This guide describes the steps to create/set up an instance for a district new to Employee Self Service. This page assumes no dependency on Kiosk for any processes.
Installation Steps
For those districts who host with the MCOECN, please refer to the VRA installation documentation provided by the MCOECN.
For those district who host locally, please refer to the /wiki/spaces/rtd/pages/333283367 to walk you through the setup of the Employee Self Service application.
NOTE: If your districts currently do not have a workflows engine (they not using USAS requisition approval or USPS onboarding), ESS is dependent on workflows if districts plan to use the leave request approval system or timesheets in ESS. The ESS Installation Guide provides information on how to set up workflows.
Post Installation Steps
The following are recommend post-installation.
Ensure the following is reviewed/set up under System>Configuration:
Application Configuration: Ensure the instance type ‘Production’ is selected as well as both ‘External Notification enabled' and User Job Execution Enabled are both selected.
ESS Functionality Configuration: Ensure the district’s desired functionality options are selected. NOTE: These changes made will not take full effect until the page is refreshed
Email Configuration: If the district is using Leave Request in ESS, the email configuration must be configured in order for users, approvers and other roles to receive email notifications.
Employee Profile: If district would prefer certain fields be displayed under Employee Profile record, deselect the fields the district does not want displayed.
Forgot Password Configuration: Change default settings if desired. NOTE: Affects local authentication only
Job Status Configuration: Determines the employee’s positions displayed in various areas of the application.
Leave Balance Details: If district would prefer certain fields be displayed under Leave Information, deselect the fields the district does not want displayed.
Leave Expenses Configuration: If district is using Professional Leave Requests and would prefer certain fields be displayed under Leave Expenses area on the form, deselect the fields the district does not want displayed.
Leave Time Configuration: If district is using Leave Requests in ESS, ensure the leave time increments are set correctly.
Leave Type Configuration: If the district is using Leave Requests in ESS, ensure the Leave type configuration is set up correctly for the district
Password Expiration Configuration: Ensure the password expiration is set up correctly for the district
Payslip Configuration: If payslips are enabled, by default all USPS payslips, including archived (classic) USPS payslips will be included. If district does not want archived payslips included, deselect 'include archived payslips”.
Position Details Configuration: If district would prefer certain fields be displayed under Position Details record, deselect the fields the district does not want displayed.
Registration Configuration: If ALL your users authenticates externally (i.e. Active Directory), ensure this flag is selected. If so, their user account’s ‘external authentication’ will be checked by default.
Ssytem> other options
ESS user accounts must be created. You have two ways (or a combo of the two) of handling this:
RECOMMENDED: You can have each user self register and it will create their ESS User account (automatically pulling their USPS info) with the default User role. Each user will need to be notified ahead of time of the username format (i.e. first initial last name) and their USPS employee number. This option will allow the user to create their own permanent password for ESS. However, if the user needs additional ESS roles assigned to their account, the ITC (or district user in charge of maintaining user accounts) will need to modify existing ESS User accounts to add the additional roles (either manually or via mass load).
ITC (or district user in charge of maintaining user accounts) can create all user accounts prior to making ESS available publicly to the district. A CSV spreadsheet can be created and mass loaded via System>Mass Load. The User Import Criteria required to successfully mass create User accounts is included in the Mass Load chapter. Once the user accounts are created, an additional step must be completed to create temporary passwords for each user. This doesn’t apply to external auth… please contact admin..
Allow users to create passwords using 'forgot password? User
Bulk Reset Passwords - they have so much time to do this… Please refer to the ESS manual for information on how to bulk reset passwords (Users chapter) for new users and optionally mass change ESS usernames (Mass Load chapter) if so desired.
Set up Groups/Group Chains
Recommendation: Supervisor….
NOTE: Supervisor must be in USPS Position record and supervisor must have ESS account (with Leave Approval Role and Supervisosr for Staff role)
If using Leave Request Approval Workflows in ESS, email configuration needs to be setup in order for users to receive email notifications regarding leave request submittals and approvals. NOTE: It will use the email address listed in the user’s User record.
System>Configuration>Email Configuration: Configuration menu to enable email notifications
System>Test Email: May be used to send a test email to an ESS user to ensure email notifications work for their leave request submissions/approvals
System>Configuration>Leave Request Workflow Configuration: May be used to customize the verbiage on the default emails sent during the leave request workflow approval process
Further information on ESS roles is provided in the User guide on Kiosk/ESS Role Crosswalk as well as a guide to the ESS Menu Options available by Role.
Absence Management Integration
Timesheets:
USPS
If your district intends to use Timesheets in ESS, the ‘Timesheet Required' checkbox must be enabled if the employee’s position is a timesheet position. Also ensure the timesheet position has a supervisor assigned to it. Please refer to USPS Mass Load chapter for details on how to mass load these fields. More information on Timesheets in ESS is provided here.Enabling Timesheet module