Introduction
When it comes to the Request & Approvals that are set up within Empeon Workforce, the "Assignee" plays a pivotal role in ensuring that requests are either approved or denied within a timely manner.
Managing requests like Time Off, Reimbursements, and Tax updates can all have implications on your payroll, influencing various aspects such as employee compensation, deductions, and tax withholding. Acting promptly to requests that are submitted will not only ensure operational efficiency, but it will also demonstrate organizational responsiveness and a commitment to employee well-being.
This article will outline how to view and manage requests that have been submitted, if you have been selected as the "Assignee".
Pending Requests
There are two ways to navigate Empeon Workforce to view the requests that have been assigned to you. The first, and easiest way, is from your Empeon Workforce Dashboard, where one of the first sections you'll see upon logging in is a section for your Pending Approvals. This will display a distribution of request submissions that you have been assigned.
This section on your Dashboard will provide you with a quick glance at the types of requests that have been assigned to you. You'll also find a dropdown next to "Pending Approvals Assigned to Me" where you can see both the distribution of requests assigned to others and requests that are unassigned. To view the details of the requests, simply click on the box that has the request.
The other way to view the details of the requests that you have been assigned is by going to the Actions tab. When a request has been assigned, there will be a red notification indicator in the right corner of the Actions tab.
1. Navigate to the Actions tab.
2. From the lefthand menu, select Requests.
When you get to this screen, it will automatically be defaulted to view the pending requests for all request types that have been assigned to you. There are however filters you can utilize on this screen to be able to only view specific request types, all requests that have already been approved or denied, and requests that are assigned to others within the organization. For more insight on how to utilize the filters on this screen, please reference the next section on Filtering Requests.
At a glance, each request will specify the type of request that it is, the date and time it was submitted, and the name of the employee the request is impacting. Viewing the details of a particular request requires you to click on the small, blue clipboard icon next to the name of the request.
Depending on the request that it is, there will be different options available to help the assignee review the request before making a decision to either approve or deny it. Request types for Personal, Address, Contact, Emergency Contact, Reimbursements and Time Off, it will simply display the proposed changes. However, request types for Taxes, Missed Punch, Call Out, Rate Changes, and Direct Deposit will have additional options for the assignee to examine.
The request type for Taxes will show the employee's proposed changes and also allow the assignee to review the updated W4 form that the employee signed. This can help to ensure that the W4 form has been completed and signed correctly with the appropriate updates.
For Missed Punch requests, it will show the proposed punch type, date and time for the missing punch and allow the option for the assignee to view the employee's timecard. Examining the timecard will help to understand whether it's truly a missing punch, or a punch that is overriding an existing punch. Viewing the timecard will also help to identify any irregularities with the proposed punch in comparison to the time already logged on the timecard.
For a Call Out request, the Assignee can approve the Call Out request with Paid Time Off (PTO) or approve it as Unpaid. There is also a column for Year-To-Date (YTD) Call Outs showing how many times the employee has called out over the course of the year, helping the Assignee to make an informed decision when reviewing the request.
For a Rate Change request, the assignee will see the proposed changes and also have the ability to adjust the proposed pay rate before approving the request. This helps so that assignees don't need to deny the request if the rate does not fit their preference. Instead, they can adjust the rate to a higher or lower amount prior to approving the request.
The Direct Deposit request type will only provide additional options for the assignee if the request type was set up to require a document upload, such as a voided check for a newly added bank account. If document verification is required for a newly add bank account, the assignee will be able to view the uploaded document to confirm it was entered correctly.
For request types that have comments provided with their request, there is a "View comment" button found next to the buttons for "Approve" and "Deny".
Once you have reviewed the details of the request, select whether you will approve or deny the request. When doing so, you will be prompted to provide a comment if you desire that will be shared with the employee. Comments can be helpful specifically when denying requests as it will provide insight to the employee as to why their request was denied.
When you have officially approved or denied the request, the employee will receive an email notification outlining whether the request was approved or denied. Any comments provided by the assignee when either approving or denying the request will show in the email.
Filtering Requests
When accessing your requests, it will automatically be defaulted to view the pending requests for all request types that have been assigned to you. There are however filters available for you to refine this screen to help you view requests of only the same type, requests that have been approved or denied already, and requests for a specific employee. Additionally, there are filters for you to also be able to view requests that have been assigned to others within the organization as well as requests that are unassigned.
Viewing Approved & Denied Requests
To filter this screen to show all requests that have been approved, click the "Approved" button located in the menu box on the top left corner of this screen. Right below, is a button that says "Denied" that will allow you to see all requests that have been denied.
For both approved and denied requests, you will still be able to view the request details and any comments that were made by the employee and the assignee. You will also be able to confirm who approved or denied the request as well. This feature serves to maintain a comprehensive history of completed requests, readily accessible for reviewing the details.
Viewing Specific Request Types
To filter this screen by request type, click the drop down that says "All requests" in the top right area of your screen. From the drop down, select the specific request type that you wish to view.
This filter can be used to view specific request types that are "Pending" as well as "Approved" and "Denied". Utilizing this filter is the recommended way to refine your results to show specific request types, however you may also use the search bar located along the top of your screen to search by request type as well. This search bar can also be used to search by employee as well.
Viewing Requests for a Specific Employee
The search bar along the top of your screen can be utilized to view requests for a specific employee or by a specific request type. However, as mentioned in the previous section, there is already a separate filter available on this screen for sorting by request type. Simply type the name of the employee into the text field and any requests associated with that employee will be displayed.
This search bar is also available when viewing Approved and Denied requests as well. You can also utilize the search bar to view specific employees in conjunction with the filter for specific request types.
Viewing Requests Assigned to Others
Next to the search bar are buttons to view pending requests that have been assigned to others at the organization and pending requests that are unassigned. The button for "Others" will show the pending requests that have been assigned to other people within your organization and the button for "Unassigned" will show you the requests that are unassigned.
Even though there might be requests that have been unassigned or assigned to others, you may still have the ability to approve or deny those requests based on your permissions. This will help when there are requests that have been defaulted to being unassigned or when it is a time sensitive request that the Assignee may not be readily available for.