PeopleSoft Time & Labor Implementation

Implementation Overview

Building on the recent adoption of PeopleSoft Self-Service (@ Your Service), HCC will soon implement a new automated time and labor module to streamline and simplify time entry for payroll processing. The change will affect all HCC employees, both full and part-time. The new system will be implemented in two phases beginning in early fall 2009, with Coleman College, HR, IT, Payroll, and Police departments going “live.” The rest of the College will follow later in the year.

WHO
The change will affect all HCC employees, both full and part-time. Supervisors will approve staff member time sheets via PS-HR. The role of timekeeper will for the most part be retired.

WHAT
The new automated time and labor module will streamline and simplify time entry for payroll processing. The need for a more efficient automated system was first identified as an audit finding in the 2003 Texas Comptroller’s “A Performance Review of Houston Community College System.” More recently it was one of the Chancellor’s “Top 12 Ideas for Cost-Savings and Revenue-Generation, Phase II.”

Even though the system will be automated, the basic time reporting processes will remain the same.

WHEN
The new system will be implemented in two phases beginning September 1, 2009, with Coleman College and HR, IT, Payroll, and Police departments going “live.” The rest of the College will follow later in the year.

In preparation for the September 1, 2009 Time & Labor Pilot Implementation, the PeopleSoft HR Production System will be down beginning close of business on Wednesday, August 26 through Sunday, August 30th. Employee Self-Service will be available on Monday, August 31, 2009. The full HR Production System will be available at 12:01 AM on September 1, 2009.

As a reminder, on Tuesday, September 1st, those non-exempt employees participating in the pilot implementation will begin logging into the Webclock to report their time. Exempt employees will utilize the new system to record their Exception time.

WHY is it important that HCC take this step?
• Increased efficiency due to reduced paperwork and automated approval and data entry
• Employees share ownership of time reporting accountability
• Compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act and addresses Comptroller audit findings
• Increased accuracy: automatic overtime calculations, leave accounting, and pay amounts
• Enhanced reporting options and tools to manage time and budgets

What You Can Expect

Even though the system will be automated, the basic time reporting processes will remain the same. A task comparison is highlighted in the following table:

Important Payroll Deadlines for Pilot Groups

Payroll Calendar for Time & Labor Pilot Participants

Non-exempt Employees

The effective date for the implementation of the Time and Labor module is Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Because the HCC workweek is Monday through Sunday, Time and Labor will not have hours captured for Monday, 8/31/09. All supervisors/managers who have non-exempt employees reporting to them should send their Sign In Logs for 8/31/09 to Payroll by Friday, September 4, 2009. This information is needed to ensure that all hours worked over 40 during the first week of September are paid properly. Overtime worked during this week will be paid on September 30 providing that paperwork is submitted to Payroll timely.

Please make a copy of the Sign In Logs for 8/31/09 and send separately from the Timesheets, Rosters and Sign In Logs to be sent to storage. These Sign In Logs should be sent to the attention of Wanda Mays, Payroll Supervisor.

If an employee is working through midnight on 8/31/09 and will complete the shift on 9/1/09, all of this time should be put on the Sign In Logs.

Example: Officer Blue (a non-exempt employee) reports to work at 10:00 p.m. on 8/31 and leaves at 3:00 a.m. on 9/1/09. (5 hours should be reported on 8/31/09)

Part-time Hourly Employees

In addition to the above, any time worked from 8/16 through 8/31 that timekeepers are not able to key for the 9/15/09 payroll, must be submitted to the Payroll Department no later than September 3, 2009. Timesheets received after 9/3 but before 9/16 will be paid on the 9/18/09 off-cycle payroll.

If you have questions, please contact any member of the Payroll staff.

Florene P. Lea
Payroll Director

Instructions: Completing NEW Employee Sign In Sheet

PS Time & Labor Pilot Participants:

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets minimum wages, equal pay, overtime pay, record keeping and child labor standards for employees who are covered by the Act. Accurate records must be kept at the departmental level of hours worked by nonexempt and part-time employees. All (pilot) employees who are instructed by their supervisors to sign in and out are required to utilize this form which is the official Employee Sign-In Sheet. Supervisors are required to sign all time sheets and retain these records for three years after completion. All records shall be available for inspection within 72 hours notice.

Houston Community College classifies its employees into the following categories: exempt and nonexempt. All faculty are exempt employees. Generally, executive, administrative, professional, and some technical positions are exempt. Generally, clerical, secretarial and some technical positions are nonexempt. Call your HR Generalist for assistance in determining if an employee is exempt or nonexempt.

Steps for completing form:

1. Type or print employee’s full name clearly in Employee Name box.
2. As employees report to work, they are to sign in by recording their time of arrival in the “Start of day IN” box for each workday.
3. Employees sign out for lunch in the box marked "MEAL" regardless of when their lunch is taken. When they return from lunch, sign back in by recording their time in the second “IN” box (right after MEAL).
4. At the end of the workday, employees record their time out in the “End of day OUT” box.
5. The "(Other) OUT” box is to be utilized when the employee is out at any time during the day for a non-work related reason other than lunch. For example: doctor appointment, to attend class unless the employee is an approved EHEP (Employee Higher Education Program) participant, to pick up child, personal business, etc. The employee signs the following "(Other) IN” box when returning to their workstation.
6. At the end of the workday, each employee signs his or her line of the sheet in the corresponding "Employee Signature” box.
7. At the end of the workweek, the supervisor reviews the log for accuracy, signs and retains the record.

For questions regarding the Employees Sign-In Sheet or these instructions, please contact your Human Resources Generalist.

Job Aids & Forms

Employee Sign-In Sheet

Supervisor-Manager Access-Alternate Approver

Timekeeper Access

Time Entry Correction

Training

Members of the pilot groups will receive training.  An employee’s job category (supervisory, exempt or non-exempt, and full-time or part-time) determines the type of training each employee will receive: instructor-led classroom training, on-line UTRAIN modules, job aids or general overview.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR PILOT TRAINING
Check out the training calendar and select the appropriate session at a convenient time.  Advance registration is required via @Your Service.  From Employee Home, choose the Training and Development link, and then register using the appropriate course number above. Classroom courses are limited to 15 people per session; the overview sessions to 50 people.  

For training questions contact the office of Employee Learning and Organizational Development via e-mail ELOD@hccs.edu or phone 713-718-8614.

*PS T&L Supervisor Training includes detailed information regarding managing employee time, approving time, understanding the time and labor process, and hands-on experience.

**PS T&L Full-Time Non-Exempt Training includes detailed information regarding time reporting procedures, as well as hands-on experience.

***PS T&L General Overview Training includes a section on using the new automated system and a section explaining various time reporting and leave procedures.

Training Manuals & Guides

References for the HCC PeopleSoft Time & Labor Pilot Implementation:

Supervisor Guide - PS Time & Labor

Guide for Part-time Employees and Adjunct Faculty Paid Hourly

FT Exempt & Adjunct Semesterly Training Manual

FT Non-Exempt Training Manual

Frequently Asked Questions

QU: Word on the street is that Administrators are going to have to clock in and out everyday under the new Time & Labor system. Is that true?
AN: No, administrators only input their exception time (time away from work for vacation, sick, personal business, etc.) Only non-exempt employees and part-time exempt employees who are paid hourly will clock in and out everyday.

QU: What is meant by “exception time?”
AN: Deviations from a regular work schedule are reported on an exception basis. These include absences of various types (vacation, sick leave, jury duty, etc.) and overtime hours worked.

QU: How do exempt employees record compensatory time?
AN: They do not. HCC Policy does not provide for compensatory time for exempt employees. Only non-exempt employees qualify.

QU: What happens to compensatory time accrued when the new Time & Labor system goes “live?” How does it get entered into the new system?
AN: All compensatory time accrued must be taken by the time the system is “live.” There are no provisions to bring in accrued compensatory time.

QU: What is the HCC work week?
AN: 12:01 a.m. Monday through 12:00 midnight Sunday.

QU: Can a supervisor assign time approval responsibility in PS-Time & Labor to a department secretary?
AN: No. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to approve all time. Approval is through PeopleSoft Manager Self-Service. Sharing login information would grant that person access to all of the manager’s information stored in PeopleSoft-HR, including pay and direct deposit routing information.

QU: What happens if a manager forgets to do the weekly approval?
AN: An automatic e-mail will be sent to the manager and to the alternate approver. PT Hourly employees will not be paid without manager’s approval; full-time employees and semesterly adjuncts will be paid even if the manager hasn’t approved the time.

QU: Regarding Time and Labor, what does the supervisor have to do?
AN: It is the responsibility of both the supervisor and the employee to ensure that time worked is accurately reported and paid timely. The roles and responsibilities of supervisors are critical to a successful payroll process. Among the most critical are:

• Timely completion of hiring documents (PAFs, etc.) and forwarding to HR.
• Approval and authorization of payment for reported hours and ensure time and/or exception time is ready for payroll processing in a timely manner.
• Act as first point of contact for employee questions about time reporting and pay.

QU: Will reports be available to supervisors to assist them with the Time and Labor process?
AN: Yes. There are four reports currently available. The Manager Time Card Report, and three reports for your Dynamic Group. Reports were covered in the supervisor training and can be found in the PS Time and Labor Supervisors Reference Guide beginning on page 129. Other reports may be added throughout the pilot period.

QU: Can supervisors login from home to approve their employees\' time?
AN: No. Currently, the Time and Labor module is not available from outside the HCC network (e.g., from home).

QU: How will supervisors know when to approve time?

AN: Once there is payable time available for supervisors to approve, you can approve your employees’ time. Additionally, a reminder e-mail will be sent to supervisors via PeopleSoft Workflow advising of the upcoming approval deadline.

QU: How long does a supervisor have to process recorded/reported time before it is taken by Payroll?
AN: A schedule will be setup and sent to all supervisors advising them of cutoffs and deadlines associated with time entry.

QU: Will the system allow an employee to login before his scheduled time?
AN: Yes. There are no system restrictions on punch-in times. If a non-exempt employee clocks-in before the scheduled start time, he/she has begun working and accruing payable time. FLSA law requires that non-exempt employees be paid for all time worked. Supervisors, be sure your employees have clear expectations on recording accurate time and recording all time worked.

QU: What happens when there are errors in employee-reported time?

AN: The supervisor can make corrections to time reported in PeopleSoft Time and Labor up to 30 calendar days prior to the current date. In order to correct time prior to that, the supervisor must send the Time Entry Correction Request Form (for Pilot Participants) to payroll for processing.

QU: Which employees will use the HCC Sign-in Sheet?
AN: Employees who work at a location outside of the HCC network are unable to use the web clock.  These persons will report time worked using the HCC Employee Sign-In Sheet (for Pilot Participants).  Ask your supervisor if this applies to you.

QU: I am a supervisor. What if I will be out of the office (e.g. vacation) on the next scheduled time approval date?
AN: It is your responsibility to make sure your alternate approver is aware of your absence and is prepared to approve time on your behalf.

QU: Can I change my Alternate Approver at any time?
AN: Yes. To change your Alternate Approver, please complete the PeopleSoft TL Supervisor/Manager Access Request Form-Alternate Approvers Only and submit to Payroll at least 5 days before the effective date.

QU; Can any employee be setup as an Approver?
AN: No. Alternate approvers must have at least one employee reporting to them (noted in the PS-HR database), and have taken supervisor training.

QU: Do exempt employees have to punch in and out every day?
AN: No. Exempt (exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act) employees will report only exception time (e.g. sick, vacation, jury duty, etc.) on the Weekly Elapsed Time page

QU: What does exception time mean?
AN: Exception time refers to any time other than regularly scheduled work hours, (e.g., vacation, sick and personal time).

QU: If a non-exempt employee has a comp time balance, how do I report it in the new Time and Labor system?
AN: For pilot employees, no compensatory time balances carried over. All accrued comp time should have been taken prior to September 1, 2009.

QU: Are employees able to correct their punched time, e.g. missed punches?
AN: No. Only supervisors can make corrections to punched time.

QU: Can the system track which computer an employee used to punch in or use the web clock?
AN: Yes. This information is not readily available to the manager, but is maintained in IT.

QU: Are there any policies and procedures available which govern the new Time Reporting Codes (TRCs) added for the Time & Labor implementation?
AN: Current HCC policies and procedures apply.   Additional policies and procedures are being written and will be made available soon.

QU: How will supervisors know the order to report employees’ time once they are approved for FML?
AN: This process has not changed. Supervisors will receive an e-mail outlining which leave bank to use first, second, etc.

QU: If an employee works 10 hours per day and 4 days per week, should s/he enter 10 hours for vacation?

AN: Yes, the system will accept the actual hours entered by the employee.

QU: Can the employee or manager enter more than 40 hours of leave time (e.g. vacation, sick, personal) per week?

AN: Yes, but an exception will be created in the Time and Labor system.  This exception must be cleared by the manager.

QU: Will employees be able to view their compensatory time balances and expiration dates in the new system?
AN: Yes. The navigation is: Employee Self Service > Time Reporting > View Time > Compensatory Time.

QU: Supervisors can go back to a prior pay period to correct time.  Can the employee also go back to a prior pay period and enter/correct time?
AN: No.

QU: Will the TRCs OCC (official college closure) and INC (inclement weather) always be available in the Time Reporting drop down list or will they be added when necessary?
AN: Yes. They will always be there, but should only used when there is an official declaration made by the Chancellor or appointee.

QU: Do leave balances lag by one pay period?
AN: If the exception time is entered and approved before the scheduled payroll cut-off date, those exceptions will be current.

QU: Are the training manuals from the classroom training available on the web?

AN: Yes, visit the PS Time & Labor Implementation page. From the District homepage, click Faculty & Staff, then look for this link under the Human Resources heading.

QU: What about semesterly-paid adjunct faculty? Will they use the new Time & Labor system?

AN: Yes! All employees in the pilot will be responsible for entering their time into the new PeopleSoft Time & Labor system. Adjunct faculty paid semesterly (not hourly) should report exception time through the Weekly Elapsed Time page when they are not able to report for a scheduled work day. Unlike adjunct faculty paid hourly, they do not have to punch in or out.

QU: When should I enter planned exceptions such as planned vacation or a doctor’s visit into Time & Labor?

AN: If you have a pre-planned and approved exception (i.e. Vacation, Sick, Jury, etc.), the time can be entered into the PeopleSoft Time & Labor in advance. It is advised that any future time entered is within the current pay period. For instance, today is 9/17 and you have vacation scheduled for the week of 9/21. You may enter this future exception time because you are within the pay period (9/16-9/30). On the other hand, if today is 9/17 and you have planned vacation for the week of Thanksgiving, it is not advised that you enter this time now because the planned vacation falls outside of the current pay period.

QU: I use the web clock, and I know there is a Meal punch, but there is not a Break punch. Do I need to punch out for breaks?

AN: No. The only break provided for in current HCC policy and procedures is the lunch break. An employee should not use the Web Clock for other breaks.

QU: On September 8, 9, 10, I wanted to use VCO (Vacation Carry-Over). However, the system won\'t allow me to enter it right now. My manager will have to go back and correct my time for these days that I took VCO, correct?

AN: Yes because in PeopleSoft Vacation Carry-Over is not processed until the 9/15 payroll. After that date the Vacation Carry-Over balances will be populated in the Time & Labor System.

QU: Now that the new Time & Labor System is up and going, do I have to complete the Application for Leave form since my supervisor will be approving my time online?

AN: Yes. The Application for Leave forms still need to be completed to record required leave justifications (e.g. jury duty or bereavement). Plans are to phase out the use of the paper forms in the future.

QU: If my manager approves my future exception time (vacation, etc.) up to the pay period end date, will the time appear on my next check?

AN: The time will be shown on the next check if your manager approved time before the “load to payroll” process brings the time into the payroll system. The payroll calendar lists the dates the “load to payroll” process occurs. The payroll calendar is found on the HCC web pages, Faculty and Staff>Finance & Administration>Payroll-Payroll Forms-Reporting Time-Latest Payroll Calendar.

QU: How is faculty substitute pay handled in Time & Labor?

AN: The process has not changed. Complete the Payroll form “Substitute Hourly Instructor Time Sheet” or “Substitute Time Sheet” and FAX to the Payroll Office.

QU: As a manager, can I wait until the day I get the official “approve time” email to manage any employee exceptions?

AN: It is advisable to manage employee time exceptions daily if possible to accurately reflect the employee\'s daily time. Employees and managers can view their Payable Time daily; therefore, the exceptions should be promptly cleared to accurately reflect the Payable Time that will be loaded to Payroll.

QU: In reviewing my Payable Time, I noticed that some of my time “Payable Statuses” show “Closed” and some show “Approved – Goes to Payroll.” Why?

AN: Once time is approved in the Time & Labor system, the time goes to a “Payable Status” of “Approved”. Once the time is loaded to the Payroll system, the “Payable Status” changes to “Closed”.

QU: As a manager, I can’t see all of my employees from the Report Time selection in Manager Self Service when I select “Get All Employees”, then I click “Get Employees.” Why not?

AN: In order to view all of your employees, you need to select “View” on the blue bar besides the “Find” option below the Employee Selection Criteria.

QU: One of my employees is missing Payable Time for a day and I don’t know why. He punched in and out.

AN: First, check the Manage Exceptions screens. If there was an exception generated for that employee, then Payable Time is not created for that day. Once the adjustment is made to the time and Time Administration runs overnight, you will be able to see the employee’s accurate time the next day.

QU: I clicked the “In” Punch twice from the Webclock by mistake. I know that my punches will generate an exception. I would like to be proactive and clear this myself. How can I do this?

AN: Only the manager can clear Webclock exceptions in the Time & Labor system. Notify your manager as soon as you realize you punched in incorrectly and he/she can correct it. A proactive approach is always best.

QU: As a manager I have clicked the “Clean Up Exceptions” from “Manage Individual Exceptions,” but the exceptions don’t go away.

AN: Once the Time Administration process runs at night, the exception will be cleared providing the correction does not create a new exception. So far in the pilot period on-line punch errors have created the most exceptions.

Glossary of Terms

Absence: The event that occurs when an employee is not at work (absent) during a normally scheduled work period. Absences may be scheduled or non-scheduled, compensated or uncompensated, excused or unexcused. An absence may occur for a variety of reasons like illness, family emergency, civic obligation (e.g. military duty or jury duty), vacation, etc.

Accruals: Any hours that an employee accumulates for use at another time in the form of earned vacation time or sick leave, for example.

Approve Time: The Time and Labor feature that approves all employees’ daily time before it can be sent to payroll for processing. You can approve time by group or by individual employee.

Compensation: The process by which a worker is remunerated for services rendered to, or work performed on behalf of a business entity.

Elapsed Time Reporting: Time reported in Time and Labor, which records any exceptions (e.g. vacation, personal business, funeral, etc.) to the employees’ predefined work schedule.

Exceptions (Errors): These are created by the time administration process. If and when a particular entry of recorded time does not move to payable time after the Time Administration (TA) process has run, an exception has been created by the system. The exception (error) result when some time entered in the system needs modification. Monitoring of exceptions will result in their expedient removal so that the following time administration run will move those records to payable time ready for approval. NOTE: Exceptions (errors) created by the Time Administration (TA) process are different from exceptions reported via the Report Weekly Elapsed Time page.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): A federal regulation governing several time and labor issues. FLSA Overtime requires that all nonexempt employees be paid at a rate of time-and-one-half for all hours over 40 physically worked during a workweek. An FSLA Workweek is a permanently-established, regular workweek for a group of employees.

GroupID: In Time and Labor, employees are placed in groups for time reporting purposes and labor distribution. All Time and Labor activity is governed by Dynamic Group membership. The employee’s dynamic group is related to the department from which the position is funded.

Normal Hours: The hours an employee is normally expected to be at work for any given workweek.

Override Reason Codes: A code describing the reason a supervisor is entering an employee’s time (e.g. missed punch, power outage, out early ill).

Payable Time: After the Time Administration Process has run, payable time is generated when a time recording entry satisfies the business rules of HCC.

Prior Period: In Time and Labor, any payroll period before the current one.

Rapid Time Entry: The process that enables you to enter daily time for single employees without the system editing your field entries. The system populates temporary tables which are used by a batch process which reads, edits, and moves the data into the appropriate time and labor tables.

Task Group: An identifier that provides the relationship between the employee, general task profiles and classification defaults. At HCC, there is only one Task Group-PSNONCATSK.

Time Reporting Codes (TRC): A Time Reporting Code represents the level of detail at which time can be tracked and sent to payroll for an employee. Based on workgroup characteristics and the need to track time worked or not worked, workgroups have a set of time recording codes (TRCs) available to them.

Weekly Punch Time Reporting: Using the Web Clock feature in Time and Labor, employees punch in and out.

Workgroup: A user-defined group of employees who share identical compensation rules. A workgroup may be equivalent to all the employees in a business enterprise, all employees in a pay group, or all employees who work at a specific work location. At HCC, work groups are equivalent to pay groups.