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Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs Supervisor FAQs HR/Payroll Administration FAQs

General FAQs

General

Q: Which browser works best with MyPortal?

A: MyPortal was tested and works using Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge; however, for the best user experience, Google Chrome is the recommended browser.

Q: How long are Earnings Statements available in MyPortal?

A: Earnings Statements in MyPortal are available for a rolling 2 years.

Q: I have more questions that are not covered here.  Who do I contact?

A: If you have further questions, please contact the OFM Help Desk at HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov.

Q: My agency does not use Leave functionality.  Will we see leave related tiles?

A: If your agency does not use leave, those tiles will not be visible.  This is controlled through the user roles that are provided to users in agencies who are using the leave tool.

Q: Why is the manager name displayed in the header for some employees but not others?

A:  Employees who are not leave approvers will not see their manager’s name in the header. 

Q: Why is the manager name displayed in the header is different than my leave approver?

A: This may be due to you manager’s position being double filled. If you have questions, contact your manager or HR/Payroll office.

Logging On

Q: What email will be used for “forgot password” emails?

A: “Forgot Password” emails will be sent to the email in the state’s HR/Payroll system, HRMS, for the employee making the request. This is important to consider when an employee changes their email in MyPortal to something other than their state issued email. That change will also update the email address in HRMS.

Q: How do I know which URL to use?  How do I know if I am a Single Sign on agency?

A: You can ask your agency IT staff if you are a member of the Enterprise Active Directory, or are federated to the Enterprise Active Directory.  If you are (most agencies are), you are considered a single sign on agency and will use MyPortal.wa.gov.  If you are not, then you will use MyPortalExt.wa.gov.

Q: Can I access MyPortal from home?

A: Yes.  Access from home uses the same URL as access from work.  Employees in Single Sign On agencies will need to know their agency logon credentials for Enterprise Active Directory. Contact your agency IT staff if you are unsure of your Active Directory logon credentials.

Q: What happens if I change my work email to a personal email? 

A: Changing an employee’s email to anything other than the primary email in Active Directory will cause Single Sign On functionality to stop working. In addition, any password reset requests for Non Single Sign On agencies will be delivered to the email it was changed to.

Logging Off

Q: How do I log off of MyPortal?

A:  Single sign on users should close their browser page to log off. If you are not logged in with single sign on or you are using a public or personal computer you may be sharing with another MyPortal user, you must log off of the computer after signing out of MyPortal. Logging off of the computer is the only way to ensure the session is securely shutdown to protect your personal information.

My Addresses

Q: Will my Permanent Residence address override my Mailing address?

A: Your Permanent Residence is your physical living location and is the default mailing address if a different Mailing Address does not exist. If a separate Mailing Address exists, it will override the Permanent Residence address for mailings. Permanent Residence is used to determine eligibility for some employee benefits.

Q: Why can’t I update my Out of State Work Location address?

A: Out-of-state work must be approved by your employer so this tab is informational only and cannot be changed. If you need to add, remove, or request an update to these fields, please work with your supervisor and contact your Human Resources office for updates.

Q: I am currently living out of state and working from home. Should I have an Out of State Work Location?

A: Yes. If you are living out of state and have authorization to perform out-of-state work at your permanent residence, your permanent residence and out-of-state work location should be the same. If you need to add, remove, or request an update to these fields, please work with your supervisor and contact your Human Resources office for updates.

Q: I am currently living out of state but work from another location that is also out of state. What address should my Out of State Work Location be?

A: Your Permanent Residence should be the physical address where you are living. Your Out of State Work Location should be the primary address where you are performing the work. If you need to add, remove, or request an update to these fields, please work with your supervisor and contact your Human Resources office for updates.

My Demographic Data

Q: How is the information I update on the My Demographic tile used and is this information protected from public disclosure requests?

A: This is the same information that is collected on the Employee Affirmative Action and Demographic Data (EAADD) form. For more information, please visit the About the Employee Affirmative Action and Demographic Data form page.

My Leave Requests

Q: Why is the “My Leave Requests” tile missing?

A: If you are the first time user and not seeing this tile, have your HR check your organization structure.

If you are not a first time user and not seeing this tile, you can re-pin the tile. You will find the tile in App Finder in Settings.

Q: Are entitlements updated when I submit my leave or when my leave is approved?

A: Entitlements are updated when leave is submitted.

Q: When do Accruals appear in Entitlements?

A: Accruals appear in entitlements on payroll Day 1.

Q: What is included in the “Used” column?

A: The “Used” column displays how much leave has been requested and not approved.

Q: What is included in the “Planned” column?

A: The “Planned” column is not currently in use.

Q: Do entitlements reflect balances over my entire career?

A: No.  Entitlements do not reflect types of leave that are not currently relevant for the employee.  For example an employee who transitions from represented to non-represented will no longer see the entitlement for a personal leave day.

Q: Do I have to submit multiple leave requests to take 1.5 days of leave?

A: Yes.  One for the full day, and a separate one for the partial day.  MyPortal will automatically calculate the hours for the full day based on the employee’s work schedule.

Q: Will MyPortal remind me or my supervisor if I have Comp time to take?

A: No. 

Q: Can I change leave without pay (LWOP) that is over 30 days?

A: No.

Q: How far back will my leave records go?

A: Leave will display as far back as the HR/Payroll system (HRMS) implementation in 2006.

Q: I cancelled an approved leave request and my supervisor rejected my cancellation. Why can’t I edit my rejected leave request?

A: You must delete the rejected leave request and submit a new request. If your supervisor had approved your cancellation request, you would have been able to edit the cancelled request. In the future, you may want to talk to your supervisor prior to sending a cancellation if you anticipate they may reject it. We are currently researching a solution to allow an employee to edit a rejected leave request.

My Modern Work Environment

Q: Can I indicate which day of the workweek I can telework?

A: No. You will only be able to select your telework frequency.

Q: Is there an expectation to update the MWE settings every time there is a change in telework or flextime arrangements? What if there are frequent changes?

A: If the telework or flextime schedule is considered a permanent arrangement, or does not have an end date, employees should update the MWE field accordingly. Employees and supervisors may update their arrangements more frequently for temporary changes, but there is no expectation that this be done consistently.

Q: Can I request a change to the days I am teleworking or the hours I am scheduled to work through MyPortal?

A: No. You will only be able to select your telework frequency and flex work/compressed workweek participation.

Q: Can I change my telework, flex work, or compressed workweek settings whenever I want?

A: While you can request to change your settings at any time, you are expected to follow your internal agency policies or processes, and your supervisor will still need to review all requests for changes.
MWE is not intended to replace those processes or ongoing communication between supervisors and employees.

Q: How do I know the definitions of the telework, flex work, and compressed workweek options?

A: Definitions for these fields can be found on the HRMS Data Definitions Resource Guide website.

Q: I want to make an update to my MWE settings; however, my Position MWE settings indicate my position is not eligible. Can I make the change anyway?

A: Contact your supervisor or HR office prior to making any changes if your position indicates it is not eligible for participation.

Q: If I update my Flex work hours in MyPortal, will it update my work schedule?

A: No. The Flex work hours field is informational only. It does not impact your scheduled work hours.

Q: I submitted a request to change my MWE selections. Why didn’t my supervisor receive an email notification?

A: Email notifications are sent once an hour between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. If you send a request between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., the email notification will be sent at 4:00 a.m. the following day. 

W-2s

Q: Why does nothing happen when I click the Display button for my W-2?

A: MyPortal uses a standard default Adobe Acrobat PDF viewer to display the W-2. If the W-2 does not appear when you click Display, your agency may have a policy against using the default PDF viewer. Below are some workarounds for displaying or obtaining your W-2 if your agency has such a policy:

  1. Ask your agency IT staff if they can change the default PDF program in your browser for the time it takes for you to retrieve your W-2 and then change it back to the agency default program.
  2. Log in to My Portal from your home computer using multifactor authentication and access the W-2 using your own browser and PDF viewer settings.
  3. Email your Payroll department and request they send you a copy of your W-2.

Supervisor FAQs

General

Q: How can I view an employee’s leave balances or leave request details?

A: Currently, the only way to view an employee’s leave balances or leave request details is through the Act on Behalf Of functionality under My Leave Requests. See MyPortal – submit leave request on behalf of my direct employee for more information.

Q: I am trying to edit one of my employee’s leave requests on behalf of them, but it is grayed out.  How do I access their leave request?

A: Use the “Show From” date to navigate to the leave request you want to access. If the leave request is over six months old you will need to contact your office payroll to remove the employee’s retro wall. If the request is leave without pay over 30 days old, you will need to send your edit request to HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov.

Screen shot of Request Overview

Approving Leave

Q. How can I view an employee’s leave balances and leave taken as I’m approving a leave request? How can I reconcile their leave taken to their timesheets?

A: Currently, the only way to view an employee’s leave balances and leave taken is through the Act on Behalf Of functionality under My Leave Requests.

  • A supervisor can only view the leave balances and time taken of employees who are their direct reports.
  • Only one employee’s leave balances and leave taken can be displayed at a time.
  • A Planned or Unplanned Substitute cannot view employee leave balances or time taken if they are not direct reports.
  • A solution to allow viewing all employee leave taken on My Team Calendar is currently being researched.

See MyPortal – submit leave request on behalf of my direct employee for more information.

Q. How do I approve a leave request if I have concurrent employment and supervise two teams?

A: For concurrent employees in Single Sign On (SSO) agencies:

  • Concurrent Employee in the same agency:
    • If your agency set you up with the same email for each Personnel Number, you will be directed to the MyPortal logon page after you select your agency’s Enterprise Active Directory option. From there you will logon to MyPortal using your respective Personnel Number and MyPortal password.
    • If you have different emails for each Personnel Number, you must log off your computer and log back in using your other Personnel Number. You will then be able to logon to MyPortal using SSO.
  • Concurrent Employee in different agencies:
    • You must log off your computer and log back in using the Personnel Number from your other agency. You will then be able to logon to MyPortal using SSO for the agency you are logged in to.  

For concurrent employees in Non-SSO agencies: Login to www.myportalext.wa.gov with your respective Personnel Number and MyPortal password.

Q: My employee submitted leave. Why didn’t I receive an email notification?

A: If the leave approver processes a leave request before the email job is run (every hour) an email will not be sent.

Q: How do I approve a leave request after I have submitted a request on behalf of an employee?  

A: You must exit the Act on Behalf of view and return to your My Inbox to approve the leave request.

Screen shot of Leave Request Overview

Q: My employee cancelled an approved leave. I rejected the cancellation. Why can’t my employee edit the rejected leave request?

A: Your employee must delete the rejected leave request and submit a new leave request. To avoid this in the future, you can approve the cancellation and let your employee edit the cancelled request. We are currently researching a solution to allow an employee to edit a rejected leave request. 

Substitutes

Q. What is a Substitute and what is the difference between a Planned and Unplanned Substitute?

A: Substitutes are leave approvers who are assigned by another supervisor to approve leave on their behalf while they are out of the office for a period of time.

Planned Substitutes have a defined start and stop time for approving leave on behalf of another supervisor. Unplanned Substitutes do not have a defined start and stop time.

  • Substitutes must be at a level above the supervisor within the org unit hierarchy structure.
  • At minimum, all supervisors should assign at least one Unplanned Substitute to ensure someone has the ability to approve leave in their absence.
  • If an absent supervisor has not assigned a Planned or Unplanned Substitute while they are out of the office, their employee’s must submit leave requests on a paper form to an authorized leave approver until their supervisor returns.
Planned Substitute Unplanned Substitute
  • Has a defined start and stop time for approving leave on behalf of another supervisor.
  • Cannot submit leave on behalf of an employee of another supervisor.
  • Must be a leave approver who is one level up or higher on the org unit hierarchy.
  • One or multiple Planned Substitutes can be assigned at the same time.
  • Automatically receives employee leave requests on behalf of another supervisor in their My Inbox tile for the defined period of time.
  • Substitute and original supervisor/manager will receive email notification for pending leave requests if All Task Groups is selected in the substitution Task Group.
  • Does not need to activate Substitute For function to begin receiving leave requests on behalf of another supervisor in their My Inbox tile.
  • No defined start and stop time for approving leave on behalf of another supervisor.
  • Cannot submit leave on behalf of an employee of another supervisor.
  • Must be a leave approver who is one level or higher on the org unit hierarchy.
  • One or multiple Unplanned Substitutes can be assigned at the same time.
  • Does not automatically receive employee leave requests on behalf of another supervisor in their My Inbox tile
  • Substitute and original supervisor/manager will receive email notification for pending leave requests if All Task Groups is selected in the substitution Task Group.
  • Must activate the Substitute For function to begin receiving leave requests on behalf of another supervisor in their My Inbox tile.

Q: I have been assigned as a Substitute to approve leave for another supervisor. Why am I not receiving leave requests for their employees?

A: If you are a Planned Substitute for a designated period of time, you will automatically receive leave requests in My Inbox for the period specified. If you were designated as an Unplanned Supervisor, you must activate “Substitute For” and select the supervisor you have been designated as an Unplanned Substitute for to begin receiving their employee leave requests in My Inbox.

  • Substitute and original supervisor/manager will receive email notification for pending leave requests if All Task Groups is selected in the substitution Task Group. If a Task Group has been set up incorrectly, the Substitute must be deleted and a new Substitute created.
  • You cannot submit leave on behalf of an employee you are acting as the Substitute for.
  • You cannot view leave balances of employees you are acting as the Substitute for.

See MyPortal – manage my substitutes for more information.

Q: What happens if I am a Supervisor and I’m out unexpectedly?

A: If set up a substitution, the Substitute will need to activate their “Substitute For” option to start receiving the absent Supervisor’s leave requests. If a Substitute has not been set up, employees will need to submit paper leave requests to their Payroll office.

See MyPortal – manage my substitutes for more information.

Q: How do I know if I’ve been designated as an Unplanned Substitute?

A: Go into “Substitute For” to see if a Supervisor is in the list of those who have authorized you to substitute for them.

See MyPortal - Turn substitute for option on and off for more information.

Q: Is there a report that shows what leave is waiting for a Substitute to approve?

A:  The leave request administrator can use the Leave Request Check report to identify leave requests that have been submitted but not approved.

Q: Will Planned Substitutes be useful when a Supervisor position is vacated?

A: When a Supervisor position is vacated, the next Supervisor in the chain of command on the organizational unit hierarchy will begin receiving the requests without a Planned Substitute assigned.

Q: When a vacant Supervisor position is filled, will the relationships re-establish automatically?

A: No, relationships will need to be re-established. 

Q: Will the next line Supervisor be set up to approve leave if a position is vacated?

A: Yes, if a position is vacant and relationships end dated, the next line supervisor would be set up to approve leave.

Q: Will the Planned Substitute override the Unplanned Substitute?

A: If there is a Planned Substitute and an Unplanned Substitute when the “Substitute For” is turned on, they will both receive leave requests in their My Inbox app.

Q: Will a Planned Substitute receive an email when a leave request is submitted?

A: Yes – if the Substitute relationship is correctly set up using the All Task Groups selection for the Task Group assignment, the Substitute will receive both an email and the leave request. Selecting anything other than All Task Groups in the Choose Task Group section will result in either no email or no leave request. If you are a Substitute who is not receiving either an email or the leave requests, contact the supervisor you are acting as a Substitute for so they can delete the current Substitute relationship and create a new corrected relationship that assigns you to the All Task Groups Task Group.

See MyPortal – manage my substitutes for more information.

Q: Can both the Supervisor and Unplanned Substitute approve leave?

A: Yes.

Q: I’m a Supervisor who recently changed positions and now my Planned and Unplanned Substitutes are no longer in my Substitutes list. Why are they no longer available? 

A: The OFM HRMS team conducts a weekly audit that removes assigned Planned and Unplanned Substitutes of Supervisors who have changed positions or separates from state service. You must reassign new Substitutes that are part of your new position’s Organizational Unit Hierarchy if you are still a leave approver in your new position. As a Supervisor it is best practice to remove Planned and Unplanned Substitutes any time you change positions and reassign new Substitutes that are part of your new position’s Organizational Unit Hierarchy. If you have a Substitute that should no longer be assigned contact HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov.

Q: Can a Substitute be assigned to approve an agency director’s leave?

A: Not at this time. As with the current process, agency directors must submit leave request forms to the Payroll office.

Q: How do I know who my Planned and Unplanned Substitutes are? 

A: Click on Add new substitute and then search with * or start the name of your Planned and Unplanned Substitutes.

See MyPortal – manage my substitutes for more information.

Q: Can someone setup Planned or Unplanned Substitutes for me if I am not able to?

A: If you are out for a short period of time, approve your leave requests when you return.

If you are out for an extended period of time, your HR/Payroll office can temporarily change the organizational structure to assign the next level supervisor as the leave approver until you return. The organizational structure will then need to be reassigned to you when you return.

Q: As an agency director, can I delegate leave approval to my administrative staff?

A: Yes, you should contact your agency HR or payroll office to initiate this request.

Submitting/Editing Leave on Behalf of an Employee

Q. Can I submit leave on behalf of an employee who is not my direct report?

A: No. Supervisors can submit leave on behalf of their direct report employees only.

  • Planned and Unplanned Substitutes cannot submit leave on behalf of an employee who is the direct report of another supervisor.
  • A solution to allow leave approvers within the supervisor’s org unit hierarchy structure to submit leave on behalf of indirect reports is currently being researched.

See MyPortal – submit leave request on behalf of my direct employee for more information.

Q: How will I edit or delete approved leave on behalf of their employee?

A: You would follow the same process as Delete leave request except for you will access the employee’s record by using the on behalf button in My Leave Request App.

My Team Calendar

Q. How can I see the detail on who has requested time off on My Team Calendar?

A: My Team Calendar will display “unavailability” of your direct reports or peers (“colleagues”) who are in your same org unit hierarchy structure – it does not provide the type and duration of leave requested. 

  • Use the Act on Behalf Of functionality under My Leave Requests to view individual employee leave calendars and time off requests.

See MyPortal – my team calendar and MyPortal – submit leave request on behalf of my direct employee for more information.

Q: Who can use My Team Calendar?

A: Only users with a leave approver role will be able to see My Team Calendar.  For other users, the My Team Calendar tile will not be available for them to select.

Q: What criteria is used to determine who your colleagues are? What criteria is used to determine who my colleagues are?

A: The colleagues are based on the agencies org structure (using the chief/manages relationship).  An employee’s colleagues would be their peers that report to the same supervisor.

Q: How do I see indirect reports?

A: Click on the Indirect Reports tab of My Team Calendar to see your indirect reports. If you are a supervisor that approves leave for an indirect report due to a subordinate’s position becoming vacant, you will also see these employees on the Indirect Reports tab.

Q: Will the calendar show a scheduled day off?

A: Yes. Scheduled days off will be greyed out based on the employee’s work schedule.

Q: How can I see more than one week at a time on my Calendar?

A: Select the 1 Month button in the upper right hand corner on the My Team Calendar page.

screen shot of My Team Calendar

My Modern Work Environment

Q: My employee has requested a change to their MWE settings but I’m not sure if the position is eligible. How can I find out?

A: When unsure, contact your HR office to confirm the position eligibility prior to approving the change.

Q: Is there a report HR can run to see current Modern Work Environment data?

A: Yes, HR can run the Employee Duty Station Report (ZHR_RPTPA805) in HRMS. There is a statewide variant called SWV-MWE that can be used to pull in Modern Work Environment data.

Q: Why do I see a My Team Calendar tile in the My Inbox section of MyPortal? What does it do?

A: All My Portal approvers will see the My Team Calendar tile; however, the My Team Calendar functionality will only work for MyPortal Leave Agencies.

Q: When an employee’s request to change to their MWE status or Flex work hours in MyPortal are approved, does HRMS automatically get updated?

A: Yes. The Telework/Flex Work (Employee) infotype (9106) is updated in HRMS upon approval.

Q: If an employee changes their Flex work hours in MyPortal, will it change their work schedule in HRMS?

A: No. The Flex work hours field on the Telework/Flex Work (Employee) infotype (9106) is informational only. It does not impact an employee’s scheduled work hours in HRMS.

Q: Our agency does not use HRMS Time & Attendance. Is there user training available for supervisor approvals?

A: Yes, please refer to the new MWE user procedures available on the MyPortal web pages.

Q: My employee submitted a request to change their MWE selections. Why didn’t I receive an email notification?

A: Email notifications are sent once an hour between the hours of 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. If you send a request between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., the email notification will be sent at 4:00 a.m. the following day

Miscellaneous

Q: Where can I see the anniversary date?

A: Supervisors have the ability to view the Anniversary Dates of their employees on the Direct Reports tab of My Team Calendar and Overlap calendar in the My Inbox app. Supervisors also have the ability to see the Anniversary Dates of their Org Unit Hierarchy peers on the Colleagues tab of My Team Calendar.

HR/Payroll Administration FAQs

General

Q: Will professional users be locked out of MyPortal on Payroll day 4?

A: Yes. Professional users will continue to be locked out of self-service functionality on payroll day 4.

Emergency Contacts

Q: Can I access or print Emergency Contact Data?

A: HR/Payroll staff with access to the Washington Workforce Analytics (WWA) Enterprise Data Warehouse can create an ad hoc report with emergency phone number information by employee. For more information on WWA, visit the Washington Workforce Analytics web page.

Q: Who can access the Emergency Contact data?

A: HR/Payroll staff with permissions in the state’s HR/Payroll system, HRMS, and HR/Payroll staff with access to the Washington Workforce Analytics (WWA) Enterprise Data Warehouse. For more information on WWA, visit the Washington Workforce Analytics web page.

Organizational Structure

Q: Are the org structure requirements for implementing leave in MyPortal the same as they were for implementing leave in ESS?

A: Yes.

Q: How is a Leave Approver determined?

A: The Leave Approver is determined based on the agency's org structure (using the chief/manages relationship) and security roles.
Note: If a Leave Approver position is vacant, the next level Leave Approver on the position’s org structure can view and approve leave requests. To view leave requests that report to the vacant position on My Team Calendar, click on the Indirect Reports tab.

Q: How is the hierarchy for approval determined?

A: The hierarchy for approval is determined based on the agency's org structure (using the chief/manages relationship). For a quick look at your org structure, you can refer to the Organization and Staffing report (transaction PPOSE) in HRMS.

Q: How are double filled Supervisors handled?

A: By default, the supervisor with the lower personnel number is the approver; however, this can be overridden. See the Multi Filled Chief Position user procedure for more information.

Q: A supervisor is unexpectedly out of the office and they don’t have Planned or Unplanned Substitutes assigned. How will their leave be approved?

A: If the supervisor is out for a short period of time, they can approve their leave requests when they return.

If the supervisor is out for an extended period of time, their HR/Payroll office can temporarily change the organizational structure to assign the next level supervisor as the leave approver until the supervisor returns. The organizational structure will then need to be reassigned to the supervisor when they return.

Q: What if a supervisor is out on extended leave and they have not assigned a Planned or Unplanned Substitute?

A: If an absent supervisor has not assigned a Planned or Unplanned Substitute while they are out of the office for an extended period, the Personnel Administration Processor or Payroll Processor may:

  • Create a substitute relationship allowing a designee to approve requests on behalf of the supervisor/manager; or
  • Request the submitting employee delete their pending request from MyPortal and the Time and Attendance processor may utilize HRMS CATs to process Absences manually.

Q: I delimited the A012 - Manages relationship on a position. Why can the former Leave Approver assigned to that position still see My Inbox and My Team Calendar?

A: HRMS Security conducts an automated weekly audit to remove the Leave Approver role from any positions that no longer have the A012 - Manages relationship. Once this weekly job is performed, the former Leave Approver will no longer be able to see My Inbox and My Team Calendar.
Note: Former Leave Approvers will be able to view Colleagues on My Team Calendar during the period prior to access being removed. They will not be able to view leave requests.

Employee Email

Q: Can an employee update their email through MyPortal?

A: Yes. 

Q: Why would the employee change their email address through MyPortal?

A: This may be necessary for an employee leaving state service or they may not have access to a state issued email.

Q: Would it be possible to make the email address non-editable?

A: Not at this time.

Addresses

Q: Can an employee retro date the address effective date?

A: No. Addresses are effective no earlier than the day after they are changed.

Q: Is it possible to block address updates on payroll Day 3?

A: No. The system will not block address updates on payroll day 3.

Q: Can I run an address change report?

A: There is not a report that does this comparison; however, HR/Payroll staff can run the Flexible Employee Data report (ZHR_RPTPAN02) in the state’s HR/Payroll system, HRMS. If they have access they can also access address information through the Washington Workforce Analytics (WWA) Enterprise Data Warehouse. For more information on WWA, visit the Washington Workforce Analytics web page: /it-systems/reporting-systems/washington-workforce-analytics

Q: How is phone number formatting handled in MyPortal?

A: The system will correct formatting or special characters in phone numbers when posted in HRMS by HR/Payroll staff.  Formatting that cannot be corrected will result in an error for the employee in MyPortal until the formatting is corrected in HRMS.

Leave Processing

Q: If a paper leave request is needed, or if leave is entered directly in CATS, will it show on the HRMS leave reports?

A: Yes – any leave entered in CATS will show on the HRMS leave reports.

Q: Will MyPortal lock leave requests older than the “retro wall”?

A: Yes.

Q: What leave reports are available?

A: There is no reporting in MyPortal. Agency HR and Payroll staff will continue to use the reports available in the HR/Payroll system (HRMS).

Substitutions

Q: A Supervisor is out on an extended absence and did not assign a Planned or Unplanned Substitute prior to being out. How can their direct reports submit leave for approval?

A: If an absent supervisor has not assigned a Planned or Unplanned Substitute while they are out of the office for an extended period of time, either the employee must submit their leave requests on a paper form to an authorized leave approver or the HR/Payroll office may contact the OFM Help Desk at HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov to request a Substitute be assigned to the absent Supervisor.

HR/Payroll should include the following information in their Substitution request:

  • Supervisor Personnel number of the supervisor who is out of the office for an extended period of time.
  • Planned or Unplanned Substitute Personnel number(s). If this is a Planned Substitute, indicate the from and to effective dates of the substitution. It is recommended to use Unplanned Substitutes since they do not have an end date.

Notes:

  • For security reasons, do not include employee name with their Personnel number in the request.
  • Substitutes can only be assigned if they are in the Supervisor’s organizational unit hierarchy. Agency directors or executive level managers may assign administrative staff to approve employee leave requests on their behalf. Contact your agency HR pr payroll office to initiate this request.

Q: An agency director or executive level manager in my agency has requested their administrative staff process employee leave requests for them. Is this possible?

A: Yes, OFM can assist in creating a manual substitute in these situations. The following steps must take place in the order provided:

  1. Contact your agency Organizational Management processor to create a Manages Role on the administrative staff’s position to manage the agency director’s org unit.
  2. Once this is complete, contact your agency Security Administrator to either confirm the Leave Approver role is already present on the administrative staff’s position or send a request to HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov to add the role.
  3. Once you receive confirmation the Leave Approver role is already present or has been added, send a request to HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov to create the substitute relationship. The request must include the following:
  • Agency director/executive manager’s Personnel number
  • Agency director/executive manager’s 8-digit position number
  • Administrative staff’s Personnel Number
  • Administrative staff’s 8-digit position number
  • Duration:
    • Planned period – provide dates
    • Permanent – No end date

My Modern Work Environment

Q: Will HR automatically be notified when a change has been approved by a supervisor in MyPortal?

A: No. Agencies may develop policies or procedures around HR notifications when MWE updates have been approved by a supervisor.

Q: Is there a report HR can run to see who has changed their MWE settings?

A: The HRMS Logged Changes in Infotype Data report (S_AHR_61016380) may be used.

Q: I’m in an agency that uses MyPortal Leave. How is the MyPortal leave approval process different from the MWE approval process?

A: The MWE approval workflow is based on the supervisor and employee position relationships such as “is line supervisor of” or “reports to” position in HRMS.
The MyPortal Leave approval workflow is based on the chief relationship (Position to Org unit) “Manages” or “Is Managed” relationship in HRMS.

Q: Is there a report HR can run to see current Modern Work Environment data?

A: Yes, HR can run the Employee Duty Station Report (ZHR_RPTPA805) in HRMS. There is a statewide variant called SWV-MWE that can be used to pull in Modern Work Environment data.

Q: When an employee’s request to change to their MWE status or Flex work hours in MyPortal are approved, does HRMS automatically get updated?

A: Yes. The Telework/Flex Work (Employee) infotype (9106) is updated in HRMS upon approval.

Q: If an employee changes their Flex work hours in MyPortal, will it change their work schedule in HRMS?

A: No. The Flex work hours field on the Telework/Flex Work (Employee) infotype (9106) is informational only. It does not impact an employee’s scheduled work hours in HRMS.

Q: Our agency does not use HRMS Time & Attendance. Are any backend changes required for the new MWE functionality?

A: No.

Q: Our agency does not use HRMS Time & Attendance. Is there user training available for supervisor approvals?

A: Yes, please refer to the new MWE user procedures available on the MyPortal web pages.

Date Updated
08/23/2023
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