From the BLUEPRINT 4D conference held in May of 2023, Strategist Lisa Chow offered up-to-date information for PeopleSoft’s Time & Labor and Absence Management. She included where ideas came from for the updates and how they played into the roadmap. She explained what is new, providing helpful demonstrations. Finally, Chow shed light on enhancements that are to come.

Customer Ideas and Ideas Lab

Chow emphasized the significance of customer input through platforms like My Oracle Support Community (MOSC), where enhancement ideas are proposed and voted on by the PeopleSoft community. These ideas influence roadmap development, with their status monitored by strategists.

Strategists’ View of Time & Labor ideas:

The top three Time & Labor ideas include making the timesheet fluid with improvement suggestions in comments, addressing the issue of MSS FL Timesheet not allowing for date selection, and proposing filtering options for Time & Labor approvals in Fluid. Additionally, there’s a suggestion to enhance the update Time Reporter status page to enable ECD and flag updates for a batch of employees, with this idea currently gathering votes, urging organizations to review and consider it, with one vote per organization.

Strategists’ view of Absence Management ideas:

The top three ideas for Absence Management comprise integrating absence management with Time & Labor for items like Comp Time Earned, which has garnered significant interest despite a low number of votes, prompting a call for further participation. Another proposal is to add retroactive processing capability to leave donations, a feature currently active in 12 organizations. Lastly, there’s a suggestion to include a status other than ‘approved’ on the view requests page once a request has been finalized, with the processing status being a potential addition.

New Features

Team calendar

The Team Calendar feature is accessible to users with an HCM license, providing various viewing options. Managers can utilize weekly and bi-weekly views, while employees have access to a self-service view. Furthermore, future enhancements for the Team Calendar include the addition of an administrator calendar, a business partner matrix team calendar, and a delegate calendar, offering expanded functionality and usability.

For more on the team calendar, check out these links below:

• PeopleSoft Team Calendars for Managers and Employees
• View Absences, Schedules, Birthdays and More with the PeopleSoft Team Calendar Framework
• PeopleSoft Human Capital Management- Configuration and Implementation of Custom Events in Team Calendar

Timesheet

Several updates have been made to the Timesheet functionality. These include relocating date controls for easier access, introducing a view-by-period option for improved organization, adding row totals for enhanced tracking, freezing left-hand columns for better navigation, shifting add/delete icons for clarity, and relocating Related Actions to the Tools Framework for streamlined usability. These adjustments aim to optimize the Timesheet experience for users, ensuring efficiency and convenience in time tracking and management tasks.

Configurations you Need to Know About

Timesheet Settings

There are essential configurations to be aware of regarding Timesheet settings. Firstly, the option to display Elapsed time sheet by week can be enabled, providing a comprehensive overview of time entries. If this feature is not activated, users can still view the Timesheet by period and navigate by scrolling. Secondly, the Default Timesheet display setting can be adjusted at the installation level. Administrators can choose to set it to the Time reporting period as a default, or they can grant users the flexibility to customize their display preferences at the individual user level through user preferences. These configurations offer flexibility and customization options tailored to user needs and preferences within the Timesheet module.

For more on Timesheet Enhancements, consider checking out the following:

• View By Period and Other Fluid Timesheet Enhancements
• HCM Image 45 is now available! Here are some of the top features to take note of!
• Image 45 Highlights Video

Schedule Change Requests Enhancements

Self service schedule change requests is a brand new functionality that has been added.

Time reporters have the ability to request changes. If you use PeopleSoft, this takes the burden off of sending an email, making a call, posting it on your manager’s desk. You can give up your shift, trade your shift, and provide peer and manager approvals. You can also request a schedule change. Employees can check with the person they want to swap with first. Then the request is sent to the manager to approve and perform swap.

Time Administration Performance Improvement

Significant improvements have been implemented in Time Administration Performance. One notable enhancement involves separating the process for creating Payable Time AWE approvals, which now operates through concurrent processing, leading to more efficient workflow management. Additionally, online statistics have been developed to provide real-time insights into system operations, offering additional queries to identify any data or processes that may be causing delays or performance issues. These advancements aim to enhance the overall performance and functionality of Time Administration processes, ensuring smoother and more streamlined operations within the system.

Recently, three dashboards have been introduced, marking a significant update. Notably, Kibana has been integrated into Insights. These dashboards cater to various aspects of organizational management, including Absence Management, Payable Time insights within the Time & Labor module, and trends in Payable Time. Each dashboard serves as a valuable tool for administrators and managers, offering comprehensive visualizations and analytics to support decision-making processes and improve operational efficiency within the organization.

Absence Forecasting Enhancements

Absence Forecasting has undergone significant enhancements aimed at improving accuracy and efficiency. These include real-time forecasting capabilities, allowing users to run the Balance Forecasting process directly from the Request Absence page, providing up-to-date insights as of the current date. Additionally, Balance detail functionality has been introduced, displaying balances as of the last finalized or processed period for enhanced visibility and tracking. Admins can now trace forecasting elements, enabling them to set a Trace option from the Forecast Balance page, which allows them to troubleshoot issues more effectively. Moreover, a new change in eligibility notification feature has been implemented, alerting employees if their current absence request will impact the eligibility of future absences, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making. These enhancements collectively contribute to a more streamlined and proactive approach to absence management within the organization.

Future Enhancements

Configurable Headers on Time and Labor Pages

A new feature regarding Configurable Headers on Time and Labor pages has been introduced. Initially introduced in Image 45 as the Employee Header Configuration framework, it requires adoption by individual applications. However, Time & Labor and Absence Management are implementing this framework in Image 46. Notably, there is no minimum requirement for this PeopleTools release for this feature. It allows for the configuration of both the header and the multiple job selector, accommodating up to three rows of data. The first row typically includes the name and pronoun, while the second and third rows can contain up to three fields each. While the system initially delivers 27 fields, users have the flexibility to add custom fields as needed. Additionally, there are six different types of separators available between fields. Enhancements in Image 46 include the addition of a third row of fields and the ability to specify field types and display types, further enhancing customization options for users.

Process/Approval Status

Several enhancements have been introduced to streamline process and approval status management within the Time and Labor system. One notable improvement is the Reset Earliest Change Date (ECD) feature, which aims to automate processes for rehires or reactivations of time reporters, preventing potential disruptions in performance tracking. By automatically resetting the ECD when a time reporter transitions from inactive to active status, unnecessary retro processing of time is eliminated, reducing administrative burdens and ensuring accurate data management. This feature utilizes the effective date of the new active row, ensuring that corrections to existing rows do not trigger resets.

Another significant enhancement is the introduction of Fluid Leave Donations, which involves redesigning pages using fluid technology to improve usability and configurability. This enhancement allows for a more intuitive and efficient process for users, enabling greater flexibility in managing leave donations and enhancing the overall user experience.

Additionally, improvements have been made to the MSS Timesheet interface, allowing managers to select specific dates they wish to view on the search page for their time reporters. This enhancement enhances user control and convenience, facilitating easier access to relevant timekeeping data.

Moreover, the ability to adjust the start day of monthly timesheets based on user preferences has been introduced, providing greater customization and alignment with individual user needs and preferences.

Furthermore, Direct Reports Pages for Managers have been enhanced within the MSS Time and Labor pages, utilizing the Direct Reports framework for security. This improvement eliminates the need for managers to maintain dynamic groups, streamlining administrative tasks and enhancing security measures within the system. Overall, these enhancements contribute to a more efficient and user-friendly Time and Labor system, empowering users with greater control and flexibility in managing their time and approvals.

Key Takeaways

If you need or want to know what is new in Time & Labor and Absence Management, Chow outlines updates and provides helpful demonstrations of them in her session. She also provides an abundance of links to resources for additional ways to see these updates in use. You can watch the full BLUEPRINT 4D session recording here: PeopleSoft Absence Management and Time & Labor Update.

For more PeopleSoft content, check out the Quest Learn Library and consider joining other PeopleSoft users, in-person at RECONNECT Live! At BLUEPRINT 4D this year.