What is the WorkForce Suite? 

The WorkForce Suite offers a fresh approach to accessing the essential time and attendance features your end users require. These include functionalities such as time off requests, reviewing current schedules, forecasting vacation days, viewing important messages, and receiving communications from managers. Following implementation, the majority of clients will transition to the WorkForce Suite. While some may stick with the classic view due to internal architecture considerations, they represent only a small percentage of users. 

Enhancing user experience through intuitive navigation enables users to enjoy a more seamless and integrated interface, complete with clear indicators for decision-makers. The new assistant provides users immediate access to urgent tasks directly from the home screen. 

Managing absences can be challenging, but with the WorkForce Suite, users can easily monitor remaining balances and even request time off directly from their home screen. The assistant can also effectively highlight important system messages and now supports sending text messages. 

In this blog, we will discuss and guide you through the steps required to acquire or upgrade to the WFS Suite. 

Overview of the WorkForce Suite

The WorkForce Suite's functionality revolves primarily around Hub Cards, which present various features of WorkForce Time according to the system date. These cards are accessible on both the Desktop and Mobile Application versions of the Suite. 

Let's discuss the different Hub Cards available in the WorkForce Suite: 

1. Timesheet Summary

This card allows users to manage displayed pay codes and presents data for the current and two preceding days based on the user's time. If there are any exceptions, an icon will be displayed.

2. My Schedule

By default, this card showcases the current week based on the system date. Users can navigate between past and future weeks, up to one month. However, time off won't be visible on the schedule hub card.

3. New Time Off Request

To utilize this card, a feature flag must be enabled. It uses time-off types to populate the drop-down list, so it's essential to ensure they are correctly configured.

4. Timesheet Exceptions

This card allows managers to view employee exception messages and filter them by severity. The exceptions shown on this card correspond to the current system date period.

5. Time Off Balances

This card displays the bank balances of employees as of the system date. It's only available for employees who can create time off requests. If your organization doesn't use this feature, the banks will only be displayed on the timesheet.

6. Time Clock

This card allows you to add time to employee timesheets. Different customizations are available if configured on the latest versions. Additionally, there's a pin related to geolocation at the top right corner of the card. When enabled, the pin will turn green.

7. Links

This card provides useful links to common intranet features and is always accessible.

The WorkForce Assistant 

The Assistant panel is located on the WorkForce Suite Home screen, or HUB. This panel provides managers with urgent notifications for immediate action. A condensed view of the assistant appears on mobile devices at the screen's top. 

Like the WorkForce Suite, the Assistant uses Cards to present information to employees.

The assistant cards include: 

1. Time Off Request Approval

This card allows you to add time to employee timesheets. Different customizations are available if configured on the latest versions. Additionally, there's a pin related to geolocation at the top right corner of the card. When enabled, the pin will turn green.

2. Timesheet Exception

This card allows you to add time to employee timesheets. Different customizations are available if configured on the latest versions. Additionally, there's a pin related to geolocation at the top right corner of the card. When enabled, the pin will turn green.

3. Scheduling Change Notifications

If additional products like Job Scheduling or Demand Scheduling are used, the assistant will show approvals for Shift Swaps (Job Scheduling) and Shift Offer and Swap (Demand Scheduling). This allows managers to approve swaps directly from the assistant.

4. Group Messaging

If additional products like Job Scheduling or Demand Scheduling are used, the assistant will show approvals for Shift Swaps (Job Scheduling) and Shift Offer and Swap (Demand Scheduling). This allows managers to approve swaps directly from the assistant.

If managers oversee multiple assignment groups, they can select which group to display on the assistant by adjusting the preferences in the settings. 

WorkForce Suite Prerequisites 

It's important to note that even with the WorkForce Suite enabled, you can still access the classic view using your regular URL. However, keep in mind that the WorkForce Suite requires a password different from the Classic view. If you wish to set a password for the WorkForce Suite, you can use the "forgot password" link on the login screen. Please be aware that administrators cannot reset passwords for the WorkForce Suite.

• To be eligible for enabling the Suite, environments need to be on version 20.2.0.x. If you are not on this version, you must update your environments first. 

• WorkForce Software environments have various feature flags that need to be enabled before enabling the WorkForce Suite. To enable these flags, a case must be opened with WorkForce Software. 

• The WorkForce Suite requires stricter data validation for employee and assignment records. The employee interface may need to be updated to include additional fields. These fields must be populated in both the current and historical records for employees and assignments. 

• Scripts are commonly used for integrations or reports in workforce environments. It is important that all scripts in your instance comply with the use of whitelisted Java classes.   

• If your environment includes Demand Scheduling or Pattern Scheduling functionalities, an additional case is required to enable the Scheduling feature flag and disable the T&A Scheduling feature flag. This change will make the timesheet schedule view-only, with Demand Scheduling becoming  the schedule record source. 

• In some cases, you may use Demand Scheduling or Pattern Scheduling alongside Standard Scheduling. When the T&A Scheduling feature flag is turned off, you can indicate on the assignment record which employees will have their schedules managed by T&A and which ones will use the Scheduling Application. 
  
  

What's in it for users?  

The WorkForce Suite doesn't just offer a new interface; it revolutionizes how users interact with time and attendance management. By providing a seamless and intuitive experience, it empowers users to: 

• Increase Productivity: Streamlined navigation and personalized home screens ensure users can access crucial information quickly, allowing them to focus more on their core tasks and responsibilities.
  
  
• Stay Informed and Proactive: The intelligent assistant keeps users updated on urgent tasks and exceptions, enabling them to take immediate action and prevent potential issues from escalating. 

• Work Anywhere, Anytime: With mobile push notifications, users can stay connected and productive on the go, ensuring they never miss important updates or deadlines. 

• Simplify Implementation and Maintenance: The WorkForce Suite's comprehensive guide and support resources make it easy for users to transition to the new platform and ensure ongoing success with minimal disruption. 

In summary, the WorkForce Suite isn't just a software upgrade; it's a game-changer for users, offering enhanced functionality, accessibility, and user experience that ultimately drive improved productivity, efficiency, and satisfaction. 

As WorkForce unveils its exciting new user interface, we hope this blog provides a helpful list of prerequisites to ensure a smooth transition, whether you are a new or an existing WorkForce Software customer. We recommend contacting our support team for further guidance. We are here to help you navigate the transition smoothly and leverage the full potential of the new WorkForce UI.