Users
The Users menu includes several options including creating a user in the system, establishing groups that will be linked into group chains (aka workflows) and API Access Tokens for third-party integration.
Users
A "user" is a person that the software is designed for and is using it. Users are assigned one or more Roles. The roles assigned to the user determines the access that user will have in the ESS system. Please refer to ESS Roles Crosswalk under More Information on Users for the list of available Roles in ESS and their Kiosk counterpart.
Role: For users with District Manager or Admin role. NOTE: District Manager role cannot create a user with Admin role. There is no user self registration yet in ESS. (ESS-246)
Create a User
The username entered when creating the user account is the username used when logging into Employee Self Service.
From the Users menu, select 'Users'.
Click
Enter/Select desired user information. Field denoted with a . are required fields.
If the user account being created is for an employee of the district, select the employee by clicking on the drop down arrow under ‘Select Employee’ or enter a name to start filtering on an employee. Once selected it will auto-populate full name and email address from the USPS Employee record. (Primary email address from USPS is pulled by default.)
If user is using Active Directory, enter their active directory username in the ‘Username’ field. Also check the ‘External Authentication’ box.
If user is using DUO, check the ‘Two Factor Authentication’ box.
Password Expiration date and time is automatically set when the ‘change password’ option is used.
Select role(s). User Roles are defined under ‘More Information on Users’
Click on
to create the user or
to cancel out of the window without saving changes.
DUO and Active Directory Information
Additional information on how to configure active directory and DUO is located in the Employee Self Service Installation Guide.
Users Grid Options
The User grid allows users to search for existing accounts by clicking in the filter row in the grid columns and entering the desired information.
view entire user record.
edit a user record
change a user’s existing password. NOTE: This password option can only be used for local or Two Factor authentication. If you are set up for external authentication, please contact your AD manager.
locks user account. The user will not be able to log into the application. A user with Admin or District Manager role can log into the application and access a user’s account in order to unlock it.
unlocks a user account that is currently locked.
deletes a user account. If a user is part of a group/group chain and/or has leave requests entered in the system, their user account cannot be deleted. However, their account may be disabled by unchecking the ‘enabled’ box.
Bulk Reset Passwords: Allows mass reset of passwords for selected users. Checkmark specific users or use the top checkbox to select all users based on the filter you entered. A pop-up window appears with a grid listing the selected users and when their passwords are set to expire (if applicable). Click ‘Confirm’ to reset their passwords. The Password Expiration date and time will auto-populate in the User’s account forcing the user to reset their password at the ESS login page (by selecting the ‘Forgot Password’ option).
The default setting in System>Configuration>Forgot Password Configuration to change a password is 5 minutes. If using Bulk Reset Passwords and you prefer to extend the time, you may increase the ‘minutes until expiration’ setting to give users more time to reset their password. For example, a Bulk Reset Password is performed at 1:00 PM and the district’s ‘forgot password configuration’ is 30 minutes, the user will receive an automated email with a link to reset their password. The user has exactly 30 minutes from when the email was sent to change it to a permanent password.
Export Grid Items: Checkmark specific users or use the top checkbox to select all users based on the filter you entered. Click to generate a CSV formatted spreadsheet based on the users you filtered. For more information on updating user information via a spreadsheet, please refer to the System>Mass Load option.
Groups
Groups are made up of users within the ESS system who are responsible for approving and/or receiving notification of a leave request or Timesheet. Once a group is created, it can be added to a Group Chain.
Leave Request Groups
Role: For users with Leave Approval Workflow Manager, District Manager or Admin role.
Create a Leave Request Group
From User>Groups, ensure ‘Leave Request’ is selected
click
. Fields denoted with a . are required fields.
Name: Enter the desired name of the Group and description.
Select And/Or:
AND requires all Approver Group Member Types to approve the leave request
OR requires only 1 Approver member to approve the leave request
Select the group members to be included. The list to choose from will include active ESS users as well as two unique users:
Supervisor will automatically include the supervisor listed on the user's USPS Position record.
Manager will automatically include users with Leave Manager role in ESS.
NOTE: When adding a Supervisor or Manager group member to a Group, you must use OR option otherwise, it will attempt to flow to ALL supervisors or managers instead of the one specific to this position.
Once a member is selected, click Add to add the member to the grid. It will display their Username, Name and allow you to select their access to the group.
Approver: member is an approver and will be sent an email notification when the leave request needs approval
Read-only Access: member is not an approver but is allowed to view the leave request.
Read-only Access with Notifications: member is not an approver but will be sent an email notification when a leave request is awaiting approval.
Click on
to create the leave request group or
to cancel out of the window without saving changes.
Leave Request Groups Grid Options
The Groups grid allows the user to filter group information by clicking in the filter row in the grid columns and entering in the desired search query
view entire group record.
edit a group record. Editing will allow you to add/remove members or update group member type to an existing group.
delete a group record. NOTE: If the group is attached to a Group Chain, you will not be able to delete the group.
Timesheet Groups
Timesheet Groups are made up of users within the ESS system who are responsible for approving and/or receiving notification of a submitted timesheet. Once a group is created, it can be added to a Timesheet Group Chain.
Role: For users with Timesheet Manager, District Manager or Admin role.
Create a Timesheet Group
From User>Groups, ensure Timesheet is selected
click
. Fields denoted with a . are required fields.
Name: Enter the desired name of the Group and description.
Select And/Or:
AND requires all Approver Group Member Types to approve the timesheet
OR requires only 1 Approver member to approve the timesheet
Select the group members to be included. The list to choose from will include active ESS users as well as two unique users:
Supervisor will automatically include the supervisor listed on the user's USPS Position record.
Manager will automatically include users with Leave Manager role in ESS.
NOTE: When adding a Supervisor or Manager group member to a Group, you must use OR option, otherwise, it will attempt to flow to ALL supervisors or managers instead of the one specific to this position.
Once a member is selected, click Add to add the member to the grid. It will display their Username, Name and allow you to select their access to the group.
Approver: member is an approver and will be sent an email notification when the timesheet needs approval
Read-only Access: member is not an approver but is allowed to view the timesheet.
Read-only Access with Notifications: member is not an approver but will be sent an email notification when a timesheet is awaiting approval.
Click on
to create the group or
to cancel out of the window without saving changes.
Timesheet Groups Grid Options
The Groups grid allows the user to filter group information by clicking in the filter row in the grid columns and entering in the desired search query
view entire group record.
edit a group record. Editing will allow you to add/remove members or update group member type to an existing group.
delete a group record. NOTE: If the group is attached to a Group Chain, you will not be able to delete the group.
Group Chains
A Group Chain defines the leave or timesheet approval workflow by linking selected (approver) Groups with specified employees, groups, departments, etc. that are included in the workflow.
Leave Request Group Chains
Role: For users with Leave Approval Workflow Manager, District Manager or Admin role.
Create a Leave Request Group Chain
From User>Groups Chains, ensure Leave Request is selected:
click
. Fields denoted with a . are required fields.
Name: Enter the desired name of the Group Chain and description.
Priority: Must be specified to determine the order of the workflow for each group chain. If two or more groups have the same priority number, it then goes in alphabetical order based on the chain name.
Select and drag Available (Approval) Groups from the left to the right (Selected) groups area.
Once the approval groups are in the proper order, select the Specific Leave Types you want included in the group chain. If left blank, all leave types will be included:
You have the option of including one or more of the following to be included in the workflow:
For the following options below, use the drop down arrow or enter the search criteria and click on your selection. Click ‘Add’ to add your selection to the grid. If you need to remove a selection, checkmark it and select ‘Remove from Grid’.
Specific Employees and Positions:
Specific Pay Groups
Specific Departments Codes
Specific Building Codes
Specific Sub Category (leave type sub categories)
Once the group chain is set, click ‘Create’ to save it and it will be added to the Group Chains grid.
Leave Request Group Chain Grid Options
view entire group chain record.
edit a group chain. NOTE: If you edit the original settings of the group chain so that it is no longer applies to any outstanding leave requests tied to this group chain, you will receive an error message and the changes will not take place. Otherwise, if the edit was successful, it will restart the workflow on the leave request and the leave request’s approval trail will display ‘Group Chain Edited’.
or
allow you to reorder the priority of the district existing workflows. Group priority can be shared (meaning you can assign the same priority number to multiple group chains. It will flow by priority first and then alphabetically by group chain name).
delete a group chain. If you attempt to delete a group chain that contain outstanding leave requests, if another applicable group chain exist (i.e. 'catch all' group chain), the workflow for the leave request will restart. Otherwise, you will receive an error message and you will not be able to delete the group chain.
Timesheet Group Chains
Role: For users with Timesheet Manager, District Manager or Admin role.
Create a Timesheet Group Chain
From User>Groups Chains, ensure Timesheet is selected:
click
. Fields denoted with a . are required fields.
Name: Enter the desired name of the Group Chain and description.
Priority: Must be specified to determine the order of the workflow for each group chain. If two or more groups have the same priority number, it then goes in alphabetical order based on the chain name.
Select and drag Available (Approval) Groups from the left to the right (Selected) groups area.
Once the approval groups are in the proper order, select the Specific Timesheet Options you want included in the group chain. If left blank, all appointment types will be included:
You have the option of including one or more of the following to be included in the workflow:
Specific Employees and Positions:
Specific Pay Groups
Specific Departments Codes
Specific Building Codes
Once the group chain is set, click ‘Create’ to save it and it will be added to the Group Chains grid.
Timesheet Group Chain Grid Options
(insert TS grid options image)
view entire group chain record.
edit a group chain. NOTE: If you edit the original settings of the group chain so that it is no longer applies to any outstanding timesheets tied to this group chain, you will receive an error message and the changes will not take place. Otherwise, if the edit was successful, it will restart the workflow on the timesheet and the timesheet’s approval trail will display ‘Group Chain Edited’.
or
allow you to reorder the priority of the district existing workflows. Group priority can be shared (meaning you can assign the same priority number to multiple group chains. It will flow by priority first and then alphabetically by group chain name.)
delete a group chain. If you attempt to delete a group chain that contain outstanding timesheets, if another applicable group chain exist (i.e. 'catch all' group chain), the workflow for the timesheet will restart. Otherwise, you will receive an error message and you will not be able to delete the group chain.
API Access Token
API Access Tokens inform the API that the bearer of the token is authorized to access ESS. It requires an existing ESS user account who needs to integrate with ESS identifying the user (third party) using the application.
Role: For users with District Manager or Admin role.
Creating an API Access Token
From User>API Access token, click
.
Created by, date and time will auto fill
Select the existing User account created for the third-party vendor along with a description.
Click
to create the API Access Token or
to cancel out of the window without saving changes.
More Information on Users
Kiosk/ESS Roles Crosswalk
Users may be assigned one or more roles. All users by default will be assigned the ‘User’ role. Listed below are the available Roles in ESS, it’s Kiosk counterpart, definition and example of the role. Please refer to the ESS Menu Options by ESS Role document in the appendix for an overview of the menu options available to a user based on their ESS role(s).
ESS Role | Kiosk Role | Definition | Example of who may be assigned role |
---|---|---|---|
User | N/A | User access is standard ESS access. All users in ESS will, by default, be granted the User role. | All district staff regardless of additional roles assigned. |
Admin | Kiosk Administrator | Access to all functions of ESS. | ITC staff, district tech and/or district administrative staff member |
District Manager | District Kiosk Administrator | Access to all functions of ESS with the exception of creating, editing or deleting users with Admin role. | District tech and/or administrative staff member |
Announcement Board Manager | Announcement Board Administrator | Access to Announcement Manager which allow user to maintain district wide announcements which are displayed on the Home screen | District tech and/or administrative staff member |
Custom Link Manager | District Link Administrator | Access to Manage Custom Links which allows user to maintain district’s custom links which are displayed on the Home screen. | District tech and/or administrative staff member |
Leave Manager | Leave Administrator | Access to manager-related options under Leave Requests in order to elevate, view and export district leave requests. Also access to Leave Management which controls blackout dates, escalated approvals, creation of sub categories and view staff leave expense reports. | District administrative staff member |
Leave Approval Workflow Manager | Leave Approval Automated Work Flow Administrator | Ability to create/maintain Groups and Group Chains (under Users) for leave approval workflows. | District administrative staff member |
Leave Calendar by Building | Leave Calendar - by Building | Access to Leave Calendars>District Leave Calendar. Use ‘Filters’ to view staff leave requests within the same building(s) as your position(s). | District building principal |
Leave Calendar by Department Code | Leave Calendar by Department Code | Access to Leave Calendars>District Leave Calendar. Use ‘Filters’ to view staff leave requests within the same department code(s) as your position(s). | District department head (i.e. cafeteria or maintenance supervisor) |
Leave Calendar by District Building | Leave Calendar by District Building | Access to Leave Calendars>District Leave Calendar. Use ‘Filters’ to view staff leave requests for all buildings within district. | District superintendent or staff member who needs to see leave for multiple buildings within district |
Leave Calendar by Pay Group | Leave Calendar by Pay Group | Access to Leave Calendars>District Leave Calendar. Use ‘Filters’ to view staff leave requests within the same pay group(s) as your position(s). | District staff member who needs to view leave requests based on pay group. |
Leave Calendar for District Staff | Leave Calendar for District Staff | Access to Leave Calendars>District Leave Calendar. Use ‘Filters’ to view staff leave requests for selected employees. | Superintendent |
Leave Request Approver | N/A | Ability to View/Approve staff leave requests via Home screen or Leave Request Approval option | District supervisors, principals, etc. who are in a supervisor role |
Leave Supervisor for Staff | Leave Calendar for Supervisor Staff | Access to Leave Requests>View Supervised Leave and Leave Calendars>Supervisor Leave Calendar in order to view staff’s leave requests | District supervisors, principals, etc. who are in a supervisor role |
Metrics API |
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Data Change Manager | HR Administrator | Access to Data Change Management which allows user to maintain employees' data change requests and post changes to USPS | District administrative staff member/Treasurer’s office |
Substitute Coordinator | Substitute Coordinator | Access to Sub Coordinator which allows ability to enter substitute information for any submitted leave request where substitute needed is checkmarked. The role also grants access to Leave Requests>View District Leave | District administrative position |
Substitute Coordinator - Read Only | Substitute Coordinator - View Only | Read-only access to Sub Coordinator for all submitted leave requests where substitute needed is checkmarked. The role also grants access to Leave Requests>View District Leave | Staff member who needs access to substitute info but doesn’t assign them |
Substitute Coordinator by Building | Substitute Coordinator by Building |
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Substitute Coordinator by Building - Read Only | Substitute Coordinator by Building - View Only |
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Substitute Coordinator by Department Code | Substitute Coordinator by Department Code |
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Substitute Coordinator by Pay Group | Substitute Coordinator by Pay Group |
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Timesheet Approver |
| Ability to View/Approve staff timesheets via Home screen or Timesheet Approval option | District supervisors, principals, etc. who are in a supervisor role |
Timesheet Manager |
| Access to manager-related options under Timesheets in order to view and export district timesheets. Also access to Timesheet Manager which controls escalated approvals, automatic period generation and creation of periods and shifts. | District administrative staff member |
Timesheet Supervisor for Staff |
| Access to Timesheets>Supervisor Timesheets Leave in order to view staff’s timesheets | District supervisors, principals, etc. who are in a supervisor role |
Whitelist Manager | N/A | Access to Manage Whitelist which maintains trusted websites that display on the custom links area of the Home screen. If a website has been whitelisted, they will be directed to the new site on click; whereas a URL that is not whitelisted, a dialog will appear to warn the user they are navigating to a new site. | District administrative or technical position. |