What are User Requests?
While Request & Approvals are primarily designed for employee requests within the ESS Hub, there are two requests specifically available for Users of the Empeon Workforce system:
- Rate Change
- Bonus
Both request types are intended for Workforce Users assigned to Company-level Custom Roles to submit rate change requests on behalf of employees, as well as bonus requests on employee's time cards. User requests are optimal for Managers in order to initiate these types of requests for team members that they oversee.
In many cases, managing employee pay rates and bonuses requires a collaborative approach, often involving multiple parties within the organization to review and approve these changes. With this in mind, Empeon has streamlined the rate change process within Empeon Workforce to allow for a multi-approval process to take place, if desired.
Rate Change Requests
To grant Users access to the Rate Change request, first navigate to the User Requests tab and then click the "pencil" icon within the row of the Rate Change request type.
The first step will be to change the permission from it's default setting of "No access" to "Allow request".
Upon changing the permissions to "Allow request", the system will require the designation of an "Assignee". For this request type, setting up a multi-approval process can ensure that all necessary parties are involved in the review. Multi-step approvals can be configured to include multiple reviewers in a defined sequence. Once the initial Assignee approves the request, it will automatically proceed to the next Assignee for further review, and so on.
The final settings to consider when configuring this is whether to establish "Only assignees can approve" the request. This optional setting enforces that only the designated Assignee(s) have the authority to approve the request. Please note that this restriction applies only to the custom Users and Roles assigned for approval and does not affect system-level Administrators, such as Company or Organizational Admins, who retain approval capabilities.
There is also a setting for "Notify Assignees Via Email", which sends immediate email notifications to Assignees when a rate change is requested. Enabling this setting helps ensure that these requests are reviewed promptly.
For a visual of the Rate Change workflow after the permission has been set up, please watch the video below:
Bonus Requests
Bonus requests are exclusive to Empeon's Time and Attendance feature and offer Users with the ability to request bonuses for employees on their time card. Then once theses requests are reviewed and approved, they are reflected as a manual pay item on the time card and are available to be transferred to payroll once time sheets are processed.
To grant Users access to the Bonus request, first navigate to the User Requests tab and then click the "pencil" icon within the row of the Rate Change request type.
The first step will be to change the permission from it's default setting of "No access" to "Allow request".
From here, the next step is establishing the various Bonus Types that can be requested. There are five predefined bonus categories that can be enabled:
- Pickup
- Referral
- Sign On
- Incentive
- Attendance
During this step, Administrators can turn on some or all of these bonus types where the process for doing so simply involved linking the appropriate Earning Code and establishing whether an attachment is required when submitting a Bonus request.
In addition to the five predefined options, there is an "+ Add Custom" option that enables users to create a custom bonus type to be made available for request.
After establishing the various types of bonuses that can be requested, the next steps entail establishing the "Assignee(s)". For this request type, setting up a multi-approval process can ensure that all necessary parties are involved in the review. Multi-step approvals can be configured to include multiple reviewers in a defined sequence. Once the initial Assignee approves the request, it will automatically proceed to the next Assignee for further review, and so on.
The final settings to consider when configuring this is whether to establish "Only assignees can approve" the request. This optional setting enforces that only the designated Assignee(s) have the authority to approve the request. Please note that this restriction applies only to the custom Users and Roles assigned for approval and does not affect system-level Administrators, such as Company or Organizational Admins, who retain approval capabilities.
There is also a setting for "Notify Assignees Via Email", which sends immediate email notifications to Assignees when a bonus is requested. Enabling this setting helps ensure that these requests are reviewed promptly.
Requesting a Bonus
Users with access to this new feature can now submit a bonus request directly from the employee's time card. On the time card, there is a "Request" button that provides the options for both a "Time Off Request" and a "Bonus Request".
By selecting "Bonus", a window will appear prompting for the user to enter details surrounding the bonus request such as the Bonus Type, Date, Amount and Comment. Supporting documentation can also be uploaded if required as well.
Bonus requests can only be submitted for dates within the active timecard period, and once submitted, the timecard will display a notice that “Changes are pending approval” for the day the bonus was requested.
Approving a Bonus
For users established as the assignee for these requests, details surrounding the bonus can be viewed from the Requests Dashboard. Select the "View request details" button to view insights surrounding the bonus request. Assignees can approve or deny requests and add comments as needed.
Once approved, the bonus is automatically added to the employee’s timecard and displayed within the Show details section of the time card. A column for "Comment" can be added using the Column Chooser in order to confirm the bonus type that was applied.
During this process, the system will include automated email notifications to keep everyone informed. Approvers receive an email when a new bonus request is submitted, including employee details, bonus type, comments, and a link to the request. Requesters are notified when their request is approved (with bonus type and comments included) or denied.
Custom Role Permissions
When configuring both request types, it is important to confirm the custom Role permissions for the Users intended to be involved in the Rate Change and/or Bonus workflow. Admin Users will already have these permissions set up.
Rate Change Role Permissions
For Company-level Custom Roles who should be able to make rate change requests, they will need to have the "Request Rate Change" Role permission activated.
For Company-level Custom Roles intended to be "Assignees" responsible for reviewing and approving these requests, they will need to have the "Review Rate Change Requests" permission enabled.
After confirming these permissions, the Rate Change request type can now be configured within Request & Approvals.
Bonus Role Permissions
For Company-level Custom Roles who should be able to make bonus requests, they will need to have the "Request Bonus" Role permission activated. For Company-level Custom Roles intended to be "Assignees" responsible for reviewing and approving these requests, they will need to have the "Approve Bonus" permission enabled.
Important Note - User Requests
This feature is only available to companies subscribed to Empeon's HR Premium package. Additionally, Bonus requests will only be available to companies enrolled in Empeon's time and attendance feature.
If a request does not have an Assignee (i.e. an employee doesn't have a Manager assigned to receive the request, or a Role designated as Assignee doesn't have associated Users) the Company Admins will default as the Assignee instead.