beqomPay Suite 1.7 - Feature release notes
This article details the latest improvements introduced in version 1.7 of the beqom Pay Suite application, their benefits for our end-users and their principles of use.
Compensation
Dynamic snapshots for compensation rounds
The compensation round data now operates based on dynamic snapshots. Compensation admins can create the required data models under Workbench > Data Management > Data Modeler, and then link them to their compensation rounds.
When new data is ingested in Data Management, if the fields match those in the assigned data model for the compensation round, the compensation admins receive a notification. This notification appears in the compensation round list, as well as in the compensation round viewing and edition screens.
The following figure illustrates the notification displayed in the compensation round list:
Compensation round list notification
The notification in viewing and edition screens advises the compensation admins to run a validation report to assess the impact of the data changes, as illustrated in the following figure:
Data model change notification for compensation admin
Hierarchy and workflow authorization
With the release of version 1.7, the hierarchy selected in the compensation round now directly controls access permissions. The chosen hierarchy determines how authorization works, automatically granting compensation managers, line managers, and matrix managers the necessary permissions to access the Compensation section in Planner.
HR Business Partner access permissions remain managed separately. Their permissions still need to be assigned via .csv file configuration under Workbench > Platform Setup > Security & Roles > Professional Roles.
Hierarchy preview in the compensation round
With this release, compensation admins can now preview the selected hierarchy directly during the compensation round configuration. Once a hierarchy is selected, a visual tree displaying the structure of workers becomes available, offering a clear view of reporting relationships and managerial levels.
This enhancement allows Compensation Admins to verify the accuracy of the selected hierarchy before finalizing the configuration, ensuring alignment with the organization’s structure.
The following figure illustrates the preview of the hierarchy tree in the compensation round configuration page;
Hierarchy preview
"Population" step of the compensation round
The Population step in the compensation round configuration has been updated to leverage the Population service of the Pay Suite application. At the moment, the page functions as a front-end-only interface. Until the Population service is fully integrated, all workers are included in the compensation round by default; workers need to be manually excluded from the comp round.
New population building step in the comp round configuration wizard
Reordering of the compensation round configuration steps
The order of the steps of the compensation round configuration wizard has been updated. The Hierarchy step now placed immediately after the Population step. This change ensures a more seamless, dynamic connection between the selected data and the compensation round, for more data accuracy and consistency throughout the process.
New order of the comp round configuration wizard
Validation reports
The validation report now generates a comprehensive data summary for the compensation round. It lists all workers along with the fields included in the data model linked to the compensation round. Additionally, it provides detailed information on each compensation element, including the budget and guidelines per every element.
Compensation admins can also access a Details section for each report, displaying the configuration of the compensation round at the time the report was generated, as illutrated in the following figure:
Validation report details
Within the Details section, compensation admins can add notes and view all previously added notes for the report. Each note includes a timestamp with the author's name, ensuring clear tracking of comments.
Selection of the reference field for compensation elements in the compensation round
Compensation admins can now select a reference field when configuring the compensation elements columns to be used in Planner. This option appears as a drop-down list, where users can select a specific field for reference. This configuration is only available while the compensation round is in Draft status.
The following figure illustrates the column configuration window with the reference field selection field:
Reference field selection for compensation element
Compensation round republishing enhancement
When a compensation admin republishes a compensation round that is in In Progress status, a warning message is now displayed, offering two options:
Keep the entries made by managers.
Delete the entries made by managers.
This added control enables compensation admins to manage data more carefully during an active compensation round. The action is also recorded in the Planner's Audit Trail, enabling managers to see the reason for the changes directly within the platform.
Compensation round workflow step edition enhancement
With this release, the editing options for workflow steps of compensation rounds in In Progress status have been adjusted. Compensation admins can now modify only the dates of the workflow steps. The ability to enable or disable workflow steps is restricted once a compensation round is in In Progress status.
Budget in the Planner for managers
Budget widgets are now available at the top of the Planner for Managers and HR Business Partners (HRBPs). These widgets display each compensation element assigned to the compensation round where budget rules are configured.
The widgets display respectively:
The total amount proposed for the manager’s workers.
The total budget allocated for those workers.
The following figure illustrates these widgets in the Planner:
Budget widgets in planner
When hovering over the widget, a tooltip provides additional details:
Eligible Workers: number of workers eligible for the compensation element.
Budget: total budget based on the configured budget rules.
Allocated: amount already proposed and saved for the workers.
Remaining: difference between the Budget and Allocated amounts.
The widgets update automatically as managers or HRBPs submit proposals for the compensation elements.
Audit trail in Planner
Planner now includes an audit trail for each compensation round, capturing a detailed record of all changes made. It notably tracks:
Adjustments made to workers' compensation by managers and HRBPs.
Republishing actions performed by the compensation admin, including the specific changes applied to workers.
Filters can be applied to the audit trail for more precise tracking. Available filters include:
Date Range
Editor
Actions
Worker
Updated Field
Workflow Stage
These filtering options help compensation admins quickly review specific updates and monitor activity more effectively.
The following figure illustrates the use of filters in the Planner audit trail:
Audit trail in Planner
Rule name uniqueness in compensation rounds
There is now a validation mechanism that checks the name of the rules when configuring compensation rounds. This is applied to the Eligibility, Budget and Guidelines steps of the compensation round configuration wizard.
Performance Management
Teams & Outlook Plugins
The new integration for Microsoft Teams and Outlook brings performance management tools directly into the users' daily workflow, with the ability to manage feedback, goals, check-ins, and notifications seamlessly, directly from the Microsoft applications.
This integration offers the possibility to give and request feedback, track goals, and manage performance tasks all within Teams and Outlook. The Feedback Summary widget provides a snapshot of feedback activity, including feedback received, requested, and sent, while the Goal Summary widget highlights top in-progress goals with tracking, priority, and due dates clearly displayed.
Performance management is further streamlined with dedicated widgets for upcoming check-ins and upcoming reviews, making it easy to stay on top of scheduled events. It is possible to create new check-ins with customizable fields for discussion points, recurrence, and participant assignments.
The Quick Actions widget simplifies key tasks, letting users provide feedback, create goals, and add private feedback notes instantly. The Notification widget keeps workers informed about the latest updates from the web app, such as goal changes, feedback requests, and performance updates, ensuring they never miss important activity.
Getting started is simple. Admins can activate the integration under Workbench > Platform Setup > Extensions & Plug-ins. Once enabled, authorized users can immediately access the performance management feature directly from Teams and Outlook.
This integration keeps performance management accessible and visible, helping teams stay aligned, productive, and engaged—without disrupting their flow of work.
The following figure illustrates the home page of the plugin when used in Microsoft Teams:
Pay Suite in Microsoft Teams
User experience in check-ins
The user experience when working with check-ins was enhanced with a redesigned interface for viewing, creating and editing check-ins. The most significant change is the removal of drawers. Now, when users edit or view a check-in, they are directed to a full-page layout for a more focused and seamless experience.
Additionally, the design for check-in mass assignment has been improved, making it more intuitive, efficient and cohesive with the experience in other areas of the Pay Suite application.
Review PDF Generation
The review PDF generation feature enables the participants to a review to generate and view a structured PDF version of their performance review at any stage of the review process. This feature provides a clean, printable format for easier sharing, record-keeping, or offline access.
The PDF includes clearly defined sections such as Goals, Behaviors, Challenges, Let’s Discuss, Custom Widgets, and Employee Sign-Off with each section starting on a new page for easy navigation with headers and footers displaying the review name, section title, and page numbers for easy navigation. Only information visible to the user appears in the PDF, ensuring tailored access.
The Print button becomes available once the review begins, allowing employees, managers, LM+1, transferred managers, and delegated managers to generate PDFs. Additionally, users can send the PDF directly to their inbox for future use.
Review creators can activate this feature during the setup process by linking it to a communication round.
This feature adds convenience and flexibility, allowing users to preserve and reference their performance reviews effortlessly.
Pay Transparency
Redesign of the "Documents" page in Passport
In version 1.7 of the beqom Pay Suite application, the Documents page of Passport was redesigned for improved usability. Tiles now display key metrics, including the total number of documents available, the number of documents read, and the number of new documents for each worker. Additionally, document statuses, such as New or Read, are displayed as tags within the table, allowing users to quickly identify and differentiate between new and read documents.
The following figure illustrates the new design of the Documents page:
New Documents page
Bulk workflow step change
Before 1.7 release, the action Change workflow step was only possible at individual document level. From now on, users with the HRBP professional role are able to apply Change workflow step in bulk.
As of the 1.7 release, it is now possible for the HRBP professional role to change the workflow step of documents in bulk (in previous versions, this operation could only be performed at individual document level), as illustrated in the following figure:
Mass changing document workflow step
Allow selection across multiple pages for all bulk actions
Users with the HRBP and communication manager professional roles can now apply all bulk actions across all available pages of the list of documents in Planner > Documents (before 1.7, bulk release and bulk unrelease were restricted to one page and users needed to go through the pages one by one).
Documents audit trail
With the 1.7 release, users assigned the HRBP and communication manager professional roles now have access to the audit trail for any document within their scope. This enhancement provides a complete history of actions performed on a document, including the date and time of each action and the user responsible for it, as illustrated in the following figure:
Document audit trail
Pay Intelligence
No more home page
The main page of the Analytics Hub, which previously displayed the list of dashboard sections and pages, has been removed. Users will now access dashboards directly without the need to make additional selections. This change streamlines navigation and creates a more seamless experience for analytics users.
Ability to organize dashboard sections and pages
Control over the display order of dashboard pages and sections in the Analytics Hub is now available.
To change the order of dashboard sections or pages, a support ticket must be submitted specifying the desired arrangement.
This is an note/information message.
The first dashboard page from the first section will be displayed to users when accessing the Analytics Hub.
New user friendly left panel navigation
The left panel was redesigned to enhance interactive dashboard navigation within the Analytics Hub.
Upon accessing the Analytics Hub, the first group of reports is be expanded by default, and the first dashboard page within that section is loaded, as outlined in the previous section. Users can expand and collapse dashboard sections as needed and navigate to other dashboards by selecting specific dashboard pages within those sections.
A search bar at the top of the panel enables quick searches, applying to both dashboard sections and pages for efficient navigation.
This is an note/information message.
The term "dashboard page" refers to individual dashboards, while "dashboard section" refers to the collapsible and expandable groupings of related dashboard pages.
Dashboard export to PDF and PPTX
A new dashboard export capability was introduced, allowing users to download individual dashboard pages or entire dashboard sections as PDF or PPTX files. This feature enables external use and easy sharing within organizations.
The export functionality is accessible in the left navigation panel, next to the names of dashboard sections or pages.
With this enhancement, analytics users can:
• Export individual dashboard pages in PDF or PPTX format.
• Export entire dashboard sections, including all associated pages, in PDF or PPTX format.
Data Foundation
Custom fields in standard entites
With custom fields, customers can now to extend standard entities within their accounts to better align with their unique business requirements. It is notably possible to select the standard entity to which a custom field will be added, tailoring data structures to the custiomer's specific needs.
Custom fields can be defined with several attributes. Users can assign a clear and descriptive name for easy identification and add a description to provide context about the field’s purpose or usage. Supported data types include:
Name: assign a clear, descriptive name for easy identification.
Description: provide context about the field’s purpose or usage.
Data Type: select from supported types, including String, Number, Integer, Date, and Boolean.
PII Marking: designate fields containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to comply with data protection regulations. These fields will be included in anonymization processes during data retention events.
Required Fields: specify mandatory fields to maintain data integrity.
Default Value: set optional default values to streamline data entry and reduce manual effort.
This feature enhances the flexibility and configurability of the platform, empowering customers to capture, manage, and utilize data more effectively while meeting compliance needs.
Population builder
The population builder is a powerful feature that enables customers to create and manage tailored populations to meet their specific business needs.
Custom populations can be created with unique names and descriptions, ensuring easy identification and organization. Populations are defined using multiple criteria, allowing precise filtering of data. Each criterion is built by selecting a field from an entity, choosing an operator (such as Equal To, Not Equal To, or Contains), and providing a value. For example, a population could be defined by selecting the Worker Entity, the WorkCountry field, the Equal To operator, and the value "Ireland".
The population builder also supports complex logic, allowing users to group multiple criteria blocks together. This makes it possible to build sophisticated, multi-layered populations with flexibility and granularity.
This feature streamlines the creation of tailored groups, helping customers align their data management with their specific business requirements.