In fall 2022, UO deployed a new enterprise instance of the UKG Ready automated timekeeping system and expanded its use across administrative units. UKG Ready will eventually be adopted campus-wide, providing a more accurate university payroll, and more efficient means of collecting employee work hours and time off.

Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG, formerly Kronos) is the company behind time and attendance system Workforce Ready.  We call it UKG Ready or Ready for short.  It is a time entry and leave management system that collects hours worked and/or leave used from employees, obtains supervisor approvals for time entries, change requests, and time off requests, and then feeds this information to the university payroll system.  Time clocks are used where large numbers of employees report to a central work area without access to a computer.  In office environments employees can use their desktop computers.  Departments can also choose to allow employees the option of using their personal cell phone for added convenience.

Accuracy

The university needs to ensure that all of its employees are paid accurately including for any overtime, shift differential or premium earnings they are entitled to according to labor laws, UO policy and collective bargaining agreements.

Efficiency

Employee hours, premium earnings, holidays, and leaves are automatically calculated and loaded into the Banner payroll system.

Employees will more easily see available leave balances when requesting time off.

Department payroll administrators will no longer have to track down timesheets, correct them, and manually enter hours totals into the Banner payroll system.

Managers can maintain work schedules for their employees and be notified when an employee is unable to report to work.

Records

Employees and the university need access to accurate records to properly adjudicate potential wage disputes.

Managers need access to information on employees reporting to work in order to manage their most valuable resource, people.

Consistency

Adoption of a single system ensures that all earnings, holidays and leaves of those who use it are calculated the same way.  A single system also provides an opportunity to standardize other business practices across the organization such as the pay period for hourly employees.

Long Overdue

UO is among the last PAC 12 and AAU institutions to adopt an automated time and attendance system.   It is the right way to operate a large and complex payroll.  

The university will adopt automated time and attendance campus wide for classified and student employees and for Officers of Administraiton.  Faculty will use the system for approvals if they manage student employees.  While there is no mandate for faculty or GEs to use UKG Ready for leave reporting, the system is designed to allow 12-month faculty to use it for reporting sick and vacation leave, and for non-exempt hourly faculty to use it for time tracking and leave reporting.  This is the approach some academic and research units are taking.

EMU, Athletics and Housing had separate instances of Kronos for many years.  In fall 2022 these users were migrated to a new university wide platform that was more fully integrated with the Ellucian Banner payroll system.

In fall 2022 most administrative units were onboarded including units under Finance and Administration, Division of Student Life, and Student Services and Enrollment Management, as well as the Office of the General Council, JSMA, Information Services and UO Libraries.  Academic units are onboarding in 2023..

Mark Schmelz, Kelly Wolf, and Melody Riley Ralphs sponsored the enterprise implementation project.  Mark McCulloch and Jon Marchetta were project managers.

A UKG Ready Service Advisory Board will bring service providers; Business Affairs, Human Resources, and Information Services, together with representatives from participating departments.  The advisory board will make decisions regarding; system configuration, upgrades, new features and functions, contract renewal, service deprecation and replacement.    

UKG Ready Training is available in the My Track learning library where employees can mark courses complete updating their UO training record.  We also include the same training content below for easy reference.

Non-Exempt (overtime eligible) Employee Training:

1. Intro and Login (5 minutes)
2. Dashboard tour (7 minutes)
3. Web clock and timesheet (7 minutes)
4. Request time off (8 minutes)
5. Missed or late punch, change request (8 minutes)
6. Transfer between cost centers (for employees with multiple jobs, or who work different venues) (8 minutes)
7. Switch between overtime and comp time and split a time allocation (4 minutes)

Exempt Employee Training:

1. Intro, login and request time off (14 minutes)
2. Mobile App

Manager Training: We recommend that managers also watch the employee training videos above.

1. Manager dashboard, to do items and notifications, approving request for time off (8 minutes)
2. Review and approve change request (missed or late punch) (7 minutes)
3. Approving time entries (8 minutes)
4. Employee work schedules (13 minutes)

Payroll Admin Training: 

1. Payroll admins should watch the employee and manager training videos above.
2. Visit the UKG MS Team and read the following documents in the ‘Handouts for Payroll Admins’ folder; 'UKG Ready Payroll Admin Training', 'Department Onboarding', 'Employee Profile Setup Guide', 'Payroll Prep', and 'FAQ'.
3. Reports (18 minutes)  Read 'Admin Dashboard Reports' document in Hand Outs folder on MS Teams and create a customized view of reports on your dashboard.
4. Watch for regular drop in sessions with Holly Syljuberget during each time entry window.
5. There are also many self-paced online training courses available in the UKG Ready Learning Center on the Hamburger Menu under Help.  We recommend most of the 27 courses included in the “Time Onboarding Learning Journey” which you can search for.   The following eight courses are not particularly relevant for the UO environment so skip these; 'Security and Permissions Overview', 'Workflow Overview', 'Time Prep Checklist', 'Prepare time for Payroll', 'Accrual Concepts', 'Time Training Toolkit', 'Manage Security Profiles Groups and Permissions'.

For Non-Exempt (Overtime Eligible) Employees (Classified, Forecast, Students, and Temporary Employees)

Clocking In and Out

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. On the UKG Ready Home tab, look for the My Timesheet panel that shows the clock with the current time displayed.
4. Beneath the clock are three buttons, Clock In, Clock Out, and Transfer. To clock in, select the Clock In button.
5. A notice will pop up saying that the clock-in was completed, and at what time the punch was registered.
6. To clock out, repeat steps 1 – 3. Beneath the clock in the My Timesheet panel, click Clock Out.
7. A notice will pop up saying that the clock out was completed, and at what time the punch was registered.
8. To confirm your punches, you may view your timesheet by clicking on the My Timesheet link on the My Timesheet panel.
9. Differentials such as shift differential will be programmed automatically by FASS Payroll to ensure accurate reporting.
10. While viewing your timesheet, you may add notes to your punches or request adjustments and corrections per the Classified Time Clock Change Request process (see below).

Change Request

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. On the UKG Ready Home tab, look for the My Timesheet panel that shows the clock with the current time displayed.
4. View your timesheet by clicking on the My Timesheet link at the top of this panel.
5. Click on the Change Request button on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
6. To modify a punch, select Modify Punch In or Modify Punch Out as appropriate from the Change Type dropdown menu.
7. Select the date you wish to make the change for, and click the arrow to proceed.
8. In the Change Request dialogue box, make your time corrections and add a comment in the comment field.
9. Click Submit Changes when you have finished, and an email will be sent to your supervisor for approval.
10. If you need to add additional hours to a day that already has a punch registered, repeat steps 3-5 to get to the Change Request dialogue box.
11. Select Add a Time Entry from the Change Request drop down menu.
12. Enter the new times in the Change Request dialogue box and select Submit Changes when complete.
13. An email will be sent to your supervisor for approval.

Notes:
If you don't see the date you wish to change you may have to navigate to the previous timesheet using the arrows at the top of the timesheet.
Comments added will be visible to both your manager and payroll administrator.

Request Time Off (Sick and Vacation Leave)

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. On the UKG Ready Home tab, look for the My Time & Time Off icon in the middle of the Start panel. Clicking on this icon will show a menu with different options.
4. Click on the link called Request Time Off. This will bring you to the Time Off Request screen.
5. Using the calendar, select the days you need to make your request for by clicking and dragging to highlight all of the appropriate days needed for the request.
6. With your days selected, click the Start Request button in the top right-hand side of the screen.
7. A dialogue box will pop up asking you to select which type of leave you wish to use. Please remember that the current restrictions regarding Sick Leave use still apply, as per university guidelines. 
8. The Request Time Off dialogue box will appear that will capture the details of your request.
9. If your request is for a single day, please select Single Day under the Request Type field.
10. If your request is for multiple consecutive days, please select Multiple Day under the Request Type field.
11. You will then be asked to verify which date(s) you are making the request for, as well as the Total Hours or Hours Per Day that you are requesting to use your leave balance for.
12. When your request is complete, select Submit Request, and click OK. An email will be sent to your supervisor for approval.
13. Your request will appear in a pending status until it is reviewed and approved by your supervisor in the UKG Ready system.
14. Your requests will appear on the My Schedule / My Time Off calendar panel on the Home tab.
15. To cancel an approved time off request, navigate to the Home screen. Open your timesheet by clicking on the My Timesheet link at the top of the My Timesheet panel.
16. Click on the Change Request button on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
17. Select Cancel Time Off as the Change Type, and select the date you would like to change.
18. Under that date, select the checkbox of the time off you would like to cancel, and select Submit Changes.
19. An email will be sent to your supervisor for approval.
20. Once approved, the cancelled leave will be removed from your UKG Ready calendar.
21. Please remember you will need to set a separate Out of Office message on your Outlook calendar.

Notes:
To cancel a time off request that is still pending, go to My Time Off calendar, select the request and delete it.
Comments added will be visible to both your manager and payroll administrator.

Submitting Your Timesheet

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process
3. Navigate to your current timesheet.
4. This is going to bring up this month’s timesheet. Since we need to submit the previous months’ time, you will need to click on the small blue arrow next to the dates to bring up the one you need.
5. Once there, review for accuracy. If you need to make changes, you can do so with a change request in the top right, or using the three dots (expanded menu).
6. When you have finished making changes and are ready to submit your timesheet, hit the Submit button in the top right.
7. Your timesheet status will now change to show as “Submitted”.

For Exempt (Overtime Ineligible) Employees (Officers of Administration)

Request Time Off (Sick and Vacation Leave)

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. On the UKG Ready Home tab, look for the My Time & Time Off icon in the middle of the Start panel. Clicking on this icon will show a menu with different options.
4. Click on the link called Request Time Off. This will bring you to the Time Off Request screen.
5. Using the calendar, select the days you need to make your request for by clicking and dragging to highlight all of the appropriate days needed for the request.
6. With your days selected, click the Start Request button in the top right-hand side of the screen.
7. A dialogue box will pop up asking you to select which type of leave you wish to use. Please remember that the current restrictions regarding Sick Leave use still apply, as per university guidelines.
8. The Request Time Off dialogue box will appear that will capture the details of your request.
9. If your request is for a single day, please select Single Day under the Request Type field.
10. If your request is for multiple consecutive days, please select Multiple Day under the Request Type field.
11. You will then be asked to verify which date(s) you are making the request for, as well as the Total Hours or Hours Per Day that you are requesting to use your leave balance for.
12. When your request is complete, select Submit Request, and click OK. An email will be sent to your supervisor for approval.
13. Your request will appear in a pending status until it is reviewed and approved by your supervisor in the UKG Ready system.
14. Your requests will appear on the My Schedule / My Time Off calendar panel on the Home tab.
15. To cancel an approved time off request, navigate to the Home screen. Open your timesheet by clicking on the My Timesheet link at the top of the My Timesheet panel.
16. Click on the Change Request button on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
17. Select Cancel Time Off as the Change Type, and select the date you would like to change.
18. Under that date, select the checkbox of the time off you would like to cancel, and select Submit Changes.
19. An email will be sent to your supervisor for approval per the Managers Approving Change Requests process (see below).
20. Once approved, the cancelled leave will be removed from your UKG Ready calendar.
21. Please remember you will need to set a separate Out of Office message on your Outlook calendar.

Notes:
To cancel a time off request that is still pending, go to My Time Off calendar, select the request and delete it.
Comments added will be visible to both your manager and payroll administrator.

Submitting Your Timesheet/Leave Report

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process
3. Navigate to your current timesheet.
4. This is going to bring up this month’s timesheet. Since we need to submit the previous months’ time, you will need to click on the small blue arrow next to the dates to bring up the one you need.
5. Once there, review for accuracy. If you need to make changes, you can do so with a change request in the top right, or using the three dots (expanded menu).
6. When you have finished making changes and are ready to submit your timesheet, hit the Submit button in the top right.
7. Your timesheet status will now change to show as “Submitted”

For Managers and Supervisors

Approving Time Entry

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. From the Dashboard, navigate to the Approvals tab. Here you will see pending requests for time off, change requests, and time entries from your employees.
4. It is recommended that these pending requests are addressed in the order in which they are presented on the Approvals dashboard before proceeding to approving time entries in the bottom panel.
5. To approve the pending time entries, click on the "Pending Approval – Time Entries" link in the bottom panel in order to view the full report. If you do not have the full report open, you will not be able to approve entries. Please make sure you are on the correct screen before proceeding.
6. You may approve each employee’s time entries individually or grouped together by selecting the appropriate boxes on the left-hand side of the screen.
7. To review an employee’s time entry in more detail, select the timesheet icon next to the entry in question. This will bring up the employee’s timesheet.
8. To approve the entries, select all the appropriate lines and click the Approve button near the top right-hand corner of the screen. If you do not see an Approve button, you may be on the incorrect screen. 

Approving Time Off and Change Requests

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. To view pending change request items, click on the notification bell in the top right-hand corner.
4. While on the My To Do Items tab, click on the change request you wish to approve.
5. This brings up the request and shows the current state of the time entry, as well as the new state the employee would like it corrected to. Review the request for accuracy and select either Approve or Reject in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
6. If you are Rejecting a change request from an employee, click Reject and put an explanatory note in the comment box.
7. If you are managing a student employee, please be aware that you will only be able to approve adjustments for change requests from students that pertain to your department.
8. You may also approve change requests by navigating back to the dashboard by clicking the hamburger menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen and selecting Home.
9. From the home dashboard, navigate to the Approvals tab, where you will see all pending requests.
10. These pending requests may be reviewed and approved similarly to steps 4 through 6.

For On-Call Employees (Classified Employees)

Recording On-Call Time

1. Navigate to the UKG Ready dashboard by going to https://ukg.uoregon.edu.
2. Provide your Duck ID credentials and use the DUO authenticator to complete the login process.
3. Navigate to your timesheet and hit the option to submit a change request.
4. Select the option for "Add Time Entry"
5. Choose the applicable day.
6. You should see a small blue expansion arrow, click that. For On-Call you do not need to enter a start and stop time, just put in how many hours total for that day.
7. Under the drop down that says "Activity", you would hit "Browse". Locate the line that says "PSB - On Call" (It's on the 2nd page currently).
8. Then you can hit submit for it to be sent off for approval.

Changes/Impacts

Adoption of a new instance of UKG Ready is an opportunity to standardize some inconsistent university business practices.  The following changes are supported by our project sponsors; HR, BA and Information Services.

Change is difficult and must be supported and well communicated.   We are resilient and will adapt to get the most value from this new service. 

We have discussed the following changes with SEIU representatives and will continue to address any concerns and keep union leadership informed as this project progresses.  Union representatives, along with our department champions are critical change agents and information conduits.

Here are some of the changes in business practice we will make as participating departments and their employees begin to use the new instance of UKG Ready.

Software

Employees in units already using UKG Ready won't notice any change in the software.  Employees new to UKG Ready will need learn to use it.  There will be online training and support available from trained department champions.

Exempt Employees

Employees exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and not eligible for overtime will simply request time off in UKG Ready.  Most Officers of Administration and some Classified employees are exempt.  Exempt Classified employees, since they are eligible for differentials will schedule times in and out each day and adjust times as needed.  Employees unsure about their FLSA status can reference their position description or ask their department payroll administrator.

Non-Exempt Employees

Employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and eligible for overtime will clock in and out daily using whatever method is most practical for their environment, (timeclock or computer).  Departments may also allow their employees the option of using their mobile phone. The mobile app is very convenient and does report employee location at the instant they clock in or out.  It does not track employee movement before or after they clock.

Clocking in and out is a best practice adopted by most UKG clients and is supported by the university administration.  It allows the system to automatically calculate overtime, shift differential and other premium earnings.

Most non-exempt university employees already using UKG Ready clock in and out.

Managers

Managers will be notified by email when an item is added to their To Do list and should log in and approve time off requests and change requests throughout the month. They should visit their dashboard at least weekly to review and approve any time off and change requests still pending, and to review and approve employee time entries.  Time entries are generated each day for employees clocking in and out, and when any employee take leave or is granted a holiday.  Timesheets are approved by the department

Hourly Employees

Hourly employees are currently paid mid-month to mid-month at the end of the month on a lag.  The pay period varies from department to department because a standard pay period was never adopted and enforced university-wide.  This inconsistency is confusing for employees and makes it difficult for the Payroll Office to comply with a state law that requires the pay period to be printed on each employees' earnings statement.

All departments using UKG Ready will adopt a standard pay period for hourly employees.  We want to pay employees as quickly as possible with the shortest possible lag.

The university has adopted the 16th to the 15th as the standard monthly pay period for all hourly employees.  This pay period may not be practical for some large departments with limited payroll staff and tight deadlines to obtain approvals and make adjustments.  Departments with a pay period currently ending on the 12th or earlier can request an exemption and adopt 13th to the 12th until system efficiencies and staffing allow them to move to the new standard 16th to the 15th. While this is the eventual goal, there is no exact timeline on when transitions to the standard hourly will occur.  Using this strategy, no hourly employee will experience a one time decrease in the number of paid days in their pay check when we transition to a new pay period.

'Forecast Pay' or 'Classified Salaried'

About 200 classified employees are paid current from the 1st to 31st without a lag. Although this practice was largely discontinued several years ago, these employees will continue to be paid as they are now, current with no lag.  If non-exempt, they will clock in and out so the system can calculate overtime and other premium earnings. 

1. How do I login ?

Login using your Duck ID Username and Password at ukg.uoregon.edu

2. Will I clock in and out ?

The criteria that determines clocking is Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) status of the position.

Employees in positions designated ‘Non-Exempt’ from FLSA or ‘FLSA subject’ (overtime eligible) will clock in and out so the system can automatically calculate overtime and other premium earnings like shift differentials.

Note: Some classified positions are designated Exempt and some unclassified positions are designated Non-Exempt.

If an employee is unsure about their position’s FLSA status they can either reference their position description, or ask their department payroll administrator who can run an emloyee roster report which shows FLSA status.

The HR Fair Labor Standards Act webpage describes FLSA status and is a good resource for understanding this. Exempt status is a position classification decision determined by Human Resources. 

3. Will I request paid time off ?

Yes, all employee groups eligible for paid time off will request time off.

4. Will all university departments use UKG Ready ?

Ultimately yes.  In fall 2022 most administrative units, not already using UKG Ready will on board. See contact list below. Once these units are settled and using the system successfully remaining units, including academc units, will on board.

5. Which employee groups on campus will use UKG Ready ?

Classified employees, officers of administration, students, and temps) will use UKG Ready.  Currently there is no plan to require faculty or GEs to use the system for leave reporting.  We may however, on board faculty who manage other employees to automate approvals.

6. What device will I use to clock in and out ?

Time collection method, physical clock or web clock, is a decision each department will make.  Check with your department's payroll administrator.

In departments adopting the web clock, employees will use their university computer to clock.  These employees will also have the option of using the UKG Ready mobile app on their personal mobile device.

7. Does the mobile device track my movements ?

No.  During installation, the UKG Ready mobile application prompts for access to user location.  If the user allows access to their location during install, then the application will record user location (pin on map) at the precise moment the employee clocks in or out.

8. What if I forget to clock in or out ?

If an employee forgets to clock in or out or clocks in early or late for any reason they will simply submit a change request that will then be approved by their manager.   We anticipate lots of change requests as employees learn to use the system.  Clocking in and out typically becomes routine in a week or two.

9. Will I clock in and out for meal and break periods ?

There is no need to clock out for breaks as this is paid time.  Clocking out for unpaid meal breaks is a department decision.  UKG Ready can be configured to require that an employee clock out for meals or, it can be configured to automatically deduct either a 60 or 30 minute meal period each work shift.  Clocking for meals is a best practice because it provides evidence on the timesheet that the employee was indeed provided a meal break in accordance with Oregon labor rules which state, "Meal periods of at least 30 minutes must be provided to non-exempt employees who work 6 or more hours in one work period. No meal period is required if the work period is less than 6 hours."

10. What if I clock in before my shift begins or after it ends, will this result in overtime ?

Employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act who are eligible for overtime will earn overtime if they work more than eight hours in a day (unless the employee's request for a flex schedule was granted) and/or more than 40 hours in a week.  Overtime must be authorized in advance by the employee's manager.    

With timekeeping systems there is a potential for increased incidence of small amounts of overtime as employees begin clocking and perhaps punch in a few minutes before their scheduled shift begins or punch out a few minutes after it ends.

As employees begin to use the timekeeping system managers should discuss with their employees any unique demands of the position that impact work schedules and authorized overtime.

11. Will UKG Ready round the actual time I punch in and out ?

No.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does allow rounding of time punches using up to a 15 minute increment as long as it is fair and does not advantage the employer.

Campus payroll administrators evaluated various rounding rules and the implementation team decided against rounding time punches.

12. How can employees access their time records ?

Employees can access their timesheets at any time by logging into UKG Ready using their Duck ID username and password.  Simply click 'My Timesheet' on the employee dashboard and navigate back or forward to the desired pay period using the arrows.

Non-Exempt employees will see raw punches and calculated totals of each earning type for each day on their timesheet.  There is also an audit trail for each change made identifying who made the change..

The university retention schedule for time records is six years, however there are no plans to remove time records from UKG Ready.

13. Will classified employees on 'forecast pay' keep the same pay period and be paid without a lag ?

About 200 classified employees are paid current from the 1st to 31st without a lag.  Although this practice was largely discontinued several years ago, these employees will continue to be paid as they are now, current with no lag.  If non-exempt, they will clock in and out so the system can calculate overtime and other premium earnings. 

Dashboard

My Timesheet (non-exempt)

My schedule (hourly)

Request Time Off (exempt and non-exempt)

Approve Time Off (manager)

Approve Time Entries (manager)

If you have questions please contact your department payroll administrator listed below:

The UKG Ready mobile app is an option for employees working in departments who have decided to use the UKG Ready web clock instead of physical time clocks.  Note: Nothing prevents an employee from also using web clock on their mobile device through a browser.

In the Android or Apple store install the UKG Ready app shown below with the right arrow icon, 

The first time you login the UKG Ready mobile app will prompt for region (North America) and company short name (6178092),

Business Affairs IT Services and Service Advisory Boards