State Agencies Bulletin No. 1257

Subject
Payroll System Upgrade: Changes in PayServ 9.1
Date Issued
July 8, 2013

Purpose

To familiarize PayServ users with changes in PayServ resulting from the planned upgrade to PayServ v 9.1.

Effective Date(s)

PayServ 9.1 will be available for agency use on Monday, July 22, 2013

Background

One objective of the upgrade from PayServ 8.9 to PayServ 9.1 was to remove costly customizations to the NYS Payroll System wherever possible. This has resulted in changes, including new fields and re-organized pages, which users should become familiar with.

There have also been significant changes to the way garnishments are processed in PayServ 9.1. These changes may result in agencies receiving an increased number of questions from employees. A separate bulletin will be issued with detailed information about these changes and information to help address employee questions and concerns.

Changes to Navigation & New Features

Menu Structure: In PayServ 9.1 the menu runs along the top of the screen, opening subsequent folders from left to right as users click through the menus. Menu content remains consistent with PayServ 8.9.

Recently Used: The Favorites menu now contains shortcuts to the pages most recently accessed by the user.

Recent Search Results: Selecting the Recent Search Results icon on the Favorites menu displays links to up to the last 5 recently completed searches.

Clicking the Recent Search Results icon located at the end of the breadcrumb trail displays a repositionable box containing the results of only the most recent search.

These search results are only viewable during the current PayServ session.

Limit The Number Of Results To: Users can now limit the number of results returned by a search (up to 300).

Go To Row: The Go To Row push button opens a feature allowing users to navigate directly to a specific row by either date or row number. Entering a date will return the row with that date (if one exists) or the nearest previous dated row. If there is more than one entry on a specific date the max sequence row will be returned. This field is not available for users with View Only access.

Mouse-Over Pop Up: Hovering over a blue underscored employee name will display a pop up box containing details about the employee, including the Employee ID, Name, Department Code and Department Name, Grade and Payroll Status.

Hyperlinks Now Push Buttons: Some hyperlinks have been replaced with push buttons.& The functionality behind these links has not changed.

Hidden Fields Now Open: Some formerly hidden fields are now visible upon opening a page.

Drop Down Menus: Some data which was formerly selected via radio buttons is now contained in drop down menus.

Expandable Fields: Some information which was previously visible when a page opened is now located behind expandable fields. Click the arrows to open and close these fields.

Scroll Areas Become Grids: Some former scroll areas have become grids that can be sorted, customized, and exported. Click and drag columns to customize the data’s current appearance or select Personalize to save customizations.

Field Changes in 9.1

As a result of the decrease in system customizations, a number of previously hidden or new fields now appear in PayServ 9.1. Some of these fields, detailed below, are not necessary for NYS payroll processing and should not be used.

Two new fields, Instant Message IDs and Ethnic Group, now appear as part of the Hire Process on the Personal Data and Identity/Diversity tabs. These fields are not required for payroll processing, but may be used by the agencies. To view/update this information for current employees, go to the Contact Information and Regional tabs on Modify a Person.

A new pushbutton, represented by an eraser icon (Delete Combination Codes), now appears on the Job Data > Payroll tab. This button has no functionality.

On the Job Data page Compensation tab, Salary is now called Comp Rate.

On Position Summary > Work Location the Job Code column now displays the six digit Job Code in place of the job description.

The Employee Type no longer appears on Position Summary > Payroll Information.

A Status drop down menu has been added to the Position Pool table. Insert an effective dated row and use the drop down menu to change the status of the Position Pool.

Updated On and Updated By fields have been added to the Job Code Table. Additionally, the Detailed Job Description hyperlink on this page has been replaced with Job Descr:, now displayed on the page.

New Fields Not Used for NYS Payroll Processing

The following new fields are not necessary to NYS Payroll processing and should not be used:

  • Department Entry Date - Job Data > Work Location tab
  • Establishment ID - Job Data > Work Location tab
  • Last Start Date - Job Data > Work Location tab
  • Termination Date - Job Data > Work Location tab
  • Last Date Worked* - Job Data > Work Location tab
  • Expected Job End Date - Job Data > Work Location tab
  • Override Last Date Worked* check box - Job Data > Work Locationtab
  • Edit ChartFields hyperlink - Job Data > Payroll tab
  • Key Job Code checkbox - Job Code Table
  • Job Subfunction - Job Code Table
  • Include Salary Plan/Grade check box – Position Data (Agency) > Specific Information Tab

* Only displayed for terminated employees.

Changes to Position Management Pages

The four pages that comprised Position Data (Agency) in PayServ 8.9 have been compressed into three pages in PayServ 9.1. The new pages are Description, Specific Information, and Budget and Incumbents. The chart below illustrates where PayServ 8.9 fields can be found in PayServ 9.1:

Field PayServ 8.9 PayServ 9.1
Bargaining Unit field* Work Location tab Description tab > Job Information frame.
All other fields on Work Location tab Description tab > Work Location frame
Current Incumbent(s) Current Under-Fill Incumbent(s) Job Information tab Budgets and Incumbents tab
Job Code Reg/Temp Full/Part Time Job Information tab Description tab > Work Location frame
Equated to Grade Approved Salary Rate Additional Comp Sal Plan Grade Standard Hours Job Information tab Description tab > Salary Plan Information frame

*This is the Bargaining Unit field displaying the bargaining unit information for a position. A second Bargaining Unit field, appearing in the USA expandable section of the Description tab, displays a default value of 8888 and has no functionality in PayServ 9.1.

Garnishment Information

Agencies can now view an employee’s paycheck garnishment information on the Paycheck Deductions tab of Review Paycheck.

All other Garnishment changes will be detailed in a separate bulletin.

Changes to Retro for Contract Pay

Retro for Employees going to or coming from a Contract Position:

If an employee goes from a non-contract position (A Pay Basis Code that is automatically processed by the system such as ANN, CAL, etc…) to a contract position (Pay Basis Code 21P or AJT) retroactively:

  • 8.9 – A retro request is generated. The retro will calculate zero results. (Employee received paychecks during this time.)
  • 9.1 – A retro request is generated. Retro will calculate a negative adjustment for the period the employee was paid as a non-contract and should have been a 21P or Adjunct. (Employee received paychecks during this time.) The Agency will review the negative adjustment and advise OSC of the appropriate action.

There is no change in 9.1 if an employee moves from a contract position to a non-contract position.

Agency Actions

Clearing the Browser Cache

Users should clear the browser cache on their individual machines before signing into PS Query or PayServ. To clear browser cache (for Internet Explorer v7 and higher only):

  1. Close any open instances of your browser.
  2. Open a new instance of your Internet Explorer browser and from the menu, go to Tools > Internet Options.
  3. On the General tab, click the Delete push button found under Browsing History.
  4. Click the Delete or Delete All pushbutton at the bottom of the dialog box that is displayed.
  5. Click the Yes pushbutton if the following message is displayed: “Are you sure you want to delete all Internet Explorer browsing history?”
  6. Navigate to the PS Query or PayServ site and Sign in.
  • NOTE: If you are using Internet Explorer (IE) browser, the minimum supported version is IE7. If you have an earlier IE version (such as IE6), the navigation to clear the cache is different than described above, and earlier versions of IE may result in unexpected errors in the PS Query and PayServ environment.
  • NOTE: If you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer, you may find directions to clear your cache using the following link: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache
Opening Multiple Environments

Users must open a second internet browsing session in order to open PayServ and PS Query simultaneously. Instructions for opening multiple browsing sessions vary based on the browser(s) being used and are detailed below:

For IE7: Launch IE and log into PayServ or PS Query. Launch IE again and log into the other environment.

For IE8 and forward: Log into PayServ or PS Query using IE. Within IE navigate to File -> New Session. An IE window (with new session) is created. Log into the other environment in the new session.

If the File menu is not visible in IE version, press the 'Alt' button on your keyboard to unhide the menu options.

For Multiple Browsers:Users with multiple browsers (IE, FireFox, Chrome, etc.,) can use a different browser for each environment.

Job Aids

Many of the system changes detailed in this bulletin are documented with screen shots in job aids found on the Payroll Enhancement Program website. Visit http://www.osc.state.ny.us/payroll/pep_app.htm.

Questions

For issues related to Internet Explorer 7, display issues or clearing browser cache, please contact the OSC CIO Help Desk at 518-486-6745.

Questions regarding issues related to the upgrade should be directed to the Payroll System Questions mailbox.

For more information about the Payroll Enhancement Program, visit http://www.osc.state.ny.us/payroll/pep.htm.