Apple Apologizes to Employees For Scheduling Error

Apple is traditionally very calculated in making changes, whether those be to its products or within its business model. So it came as a surprise when reports of the company laying off employees emerged in recent weeks. This was later proven to be false.

The company made changes in its scheduling system and many employees’ hours were cut. The majority of those affected were part-time employees. It is believed that because the hours were cut down so drastically that some thought layoffs would occur. Layoffs tend to occur when companies are losing business, but Apple continues to grow, so the new system came as a surprise to employees and patrons alike.

Apple implemented this new system in all 372 of their stores, the majority of which are located in the United States. The new system resulted in many stores being understaffed and many employees saw their schedules reduced to as little as one half-shift a week. Once the error was recognized, Apple reverted to the previous system.

John Browett, senior vice president of sales, took the position in April of this year. Since that time he has overseen the new staffing formula, and was quick to acknowledge the problem once it became apparent. He instructed team leaders across the retail network to apologize to their employees for the mistake by explaining, “We messed up.” Browett had gained popularity among Apple employees for increasing pay following reviews earlier this summer.

Spokeswoman, Kristin Huguet, told the Wall Street Journal, “Our employees are our most important asset and the ones who provide the world-class service our customers deserve.”

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5 Design Missteps of Facebook’s New Scheduling Feature

A recent Facebook update lets page administrators schedule posts in advance, similar to the scheduling functions of HootSuite and other third-party apps.

However, users quickly noticed flaws in the user interface — that is, if they could even find the feature at all.

Check out the gallery below, where we pinpoint and troubleshoot these faults.

What do you think about the feature’s flaws? Will you still use it, or will you stick with third-party apps? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

View As Slideshow » 1. A Good Scheduling Feature Is Hard to Find

If you're waiting for the scheduling feature to roll out to your page, look a little bit closer -- you already have it.

Go to your page and begin to write a post. In the bottom-left corner, you should see a small clock (yeah, it's tough to notice). Click on it and set the time to the future, and the button that says "Post" will change to "Schedule."

2. Find the Future in the Past

Albert Einstein said that the distinction between the past and future is "only a stubbornly persistent illusion." Who knew he was predicting Facebook's scheduling feature?

In order to schedule a post, you have to date it the same way you would date a milestone, only in the future. These two features aren't separate, which is another reason why you might not realize you can schedule posts on your page in the first place.

3. Ten Is the Loneliest Number

Rather than offering a simple calendar and timing function, Facebook only allows you to schedule posts in 10-minute increments. More than that, you must schedule an update at least 10 minutes in advance.

Once you schedule a post, you can't modify or edit the content, only the time. Many users have complained that you can't see what you've scheduled or cancel any posts, but you can do these things in the Activity Log (see next slide).

5. Activity Log: "IZ IN UR TOOLBAR, HIDING MOAR FEECHURS"

When you schedule a post, a window pops up that allows you to view your Activity Log, which is essentially a list of all activity on your page. Scheduled posts show up at the top of the log.

However, if you want to look at scheduled posts later, it's difficult to find the Activity Log. At the top of your page, click the "Manage" drop-down menu and choose "Activity Log." A small arrow will appear and disappear when you hover over each post, which you need to click if you want to cancel the post or modify its time.

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uTorrent for Mac Adds RSS Feeds, Scheduling, and More to the Popular BitTorrent Client [Updates]

Mac OS X: uTorrent has long been our favorite BitTorrent client on Windows, but its Mac version was severely lacking in features. Today, it's finally out of beta, and much closer to feature parity with its Windows cousin, adding support for RSS feeds, scheduling, and a new remote interface optimized for tablets.

uTorrent brings some real competition to the table on the Mac, with new advanced features that Mac-favorite Transmission still doesn't support. Now, you can subscribe to torrent RSS feeds inside uTorrent and have it automatically start downloading new torrents as soon as they're posted. You can also fine-tune your download schedules much more closely, telling uTorrent to start, stop, and limit speed throughout the week so it doesn't hog your bandwidth. And, lastly, their remote interface is now optimized for the iPad and other tablets, so you can manage your torrents from anywhere with a great mobile UI.

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