCL to get to the
        Office ASSETS system.
        
        _Mike
        
                                                      Solution Tool Description




          DIGITAL

                Time Management PostScript[R] Month Overview, Release 1.0

                                      Solution Tool

             DESCRIPTION
             Time Management PostScript Month Overview is a Solution Tool
             offering users the ability to create realistic, PostScript style
             month overviews from within ALL-IN-1 Time Management. The highly
             flexible menus allow users to control both formatting and font
             selection. The ALL-IN-1 system manager controls all the defaults.

             The Time Management PostScript Month Overview produces a wall
             calendar style (landscape) printout featuring five weeks of seven
             days and includes miniature calendars for both the previous and
             following months. The header information includes the user's ALL-
             IN-1 full name, the calendar month and year, and the current date
             and time.
             The main ALL-IN-1 screen for Time Management PostScript Month
             Overview enables users to format their calendar information to fit
             their specific needs. Users can specify from one up to four lines
             to print for each event. This determines how much information will
             be printed about each calendar entry.

             Users can also specify the number of lines for each day, or the
             number of lines to print in each box, and this will cause the text
             in the boxes to shrink to the specified size. If a user specifies
             zero lines per day, Time Management PostScript Month Overview will
             dynamically adjust the text size on a daily basis, such that the
             calendar information specified will fit in each box. In the event
             that a user has specified more calendar information than will fit
             in a daily box, Time Management PostScript Month Overview will
             place an inverted triangle (V) next to the day number, signifying
             that there was more information than would fit.

          _____________________
            [R] PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.


             10-SEP-1990                       Digital Equipment Corporation  1

 

          Solution Tool Description




             FEATURES

             Time Management PostScript Month Overview provides the following
             features:

              o  Users can fully customize their calendar printouts to fit their
                specific needs.

              o  Users can select from all fonts available to their specific
                PostScript printers, and the ALL-IN-1 Administrator can
                maintain this list through an entry form provided.

              o  Users can choose to print the location for calendar events
                (meetings). The location is printed with an "@" sign on the
                line following the event.

              o  For maximum readability, the PPM option will selectively wrap
                the words in calendar entries such that words are not split
                across lines in the daily box, or for maximum information, this
                feature will fit as much text as possible on each line of the
                daily box.

              o  Includes both normal formatting, and a special center-punch
                formatting option which leaves the fourth day position blank
                so that the printout may be folded and punched, suitable for
                inclusion in a popular day-timer.

              o  Users can specify that all days in the past should be shaded,
                and this helps to highlight the current day, and is a visual
                queue to where the user should look.

              o  Users can print multiple months with a single command, and can
                print from one to twelve months for each command.

    Thank you very much.

    re .42

    I don't think there's a big issue around printing something that looks
    like a Day-Timer page. Before DEC, I used the Franklin refills (I took
    their time management course), and my well-worn leather binder is from
    Franklin, too. When I came to DEC, where we used Day-Timer, I just selected
    the refills that look the most like Franklin's -- virtually identical.

    Of course, the operative word is "virtually," i.e., "not quite"!

    /Petes

   Indeed, the intent of my suggestion, was not that we mimic Daytimer format,
   but perhaps come up with our own. And then we could have smart translator
   code, that munged our All-in-1 calendars, or decwindows calendars into the
   appropriate format...
   
   q
   

Actually, you can fine tune the daytimer pages to your own use if you do
something like this.  There are several pages which I ordeder at startup that 
are "almost" what I want.  I have looked at getting the small punch (I have
the next size down from desk size) and printing my own pages two up and
double sided on such as the LPS 20 or som other double sided printer.

All one needs is a good paper cutter and the 7 hole punch to complete the job
and you can then get EXACTLY what you want for refills.  I expect that the
indexes (jan-dec) et all will last for a while.

This way, you dont blast the copyright as your pages are different.  Also, the
Franklin 7 hole pages are compatible with the DayTime binder and are usually
.50 cheaper per pack (and no extra plastic "holders" are included).

My only wonder at thisd "money saver" is what is the cost per page to Digital
for us (engineers) to generate the pages, vs the cost per page to buy the
refills (if they pay.  I have been ordering my own for the last cycle or so).


				Bill

    I've been buying my own DayTimers for at least five years. I
    figure the company buys (or bought) me a Weekly Minder if I wanted
    one, and if I wanted something fancier that does the same thing,
    it's my dollar.

    When I see complaints about DEC nickle-and-diming its employees, I
    can't help but wonder if it really isn't the other way around.

    

    I don't really mind paying for a system that works for me.
    
    What was hard for me is that the managers in our group got sent to the
    Franklin Time Management seminar where they were given the complete
    system, and the ICs were not able to attend.  The only way to get one
    was to buy one.
    
    But since it was worth it to me, I bought one.  I am very glad I did. 
    In just a few days I have been feeling much more on top of the little
    scraps of paper I used to chase around my desk.  The prioritized to-do
    list on the calendar page is wonderful for me!
    
    Holly