Overview

• Password expiration notifications.
• Ability to restrict standard sets in generating standard and projected hours.
• Performance enhancement to Budgeting.
• Ability to import hours and rates adjustments to streamline the budgeting process.
• Performance enhancements to schedule generation.
• Improvements to editing labor standards.
• Notifications for invalid labor standard configurations.
• Access to a public API.
• Mobile v.2 new features:
  • Push notifications.
  • Property selector.
  • Time Off Requests calendar view.
  • Terms and conditions notification.
  • Black out period notifications.
• Ability to re-invite existing employees to the Mobile App.
• New Benefits Accrual, Daily Differential, and Shift Differential work rules.
• A modification that adds flexibility to the Split Shift Differential Rate work rule.

Administration

Password expiration notification  (14410)

In previous releases, when password complexity was set up, a password expiration date could be configured, but users could not be notified that their password was about to expire. If the configured number of days was exceeded, users could not log in or change their password. An administrator had to change their passwords.

In this release, if password complexity is set up, a warning message can be configured as a pop-up message that appears at login. Users can access the Change Password screen from the popup window.

Users can delay changing their password for a day and will be prompted again the next day.

Budgeting

Performance improvements in Budgeting  (14423)

This release includes performance improvements to the Budgeting module, which now features faster screen load times for the following tasks:

• Calculating working dataset.
• Adjusting hours and rates.
• Managing budget lines.

For more information, contact your UniFocus Partner Relationship Manager.

Importing hours and rates adjustments to streamline the budgeting process  (14786)

This release includes new functionality that enables batch-importing of hours and rates adjustments. These new features streamline the budgeting process when budgeting managers must add several hours and rates adjustments.

In previous releases, budgeting managers could only manually enter each hours and rates adjustment for a job and time frame using the Adjustment Wizard (Main Menu > Financial > Budgeting >  Adjust Hours and Rates > Related Tasks). In this release, UniFocus has provided an Import Hours and Rates Adjustments CSV file that budgeting managers can use to add a batch of hours and rates adjustments for a property. 

Once CSV files are completed, budgeting managers can import them using the new Import Adjustments option in the Adjust Hours and Rates screen (Main Menu > Financial > Budgeting > Adjust Hours and Rates > Related Tasks).

For more information, see Importing hours and rates adjustments.

Infrastructure

Access to a public API  (14672)

Software developers now have access to a public REST API that streamlines interoperability between external applications and UniFocus Workforce Performance Solution software. 

For more information, contact your UniFocus Partner Relationship Manager.

Labor

Restricting standard sets from being used to generate standards and/or projected hours  (14418)

The Standard Sets screen (System Setup (  ) > Labor > Standard Sets) now includes two new fields:  

• Can Use For Projected Hours
• Can Use For Standard Hours

When editing this screen, users can select whether or not the standard set can be used to generate projected hours and/or standard hours. If Can Use For Projected Hours is set to No, the standard set is not available for selection in screens used for generating projected hours. If Can Use For Standard Hours is set to No, the standard set is not available for selection in screens used for generating standard hours.

Labor, Scheduling

Performance enhancements to schedule generation  (14807)

This release includes performance enhancements that improve the speed and efficiency of the Generate Schedules process for large properties.

Labor Standards

Improvements to editing labor standards  (13063)

In previous releases, when editing shift related standards for KBI-related jobs, users could not edit the KBI, Work Type, and Units fields. When editing spread standards for KBI-related jobs, users could not edit the Shift and KBI fields. To make those changes, they had to rebuild the standards.

In this release, when editing labor standards for spread or shift related standards (System Setup (  ) > Labor Standards > Shift Related Standards tab), the KBI, Work Type, and Units fields are available to edit. When editing spread standards for KBI-related jobs (System Setup (  ) > Labor Standards > Spread Standards), the Shift and KBI fields are available to edit. The standards will update to match the selections.

Notification for invalid labor standard configurations  (12808)

If users enter a value that is over 100 during configuration of labor standards that are hours per unit or minutes per unit, a message appears to alert users that the number of hours/minutes selected might create a large number of shifts. User must then verify their entries. This improvement helps to ensure that labor standards are correctly entered.

Mobile v.2

This release includes the following enhancements and new features in the UniFocus Mobile App v.2:

Push notifications  (MOB-1418)

A push notification is a message that pops up on a mobile device (typically on the lock screen). An application can send push notifications at any time; users do not have to be in the application or using their devices to receive them.

Employees receive push notifications when:

• Another employee approves or denies a shift request that they have submitted and that requires their acceptance.
• They receive a message in the Mobile App.
• Schedules are published for any of their jobs.
• A new shift request is sent to them for their approval or denial.
• Their manager approves, denies, or changes a shift, time off, or availability request that they submitted.
• Their manager assigns them a new shift or reassigns one of their shifts to another employee.

From the Preferences menu, users can select which types of push notifications they would like to receive or turn them off entirely.

Property selector  (MOB-2521)

Accessed at the top of the navigational menu, the property selector allows managers who manage multiple properties to easily navigate between properties without having to log out and then log back in. Changing the displayed property adjusts filters and shows employee information specific to the selected property.

Time Off Requests calendar view  (MOB-1494)

This release features an improved Time Off Requests calendar view of employee time off requests. Using this view, managers can now:

• Quickly see who is off today and throughout the rest of the planning period.
• Approve or deny pending time off requests by swiping right on the request card.
• View planned shifts, scheduled, and available employees to help them decide whether or not to approve a shift on a given day.

Terms and conditions for using the Mobile App  (MOB-2527)

This release of the UniFocus Mobile App features a notification message of terms and conditions for use. If activated for a property, users encounter the message when they first log in to the Mobile App. Users must accept the message to access and use the Mobile App.

Blackout period notifications in the Mobile App  (WATSON-13298, MOB-1175)

In previous releases, there were no warning messages if employees tried to submit a time off request for dates within a blackout period or if managers tried to approve or deny employees' time off requests for dates within a blackout period.

In this release, warning messages now appear: 

• On the My Time Off Requests screen if employees try to submit time off requests for dates within a blackout period.
• On the Approve Time Off Requests screen if managers try to approve or deny employees' time off requests that were submitted for dates within a blackout period.

Mobile, Employee Maintenance

Re-inviting existing employees to the Mobile App  (14387)

In previous releases, if employees were registered in or migrated from version 1 of the Mobile App but did not remember their passwords and did not set up security questions, they were unable to access version 2 of the Mobile App because they could not use the reset password functionality. Managers were unable to re-invite employees. In this release, managers can now re-invite existing employees to use the Mobile App.

For instructions, see Inviting employees to the Mobile App.

Time & Attendance

New work rules

Birthday Accrual work rule  (14597)

The Benefits Accrual work rule type (System Setup (  ) > Work Rules > Benefit Accrual) now includes a Birthday Accrual work rule. With this new rule, users can specify that an earning accrues on an employee's birthday. For example, if an employee's birthday is March 5^th, the Birthday Accrual rule can be applied so that the employee receives the earning accrual on March 5^th of each year.

Anniversary Earning work rule  (14610)

The Daily Differential work rule type (System Setup (  ) > Work Rules > Daily Differential) now includes an Anniversary Earning work rule. With this new work rule, users can apply an earning to an employee on a configured anniversary date. Available anniversary types include hire date, birthday, and seniority date. If employees do not work on their configured anniversary date, they receive an earning based on the following calculation: home job rate x configured number of hours.

Anniversary Worked Differential work rule  (14679)

The Shift Differential work rule type (System Setup (  ) > Work Rules > Shift Differential) now includes a Anniversary Worked Differential work rule. With this new work rule, users can apply an earning to an employee on a configured anniversary date. Available anniversary types include hire date, birthday, and seniority date. If employees work on their configured anniversary date, they receive an earning based on the following calculation: (factor x shift job rate) x hours worked.

Modifications to work rules

Improved Split Shift Differential Rate work rule  (14590)

The Split Shift Differential Rate work rule has been modified to add more flexibility in how premiums are paid for split shifts.

In previous releases, the Split Shift Differential Rate work rule could be configured to add premium pay on either all hours worked during the second shift of a split shift or the time between shifts in a split shift. For example, if employees receive $1.00 premium pay per hour worked during a split shift, and they work from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and then from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M., the employees could receive either $4.00 in premium pay for the second shift or $2.00 in premium pay for the time between shifts.

In this release, the Split Shift Differential Rate work rule (System Setup (  ) > Work Rules > Shift Differential) can be configured to add premium pay for:

• Hours worked during the first shift.
• Hours worked during the second shift.
• Hours between shifts.
• Any combination of the options above.

In the configuration dialog box for the Split Shift Differential Rate work rule, the Calculate Split Shift check box has been removed, and the Split Shift Pay Types parameter (button and dialog box) has been added. From the Select Split Shift Pay Types dialog box, users can select any combination the following options:

• Pay Time Between Shifts
• Pay First Shift Hours
• Pay Second Shift Hours

For example, if employees receive $1.00 premium pay per hour worked during a split shift, and they work from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and then from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M., the employees could receive the following premium pay:

• $5.00 for the first shift.
• $4.00 for the second shift. 
• $2.00 for the time between shifts.
• $7.00 for the first shift and the time between shifts.
• $6.00 for the second shift and the time between shifts.
• $9.00 for the first and second shift.
• $11.00 for the first shift, the time between shifts, and the second shift.