EmpCenter is our new workforce management / time and attendance system from WorkForce Software. WorkForce Software is one of the leading providers of this technology and has particular experience and expertise in addressing the needs of higher education institutions such as OSU.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EmpCenter?
What is workforce management?
Workforce management is the category name for the software that’s used to track time, attendance and work activities of an employee population. Historically, this information was tracked manually through paper-based time cards… but with a greater degree of automation.
Why did the university purchase this system?
Several reasons, but the most notable was to improve the overall accuracy and timeliness of our payroll processes. As with any paper-based or heavily-manual process, the opportunity for error is significantly increased. Errors in payroll calculations, incorrect or inconsistent application of payrules and other such issues are both time-consuming and costly to correct. Through EmpCenter, however, these processes are fully-automated.
How will EmpCenter benefit me?
Our decision to move to an automated time collection system was based largely on the benefits it will bring to our employees. First and foremost, this is the most precise and consistent way to capture the hours you worked. As a result, we can virtually eliminate paycheck calculation errors. (Of course, we have always strived for zero errors, but moving to an automated system ensures an unprecedented degree of accuracy.) There are also several “self-service” features which make recording your time – as well as other work-related activities – faster and more insightful.
What can I do using EmpCenter?
EmpCenter delivers a broad range of functionality aimed at helping you to gain greater insight and flexibility in your day. For example, you can check your real-time leave balances to see how much vacation time you have accrued or sick days you have remaining. You can also review your schedule, enter a time off request, record absences and many additional functions. For an overview, check out the Employee Features demo video.
January 31, 2012
What changes will I have in my day-to-day time keeping processes?
The way you interact with EmpCenter is largely dependent upon your specific role within the University. For information on Policy Profile specific time entry processes, see the Policy Profile chart. For information on how to find your policy profile, see the Policy Profile FAQ.
November 5, 2012
Do I need to “sign-up” to use EmpCenter?
You do not need to sign-up to use the system; OSU employees that will be using EmpCenter will log in with their ONID Username and Password. If you need to activate your ONID accouct, visit http://onid.oregonstate.edu/ and click Sign Up For ONID.
How do I access the system?
You will be able to access EmpCenter from any computer with internet access as well as from the link within myOSU. Your interactions with the system will depend on your Policy Profile. As we roll-out the system in FY13, you will receive specific training on how to use the system and where to access it.
Will using EmpCenter take extra time?
Not at all. In fact, using EmpCenter will typically require less time than producing a paper-based timesheet.
What do I do if I have problems with my paycheck?
We always strive to ensure the highest accuracy and timeliness in our payroll processes, and the move to a paperless system represents a significant investment in taking that dedication to the next level. However, if you encounter problems or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your Business Center or the central Payroll Office.
What is the schedule for this project? When do I need to be prepared to change my practices to use EmpCenter?
The Time and Attendance project is expected to be implemented during FY13. The implementation will be phased. You can find the details of the implementation timeline on the Project Schedule page.
August 2, 2011
How does EmpCenter handle leave requests?
All leave eligible employees can request time off through EmpCenter using the time off request process. The request is sent to your supervisor who can approve or deny the request. All approved time off is then automatically entered on your timesheet. In addition, employees can request and track protected leave using the ACT system within EmpCenter.
November 5, 2012
Will we be able to generate PAR forms from EmpCenter?
PAR forms are critical for grants but EmpCenter is a time & leave collection/reporting system and was not designed with PAR forms as a functionality. Because Banner remains the system of record for payroll and finance posting, PAR forms will continue pulling their data from Banner.
January 31, 2012
OSU has lots of different kinds of employees. How is the project going to work to treat them according to their types?
EmpCenter allows the University to establish profiles of different kinds of employees and handle them uniquely. The below table demonstrates the differences for OSU’s seven different employee profiles.
| POLICY PROFILE GROUPS | Classified Salaried Exempt | Classified Salaried Non-Exempt | Classified Hourly | Unclassified Exempt | Unclassified Non-Exempt | Unclassified Hourly |
Student/Temps Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approximate Number | 100 | 900 | 300 | 3350 | 250 | 200 | 8400 |
| Salaried/Hourly | Salaried | Salaried | Hourly | Salaried | Salaried | Hourly | Hourly |
| Timesheet schedule | First to last of month | First to last of month | Mid-month to mid-month | First to last of month | First to last of month | Mid-month to mid-month | Mid-month to mid-month |
| Enter clock in/out or hours? | Work time (in hours) | clock in/out | clock in/out | Exception time (in hours) | Additional hours worked (OAP) over regular hours. | Work time (in hours) | clock in/out |
| Clock in/out for meals? | N | automatic 1 hour after 6 hours worked unless overwritten by schedules | automatic 1 hour after 6 hours worked unless overwritten by schedules | N | N | N | Y |
| Paid Holidays | Classified holidays | Classified holidays | Classified holidays | Unclassified holidays | Unclassified holidays | N | N |
| Overtime | |||||||
| Exempt or non-exempt? | exempt | non-exempt | mostly non-exempt | exempt | non-exempt | mostly non-exempt | non-exempt |
| > 40 hours/week | exchange | Yes - default to pay, can request comp |
OT for non-exempt (default to pay, can request comp).
|
No | Y - default to pay, can request comp | OT for non-exempt (default to pay Supervisor can change to comp) |
Yes - paid |
For information on how to find your profile, see the Policy Profile FAQ.
May 22, 2012
What is a "Policy Profile"?
Policy profile is the term used by EmpCenter to identify how an employee will interact with the system. There are seven different policy profiles at OSU. Your policy profile is determined by the type of employee you are at the university. For more information, see the Policy Profile table.
September 11, 2012
How do I find my Policy Profile?
For a description of the different policy profiles, visit the Profile Groups FAQ.
To find your Policy Profile, log on to myOSU at https://myosu.oregonstate.edu/. Select the Employee link then Current and Past Jobs under My Employment Details. A new window will open with your EmpCenter Policy Profile listed next to your current position.
October 5, 2012
How do I update my email for EmpCenter notifications?
EmpCenter uses your Banner Preferred Email for all notifications. If you need to update your email address, follow the instructions below.
Note: updating your Banner Preferred Email will change the email for all Banner notifications - not just EmpCenter.
1. Log on to the MyOSU Employee page using your ONID username and password.
2. Select Update Email Address under My Employment Details:
3. Click on the preferred email address listed to make changes:
Note: if no email is set as preferred, click on the email you would like to make preferred and check the box indicated in step 4.
4. Make any necessary changes to your email address; ensure Make this your Preferred address is checked:
5. Click Submit to save your changes:
February 15, 2013
What is “clocking”?
Clocking is a function of EmpCenter that uses a web-based or physical time clock to record the time an employee begins and ends his or her work schedule.
May 22, 2012
Will I need to use the EmpCenter “clocking” functionality?
The following employee groups will use it.
Student Employees, paid Hourly - Policy Profile: Student/Temp
All hourly student employees will clock in and out for their workday, and will also clock in and out for meal periods.
Temporary Employees, paid Hourly - Policy Profile: Student/Temp
All temporary employees working on an hourly basis will clock in and out for their workday, and will also clock in and out for meal periods.
Classified Employees, paid Hourly - Policy Profile: Classified Hourly
All classified employees who work on an hourly basis will clock in and out for their workday, but will not need to clock in and out for meal periods. EmpCenter will automatically include a one hour meal period after six hours of work. This can be manually changed by the employee on their timesheet in EmpCenter.
Classified Employees, Salaried, eligible for overtime (Non-Exempt) or shift differential pay - Policy Profile: Classified Salaried Non-exempt
All classified salaried employees who are eligible for overtime and pay differentials will clock in and out for their workday, but will not need to clock in and out for meal periods. EmpCenter will automatically include a one hour meal period after six hours of work. This can be manually changed by the employee on their timesheet in EmpCenter.
The following employee types will not “clock” in and out.
Classified Employees, salaried, not eligible for overtime (Exempt) - Policy Profile: Classified Exempt
All classified salaried employees who are ineligible for overtime will record their work time in elapsed hours directly on their web timesheet in EmpCenter.
Unclassified Employees, paid hourly (including Academic Wage Appointments) - Policy Profile: Unclassified Hourly
All unclassified employees who work on an hourly basis will record their work time in elapsed hours directly on their web timesheet in EmpCenter.
Unclassified Employees, salaried, eligible for overtime (non-exempt) - Policy Profile: Unclassified Non-exempt
All unclassified salaried employees who are overtime eligible will not record regular work time on the web timesheet in EmpCenter. They will only record exception time and hours worked over their regular hours on the day. These employees will use the “Additional Hours Worked” pay code to enter hours worked over their regular hours on the day.
Unclassified Employees, salaried, not eligible for overtime (Exempt) - Policy Profile: Unclassified Exempt
Unclassified salaried employees who are not overtime eligible will not record work time on the web timesheet in EmpCenter. Only exception time will be recorded, ie. Sick, Vacation etc.
Graduate Assistants, Postdoctoral Scholars, Clinical Fellows (Exempt)
These positions will not be in EmpCenter as these employee jobs are not required to record on timesheets nor will they enter any exception time.
Need help finding your EmpCenter Policy Profile? Instructions can be found in the FAQ.
May 22, 2012
If I am not required to clock in and out for meal periods, how are my meals calculated?
EmpCenter will automatically include a one hour meal period after six hours of work. This can be manually changed by the employee on the timesheet
May 22, 2012
How does an employee clock in and out? Where can I clock when I need to do so?
This will vary by work area. Most clocking employees will use the web clock within EmpCenter while some departments will use physical time clocks. If you are using the web clock, you can access it from any computer with internet access (the system will record the IP address of the computer). We will provide specific training for using both the web clock and the physical time clock prior to your go-live date.
November 5, 2012
What if I don’t clock exactly on time?
EmpCenter is programmed with some leeway. For each clock in/out slice, EmpCenter will round to the nearest 10th of the hour after subtracting out the meal.
For example, you clock in at 7:58 am and clock out at 5:00 pm and take a 1 hour meal, a total of 8 hours and 2 minutes for the day. EmpCenter will convert the 2 minutes to .03 (2/60=.03, for a total of 8.03 hours) and will round down to 8 hours. If you clock in at 8:01 am and clock out at 5:04 pm for a total of 8 hours and 3 minutes, EmpCenter will convert the 3 minutes to .05 (3/60=.05) and round up to 8.10 hours.
Minute conversion chart:
March 6, 2013
Will I get a reminder if I forget to clock? What happens if I fail to clock at the appropriate time(s)?
EmpCenter will not remind you to clock; you will need to remember to use the clocking function daily. If you forget to clock in or out, you will see an exception or error message on your timesheet that will alert you to correct the clock omission. You will need to correct these errors as soon as possible so that your hours worked are accurate and timely.
November 5, 2012
What happens if I am leaving from home to go to a work location other than my regular work location or I am traveling? How do I clock in and out in this situation?
You can access EmpCenter from any computer with internet access to record your time. If you are unable to access EmpCenter, you will simply update your timesheet at your next possible opportunity to do so.
May 22, 2012
How far back will we be allowed to make timecard corrections?
Employees can amend their timecards up to 63 days back.
May 22, 2012
What is the benefit of clocking?
Hourly employees are eligible for overtime while classified salaried non-exempt and classified hourly employees are eligible for overtime and several differentials. Clocking in and out is the best way to ensure the time worked is captured to appropriately calculate any overtime or differential pay due to the employee.
November 5, 2012
Will I be able to see my Work Study students’ remaining balances in the new system?
Yes, supervisors will have the ability to view Work Study award balances of student employees they supervise.
May 22, 2012
Will I be able to monitor student workers that I supervisor to ensure that they don’t work more than 20 hours per week?
Yes. An exception message will show up on the employee’s timesheet if they work over 20 hours in a week. Supervisors can also run reports to verify hours worked.
May 22, 2012
Does EmpCenter accommodate the administration of protected leave (FMLA/OFLA)?
Yes it does. In addition to Workforce's EmpCenter, OSU also purchased the Absence Compliance Tracker (ACT). ACT's primary purpose is to administer case development and tracking for FMLA etc.
January 31, 2012
Will there be a minimum amount of leave that must be requested (e.g. 1 hour) at any one time?
No, current practice remains in effect.
May 22, 2012
Will I see up-to-date leave balances?
Yes. EmpCenter will automatically display your current available balances.
May 22, 2012
How do I request leave in advance?
All leave eligible employees will use the time off request process in EmpCenter to request any type of leave in advance. Training on how to use the time off request process is coming soon.
May 22, 2012
What happens if my supervisor does not respond to my leave request after I have submitted it through EmpCenter?
The leave request will be visible to both you and your supervisor as “pending” until your supervisor responds.
May 22, 2012
When an employee has multiple jobs, how is overtime calculated?
The system will automatically calculate overtime for any work that occurs after the 40th hour in a week. The overtime charges to the job(s) being worked when the overtime occurs.
May 22, 2012
How is overtime calculated for weeks that cross over pay periods?
EmpCenter is able to calculate overtime for weeks that cross over pay periods. The overtime will be paid on the upcoming pay check. For example, if you earn overtime the week of October 28th - November 3rd 2012, the overtime will be paid on your November 30th pay check.
November 5, 2012
How do I request Comp time instead of overtime?
Once you have earned overtime in the week, you can request the overtime be converted to Comp time directly on your timesheet. See the Requesting Comp Time training (coming soon) for more details.
November 5, 2012
When will I be paid overtime if I am salaried?
Salaried employees who earn overtime in the current month will have the overtime paid on the following month’s pay check. For example, if you earn overtime in December, you’ll receive the overtime pay on the January 31st paycheck.
November 19, 2012
How will EmpCenter benefit me as a manager/supervisor?
As a manager, you’ll have access to all of your employee’s timesheets within EmpCenter – no more waiting for the paper timesheet to show up on your desk. You’ll be able to easily review all of your employees’ timesheets at once, fix errors, review schedules, and approve timesheets online. In addition, employees will be able to request time off through the system and you can approve or deny with a simple click of a button. For an overview, check out the Manager Features demo video.
January 31, 2012
How can a supervisor review a list of employee exceptions?
When approving timesheets, supervisors can easily see if any employees have exceptions on their timesheet. They can then access the timesheet to see the specific exception for that employee. In addition, supervisors can run a report to view all exceptions on their employees’ timesheets.
November 5, 2012
Will I be able to make adjustments to my employees' timesheets?
Yes. Supervisors can adjust hours, add pay codes, and add comments to an employee's timesheet at any point during the pay period. All changes made by anyone other than the employee are tracked for audit purposes.
September 11, 2012
Will employees be able to access EmpCenter when they are away from their desks?
Yes. All employees can access EmpCenter from any computer with internet access. They will simply need to log on using their ONID username and password.
September 11, 2012
What if my employee forgets to submit their timesheet or is out sick during payroll processing? Will I still be able to approve their timesheet?
Yes. You will be able to access your employee's timesheet, make any changes if needed, and approve the timesheet.
September 11, 2012
What if I am out of the office when timesheets are due?
You can access EmpCenter remotely from any computer with internet access or you can easily delegate timesheet approval for your employees to another supervisor.
September 11, 2012
How will I know if something is wrong with an employee's timesheet?
If there are errors on the timesheet - such as a missing punch or not enough vacation hours - you'll see an exception message on the timesheet. In addition, you can run reports to identify any exceptions on employees' timesheets.
September 11, 2012
Will employees receive notifications from EmpCenter?
Yes. EmpCenter will remind employees to submit their timesheets before payroll processing. In addition, if there are errors or other exceptions on the employee's timesheet they will see those within EmpCenter and can correct them before submitting their timesheet to their supervisor.
September 11, 2012
Will I be notified if my employee submits a time off request?
Yes. You'll see the pending request on your Dashboard and you'll receive an email from EmpCenter.
September 11, 2012
Is scheduling available in EmpCenter?
EmpCenter has a very basic scheduling component that allows for the assigning of schedule templates. However, the functionality may not meet all of your scheduling needs. We plan to review the Advanced Scheduler component after EmpCenter is fully launched. We will make a decision about implementing this component at a later date. Continue to check the project website for updates.
September 11, 2012
Will I have access to reports in EmpCenter?
Yes. In EmpCenter you can run reports to check exceptions on employees' timesheets, see unsubmitted or unapproved timesheets, and track employee time off, just to name a few. Training will be provided on the reporting options within EmpCenter prior to roll out.
September 11, 2012
Will I be able to see my employees' leave balances?
Yes, you can see an employee's leave balance under the leave balances tab on their timesheet. You will also be able to view an employee's leave balance when reviewing time off requests.
November 5, 2012
When will EmpCenter be deployed?
We expect to begin deployment during Fall Term 2012, with a phased approach. EmpCenter will be fully deployed by June 2013. For the exact schedule, visit the Project Schedule page.
November 12, 2012
What training will be provided to new employees?
Training will be provided to new and existing employees, supervisors and business center staff. All training and resources (guides, quick references, etc) will be found online on the training page. In addition, as each group goes live with EmpCenter, we will also have Open Lab sessions for additional assistance.
May 22, 2012
Who can make changes to my timesheet?
Besides the employee, the employee's supervisor and approved Business Center employees can access and make changes to a timesheet. EmpCenter does record all changes made, and you can view the changes - and who made the change - using the Timesheet Audit Report.
November 12, 2012
What if I have multiple positions, how do I track time for each one?
If you have multiple positions, you will be prompted to choose the appropriate position when accessing EmpCenter to enter your time - whether you are using a physical clock, the web clock, or the timesheet entry view.
November 12, 2012
What if I will be out of the office when timesheets are due? Can I submit my timesheet early?
Yes. If you will be out of the office when timesheets are due, you can submit your timesheet on your last day worked of the pay period. You can also access EmpCenter from any computer with internet access and submit your timesheet when it is due.
November 12, 2012
Will EmpCenter remind me that timesheets are due?
Yes. EmpCenter will send an email reminder to you to submit your timesheets before payroll processing. In addition, if there are errors or other exceptions on your timesheet, you will be able to correct those before submitting your timesheet to your supervisor.
November 12, 2012
How are changes to labor distribution made in EmpCenter?
Labor distribution changes are not completed in EmpCenter. For most employees, changes will be made as they are today:
- Changing the default labor on NBAJOBS
- Or labor redistribution in PYAREDS
- Or changing labor in PYAHOUR.
For students and temps, labor distribution can also be changed in the Multiple Assignment module that will be released in June 2013. Training for that process will be available on the training page.
November 19, 2012
