Employees will have easy access to help using new HRS system

If there’s one thing that’s certain about the new state-of-the-art HRS system for administering employee pay and benefits, it’s that people across campus will have questions about how to use it.

Human Resource System, or HRS, is expected to launch on April 18. In addition to handling a more than $2 billion annual payroll for UW System employees, it will improve how employees sign up for benefits, account for their time and leave, and view work records.

In the weeks leading up to the launch, the HRS team has been working to collect data from certain groups to be sure information transfers seamlessly to the new system, says Maureen Dorn, UW service center communications specialist.

Much of the training so far has focused on a group called “global professionals,” or human resource staff who are expected to be the heaviest users of HRS and who can help guide, advise and train their colleagues in how to work with the new system.

For regular UW–Madison employees, using HRS on a Web-based platform will be like the difference between accessing bank account information online and going in to a bank to talk with a teller, says Tim Miller, an IS business automation specialist who is working on communications about HRS.

In the past, any changes or updates to an employee’s payroll or benefits had to be done by directly contacting a human resource administrator.

“The new system has the end user in mind,” says Chris Grosspietsch, team leader of the application’s support team. “It puts the power into the employee’s hands.”

For example, employees will have easy access to such information about what benefits they’re enrolled in and levels of coverage, Miller says.

“A lot of people on campus are focused on their work and not these payroll benefit issues, but when things do happen and they have life events, it becomes a priority and this is going to make it a lot easier for them to have access to them,” he says.

But once the system goes live — and employees are expected to use it for recording their hours and leave — those managing the service center are anticipating heavy demand for assistance on a range of issues.

The system is intended to seem intuitive to those who are accustomed to conducting business on the Internet.

But as with any new system, people will need help navigating it at first. Grosspietsch says support personnel are preparing to answer questions about everything from problems with Web browsers to logging in to the system.

“Some of it is hopefully intuitive but we’re going to have lots of ways for people to get help,” he says, adding that assistance will be available by Web chat, e-mail, phone and walk-in help.

By the time the fall benefits enrollment period begins in October, users should be familiar with the new system and current employees will be able to make selections through the self-service options. Starting this summer, new employees will use the system to enroll for benefits.

For more information about how HRS will work, as well as to find resources for using it, visit online.