Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Workday?
A. Workday is a state-of-the-art cloud-based Human Resource Management System (HRMS). It provides Suffolk County with the ability to streamline and automate many current and new HR and Payroll business processes across County-wide departments.
Workday enables Suffolk County to control costs, ensure accountability, and make better decisions using reliable, contextual data in real-time. This single system solution enables the streamlining of processes to gain efficiency and security while providing employees with the independence and flexibility to work over various devices from wherever they work.
Workday will also expand with the County’s needs and will grow and change as time progresses and technology provides new and exciting developments.
Q. Do seasonal, temporary and part-time workers use Workday?
A. Yes
Q. Does Workday provide forms or are they still obtained from your Payroll Rep?
A. Workday provides forms electronically.
Q. Does Workday replace the Employee Portal?
A. The employee portal will be maintained for historical records only. All current period records will be maintained in Workday.
Q. Who will have access to my personal information?
A. Similar to pre-Workday, relevant county staff fulfilling your specific HR and Payroll duties will have access. There is no expansion of access to personal information in Workday.
Q. What is “self-service”?
A. Self-service enables employees’ access to view or update things like personal information, time and attendance, accruals, etc….
Q. I do not have access to a county computer. How do I enter my time?
A. There are kiosks located throughout the county which will enable you to enter your time and view your information. In addition, Workday provides a Mobile app that allows you to perform many of its self-service features.
Q. Can I use my home computer, tablet, or phone to access Workday?
A. Yes.
Q. Is there a notification sent when an employee is eligible for open enrollment?
A. Yes, during open enrollment employees will receive a task in their Workday inbox to complete their benefits enrollment. If no action is taken, the current elections will remain. The only exception is Flexible Spending Account elections will not be renewed, they must be elected annually.
Q. Can employees access T Rowe Price information?
A. Yes. It will be under the Benefits Application, however, the deductions will be on their payslip within the Pay application.
Q. Can we create our own reports?
A. No, however, there are many commonly used reports which have been created for your use. Certain employees have security roles that allow report creation, but this is very limited.
Q. Who do I contact if I need to change my security role?
A. Submit a SuffolkNOW ticket.
Q. Where can we find a list of all forms that are part of the onboarding process?
A. All of these forms will be electronic and will show up in the employees’ inbox to be completed within Workday.
Q. What is the difference between Hours Only employees and Check-In/Check-Out employees?
A. Hours only employees enter the total hours they worked in a day, not the actual time of day that they worked. Check-In/Check-Out employees enter the time they started work, and the time they ended work. They also check in and out for lunch.
Q. What is the deadline for entering hours worked?
A. Employees need to enter their time by the last day of their workweek.
Q. When is the deadline for a manager to approve employees’ hours?
A. Managers must approve hours by 11 a.m. on Monday.
Q. Can the timesheet be printed?
A. Yes
Q. Do you get a warning if you are carrying more than 420 vacation hours?
A. No
Q. What if an employee does not update their timesheet?
A. A manager can update a timesheet for an employee, however, the employee must submit it.
Q. What happens if time off was requested and approved, but then not taken?
A. If the timesheet was not submitted, the employee can edit the request. However, if it was submitted, the payroll rep will need to intervene.
Q. Can managers see all the staff who have requested time off on any given day?
A. Yes, through both the time off and leave calendar on the Team Absence calendar.
Q. If I am out of the office, how do I approve timesheets?
A. You can either delegate that task to another manager, or you can approve the timesheets on a mobile device.
Q. Does Workday automatically account for straight pay OT and Premium OT?
A. Yes.
Q. If an employee works unexpected OT, can the employee enter that request after the OT is completed?
A. Yes, the employee would need to submit an OT request. This can be completed after the fact, following existing OT guidelines.
Q. How often do I need to submit my timesheet?
A. Weekly.
Q. If a manager is out on vacation can another manager sign my timesheet?
A. Yes, a manager has the option of delegating their tasks to another manager.
Q. Do I still need to fill out a paper leave or overtime request?
A. No, not paper, however, you will need to make the request in Workday.
Q. Can changes be made to time off that has already been approved?
A. Yes, however, the change will have to be submitted and approved.
Q. How far back can I see my pay stub?
A. You will only be able to see pay stubs that were created beginning in 2022. For earlier pay stubs you will need to go to the employee portal.
Q. Will we maintain paper copies of timesheets?
A. No, you will only need the electronic version contained in Workday.
Q. Are delegations limited to tasks related to human resources issues?
A. No, delegation can include tasks within any business process.
Q. Can you delegate to more than one person at a time?
A. Yes, you can delegate different tasks to multiple individuals.
Q. If a manager is out unexpectedly, can their supervisor delegate their work to another manager?
A. No, however, the business process administrator can establish the delegation or reassign the task.
Q. Can we have more than one person reviewing timesheets?
A. No, however, the task can be delegated.
Q. Can you view the salary charts by grade/step?
A. No, however, you can view grade/steps for direct reports by running the “compensation spreadsheet” report.
Q. Can you approve requests from the calendar screen?
A. No, all requests need to be approved from the Workday Inbox.
Q. Will you be able to request time off retroactively?
A. Yes, provided the timesheet has not been submitted.
Q. Are there time off codes for continuing education?
A. Yes
Q. When a termination date is entered, would the employee be notified? Should it wait until after the person has been advised and terminated?
A. This depends on the Departmental or County policy.
Q. Do I see details of only the people reporting to me or as a Director can I view my entire department…my supervisors and the rest of the department?
A. Yes, you will be able to see your subordinate organizations.
Q. What is a check-in, check-out employee?
A. Employees who enter their specific work times in Workday. Not only total hours worked in a day, but the time they started work, and time they ended work. This also includes lunch breaks.
Q. What does “hours only mean”?
A. Hours only refers to employees who only enter their total hours worked in the day, not the time of day that they began and ended.
Q. How will overtime requests take travel, holiday, etc… into account? Must the approving supervisor calculate?
A. Overtime requests and holidays are auto-added into Workday.
Q. Can managers see all staff who has requested time off and who has been approved on any given day?
A. Yes, through both the Time Off and Leave Calendar or the Team Absence calendar.
Q. Can teams be put into categories in different colors?
A. No
Q. Can we enter vacation requests, sick and timesheet entries for employees that cannot use a computer or phone? Can we enter time worked on a set holiday?
A. Yes
Q. Can a manager see where an employee signed onto Workday from? Ex/ home computer, mobile device, etc.?
A. No
Q. If an employee does not have sufficient time to take the requested time off, will Workday notify us, or do we have to manually check their balance?
A. Workday will not notify managers, however, you will be able to view balances on the request.
Q. How can employees access T Rowe Price information?
A. Through the “Benefits” application.
Q. How far in advance can time off requests be made? What if it is requested in advance and then the employee does not have enough accruals for the time?
A. There is no limit on how far in advance requests can be made. Workday will adjust accruals available automatically.
Q. What happens if the time was approved and submitted, but then the person did not take the time off? How can it be changed back?
A. If the timesheet has not been submitted, employees can correct/cancel time off requests. If the timesheet has been submitted, a request will need to be submitted to the payroll rep.
Q. When is the deadline for an employee to enter their hours worked?
A. Employees need to submit their timesheets on the last day of their workweek.
Q. When is the deadline for a manager to approve employee hours?
A. 11 a.m. on Monday
Q. Can the timesheet be printed?
A. Yes
Q. If I am on vacation, how do I approve timesheets?
A. You can delegate timesheet approval or approve timesheets on your mobile device.
Q. What do we do if somebody goes out on leave without pay (LWOP)?
A. Leave without pay are generally Leaves of Absence and will be handled between employees and HR.
Q. Does Leave of Absences include extended leaves with pay, such as a hospitalization? If so, is this started by HR or the employee?
A. This is started by the employee, however, if they are unable then it will be started by HR.
Q. How would an employee enter overtime pay for working a Holiday shift?
A. Holidays are automatically added in Workday and if working a holiday, the employee would use the Holiday worked time type.
Q. Where are the job aids located?
A. On the Project IMPACT Website under Training and Resources.
Q. Will we be able to access Workday from home?
A. Yes, you can access Workday from your work computer, your home computer, or any mobile device including phones.
Q. Do the terms “Time off” and “Absence” mean the same thing?
A. Absence has two types: Time Off and Leaves of Absence
Q. Does Workday remind you if you are going to carry over more than 420 hours?
A. No
Q. Are there kiosks available for employees who do not have a county-issued computer?
A. Yes
Q. Are all Suffolk County employees using Workday, including Police Officers?
A. Yes
Q. Can a manager approve some of the days requested for vacation, but not all?
A. No. The manager will have to send the request back to the employee with the relevant information. The employee then needs to resubmit an updated request.
Q. Can we create our own reports?
A. No. There are many reports already created for your use.
Q. Does comp time show as straight time or at time and a half?
A. Workday automatically makes the distinction between straight OT and premium OT.
Q. Will we have access to PPS after 12/27, for example, the 2021 4QTR grant JVAs?
A. PPS will be archived and not in Workday, however, you will be able to access it.
Q. Who can a delegate be?
A. A delegate must be either a peer or a superior.
Q. Can we see team absence by the hour?
A. No
Q. I need to be able to run reports of overtime used for all employees in my organization, not just those in my team, will I be able to do this?
A. If you do not have the proper security privileges to successfully complete your job, you can request a change, however, it will need to go through an approval process.
Q. Will I be able to differentiate between grant overtime and regular overtime and will I be able to drill down to specific grants?
A. Yes
Q. Can I see total position numbers for my department, including vacancies? Can I also request new position numbers for resolutions and budget preparation?
A. Yes, you can view it through “View all Positions Report”. This is the same process as previously but implemented in Workday.
Q. Can I enter a request for OT after it was already worked?
A. The OT request can be submitted after it was worked only when it is for emergency purposes.
Q. Can a supervisor submit a timesheet for an employee?
A. A supervisor can enter hours worked for an employee, but they cannot submit a timesheet for them. The employee must review their own timesheet and submit it themselves. There is a process in place to have the system take care of emergency situations, however, an audit report will track this activity.
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