Empeon June 2024 Release Notes

New Feature: Retro Rate Adjustments

We are excited to release the "Retro Rate" feature. This feature is designed to recalculate pay history when a retroactive raise is applied. For example, if you give an employee a raise with an effective date of a month ago, you can recalculate all the applicable pay history and generate a check for the owed amount.

How it works:

• Individual Employee Rate Change: When changing an employee's rate, if the effective date of the new rate is prior to the last processed check date, a "Calculate Retro Rate" button will appear on the new rate record.
  • Clicking "Calculate Retro Rate" will generate a payroll check containing the adjustments as negative and positive amounts.
  • The check will be placed in a new batch labeled "RetroRate".
    

• Multiple Employees Rate Change: You can also calculate the Retro Rate for multiple employees simultaneously. This is particularly useful when you have imported rate changes for several employees and need to calculate retroactive adjustments. Instead of processing each employee individually, you can do it for all employees at once.
  • To do this, go to Actions > Payroll. If the system detects that there are employees needing Retro Rate calculations, a "Calculate Retro Rate" button will appear.
  • Clicking on this button will create retro rate adjustment checks for all applicable employees.
    

Activating the feature:

• To activate this feature go to Company > Payroll > Earning & Rates > Retro Rate

  • Note: Before activating, you need to set up a Code Group containing the earning codes for which the Retro Rate calculation will apply. This allows you to manage which earning codes the system should consider when calculating retroactive pay.

    For example, some organizations have a set rate for On-call hours that should not change with an employee's rate raise. To exclude specific codes like On-call, simply do not include them in the Code Group.

Additional Information:

• The Retro Rate feature only works when making a date-driven change to a rate (clicking "Change") and not when editing an existing rate (clicking "Edit").
• Currently, this feature only works for hourly non auto-paid employees.
• Only users with access to payroll have access to "Calculate Retro".

Note! This feature is currently in beta with selected clients. If you would like this feature activated for your organization, please contact your support team.

 

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

Empeon has partnered with WOTC.com to enable your company to claim employee tax credits.
This collaboration provides business owners with the opportunity to profit from their recently hired employees by maximizing the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).

How to sign up:

1. Complete the WOTC.com Enrollments Form (if you are already using WOTC.com you can skip this step).
2. Complete the Empeon Marketplace Integration Request form.
   
   • Select wotc.com from the list of integration partners.

How it works:

• Once the integration is active, navigate to Company > Paths. You will see a new task type called WOTC.com.
  • You can add this task to your existing Paths or create a separate Path specifically for WOTC.
• When adding the WOTC task, you will be prompted to enter your company's Unique WOTC.com Company URL, which you can obtain from WOTC.com.
• After setting up the WOTC task in a Path, include that Path in your onboarding packets or share that Path with the applicable new hires.
• Once the employee completes the WOTC task, the information will automatically be submitted to WOTC.com.

Note: This integration is only available for clients with HR Premium subscription.

 

User Security Enhancements

In an ongoing effort to ensure your organization's security, we introduced two new enhancements:

1. User IP Address Restrictions: Control access based on IP addresses to enhance security.
2. Force MFA for All Users on Every Login: Force Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enforcement with a single toggle for all users.

User IP Address Restrictions

This feature is designed to enhance the security of our platform by controlling access based on IP addresses. It strengthens the security of your organization by ensuring that only users from approved IP addresses can access the platform.

Here are the key details:

• Enabling the Feature: Navigate to Organization Master Portal > IP Whitelist to enable and configure this feature. Only Organization Users can manage IP restrictors.
• Setup: Users can set up separate IP restrictions for each IP address or enter multiple comma-separated IP addresses. Pressing Enter will automatically add the comma.
  
• IP Support: The feature supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
• Access Denial: If a user with an unauthorized IP address attempts to log in, they will see the following message: "Access denied! Your IP address is not allowed to access this webpage."
  

Force MFA for All Users on Every Login

We have enhanced our existing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) functionality by allowing administrators to enforce MFA for all users on every login with a single toggle. Until now, clients had to set this up for individual users.

If toggled on, users will be required to use MFA every time they log in, and they will no longer have the option to save their device for future logins.

The setting is found under Organization Master Portal > Users. Only Organization Users have access to this setting.

 

Text Message (SMS) Notifications

We are excited to introduce the Text Message Notifications feature. In the initial rollout, text message notifications will be available in the scheduling module for posting open shifts to employees. We plan to expand text message notifications to other areas in the near future.

• To enable Text Message Notifications for your company, navigate to Actions > ESS Admin > Notification Settings. (If you don't see this setting, contact your admin to grant you access to this new settings).
• Once enabled, employees will be prompted in ESS to opt in to receiving text updates.
• When posting open shifts, employees who have opted in to receive text notifications will receive a text message notification.

 

Scheduling Module Enhancements

We have made significant enhancements to our Scheduling module, improving functionality and user experience.

New and Improved Schedule View!

Under Actions > Scheduling, we have streamlined the scheduler experience by combining the Weekly Schedule and Shifts View into a single, user-friendly tab titled Employee View, which is now the default view for your schedules.

Key enhancements include:

• Unified Screen: View, assign, and post shifts all within the same screen.
• All Shifts on One Screen: All shifts are now displayed on one screen, regardless of the date range selected, eliminating the need for scrolling to see an employee's full schedule.
• Position-Based Tabs: The schedule now features tabs grouped by position, making staff management faster and easier.
• Collapsed Open Shifts: Open shifts are now collapsed by default, allowing you to view more of your schedule at once. Expand them to see available shifts By Budget or simply Just Shifts.
• Customizable Screen View: Customize your screen view by showing or hiding different pieces of information as needed.
• Unified Filters: All page filters are now combined into a single popup for a more streamlined experience.
• Date Range Picker: Redesigned and easy to use date range picker.

Select "All" Option for Posting Open Shifts to ESS

We have added a "Select All" option when posting open shifts to ESS. This allows users to select all open shifts within a given date range at once, rather than having to select each shift individually.

Posting Open Shifts to Agency Employees

We have introduced two new enhancements to posting open shifts to agency employees.

1. Filter by Agency: Users can now filter which agency to post the shifts to.
2. Post Only to Agency Employees: Users now have the flexibility to post shifts exclusively to agency employees.

When posting shifts to ESS, the user will now see two Agency Settings options:

• Include Agency Employees: This option will post the shifts to both employees and agency employees. Users can filter to select specific agencies.
• Only Send to Agency Employees: This option will post the shifts exclusively to agency employees. Users can filter to select specific agencies.

These enhancements provide greater control and precision in posting open shifts to agency employees.

Quick Shift Assignment

In addition to the existing drag-and-drop functionality, users can now assign a shift to an employee directly within the table.

Add Comments and Quick Notes to a Shift

Users now have the ability to add Comments and Quick Notes to employee shifts.

Comments: Use for on-the-fly remarks about an employee's shift.
Quick Notes: Choose from a predefined list for quick, consistent notes.

Comments and Quick Notes will also appear in the "Leave & Call Out" report.

How to Use:

1. Click the three-dot menu on the employee's shift.
   
2. Select "Quick Note" or "Comment".
   
3. Users can customize whether to display Comments and Quick Notes in the shift table by clicking "Customize View."
   

Shift Bonuses

Users can now add a bonus to a shift, which can be utilized in two ways:

1. Adding a Bonus to an Open Shift: For example, offering a $50 bonus to anyone who picks up a specific open shift.
2. Adding a Bonus to a Specific Employee for Picking Up a Shift: For example, rewarding John Doe with a $50 bonus for picking up the RN night shift.

Configuration:
Before adding bonuses to shifts, configure the earning code for the bonus payment. This setting is found under Company > Scheduling > Scheduling Rules > Earning Code for Bonuses.

Steps to Add a Bonus:

1. To an Open Shift:
   • Navigate to Actions > Scheduling > Employee View > Open Shifts > By Budget.
   • Find the applicable shift, click the pencil (Edit) icon, and add the bonus.
   • Once added, any employee who picks up this shift (or if the shift is assigned to an employee) will receive the bonus.
     
2. To a Specific Employee:
   • In the Shifts table, find the employee and the shift to which you want to add the bonus.
   • Click on the three dots to open the menu, select Rate/Bonuses, and enter the bonus amount.
     

Visibility:
Once a bonus is added to a shift, a dollar ($) icon will appear on the shift, indicating to both the admin and the employee that the shift includes a bonus.

Download Scheduling Reports Directly from the Scheduling Page 

The "Daily Schedule" and "Monthly Schedule" reports can now be downloaded directly from the scheduling views under Actions. Previously, users had to navigate to the reporting section to access these reports.

The download button is found on the top right corner of the Employee view and Daily view (under Actions > Scheduling)

"Schedule Budget and Actual" Report Enhancements

We have made several improvements to the "Schedule Budget and Actual" report:

1. New Date Range Options: Added "Tomorrow" and "Next Month" to the list of predefined date ranges in the report date settings.
2. Filter by Position: Users can now filter the report by position. This filter is available under the report options.

Assign a Position to Multiple Position Groups 

Users can now associate a position with multiple Position Groups. For instance, if you have a shift that can be filled by either an LPN or an RN, and another shift that can only be filled by an RN, you can create two Position Groups: one containing both RN and LPN positions, and another containing only RN positions. This flexibility allows for more efficient and accurate shift management.

Position Groups are found under Company > Scheduling > Shifts > Position Groups

 

Deduct Lunch from Time Off Request

PTO requests for scheduled shifts can now automatically deduct the assigned lunch duration from the total hours requested. For example, if an employee has a scheduled 8-hour shift with a 30 minute lunch break, the PTO request will automatically be for 7.5 hours.

To enable this feature, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Company > Scheduling > Scheduling Rules: Toggle on the "Deduct Lunch from Time Off Requests" setting.
2. Navigate to Company > Scheduling > Shifts: Add the lunch duration to each applicable shift.

Once configured, the lunch duration will be automatically deducted from Time Off Requests, whether the request is made by the employee or by the manager on behalf of the employee.

This feature is only available and functional for clients with the Empeon scheduling subscription.

 

Live Chat Admin Notifications

Last month, we released our new Live Chat feature. To further enhance this feature, we have introduced additional notifications for admins, alongside the existing employee notifications for new messages.

1. In-App Notifications: Admins will now receive real-time in-app notifications for new messages.
   
2. Daily Email Digest: Admins will receive a daily email digest of all unread messages. This email is sent at approximately 5 PM each day.

Require Mileage Log for Mileage Reimbursement Requests

We have added a new optional setting for mileage reimbursement requests. If the admin selects this setting, employees will be required to upload a mileage log upon submission. This setting is structured similarly to the "Require Receipt" setting found within other reimbursement request types.

The setting for Mileage reimbursement can be found under Company > Rules & Alerts > Request & Approvals > Reimbursements.

 

Location Addresses Now Visible in Job Info Table

Under Company > HR > Job Info > Locations, the location address now appears directly in the table, eliminating the need to open each location to view the address.

 

Expanded Company Setting Copy Functionality

In an effort to enhance the user experience for those managing multiple companies, we have expanded the existing company setting copy functionality to include the following previously missing items:

• Company > Payroll > Agencies: You can now copy agencies from one company to another.
• Company > Payroll > Code Groups: You can now copy Code Groups from one company to another.
• Company > HR > Employment Status > Status Codes: You can now copy status codes from one company to another.
• Company > HR > Miscellaneous > Status Codes > Ethnicities: You can now copy ethnicity codes from one company to another.
• Company > HR > Miscellaneous > EEO Classes: You can now copy EEO classes from one company to another.
• Company > HR > Workers Compensation: You can now copy workers' compensation codes from one company to another.

Auto Approve for Direct Deposit

All ESS direct deposit change requests must now be reviewed and approved. The option to auto-approve ESS direct deposit changes has been removed. If your organization was using this feature, please go to the direct deposit request settings and assign someone responsible for approving these requests.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed: In some scenarios, shifts with multiple budget levels based on max HPPD (Hours Per Patient Day) were not calculating the budget correctly. This issue has now been fixed.
• Fixed: In the company Request & Approval settings, the assignee list was not searchable. This is now fixed. 
• Fixed: In the Gross to Net Live Reports, after exporting, the export icon just kept circling. This is now fixed.