Introduction
Filter Groups are used to create conditional rules for specific groups of employees within Empeon Workforce. These groups play a critical role in supporting various features and calculations, particularly when custom calculations are required for benefits and pay that apply to only a subset of employees, such as those in a specific department or full-time staff.
For instance, Filter Groups are frequently utilized in Accrual Policy setups. Organizations often have multiple accrual policies tailored to different employee groups, and Filter Group rules ensure these policies are accurately applied. This article outlines how to create and configure Filter Groups and provides scenarios where they may be necessary.
Adding Filter Groups
When configuring Filter Groups, be sure to have a high-level understanding of the filtering need and which calculation(s) for your organization the Filter Group is applicable. Understanding the need will help to ensure that they are set up correctly. To set up a Filter Group, navigate to the Rules & Alerts tab within Company Setup and select the Filter Groups Card: Company > Rules & Alerts > Filter Groups.
Any previously set-up Filter Groups will be displayed here and can be maintained as needed. To create a new Filter Group, simply click the blue "+ New Filter" button.
Upon initiating a new Filter Group, the first step is to assign a code Name and Description that best reflects how the filter will be applied within the system and/or who will be included in this group. From there, the Filter By Employee Status will determine what employment statuses should be included.
Configuring Filter Conditions
The next steps on this screen will be to establish the conditions associated with this Filter Group. This will be how the Filter Group gets configured so that when it is applied elsewhere within the system, it includes the appropriate employees.
For all Filter Groups, the section titled "Meet This" will be where the Filter Group conditions are established. Conditions are the categories of employee information that are linked to the Filter Group. There are many kinds of conditions that can be applied within this section and multiple conditions can be set up to help precisely define which employees should be included in this filter.
Here is a straight-forward example of the conditions set up for an accrual policy intended for all full-time employees:
- The first dropdown is establishing what piece of employment information will be applicable.
- The middle dropdown defines how the employment information from the first dropdown will be applied to the Filter Group. The options available here can vary based on what is established in the first dropdown, however for most Filter Groups the options for 'In' and 'Not In' are most appropriate. The option for 'In' essentially means what should be included in the group whereas as 'Not In' defines what should be not be in the group.
- The third dropdown will be used to select the assigned employment information that should be associated with the condition. In the condition set up above, Hourly Full-Time (HFT) and Salary Full-Time (SFT) Employment Type codes need to be included since all full-time employees should be in this Filter Group.
Meet This - Adding "And" Conditions
Should there need to be multiple conditions to define this Filter Group even further, select "+ Add Condition" to set up an "and" condition to this Filter Group to go along with the first condition already set up. For example, per screenshot below, employees in this Filter Group should include just Full-Time employees from only the Administration department.
"Or This" Conditions
Within the Filter Group setup there is also the option to "Add Group". This creates an additional Or This condition that can be configured and tied to this Filter Group.
An example of an Or This condition is shown in the screenshot below. In this Filter Group scenario, an accrual policy should usually only be applied to full time employees. However, the Nursing department negotiated for the company's accrual policy to be applied to both full-time and part-time nurses. Therefore, an "Or This" group was added so that the system's accrual policy setup will apply only to full-time employees but also (OR) any employee, regardless of full-time/part-time, in the Nursing department.
Viewing & Maintaining Filter Groups
As more and more Filter Groups are added, it may be helpful at times to quickly review the configuration of each group and see which employees are included. The system provides options to view existing Filter Group setups, as well as the employees included when a Filter Group is applied elsewhere within the system. If changes are needed, there are also options to edit or delete the Filter Groups.
The 'pencil' icon will offer the option to edit, whereas the three-dot menu offers the ability to View, Delete or Preview employees.
Where are Filter Groups applied?
When configuring Filter Groups, understanding their relevant system application will help to ensure they are set up according to preference. Below are some examples of system features where Filter Groups can be applied within Empeon Workforce:
- Accrual Policies - This is the most common need for Filter Group setups. When creating an accrual policy, any employee group definition needed other than Employee Status requires a Filter Group created and linked to the policy.
- Live Reports - On certain live reports, there is the option to filter the results to show only the employees assigned to a particular Filter Group.
- Employee List - In the People tab, a Filter Group can be applied to refine the employee list, displaying only those employees assigned to the selected Filter Group.
- Request & Approvals - For certain requests, such as Reimbursements and Time Off, a Filter Group can be set up and applied to establish the "Allowed Requesters" for that request type.
Please note that once a Filter Group is set up, any new employees added to the system will be included in the Filter Group if their employment information matches the criteria.