Porque no todos los problemas necesitan inmediatas respuestas o soluciones.

Dimension Dept. Findings Potential Organizational

Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement Data is entered only once by people who understand and require the data

IPPS.Net does not currently offer extensive client self-service; however, the following client self- service options exist:

• Approximately 250 users from schools, departments, facilities and seconded locations are able to directly input:

• Absences into ABSENCE.Net; • Timesheets for custodian staff; and, • All employees are able to directly input annual

(criminal) offense declarations.

The following client self-service options are in progress:

• A direct link from Apply To Education to IPPS.Net is in progress; and,

• OCDSB will transition to SharePoint this Fall, which will enable increased client self-service. The following self-service with respect to data entry onto EAFs was observed:

• Principals are permitted to complete EAFs for the Long-Term Occasional Staffing process.

Although OCDSB is moving towards increased client self- service for data entry, the current level of client self-service is not conducive to reducing data entry time for the HRIS and Payroll divisions.

The full functionality of SharePoint should be utilized to enable maximum client self - service. This would allow clients to make changes to personal and benefit information.

The practice of allowing school staff to complete EAFs (i.e. principals filling out EAFs for Long- Term Occasional Staffing) could be extended to the Request to Hire process as well as other processes, where feasible.

Summary of Recommendations:

• The full functionality of SharePoint should be utilized to enable client self-service to the greatest extent possible. • The practice of allowing school staff to complete EAFs could be extended to other processes, where feasible.

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Dimension Dept. Findings Potential Organizational Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement Data is entered only once by people who understand and require the data

There is evidence of double-entry of information in certain

processes, for example, data entry to the Manulife Enrollment Site and IPPS.Net in (i.e. COMP 2 - Staffing Benefits Administration).

Double data entry into IPPS.Net and Manulife is a significant source of inefficiency and creates opportunities for erroneous data entry.

Significant efficiency could be realized by eliminating double data entry by transmitting monthly files to Manulife. It has been confirmed that the majority of the required information is already being stored in IPPS.Net and only dependent information would need to be updated. This is the current practice of other Ontario school boards, such as Algoma School Board.

Summary of Recommendations:

• Benefits data files should be sent monthly to Manulife to eliminate double data entry.

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Please note that the documented process for “COMP 2 – Staffing Benefits Administration” differs from the process described in the consultations. HR

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Dimension Dept. Findings Potential

Organizational Impact Rating

Opportunities for Improvement Data is entered only once by people who understand and require the data

There are currently data entry issues for individuals that go on a leave without pay (LWOP). Currently, the process to capture leave details requires schools to input the absence information into ABSENCE.NET. The school then emails the Coordinator, Attendance Management that a leave has been entered. A “Leave Without Pay Form”, which is a report generated by the Coordinator, Attendance Management, is run for each individual that goes on leave and forwarded to Payroll to adjust their pay. Sometimes the Coordinator, Attendance Management is not notified and the individuals who should be on a LWOP are overlooked until the monthly verification is performed.

Multiple data entry points and unsophisticated processes can lead to missed information and rework for the various departments involved.

Instead of relying on the schools to notify the Coordinator, Attendance Management of leaves, the “Leave Without Pay Form” could be run weekly to pick up all changes that need to be recorded.

School Administrators can future date sick days for individuals that are on STD/LTD prior to their maternity leave. However, this causes

retroactive adjustments if the individual goes on their maternity leave prior to their anticipated leave start date, as the sick days would need to be reversed and overpayment collected.

Adjustments and having to collect overpayments impacts productivity and the time Payroll has to spend on value-added activities.

School Administrators should only future date sick days until two weeks before the due date. At that time, they should be following up with HR weekly to confirm the status, prior to entering the time.

Summary of Recommendations:

• The “Leave Without Pay Form” should be run weekly to capture changes.

• School Administrators should only future date maternity sick days until two weeks before the due date. HR

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Dimension Dept. Findings Potential Organizational Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement Data is entered only once by people who understand and require the data

New technology can create inefficiencies if not properly used. For instance, electronic timesheets for plant staff have recently been implemented; however, no efficiencies have been realized as a result of the process due to the high percentage of errors when the timesheets are submitted.

There are IPPS.Net issues due to unclear “default” options in the time-entry screen (e.g. the “Type of Hours” pull-down menu is set to “Regular” as a default for regular full-time employees. However, this is not the right option for regular part-time

employees. Administrators (any individual who does the data entry) often forget to change the setting when entering employee time).

Implementing modern technology without the right users or a user- friendly interfaces can create additional

challenges in the process, directly impacting

efficiency and increasing the risk of errors.

“Default” options should be changed within the system to ensure that the appropriate entries can easily be made by the user.

For future electronic

timesheet initiatives, OCDSB should consult with current users of the system to ensure the existing challenges are addressed.

Summary of Recommendations:

• Electronic timesheets should be entered by users that have the existing skill set and training to understand them. • New technology should be user-friendly.

• Current users of electronic timesheets should be consulted for future initiatives to ensure existing challenges are addressed. PR

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Organizational Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement

Data is entered only once by people who understand and require the data

When preparing timesheets, School Administrators sometimes enter an employee’s time as an Occasional Teacher (OT), although the employee is actually working as a Long-Term Occasional Teacher (LTO) (LTOs are considered to be temporary contract employees – their pay information is active within IPPS.Net and therefore no timesheet is required). This error can cause overpayments. In order to ensure that the timesheet information is accurate and that employees receive the right pay, Payroll must review all timesheet entries and make the appropriate adjustments as required.

School Administrators also struggle with the type of absence that they must enter (e.g. leave with or without pay) since they do not always know what the employee’s sick leave account status is.

This type of entry error directly impacts pay, and therefore creates

additional work for the Payroll team, hindering their ability to focus on other, more value-added activities.

An up-to-date Employee Status Report should be provided to School

Administrators regularly so that they can enter accurate status data (including absences) on timesheets. Contemporary HRIS/Payroll Systems have reports that can be automated and emailed at specified time intervals. In addition, the system should be set- up to flag double entries (e.g. two full- day entries on the same day or entries that go over the maximum work hours in a day/week) – this information could be flagged directly through the system (e.g. the system does not allow the data entry) or through an audit report which would identify problematic entries only. Contemporary HRIS/Payroll Systems have these abilities.

Summary of Recommendations:

• School Administrators should regularly be provided with an updated employee status report . • IPPS.Net should be set-up to flag time entry errors (i.e. working 16 hours in an 8 hour day).

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Dimension Dept. Findings Potential

Organizational Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement

Technology is used to create efficiencies

Unions currently request manual Union Due Remittance reports. The process is to run a report and then produce a spreadsheet for the changes that need to be made to the report because the report was not designed to pick up changes. The changes are then transcribed manually on the report and emailed to each of the union representatives and a hard copy is sent via Canada Post to the Ontario Principal's Council and the Local Occasional Teacher's Union representative.

The current practice for Union Due Remittance reporting is manual and labour-intensive, which reduces the time available for staff to focus on other, more value-added activities and increases the possibility of error.

Union Due Remittance reports should be created in IPPS.Net to pick up changes and emailed in an Excel spreadsheet to union representatives.

Union Due Remittance reports are a standard feature of

contemporary HRIS/Payroll systems.

Some Payroll employees have noted that IPPS.Net is slow (e.g. the timesheet query screen can take up to 1.5 minutes to load) and, occasionally, all users must

simultaneously shut down the system and reactivate it due to functional issues.

Challenges with IPPS.Net impacts productivity and client service.

Requesting an assessment of current IPPS.Net technical issues may help determine what repairs can be made immediately to increase system efficiency. Implementing a contemporary HRIS/Payroll system will increase productivity, and help create more user-friendly processes.

Summary of Recommendations:

• Union Remittance reports should be created to pick up changes and emailed to union representatives.

• Requesting an assessment of current IPPS.Net technical issues and/or implementing a Contemporary HRIS/Payroll system will create efficiencies within the departments.

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Organizational Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement

Technology is used to create efficiencies

IPPS.Net is not set-up to automatically produce garnishment cheques (which are applicable to approximately one (1) percent of employees). Payroll Administrators must manually calculate the required garnishment amount and send the information to Finance for the preparation of cheques.

This activity is labour- intensive, which reduces the time available for staff to focus on other, more value-added activities.

IPPS.Net should be programmed to automatically produce required garnishment cheques.

This is a standard feature of contemporary HRIS/Payroll systems.

Summary of Recommendations:

• IPPS.Net should be programmed to automatically produce garnishment cheques. PR

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Dimension Dept. Findings Potential Organizational Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement

Technology is used to create efficiencies

Maternity leave supplementary plans are manually calculated and entered into the system due to IPPS.Net limitations.

This activity is labour-intensive, which reduces the time available for staff to focus on other, more value-added activities. Manual calculations also increase the risk of errors.

IPPS.Net should be programmed to automatically calculate maternity leave supplementary-plans. This is a standard feature of contemporary HRIS/Payroll systems.

Some records of employment (ROEs) are manually calculated and prepared due to a glitch in IPPS.Net since 1992 (which has not yet been fixed).

This activity is labour-intensive, which reduces the time available for staff to focus on other, more value-added activities. Manual calculations also increase the risk of errors.

IPPS.Net should be fixed in order to regain the capability to automatically produce ROEs.

IPPS.Net does not automatically calculate statutory holidays for casual employees. Payroll staff are therefore required to manually calculate and enter statutory holidays into the system, and analyze employee payment eligibility on a case-by-case basis based on

provincial/federal legislation (depending on days worked prior and following the statutory holiday).

This practice is labour-intensive, which reduces the time available for staff to focus on other, more value-added activities, and increases the possibility of error.

IPPS.Net should be programmed to automatically calculate statutory holidays for casual employees, as well as determine eligibility for payment (based on days worked prior and following the statutory holiday).

This is a standard feature of contemporary HRIS/Payroll systems.

Summary of Recommendations:

• Maternity leave supplementary-plans should be programmed into IPPS.Net for automatic calculation. • IPPS.Net should be fixed in order to regain the capability to produce all ROEs electronically.

• Statutory holidays should be programmed and automatically calculated in IPPS.Net. PR

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Dimension Dept. Findings Potential Organizational

Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement

Technology is used to create efficiencies

Educational Assistants are called for Special Education leave replacements. The current time entry process for these replacements requires that Payroll have HR or Learning Support Services representative physically sign the timesheet following the replacement period. However, due to short timelines, these timesheets are not always signed and sent to Payroll in a timely fashion, which delays their pay.

The requirement for timesheet approvals to physically go through HR or Special Education is cumbersome and a source of inefficiency, preventing Payroll from focusing on more value-added activities.

An automated workflow approval system for timesheets could be implemented to ensure pay is on time.

Full-Time teachers that choose to work during summer months are not required to contribute to TPP as they have met their 194 day service requirement. For the summer months, their full-time status changes to

casual, however, IPPS.Net does not recognize that they have maxed out their TPP contributions, which continue to be taken off their pay.

Retroactive adjustments are labour-intensive and creates inefficiencies within Payroll, preventing Payroll from focusing on more value-added activities.

IPPS.Net should be programmed to recognize when TPP service requirements have been met and stop contributions regardless of the employee status (Full-Time or Casual).

This is a standard feature of contemporary HRIS/Payroll systems.

PR HR

Summary of Recommendations:

• Automated workflow would ensure that Payroll receives information in a timely fashion.

• Payroll should implement process and potentially system changes to address overpayments to TPP. PR

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Impact Rating Opportunities for Improvement

People involved in processes respond positively to having more responsibility for productive, meaningful outcomes

There is a perception that Payroll employees concerns are not always considered when changes that will significantly impact their work are

implemented within the organization.

Lack of employee consultation and/or consideration may create resistance to change, and may hinder productivity, impacting the success of new initiatives. In addition, these employees likely have many ideas on how to increase productivity and efficiencies within the department.

Prior to implementing a new initiative that could impact the Payroll team, conduct a focus group with Payroll employees to better understand how the change will affect them, and gather and consider their collective input to ensure the change is successful. To ensure ongoing involvement and engagement in key initiatives, regular team meetings are encouraged.

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Summary of Recommendations:

• As key stakeholders in Payroll processes, Payroll staff should be consulted before Payroll changes are implemented. PR

In document Plan de mejoramiento del servicio del laboratorio de ensayo de materiales de la FIC – UNI (página 55-60)