Understanding Job Step Progression Setup
You use job step progression to advance employees automatically to the next job level after they meet specified requirements for their current job type and step. Using the step progression rules in the timecard automation module or the business functions in the payroll process, the system recognizes when employees meet the requirements for their current job level and move to the next job level during a payroll cycle. To ensure proper time and labor tracking and to ensure that employees are paid at the correct rate, the system creates new timecards to associate the appropriate amount of time with each job level that is worked during a pay period.
You can set up job requirements based on these methods:
Method |
Description |
|---|---|
Hourly |
Employees are moved to the next job level after completing a specified number of hours in their current job. |
Daily |
Employees are moved to the next job level after completing a specified number of days in their current job. |
Pieces |
Employees are moved to the next job level after completing a specified number of pieces in their current job. |
Custom |
Employees are moved to the next job after meeting requirements that are defined by the organization. |
You can process job step progression information during the payroll cycle, or you can process it as a standalone feature outside of the payroll cycle. The type of processing that you choose depends on the business requirements.
You can process job step progression information only for employees whose timecards are entered into the system before pre-payroll is processed. You cannot process job step progression information for employees whose timecards are created during the pre-payroll process.
The system tracks job step progression information for an employee's primary job only. The system uses the job type and job step from standalone to identify the primary job of an employee.
Also, job step progression is different from pay grade step progression. Job step progression is based on requirements being met for a particular job level. Pay grade step progression is based on changes in pay grades and requirements being met for a particular pay grade.
Before you can use job step progression, you must set up the system to process step progression information. To process job step progression information, you must set up the following information in the company options for company 0 (zero).
- Step Progression Automation
Enter a value to specify the method of processing for job step progression information. You must enter A or S in this field, which is located on the Additional Company Options form. To process job step progression using the automatic method, enter A. To process job step progression using the standalone method, enter S. If you do not want to allow any companies in the organization to use job step progression processing, enter N.
- Step Progression Process
Enter 1 or 2 in this field, which is located on the Additional Options tab on the Company Options form, to process job step progression information. To track and update job step progression history using union code, job type, and job step, enter 1. To track and update job step progression history using union code, job type, job step, and business unit, enter 2.
The value that you enter in this field determines whether the Business Unit field is displayed on the Work With Step Progression Table form.
- Pay Rate Source
Enter 1 in the Pay Rate Source field, which is located on the HRM Foundation Position Control Options form, to process job step progression pay rates correctly. The system must derive employee pay rates using the pay rate tables as the default pay rate source. To do this, you must set up pay rates in pay rate tables.
If you use the pieces method to process all job step progression information, you can set up rates in the Item Piece Rate table or the Union Pay Rate table. If the system does not find a rate in the Item Piece Rate table, it will find the rate in the Union Pay Rate table.
You must also specify, at the individual employee level, which employees to process through step progression.
After you have set up step progression information for the company and for the employee, you must set up job step progression parameters, which contain all of the step progression requirements information for each job type and job step combination. Finally, if you are using the standalone method to process job step progression information, or if you want to process job step progression information using custom rules and functions, you must set up step progression information in the timecard automation module.