smarthr employee self service guide (ess) · cv module the cv module allows the user the ability to...

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Absalom Systems

SmartHR Employee Self Service Guide

(ESS)

ADMINISTRATION GUIDE

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Your Employee Self Service Login Screen:

Login into the ESS using the username and password provide by your HR or your

IT department.

The “Forgot your password?” and Change my password functions are also

on the login screen, to help you change your password or retrieve/reset a lost

password.

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Resetting a lost/ forgotten password

Click on the Forgot your password? Link and the following screen pops up;

Type in your username and email address, and click the ok button to submit.

E.g. username: (EmployeeNum)

Email: [email protected]

Submit, and the following message is displayed.

Click “OK” and refer to your email account.

mailto:[email protected]

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Your email will look like this with a link to reset your password, and a link to the

login screen on the ESS.

Click on the reset link.

Type in a new password, click on the submit button and the webpage will open

the Login screen to log using new your new password.

PLEASE NOTE: It is advisable that all users who log in for the first time change

their passwords.

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Once you have logged in successfully, you will be sent an email that will confirm

that you have changed your password.

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Once you have successfully logged into the ESS the first screen you would see is

the homepage.

On the homepage the user will see a list of the all the modules he/she has

access to along with a small description of what each module is about.

To the right of the screen, the Latest News dialog, this function provides the

administrators with a platform to send out any communication from the

organisation to the users, e.g. company newsletters, press releases etc.

Quick Note: Each module icon acts a hyperlink, clicking on an icon will open the

corresponding module.

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The tasks Module

The tasks module works in almost the same way as your normal email inbox in

outlook.

On the inbox tab, you will have tasks that need your attention; e.g. leave

applications that need approving (in the case of a manager), notifications from

your subordinate staff or Evaluations (both self and third party, in cases where

you would be asked to evaluate another employee). Basically the inbox will

contain any communication that needs your attention.

The Alternative tab

This tab will contain any communication where you the user have been allocated

as an Alternative Option. Similar to a CC on an email, if you are an Alternative

leave manager for an employee then in the event of the manager being

unavailable to approve a leave application then you as the alternative leave

manager will be able to log in and approve the leave.

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The Pending Tab

The pending tab will contain items that are currently residing at different location

along a workflow. for example, if a leave application has to go to two or more

people (leave manager and HR manager) before it is approved or denied, once

the leave application has been submitted by the employee and is received by the

leave manager, the leave application will appear under the pending tab in the

employee’s task module. If the leave application is approved by the leave

manger and moves on to the HR manger then the application will move to the

employee’s completed tasks. If the application is denied by the leave manger

then it will move to the employee’s completed tasks.

The same would apply for a group evaluation, once you have filled in an

evaluation it will appear in your pending tab until it has been to everyone in the

work flow.

The Completed Tab

This tab will display everything that the employee has completed, Leave

applications, evaluations etc.

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ESS Notifications

The notifications module is a utility that provides the user the ability to send

email like correspondence to his/her manager.

The notification screen looks similar to a normal email screen, except it does not

provide for an email address, the notification is sent to the employee’s assigned

Manager.

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Personal Module

The personal module allows the user to edit and update personal, contact and

family details that are written/ updated to SmartHR.

Employee Details;

All the personal particulars fields are currently editable, except the employee

Number (greyed out field).

This screen can be customized per the companies’ preferences, fields can be

setup to be visible, editable or required.

The visible function allows the administrator to setup which fields the

user can see.

The editable function allows the administrator to setup which fields the

user can edit.

The required function allows the administrator to setup which fields

cannot be left blank.

**Fields that are set to invisible appear grey.

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Fields can be set to both editable and require wherever necessary, example ID

Number, Title or Gender.

Other Languages

The other languages section allows the user to capture additional languages.

Click on the create button to add a new language;

Type in the language you want to add, and indicate by checking the boxes

whether the language you are adding is spoken or written, click update to save.

Addresses and Telephone Tab

The addresses and telephone tab is where the user can update and maintain

his/her contact details.

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The Addresses and Telephone Fields follow the same rules as the personal

module, grey fields are un-editable, and fields can be customized per the

companies’ preferences.

Family Details Tab

The family detail allows the user to update his/her family details; spouses name

and contacts, next of kin and dependents.

Adding a next of kin

Click on the create button at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Click the update button to save the record.

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Adding dependents

Click the create button at the bottom right corner of the screen.


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Organisational Module

The Organisational Module allows the user to view personal employment details

such as Employment/Appointment date, department, Job Title, Cost centre and

most important the employees Reports to structure.

Again the fields can be customized as per the companies’ preferences. By default

and as a security measure all fields in Organisational particulars tab are not

editable.

On the Reports To tab

The “ReportsToType” is extremely important as it defines who should get Leave

applications and Notifications as well as who the employee can appraise and who

is appraised by the employee.

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Creating a report to record

PLEASE NOTE: the following is an Administration function and should not be

performed by any other user.

Click on the create button at the bottom right corner of the screen,


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Leave Module

The leave module allows the user to manage their own leave, Employees can

apply for leave, cancel leave applications, view leave history and leave balances.

Applying for Leave

On the applications tab of the leave tab;

Select a leave start date using one of the calendars provided:

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Select a leave end date;

Select a leave type,

The duration will auto calculate,

Where applicable attach a document

If the user would like to add a comment to the leave application, the comments

section can provide for such a requirement.

Click on Submit to send the leave application.

The application will then be sent to the manager and will appear in the

manager’s inbox under the task module.

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View and/or approving a leave application

When a leave application has been submitted it will appear in the manager’s

inbox as a task, to open this task the manager will do the following;

Use the lookup icon to the left of the leave application to open the

application.

Open Leave Application of Charles, AnEmployee;

This is how an open leave application will look like on the ESS.

The lookup icon to the right will open the remarks entered by Miss/Mrs

Dyball on her application.

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The question mark icon on right of the leave record shows a summary of

the employee leave statistics

This function gives the manager more information when they have to approve or

reject a leave application.

the comments section, provide for any communication that the manager might

want to correspond to the employee about the leave application, very useful in

cases where the application is denied/rejected and the user needs to reapply.

Leave Balance

The employee/user can check his/her leave balance by navigating to the leave

balance tab on the leave module.

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Insert the balance date as at using the calendar provided;

The balances as at the date entered/selected will then be displayed for all the

leave types that the employee is entitled to.

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Along with the Total balance, the data also displays:

the number of days taken in the cycle

the number of days remaining in the cycle

the number of days at risk

and the date at which the leave days will be lost/forfeited

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Leave History

The leave history tab display all the leave that the employ has taken as well as

new applications that are awaiting approval

The lookup icons to the left of every leave entry new, declined, cancelled or

approved opens up a remarks dialog that corresponds with the comments

entered in the comment section of the leave application shown earlier.

The “no-entry icon” to the right of leave records indicates that the leave

record has either been declined or in the case of new leave application can still

be cancelled.

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Cancelling a Leave Application

When cancelling a leave application; the user needs to note the following:

You cannot cancel a leave application that has already been opened or

received by the Manager

You cannot cancel a leave application that occurs in the past. E.g. cannot

cancel a leave application for May that is captured in July or June

To cancel a leave application;

1. Navigate to the history tab on the leave module

2. Select the leave application you want to cancel

3. Click on the no-entry icon next to that leave application

CV Module

The CV Module allows the user the ability to record, edit and update details

about their past and current employment and educational history.

The Experience tab

The experience module is the first module you see when you click on CV in the

ESS.

This tab allows you to capture and list all of your previous job experience in

order of date from the oldest to the latest.

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Capturing a work/Job experience record


The General tab allows the user to capture details of past employment, such

as;

Start and End Dates

Job Title

Contact/Reference Person

Department

Company Name

On the Description tab, the user can enter the a Job Description for each

Position

The skills required tab can be used to capture all the new skills acquired while

serving in that position or as a result of the position.

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Qualifications Tab

The qualifications tab is the second tab under the CV module, the tab allows the

user to capture and display educational history in order date from oldest to

newest/current.

The plus icon to the left of the qualification collapses the qualification details to

display subjects taken.

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Clicking on the pencil icons allows editing of each individual subject record

Click on the update button once you are done editing.

Adding a qualification

Click on the create button at the bottom right corner of the screen,

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The description tab

This tab allows you to add where applicable a short description of the

qualification, if a description is not applicable then the user can leave it blank


Adding Subjects to a qualification

Once you have successfully added a qualification you can add subjects by

clicking on the plus icon to the left of the qualification.

Because this is a new record, there won’t be any data in the grid. You have to

click on the create button at the bottom corner to add a subject

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Fill the required details;

Subject Name

Level

Marks

Results

Click update to save the record.

To add more subjects click on the create button and follow the process again.

The memberships Tab

The memberships tab allows the user to capture and store information about

memberships that he/she belongs to past or present in order of date.

To edit or add a new membership record, follow the same process as we have

with adding a qualification.

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Evaluations Module

PLEASE NOTE: the following section is for SmartHR administrators only

Evaluation or performance appraisals are created in SmartHR and distributed or

auctioned on ESS, so when creating an evaluation we have to start on SmartHR

Creating a performance appraisal (SmartHR integration)

Navigate to the evaluation setup module;

Administration > Global >Evaluations

In the Evaluations setup

Click on scheme group to setup a group name. A group name is setup to either

help identify the Evaluation that is being setup e.g. Fit and Proper Evaluation or

to help identify the specific group of people who will be participating in the

evaluation e.g. non-managerial staff, EXCO members.

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Click new button at the top left hand corner of the screen. Type in the

required fields and click the save button to save the record.

Close this screen to return to the setup screen

Next, click on Element range button.

The element range is setup to help you determine how your appraisal will be

scored and how the questions will be answered. E.g. Yes/No element range with;

Yes = 100

No = 0

Examples of element ranges:

Memo fields: Indicated in the setup by a dash (-), memo fields will provide a

text input field where users/participants can type in answers which will then be

scored with a predetermined amount for each answer.

Numerical fields: e.g. 1-10 where the user/participant has to rate the answer

based on the given fields.

Yes/No range: explained above; users/participants are given an option of either

yes or no answer to a question.

Percentage range: where each question is worth a certain percentage.

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Click on the new button at the top left corner of the screen to create a

new record.

Enter the required data, and click the save button to save the record.

Close this screen to return to the setup screen

Next, click on a Scheme Class

Scheme classes are setup to determine the levels of questioning in the

evaluation

Performance measurement questions: Class 1

Employee support questions: Class 2

Employee Opinion questions: class 3

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The scheme class weight defines the total score for each class, if there is only

one class then the user can assign the “normal” class which will give the class a

total score of 100.

For cases where there is more than one class, split 100 over the number of

classes.


new record.

Enter the required data, and click the save button to save the record.

Close this screen to return to the setup screen.

Next, click on the Evaluation Scheme button

The evaluation scheme is essentially a set of performance measurement

questions, defined under two sections Key Performance Indicators and

Critical success elements.

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new record.

On the Scheme Details Tab

On this tab you will create your new scheme, The Scheme code is used to

uniquely identify your evaluation scheme in the database, thus preventing any

duplicate schemes.

The scheme code can take up to 50 characters, so a user can type in the same

value for scheme code and scheme name.

Click the save button to save the record.

The Scheme Group is a lookup table, which means you can only enter values

that you select from the list.

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The Scheme Group you set up in the beginning will appear in the list.

Under ESS Specific; you will notice the “Multi Column” and “Workflow Name”

fields.

The Multi column check box is used on the ESS to determine the type of

evaluation that will be setup up.

The Workflow Name; refers to a feature on the ESS that defines to whom the

Evaluation is suppose to go.

Using these two tools the user can choose the type of evaluation he/she wants

to set up. The options are as follows;

To setup a Normal evaluation, the user/administrator would leave both the

multi column and workflow fields blank.

The evaluation would then use the normal dummy workflow that would go from

the manager who sets it up and sends it out, to the employees who would

complete and submit the evaluation which would then go back to SmartHR and

appear in the employee’s evaluation history.

To setup an editable Evaluation the user/administrator would select a specific

workflow but leave the multi column field blank.

The evaluation would follow the assigned workflow, starting for the employee or

the first person in the workflow who would complete the evaluation and submit

it, once the evaluation is submitted it would move to the employees pending

tasks and the inbox of the next person (usually the manager) ‘s tasks module.

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The manager would be able to see and overwrite the employee’s comments and

the same would go for the third person (usually the HR Manager). Once the

evaluation has been completed and submitted it will appear in completed tasks

for all the people who filled it in.

To setup a Multi column Evaluation the user/administrator would fill in both

the multi-column and workflow fields.

The evaluation would follow the assigned workflow, starting for the employee or

the first person in the workflow who would complete the evaluation and submit

it, once the evaluation is submitted it would move to the employees pending

tasks and the inbox of the next person (usually the manager) ‘s tasks module.

The manager would be able to see the employee’s answers but would not be

able to edit them; the Manager would have a separate column in which he/she

can complete the evaluation. The same would apply for the third person in the

workflow, so once the evaluation is complete it would have three separate

columns with the responses of all three participants in the evaluation, the

evaluation would then appear as three separate records in the employees

completed tasks.

PLEASE NOTE: Currently the multi column evaluation can only support four

columns, although your workflow can be setup to accommodate as many as

eight people the ESS will only display the results for four evaluators.

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The Measures Tab

On this tab the user will be able to setup the evaluation questionnaire.

Under Classes;

Click once in the blank space to create a new record;

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The class code is a lookup table; meaning the user will only be able to add

information selected from the list.


new record.

Select a scheme class, and click the save button to save the record.

Close this screen to return to the Evaluation Scheme Measures tab

Next, Under Key Areas -

Click in the blank space to add a new record,

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new record.

The KPA (Key performance area) Code is a primary key field, which means it

cannot be left blank; the KPA Code is used to uniquely identify each KPA in the

database to prevent duplicates.

PLEASE NOTE: Unlike the Scheme Code the KPA Code can only take 5

characters.

The Description field; can is used to capture the question that will appear on

the evaluation.

The Target Field; can be used to describe what the question is asked to attain.

The Range Type; is a lookup field, the user can only enter data by selecting it

from the list.

The weight field; the weight field is used to determine the score of each

question. If you don’t already have pre-defined scores for your questions

remember that all the total KPA’s should be 100 so dividing the number of

questions by 100 will give you the value of each individual question.



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Critical Success Areas;

CSE’s are linked to KPA’s and are by definition used to determine whether or not

a KPA has been fully achieved.

Click once on the blank screen to create a new record.


new record.

The CSE Name is a primary key; which again means it has to be unique in order

to prevent duplicates.

Type in the required data;

Description (will appear as question on the evaluation)

Indicator

Target

Range Type

Weight (the combined total of all the CSE’s in a single scheme should

equal 100)

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Graphical View Tab

The graphical view tab allows the user to see the complete evaluation structure,

with all the questions, KPAs’, CSEs’ and allocated score percentages.

Once the user is satisfied with the evaluation, save the evaluation and return to

the ESS

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Creating an Evaluation in ESS



1. Create an Evaluation Group, the evaluation group can be used to define

the evaluation you are setting up. e.g. Fit and Proper Evaluation, or it can

be used to define the employees that will be taking part in the evaluation

e.g. Managers, Non-Managerial Staff.

2. Click on the create button at the bottom of the screen.

3. Name the Evaluations Group and click Update to save the record.

4. Once you have saved the record, you have the following options:

You can assign the Evaluations as;

A self evaluation, a questionnaire will be sent to the Employee only.

A group evaluation, the employee will be evaluated by more than

one person.

A 360 degree evaluation, the questionnaire will be sent to the

employee, then his/her manager then a peer and then an employee that

he/she supervises if applicable and then finally comes back to the

employee for submission.

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The options are presented as follows:

Self Assessment

To assign a self assessment, click on the single person icon to open the

following screen,

On the Self Assessment Tab

Select the employee by clicking on the checkbox to the left of the Employee

Name

Assign an Evaluation Scheme by clicking on the drop down arrow next to

Scheme

Click the Update button at the bottom of the screen to save the record

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Group Assessment

Group Assessment is setup to be filled in by more than one person; usually the

employee and his/her manager.

To setup a group evaluation click on the group evaluation icon ,

The following screen opens up:

Click on the Plus sign next to the Employee who will be filling in the Assessment;

So in the example above, Prema AManager will be assessing all of the people in

the list below the “will be Assessing” line.

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Select employees by clicking the checkboxes next to the employee’s name, type

refers to the type of relationship between the person who will be assessing

(Prema, AManager) and the person being assessed;

Click the drop down arrow next to scheme to assign the evaluation scheme;

Click the Update button at the bottom of the screen to save the record(s);

360 Degree Assessment

360 Degree assessments are setup to get complete feedback on the employee,

they are usually filled in by the employee, his/her manager, a peer and where

applicable a sub-ordinate employee.

To setup a 360 degree evaluation, click on the 360 degree evaluation icon

The following screen opens up;

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On the 360 Assessment screen, click on the plus sign next to the employee’s

name to add more detail;

In the Assessed by section; you can see all the employees that are going to be

assessing the employee (Sam ADirector)

Click on the create button at the bottom right corner of the screen to create a

new assessor

Fill in the necessary details, to assign a new employee to the evaluation.

Mr Sam ADirector will be assessed by:

Himself (Self Evaluation)

Karin AManager and Charlie AnEmployee (Peer Evaluation)

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Once you have selected the type of evaluation; (Self, Group, 360)

Selected the person/people who will be participating in the evaluation

Selected the type of relationship between the participants (where

applicable)

Selected the evaluation scheme

Click the button at the bottom of the screen, to return to the main

page.

The tick icon, will allow the user to submit the evaluation and send it out

to all participants.

The cross icon, will allow the user to delete the evaluation.

Click the tick and send the evaluation.

The new evaluation will appear under inbox tab of your tasks;

Click the magnifying glass icon to the left of the task number, to open the

evaluation.

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At the top of the screen is the evaluation name, name and surname, employee

number of the person being evaluated.

The answers are in the drop down box on the right side of the screen.

The Magnifying glass icons on the left of the questions open up a notes dialog

that allows you to add additional details to the question.

Once you have completed your evaluation, click the submit button at the bottom

of the screen to send your evaluation.

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The History Tab

The evaluation history on ESS, records all the evaluation that the user has

completed.

Click on the magnifying glass icon to open an evaluation.

The Evaluation History Report opens up.

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Evaluation Setup Tab



To create a new scheme in ESS, click on the Create button the top right of the

screen,

The user would the option to create a new scheme or a copy of an existing

scheme.

Click on the create a new scheme option,

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The above dialog appears; fill in the Group Name and all the necessary details.

PLEASE NOTE: The Group option is a drop down list and not a free text. The ESS

does not allow the user to create their own groups so you have to select a group

that has been setup in SmartHR.

The workflow and side-by-side evaluation fields give the user the same options

as described above with the multi column and workflow fields in SmartHR.

Click the OK button to create the scheme,

The scheme name now appears in the “Select a Scheme” field.

To add KPA’s to your scheme click on the create button at the bottom of the

screen.

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On the general tab, Type in the scheme code and Name, fill in the scheme

targets and select the range type and weight.

The Required field, determines if the question or cannot be left blank, if a

question is marked required the user completing the evaluation cannot submit

the evaluation until that question is completed.

Click the update button at the bottom of the screen.

Click the Description Tab,

The description tab is where the user can type the question; click the update

button to save the record.

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Accidents Module

The accidents module records and displays all accidents that occurred at work

that are the responsibility of the employer.

To create a new accident report, click on the create button at the bottom of the

screen.

On the general tab, fill in the necessary details pertaining to the accidents and

click update to save.

On the report tab, fill the details of the accidents, where it occurred and how.

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On the action tab, fill the details of what action was taken and by who after the

accident occurred.

On the treatment tab, fill in what treatment if any was provided after the

accident.


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Industrial Relations Module

The IR module is used to record all aspects of industrial relations such as

grievances, disciplinary records and counselling.

The Discipline tab is the first tab in the IR module, on this tab the user would

record any disciplinary action brought against the user.

To create a new discipline record, click the create button at the bottom of the

screen.

On the general tab, fill in the general details of the offence, including whether it

has been resolved or not.

The report tab, allows the user capture more detail about the offence.

Click on the update button to save the record.

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The Grievances Tab

The second tab in the IR module, the grievances tab is where the user can

record any grievances he/she has had with any member of staff that has been

reported.

Click on the create tab to add a new grievance record.

Fill in the details of the grievances, and click update to save the record.


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The work Performance Tab

The third tab in the IR module is the work performance tab, on this tab the user

can record all job counselling that has taken place for the employee.

Click on the create tab to add a new work performance record.

Fill in all the necessary details.

Fill in all the necessary details on the all the tab and click update to save the

record.

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Linked Documents Module

The Linked documents module in the ESS provides the user a location to attach

and link documents via the ESS.

The employee can link copies of ID Docs, Sick Notes, Certificate and

Qualifications.

To attach a document, click on the create icon at the bottom right

corner of the screen.

Select a category that you would like to link the document to.

Type in the document description

Click on the choose file button to attach a document.

Click the update button to save the record

Linking documents in ESS

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Staff Locator

The staff locator module is used to pull a report of all the employees on leave at

a certain point in time.

Select the category field which allows be leave module when viewing staff on

leave.

Then select the start and end date, choose a date range.

When you choosing a date range the user can choose from the following:

14 Days (default) – this is the default date range and that will extract the

number of employees who are on leave from 14 days till today’s date, regardless

of what date the user has selected.

1 month - will extract the number of employees who are on leave for the next

month, regardless of what date the user has selected.

2 months - will extract the number of employees who are on leave for the next

two month, regardless of what date the user has selected.

*Own date selection – this base the report on the dates the user has selected

using the calendar provided.

Once you have selected your date range, click on the submit button to submit

the parameters and open the report.

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The report displays the employees Name, the type of leave taken and the dates

the leave was taken on.

Click on the view legend button, to what the colours mean.

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Occupational Health and Safety Module

The OH&S module is where the user would record major accidents that occur at

work or as a result of work tasks.

The incident tab is the first tab in the OH&S module, in this module the user can

record details of serious injuries that involve the employee.

On the general tab, fill the general details of the incident.

On the details tab, fill out more detail about the incident, e.g. what was the

cause, was the correct procedure followed when performing the task that caused

the accident.

Click update to save the incident record.

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Surveillance Tab

The surveillance tab is the second tab in the OH&S module, this tab is used to

record and test that might have occurred by or at the request of the employer.

Click on the create button at the bottom of the screen.

Fill in the test details and click the update button to save the record.

Consultation Tab

The consultation tab is the third tab in the OH&S module, on this tab the user

can record any and all follow up consultation related to the incident.

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Policies Module

The policies module is used to bulk distribute documents to all the employees.

The history tab is the first tab in the policies module, on this tab you can see all

the documents that have been sent in the past.

On the Group tab, the user can select more than one person to assign a

document to.

The Category field is where the user can which module to link the

document

The people who appear on the assign to list are based on the user’s

access to list.

Click on the submit tab to send the document.

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The individual tab is the third tab in the Policies module, on this tab the user can

send a document to an individual employee as opposed to a group.

Fill in the required data and click the submit button to send the document.

Learning Needs Module

The learning module is a feature of the ESS that allows manager to add and

assign courses that are not already on the ESS or SmartHR for their employees.

The plus about this feature is those managers do not have to be SmartHR users

to use this feature.

The course tab is the first tab in the Learning needs module, this tab allows the

users to create a new course.

On the courses tab, fill in all the required data for the new course and click

update to save the record.

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The second tab is the Assign To tab, on this tab the user can select the

employees he/she would like to assign the created course to.

Click on the submit button to send the course to the selected employees.

Assets Module

The assets module provides a location to record all of the equipment and

property that has been loaned to the employee by the company.

The assets: register is the first tab in the assets module, on this tab the user can

make an application for a specific item. To apply for a new access card for

instance click on the create button at the bottom of the screen.

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Fill the required details for the new item and click the update button to save the

record.

The description tab can be used where necessary to fill in more detail about the

request.

The Assets: status tab is the second tab in this module, on this tab the user can

record all the items the user has applied for and also displays the status of said

items.

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Loans Module

The loans module provides a location to record all loans and loan applications

that the employee has made to the company.

Loan: Application tab is the first tab in the loans module, on this tab the user

can apply for a loan from the company.

Creating a loan application:

Click on the new button at the bottom of the screen,

The above screen opens up, on the general tab fill in all the required details of

the loan application.

In the general tab, the user can fill in any addition details of the loan application

where applicable.

Click on the update button to save the record, and the submit button to send the

application to the assigned manager.

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Training Module

The training module allows the employee to review his/her planned and

completed training records and applies for available training courses.

The first section of the training planned tab, planned training is a display grid

that shows all of the training that the employee has in his/her training plan

record on SmartHR. This grid is not editable

The second section is also a non-editable training requests display grid, this grid

shows all of the applications made via the ESS and training to be done records

on SmartHR.

Planned Training

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Training Requests Tab

The Completed Tab

The completed tab shows all the training that the employee has completed.

The Skills Tab

The skills tab, on this tab the user can add all the skills that were acquired on

training.

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To create a new skills record, click on the create button at the bottom of the

screen.

On the skills general tab, fill in all the required by selecting values from the drop

down list where applicable, drop down lists are populated from SmartHR.

On the comments tab, add any additional details about the skill.

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Courses Tab

The courses tab shows all the courses that are available on SmartHR,

To display only current courses use the “On offer” button on SmartHR and ESS.

To flag a course as current, click the “on offer” check box on SmartHR



Administration > Training > Course Details:

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Flagging a course as current on ESS

Setup > Page 4 of the Global tab >

Clicking this checkbox along with the checkbox in SmartHR will ensure that only

flagged courses display in the courses grid.

Application Tab

Fill in the details of the training course you would like to apply for and click

submit to send it to the assigned manager.

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Course the user can apply for appear on the previous courses tab:

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Claims Module

In the claims module the user/employee can submit and monitor the status of

claims to his/her manager.

Capturing a new claims record,

Click on the claim types tab to create new claim types.



Claim types define the type of claims the user/employee can make;

Travel

Internal

Expense

Other

Claim types are created/customized as per company policy

Click on the create button to add a new record.

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Click on the plus sign next to the claim type to expand the record.

Click on the create button to create claim sub items,

Claim sub items are all the claim items that fall into that claim type grouping,

click the update button to save the record.

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In the above screen shot; Bus Fare, Car rental, Petrol, etc are sub items of the

claim type/ “grouping” Travel Expense.

Creating a new claim,

Click on the Claim Register tab

Click on the new button to create a new record.

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Note that the claim type we created earlier is in the drop down list.

Select the date of the claim, and where applicable a description.

The user/employee also has the option of attaching a document, e.g. a receipt or

invoice to that individual claim record.


To add sub items to the claim record click on the plus sign next to the claim

record to expand it,

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Click on the Create button to add a new claim item,

Note that the claim item types we created earlier are in the drop down list.

Select the applicable item type

Fill in a description and the claim amount


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The Sum field at the bottom of the screen will show the current sum of the claim

sub items, this field will auto calculate with every entry that is added or deleted.

Adding a column to a claims,

In cases where additional detail is required for claims, user/administrators can

add custom columns.



Click on the Custom Columns Tab,

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Click on the create button to add a new record,

On the General Tab,

Setup the Column and the controls associated with the control,

Name field refers to the name of the control created in the SQL table.

Label field is what the user will see.

The read-only checkbox is used mainly for calculated fields/controls,

clicking on the read only checkbox will mean that the user will not be able

to edit the selected field.

The Control Type field determines what the user will see and how he/she

will input data; control types include Text, Checkbox, List boxes, Memo

fields and Date Fields (Calendars).

The Data Type field would define the type of input the control can

handle, e.g. Text, Date/Time, Integer, char, Varchar, and nvarchar

The data (Size) defines the maximum amount of characters a control can

handle; this field is thus only applicable to fields with a Text Data Type

The summarize field refers the data seen at the bottom of the grid on a

claim.


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The Calculate, Select and Update Tabs

The following tabs, provide for any other functions you might want to have on

the system.

The calculate function is used for calculated fields, to add a calculation to the

field setup the field as per the above instruction and then on the calculate tab

enter the calculation.

E.g. a calculated field called Claim Amount.

Notice: The control type is set to label which means this field cannot be edited

by the user, also because it has a “real” data type the is no need for a data

(size) specification.

On the Calculate Tab,

The formula the will determine the value of this field,

PLEASE NOTE: the syntax of this formula is very important: [control_name]

[operation] [control_name].

Click on the update button to save the new custom column.

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The new column can be seen on the claims register tab here,

Please note: the Claim Amount column is empty because as you will recall we

specified this as a calculated field that required both the Amount and the Rate

fields to be filled in, and since the rate field is empty then the field cannot

calculate a result.

If we fill in the Rate field and save the record, the Claim Amount column would

appear as such,

The “Sum =” field seen at the bottom of the amount column refers to the

summarize field introduced in the custom column setup tab.

Once the user is satisfied with the claim, he/she would click on the submit

button at the bottom of the page to send the claim to the assigned manager.

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The claim will appear in the manager’s inbox tab in the tasks module. And will

move to the employee’s claims status tab.

Manager’s inbox

Employee’s Claims: Status

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Timesheets Module

The timesheets module, works in exactly the same way as the claims module.

Timesheet types are captured in the timesheets type tab, timesheets are

captured in the timesheets register, custom/additional columns are added in the

custom columns tab and submitted timesheets appear under the timesheets

status tab.

Click on the create button at the bottom of the screen to create a new record,

Under the general tab, select the applicable dates using the calendars provided,

and then select a timesheet type. Timesheet types can be customized as per

company policy.

On the description tab, additional detail about the claim can be added. Click

update to save the record.

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Clicking on the plus sign to the left of the new timesheets record, will displays

the timesheet broken-down into days.

Click on the plus sign next to each individual date to add more detail to that

record.

Click on the create button to add details for the hours spent in that day.

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On the Custom Columns Tab,

To add a custom columns tab as in the custom column tab in claims any

additional columns that are required can be added.

To create a column called contact person for example, click on the custom

columns tab,

Click on the create button to add a new record.

Fill in the required data, and click update button to save the record. The “Is

Child?” checkbox will link the new column to the Timesheet type(s).

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Setup Module

The setup module, similar to the administration module on SmartHR is the

centre of all customization and function on the ESS, In this module the user can

setup what the users will and will not be allowed to see as well as in what order.

The setup module will allow the user to allocated and edit permission based on

either a global level (which will edit settings for everyone) and on a template

level (which will only affect members of that template).

On the global tab,

The user can setup settings related to either security, general, personal and

organisational etc.

Data Filtering and Sorting

All grids on ESS can be filtered, to filter a grid based on only the information you

would like to see click on the arrow icon next to column you would like to sort

by.

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In the example above, the data will be sorted on the Category column and

Filtered on the Leave module, so the user will only see only the setup items that

are related to the leave module.

Notice the Category field is now an amber colour, and the filter checkbox at the

bottom of the screen is checked/”on”.

Clicking on [Category] Equals ‘eLeave’ Filter opens up the Filter builder dialog.

On the filter Builder, clicking on the plus sign next to the And Operator will add

an additional filter.

Clicking on the cross icon next to the existing filter will remove the filter.

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The “Clear Cache” and “Cascade” buttons

The clear cache button is used to clear the computers cached memory to

allow the new settings to take effect.

The cascade button is used to cascade the changes made in this module

to all templates.

Please Note: Changes made on the Global Module affect modules across all

templates.

Global Forms Tab

On the global forms tab, the Administrator can setup fields to be visible, editable

and/or required.

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Setting fields to just visible, means that users can see the fields but not

edit them.

Setting the fields to visible and editable will mean the users can see and

edit the fields

Setting the fields to visible, editable and required will mean those selected

fields can be edited by the user but cannot be left blank.

The Cascade button is again at the top of the screen, since we are working in

Global Form level cascading the changes will again affect all modules regardless

of templates.

The template and template forms tab will provide the same setup options as

Global and Global Forms tabs with the exception of an option to select a

template.

Configurations Tab

On the configurations Tab, the Administrator can customize the labels on the

ESS modules and the order in which they appear.

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The pencil icon to the left of the template element will allow the Administrator to

edit module descriptions.

The up and down arrows to the right of the description, will allow the

administrator to edit the order in which each module appears.

Editing a Description

Click on the pencil icon to the left of the element you want to edit the

description.

Change the element description and click update to save the changes.

Workflow Module

On the workflow module you have the following tabs:

Email Lookup

SMS Lookup

Workflow Setup

Email/SMS Lookup

The email and lookup tabs contain pre-defined settings that control where email

addresses are sent and to whom, as well as the format of the email sent.

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Email Lookup

Click on the pencil icon on the left of the first record to open the record.

On the general tab, all the server settings are configured on the general tab;

The type field defines the type/name of email to be sent.

The from (name) field, specifies by who the email will be signed, e.g.

“Kind Regards, Employee Self Service ”

Server field, Name of the email server to be used.

Username and Password fields, where applicable, if a log in is required

to access the server.

Subject field, specifies what the user will see in the subject line of the

email.

On the Email Body tab, the email format is setup on this tab;

The PARAM [?] values will contain the details that are relevant to the individual

user.

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As per the above screen shot, the parameters refer to the following:

PARAM [5] = Manager’s Name: Prema AManger

PARAM [0] = Originator refers to the person who triggered the event, in

this case a leave cancellation: Charlie AnEmployee

PARAM [1] = Start Date, the leave start date

PARAM [2] = End Date, the leave end date

PARAM [7] = Application Type: the request type, Leave Cancellation

PARAM [8] = Duration, the leave duration

PARAM [9] = Status, refers to the current status of the leave record.

PARAM [10] = the link to the ESS.

PLEASE NOTE:

ANY AND ALL CHANGES TO DETAILS IN THIS TAB ARE TO BE MADE BY

CONSULTANTS.

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SMS Lookup

Click on the pencil icon on the left of the first record to open the record.

The type field defines the type/name of email to be sent.

The body field is where the SMS content is defined.

The PARAM [?] values will contain the details that are relevant to the individual

user.

PARAM [0] = Leave Originator [Employee’s Name]

PARAM [1] = Leave Start Date.

PARAM [2] = Leave End Date.

PARAM [5] = Manager’s Name

Workflow Setup Tab

On this tab the consultant can setup new and edit existing workflows. A

workflow is a group/series of system processes that control the flow of

instructions on the system. For instance the leave approve workflow tells the

system how to process a leave application. From start (Employee submits a

leave application) to finish (HR Manager/ Second level Manager approves or

denies leave)

Take Note: The ESS comes with preset workflows that can be edited to meet the

client’s requirements

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Click on the plus sign to the left of the leave, leave workflow;

In the screen shot above, the leave workflow expands to reveal two tabs, “Type”

and “Department”.

Types Tab

On this tab the consultant can link specific leave types to one specific workflow,

and the rest to a different one. E.g. they consultant can set annual, sick and

study to a workflow that goes from employee then leave manager and then back

to employee. And link the Maternity and Family Responsibility leave to go

through a different workflow, which involves the HR manager before going back

to the employee.

Stop Balance checkbox: tells the systems to take into account pending leave

applications when calculating leave balances, so in cases where the user has 15

days available leave if a user applies for 10 days leave at the beginning of march

and then 8 days at the end of June if the stop balance checkbox is checked then

the system will not allow the second application because it will put the user in a

negative balance of two days. This is also useful for managers because if an

employee puts in both applications, then depending on which application goes

through first the manager will get a notice that approving the leave second leave

application will put the user in a negative balance, provided the stop balance

check box is checked.

Max Negative: Consultants can set the number of days a leave type is allowed

to go into negative.

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Departments Tab

On the Departments Tab, the consultants can link workflows based on

department, where certain departments will have different workflows than

others. E.g. the Finance department’s workflow involves their HR Manager and a

2nd Level manager in addition their Leave Manager, and the HR Department only

involves their Leave Manager.

Click on the create button at the bottom right corner of the screen to add a

department.

Click on the workflow icon to the right of the workflow record to open the

selected record.

At the top of the screen, you can find the workflow name that is currently open.

At first glance we can see that this workflow has three levels;

Employee – Leave Manager

Leave Manager – HR Manager

HR Manager – Employee

TAKE NOTE: The “Start” process will always represent the employee,

which all other parties are identified by the appropriate name.

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When create a new workflow, the consultants will have to work backwards,

creating the end/last process first and working their way forward to what would

be the first process in workflow.

Creating a new workflow


The type refers to the module you would the workflow to “control”, we are going

to select leave.

In the Name field enter, Leave (HR Staff), you will note that as mentioned

earlier we already have a leave workflow, we will now create a 2 level workflow

for all the hr staff.

Leave (HR Staff) workflow:

Employee (Submit) – Leave Manager

Leave Manager (Approve/Reject) – Employee

Click on the update button to save the workflow.

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At the top of this window you will see the name of the workflow you are editing.

Click on the create button to add a new process.

As discussed previously, we will be working backwards, so we know that at the

end of our workflow the employee’s leave application would have been either

accepted or rejected by the leave manager, let’s start there.

TAKE NOTE: the Leave Manager (Approve) and the Leave Manager (Reject)

are two different tasks.

Click on the create button to add a new task. We’ll start with the leave manager

reject process.

On the general tab,

Process (Role): refers to the reports to role that will initiate this process, in

our case that would be the Leave Manager.

Process Result: defines what would be the result of the process running. The

leave application would be rejected.

Process Trigger: This option is only applicable to the start process.

Activity: what is the process doing to the application?

Skip Process (if role unallocated)? : this checkbox will tell the system to

look for the initiating role (Leave Manager) in the employee’s Reports To Roles

and if this role has not been allocated then the system will skip this entire

process.

Process Outcome: this option set the status of the application, leave manager

rejected. (LMReject)

Next Process: This option allows the user to define the next person in the

workflow.

In this case if the leave manger rejects the leave application we want to inform

the employee, so the next person would be the employee. And since we have

already stated that the employee is always the Start process, we leave this

option blank as we have not yet created the start process.

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Apply Process Outcome (if skipped)? : In cases where we have a process

that is being skipped this option allows the consultant to set the leave

application status to what it would be if the skipped process had run.

For now click on the update button to save the “Leave Manger Reject” Process.

TASK: Create the Leave Manager Approve and Start processes in the same

way we created the Leave Manager Reject. With the following differences’;

Start Leave Manager Approve

Process(role): Start Leave Manager

Process Result: Start Approved

Process Trigger: Ess.LeavePath n/a

Activity: Start Approve

Skip Process (if role

unallocated):

n/a n/a

Process Outcome: n/a ess.LMAccept

Next Process: Leave Manager, Approve Start,Start

Apply process outcome (if skipped):

n/a n/a

TAKE NOTE: You will not be able to link a “Next Process” unless one exits. So

you will have to create all the necessary process, [Leave Manager, Approve],

[Leave Manager, reject], [Start, Start] and then go back and link each workflow

to the other.

BEFORE YOU FORGET: remember to go back and link the first process we

created; Leave Manager, Reject the next process would be “Start, Start”.

ALL PROCESS MUST BE LINKED!

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The accessible by section allows the consultant to setup an alternative manager,

in other words who else beside the current role (Leave Manager) can approve

leave applications that use this workflow.

Leave applications will appear in the alternative section of the appointed reports

to’s tasks module.

ESS Email Templates:

All Inform templates (Leave-Inform, Training-Inform, Notify-Inform,

etc) are linked on the next tab; these templates will send an email to the

next person in the workflow that he/she has a task assigned to them.

All Originator templates (Leave-Originator, Training-Originator, Notify-

Originator, etc) are linked on the Original tab, because these templates

will send an email to the originator who is always the employee.

All Actioned templates (Leave-Actioned, Training-Actioned, Notify-

Actioned, etc) are linked on the Alternative tab; these templates will send

an email to the Manager informing them that the alternative manager has

processed the assigned task.

Completed templates (Leave-Completed, Training-Completed, Notify-

Completed, etc) are also linked on the next tab on process that complete

a workflow (approve, reject).

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PLEASE NOTE As you learned earlier templates linked on the next tab will send

an email to the next person in the workflow, on processes that complete/end a

workflow the next person is the employee and since we know that the employee

is always the originator it is not necessary to link a completed template on the

original tab, since on these processes the next and the original are the same

person. Also it is not always necessary to link email templates to all tabs on

every process but the next tab must always be linked.

Workflow Tabs

We have just gone through the general tab on the workflow setup screen, now

for the rest.

Next Tab: this tab will send an email to the next person in the workflow

On the start process set the email template to Leave - Inform, this will send an

email to the employee informing them that their leave application has been

received and sent to the following person in the workflow.

Under “Copy Roles” the consultant can choose a reports to role to “Cc” or “Bcc”

in the email that the employee receives.

KEEP IN MIND: The Originator and Start always represent the Employee.

Original Tab

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Original Tab

This tab will present the same options as the next tab, except emails configured

on this tab will go back to the originator: the employee.

Alternative Tab

On this tab the consultant will setup emails that will go to the process initiator

when an alternative manager approves/denies an application on their behalf.

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Workflow tabs (Start Process):

Next Tab: Informs the NEXT person in the workflow that he/she has been

assigned a new task.

Email Template: Leave – Inform

Original Tab: Informs the employee that his/her leave application has been

received and is being processed.

Email Template: Leave – Originator

Alternative Tab: if an alternative manager has been set this template will

inform the manager that the alternative manager has processed the task on

their behalf

Email Template: Leave - Actioned

Workflow tabs (Approve/Reject Process):

PLEASE NOTE: the following is only applicable in a 2 level workflow such as the

one we created earlier (Leave- HR Staff).

Next Tab: Informs the next person in the workflow of the activity in their tasks

module, which in this case would be the employee.

Email Template: Leave – Completed

Original Tab: Not Applicable in this regard, in the current workflow the

employee would be the next person in the workflow as he/she would need to be

notified whether or not his/her leave application has been approved or not. So

since the employee plays the role of originator and next person then it is only

necessary to setup the email template once. And that would have already been

done on the next template.

Alternative Tab: Informs the process initiator (person who is linked to the role

in the Process (Role) on the general tab), that the alternative manager has

process the application.

Email Template: Leave - Completed

Copy Roles

The copy roles function seen at the bottom of every tab except the general tab

will allow the consultant to setup a “CC” or “BCC” to the selected role; this will

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mean that the selected role will receive a copy of the email that is sent to the

employee

Once you have ensured that all the processes are linked, click on the back

button at the bottom of the screen to return to the main page.

You will notice a lock next to the workflow that we were currently working on,

this indicates that the module is locked and not active.

Click on the lock icon to unlock the workflow.