OSPS E-News ~ OSPS Semi-Annual Customer Report

[Announcements from OSPS to the users of the Oregon State Payroll Application]

Hello Everyone, 
Here is an update on what OSPS has been working on over the past six
months. 
________________________________


 

Training

During the period January through June 2010, OSPS provided 356 training
hours.  Training hours are computed using the formula students x class
hours = training hours.  Training offered included: 

*	Frequently Used Screens 
*	New Employees 
*	Separations 
*	Employee Transfers 
*	Payroll Registers 
*	Payroll Exception Reports 

 

In November, we surveyed the subscribers to the OSPS e-News on the
training they would like during 2011. In one survey, we asked them for
specific directions for additional training and resources for Donated
Hardship Leave, which we will implement jointly with DAS HRSD. In a
second survey, we asked them about possible topics for the quarterly
OSPS User's Forum and for more advanced payroll related training. We
also asked them their preferences for the format, timing and duration of
training and forums. Overall, the responders told us we were on the
right course. In terms of changes, a high percentage of responders
encouraged us to continue offering forums and classes remotely through
iLincOregon and to explore on-line classes.

 

 

Payroll Statistics

*	During the first six months of 2010, OSPS issued 292,000 system
generated payroll payments and 7,534 manual checks.  
*	87% of state employees use direct deposit 
*	481 state employees use an AccelaPay card.  Of those, 61% are
using it to receive their net pay.  
*	From July through December, we prepared 451 reissued W-2 forms
and replaced 190 lost or destroyed pay checks.  
*	After helping agencies through the due diligence review process
for stale dated checks,  we turned over $10,262.75 to State Lands
representing 111 stale dated checks from FY 2008.  
*	Refreshed 48 documents in the OSPA Reference Manual. 

 

2010 Key Projects ~ July through December

OSPS staff worked on several high priority projects that require system
changes and new or modified procedures, training or user resources.
Here's a brief summary of the key projects in the past 6 months.  

o        In August and September we implemented electronic payroll
reports for our agency customers.  Using the secure web portal to the
mainframe, registered users can log in and pick up payroll and labor
cost reports as early at 7 AM the morning after payroll is processed.
This project represents significant savings in print costs and our
reliance on paper.  In July, we used 325,000 sheets of paper to print
reports.  In December we printed only 65,000.  While there will be
slight monthly fluctuations, we are comfortable that we will reduce our
use of paper by 6 million sheets over the coming biennium.  We are
continuing to print a supervisor version of the payroll register and
leave accrual reports by work division. These two reports remain on
paper so that payroll offices can distribute them to divisional work
units.  

 

o        In  November we implemented a furlough management alert on
leave accrual reports to identify employees with furlough obligation
balances of 56 hours or more.  

 

o        OSPS partnered with DAS Human Resources Services Division
(HRSD), PEBB and agencies to work through a number of challenges
surrounding the management of donated hardship leave.  This included a
number of meetings, a special training session and presentation of
Statewide HR policy, PEBB eligibility rules, provisions in collective
bargaining agreements and an OSPS-created worksheet.  We also created a
new code to be used for donated leave.  

 

o        With the US Treasury's decision to end paper bond payroll
savings plans, OSPS coordinated the end of the program, notified all
participating employees and brought the program to a close after
November payroll.

 

o        The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) eliminated the advance
payment of Earned Income Credit through payroll for tax year 2011.  As a
result, we made the modifications to OSPA to remove the EIC
functionality from the P010 screen, the calculation module and
eliminated tracking on the payroll register and various central OSPS
reports.  

 

o        We successfully modified OSPA to meet the requirements of PEBB
Plan Year 2011.  Although most of the changes for 2011 were related to
rates and other calculations already present in OSPA, the addition of a
second tier of opt out required significant programming and testing.  

 

Quarterly Customer Meetings

Customer meetings were held in October and December.  The October
meeting provided year-end close training and a timely  open enrollment
update from Bobbie Barrott and Isabel Joslen from PEBB.   The December
meeting focused on security and archive of payroll data with Dan Maguire
from Secretary of State Archives Division and Cinnamon Albin from the
DAS Enterprise Security Office.  We have implemented remote access to
our quarterly customer meetings through iLincOregon.   

 

Meeting Agency Payroll Needs - OSPS Help Desk

  

o        Through agency visits and meetings, OSPS presented Online Daily
Time familiarization sessions to several agencies contemplating a
conversion from paper timesheets.    

 

o        OSPS coordinated with the Charitable Fund Drive management to
receive data from their online pledge application and upload to
employee's deduction screens.  This  is our second year in this project
which replaces handling and data entry at the agency level.  

o        OSPS published a comprehensive year-end close publication,
year-end  training and a number of e-mail alerts and reminders to
support agencies as they manage the task of bringing the payroll year to
a close. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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