Take Advantage of New Features in PeopleSoft HCM Images 30-31

PeopleSoft HCM Images 30-31 has 91 new features. Although each feature may not apply to your organization, you’ll likely be pleased by the ones that can help you improve productivity, simplify processes, and, perhaps, allow you to retire a customization that can now be met by out-of-the-box functionality.

The pie chart shows the 13 different areas affected by the 91  improvements (NA Payroll and Global payroll are grouped together to simplify the pie chart).  The HR module has the most improvements (26 percent), followed by Time and Labor (14 percent), and general HCM system enhancements (10 percent).

Some of the improvements that caught my eye include the following new features:

  • Drop zones. Once you’ve used them, you’ll never go back as you discover how powerful they are. If you are unfamiliar with drop zones, here’s how they work. Assume you have a customization with unique fields. With the drop zone functionality, you can add custom fields to delivered pages and have the PUM manager ignore your custom fields so that it keeps your changes. These two Images (30 and 31) added drop zone functionality for many pages in the system.
  • Fluid pages. This feature was added in many areas to increase the availability of functions on the small form factor. Remember, at this time next year, PeopleTools 8.58 should be generally available (GA), and with this tool’s release, support of the PeopleSoft Classic user interface will end. The Classic pages will still be there, just no longer supported.
  • Absence Management chatbots or “digital assistants.” The release of chatbots should interest everyone, and I’d expect that many organizations will apply Image 31 in a test environment to experiment with them. We used to think that getting end-users to key their updates via ESS/MSS was great. Now they can expect to talk to a device and make the changes. Here’s a link to the Oracle-PeopleSoft chatbot documentation: https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E52319_01/infoportal/chatbot.html.
  • Global Payroll. Many large organizations use this feature. Typically, a large organization has a requirement for a robust chart of general ledger (GL) accounts. Image 31 expanded the GL ChartFields from 8 to 21 segments. The GL-related pages and the Send Cost to GL process is updated to accommodate and support 21 ChartFields. For cost accountants, this will be a wee bit of heaven.
  • Human Resource ESS pages. This feature provides the ability for employees to resign or retire themselves from jobs. Drop zones offer support for the custom fields that you may have or want to have. As I now see it, employees will be able to tell a chatbot to “take this job and shove it.” I wonder if the chatbot will understand what that means? Tell me if you think the chatbot should understand that famous phrase from Johnny Paycheck. I’ll bet the chatbot won’t need to ask for clarification.

These innovations are just a few of the areas that caught my eye. It is an exciting time to be working with PeopleSoft.

Be sure to update your system to gain the advantages from these images. An easy way to stay current is to use Sierra-Cedar’s PUM-as-a-Service along with Oracle-PeopleSoft’s PTF. You can accept all the image changes or just the ones that interest you.

Remember, you can always get more information at Sierra-Cedar. Contact your account executive or click here and we’ll get you in contact with someone who can help.

The following abbreviated table lists more of the new features in PeopleSoft Image 30-31, along with the minimum PeopleTools release.

Product(s) Feature Version Minimum PeopleTools
Absence Management Enhanced the Request Absence and Cancel Absence features to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Benefits Administration Optimized the Benefits Statements component for small form factor. This feature supports the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Candidate Gateway Added the ability to send automated email notifications to enhance communications with candidates. Communication with potential applicants is an important aspect of the recruiting process. This feature provides two new configurable automated email communications: the Draft Status Notification that sends email reminders to candidates to submit their applications, and the Welcome Registration Notification that sends emails to confirm registration and deliver important information to candidates. 9.2.030 8.55.00
eCompensation Enhanced the Total Rewards feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.55.00
eProfile Enhanced the Self-Service Matrix feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Global Payroll Enhanced the Global Payroll Element Browser feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Human Resources Enhanced the Personal Details component to include the capture of Social Media information. This feature supports the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Human Resources Enhanced the Dotted Line feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Talent Acquisition Manager Enhanced the Fluid Open Jobs feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Talent Acquisition Manager Enhanced the Fluid Recruiting Homepage feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.55.00
Time and Labor Enhanced the Workforce Availability feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Time and Labor Enhanced the Auto Enrollment feature in Time and Labor to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Time and Labor Enhanced the Absence Integration feature in Time and Labor to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Time and Labor Enhanced the Fluid Time Reporting to support Auto approval for Managers. 9.2.030 8.55.00
Time and Labor Enhanced the Manage Exceptions and Reporting Location features to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.030 8.54.00
Absence Management Delivered the fluid version of extended absence framework, which supports extended leave requests, such as FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and Canadian Leave requests, as well as other extended absences, such as Statutory Sick Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay, and so on. The framework for extended absences contains elements that enable you to attach supporting documents and notes to extended absence requests. 9.2.031 8.56.00
General HCM Enhancements Enhanced the Page and Field Configurator to include changes on secondary pages, apply configurations to multiple roles, exclude roles from configuration changes, and to add status configuration sequences as inactive. In preparation for the delivery of configurations to customers, this enhancement reserves sequences 81-99 for Oracle. 9.2.031 8.55.00
General HCM Enhancements Delivered the PeopleSoft Chatbot-related configurations and Integration Framework. More information on PeopleSoft Chatbot integration is available at https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E52319_01/infoportal/chatbot.html 9.2.031 8.57.00
Global Payroll Enhanced the Global Payroll GL ChartField feature to expand the GL ChartFields from 8 to 21. All Global Payroll GL related pages, and the Send Cost to GL process have been updated to accommodate and support 21 ChartFields. This enhancement also enables the entry and validation of ChartField values by combination code. 9.2.031 8.53.02
Human Resources Added a new Survey step to the OnBoarding Category. 9.2.031 8.55.00
Human Resources Delivered the Business Partner Navigation Collection. 9.2.031 8.55.00
Human Resources Added the ability for employees to resign or retire themselves from jobs through Employee Self-Service. This feature supports the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.031 8.54.00
Payroll for North America Enhanced the Fluid Mobile Paycheck feature to support the PeopleTools drop zone functionality. 9.2.031 8.54.00
Time and Labor Enhanced the Reported Audit Time feature for Fluid to show both current and historical data in the same view. 9.2.031 8.55.00
Time and Labor Added the Fluid Attendance Violations feature in Time and Labor. 9.2.031 8.55.00
ePerformance Enhanced Peer Review to allow participant evaluations anytime during the appraisal cycle. 9.2.031 8.53.02