beqomPay Suite 1.10 - Feature release notes

This article details the latest improvements introduced in version 1.10 of the beqomPay Suite application, their benefits for our end-users and their principles of use.

Compensation

Compensation Round Currency Management - Beta Version

Currency Management in Compensation Rounds

This release introduces significant enhancements to currency management within compensation rounds, providing administrators with greater control and flexibility.

Administrators can now define the active currencies for their company through dedicated currency settings. This feature includes a comprehensive currency preview, allowing for easy selection of available options. Furthermore, administrators can input and manage exchange rates directly within the company settings.

The functionality enables the assignment of specific currencies to each round. A new currency section has been added to the round details tab. It is now possible to define the "Compound Currency," which determines the currency used for budget calculations and to specify the "Exchange Rate Type," dictating which exchange rate applies at various stages of the round. Finally, the "Effective Date" allows administrators to set the date for the applicable exchange rate, ensuring accurate and timely calculations.

The following figure illustrates the new Currency section in the Compensation Round creation form:

Currency section in the Compensation Round creation form

Budget Allocation & Local Currency Support

This update introduces enhanced budget allocation capabilities and improved support for local currencies within compensation rounds.

Target budgets now support multiple compensation elements (e.g., base pay, on-call), automatically reflect the compensation round's currency, and the budget rules are configured for various worker local currencies.

The following illustration presents the Target budget pop-up:

Target budget pop-up

Manager & Planner Experience

Compensation Manager View:

Managers now have a more comprehensive view of compensation related data. Direct reports' local currencies are prominently displayed for clarity. The budget itself is shown in the defined compensation round currency, ensuring consistency (e.g., USD). When managers input figures, these fields reflect the values in the worker's local currency for accurate distribution. Guidelines are also presented in the worker's local currency. Managers have the flexibility to toggle between worker local currency and compound currency views to analyze data from different perspectives. It's important to note that when viewing in compound currency, values are exchange-rated and input fields are not editable. Adjustments to budget distribution can only be made in the worker's local currency view, ensuring accuracy and relevance.

The following figure illustrates adjusting worker's Base Pay in the worker's local currency view:

Base Pay adjustments

Planner & HRBP Experience:

Currency conversion capabilities have been introduced, allowing users with HRBP professional role to toggle between local and compound currencies as needed. Once converted to the compound currency, input fields become non-editable, maintaining data integrity. The budget is displayed in the defined compensation round currency (e.g., USD). Input fields reflect values in the worker's local currency for accurate distribution. Guidelines are also shown in the worker's local currency. This ensures necessary tools to manage compensation effectively while considering the specific financial contexts of individual workers.

Demo

Bonus Plan Duplication

Bonus Plan Duplication

The Compensation module now includes a duplicate functionality for bonus plans. Users can create duplicates of existing bonus plans directly within the module. A "Duplicate" action is readily available next to each bonus plan in the list. Upon successful duplication, a confirmation message is displayed to the user.

When a bonus plan is duplicated, specific details are carried over. The duplicated plan retains the original plan's name with the addition of "Copy." The plan's code is also copied, but it must be manually adjusted by the user to ensure its uniqueness. All configurations from the original bonus plan are transferred to the duplicated plan, allowing for quick modifications. This feature streamlines the creation of similar bonus plans and reduces the time required for setup.

The following figure illustrates the "Duplicate" button available within the module:

Actions available for the bonus plan.

Demo

Team Planner Step Improvement

Improved Column Management

The column selection behavior has been enhanced for greater control. By default, all columns are now selected, requiring compensation administrators to manually uncheck the columns they wish to hide. To improve user experience, drag-and-drop functionality remains available, allowing for easy reordering of columns. Furthermore, column naming has been streamlined. If a field from the data model lacks a display name, its default name will now be shown. Administrators can also rename columns, and the selected display name will be reflected in the list view.

Visual Enhancements & Customization

To improve the visual clarity and organization of the interface, color customization options have been added. Administrators can now assign and see colors applied to individual columns. These applied colors are immediately reflected in the list view, enhancing visibility. Additionally, grouped columns can now have designated colors for improved organization. Decimal precision control has also been introduced, allowing administrators to set decimal precision for numerical columns, with the default remaining at two decimal places.

The following figure illustrates a group of two columns with designated color:

Compensation grid configuration in Team planner view step of Compensation Round creation form.

Grouping Enhancements

The grouping functionality has been improved with new grouping capabilities. Users can now create custom column groups, such as a "Salary Group." These groups can be assigned specific colors to enhance visual differentiation. Individual columns within a group can also have separate colors, if needed, providing a high degree of customization.

Advanced Filtering

Advanced filtering options have been introduced to provide more granular control over data views. Users can now filter columns based on category, entity, compensation history, and type. The advanced filter dynamically updates the list view based on the selected criteria, allowing for real-time data exploration.

The following figures illustrate usage of advanced filtering options:

Advanced filtering options

Advanced filtering outcome

Demo

Compensation Round Editing and Pending Draft Status

The system now allows for the editing of compensation rounds within the Compensation module. Both "Daft" and "In-progress" compensation rounds can be edited. However, closed compensation rounds cannot be edited, but they can be duplicated.

When an "In-progress" compensation round is edited, the system automatically creates a second version of that round. This second version is then displayed in a tree structure within the list of compensation rounds. The edited round, initially, will not have a code type, start date, or end date set.

The user who edits the round becomes the owner of the new version, and it is assigned a "Pending draft" status. Users can directly access the edit mode by clicking on a round marked with the "Pending draft" status. Furthermore, users can save their changes and exit, receiving a "Save as a draft" confirmation message.

The following figure illustrates newly implemented "Pending draft" status:

Comp round statuses

Demo

Performance Management

"Skip worker self assessment" Option

Managers now have the option to skip the employee's self-review step in performance reviews. This change gives companies more flexibility in how they want to run their reviews. This is helpful because companies can make their review process fit their specific needs, make the overall review process quicker, and have more control over performance reviews. A new setting allows administrators to turn off the self-review part of the evaluation, which affects how the review form looks and what employees see.

When creating a review, managers will see a "Skip worker self assessment" option, which they can turn on or off while creating or editing the review. Once the review is published, this setting can't be changed. When "Skip worker self assessment" is on, the self-review section disappears, employees can't invite other managers to participate in their self-review, and they can't fill out sections about goals, behaviors, or overall performance, though managers still can. When customizing the review form, only managers can give feedback.

After publishing with "Skip worker self assessment" on, employees can see the review template but can't fill out any self-review parts. They won't see any links to add action requests or the self-review step. In the employee list, it will show "Not Applicable" for self-review. Employees will only see their manager's feedback at the end. Options to start a challenge or discuss feedback are still available.

The message managers see when they submit their review will change depending on other settings. If the self-review is skipped, that section won't appear in the PDF version of the review. Basically, managers now have the option to skip the employee's self-review step, making the review process more adaptable and efficient.

The following figure illustrates the "Skip worker self assessment" option:

Configuring review stages for a performance review

Local Admins for Enhanced Review Template Management

We've made it possible for specific people, called "Local Admins," to manage review templates. This helps companies spread out the work, letting different teams handle their own reviews. This change gives teams more direct control over their reviews, improves how reviews are managed, and makes it easier for big companies to handle many reviews.

A new setting lets "Global Admins" give "Local Admins" the ability to manage templates. When this setting is on, "Global Admins" can assign a "Local Owner" to a template, giving them specific management rights.

A new setting has been added that controls whether "Local Admins" can manage templates. This setting is off by default. When it's turned on, "Global Admins" can assign "Local Owners." When it's off, template management stays the same. When the setting is on, a "Local Owner" field appears when creating a template. The person who creates the template is the "Local Owner" by default. Only certain people can be "Local Owners," and only one "Local Owner" can be assigned to a template. Once a template is published, the "Local Owner" can't be changed.

"Local Owners" can only edit the "Population" step of the template. They can manage reviews, see a "Manage review" button, move reviews between stages, delete reviews, check content, and close reviews. When editing the population step, they will only see organizational units they have access to. Both "Global Owners" and "Local Owners" can publish a template. If the setting is off, and someone who isn't a "Primary Owner" tries to open the "Population" step, they'll see a message that says setup is restricted by "Primary Owner" access.

The following figure illustrates the placement of the new setting option:

Performance review settings page

Local Admin Capabilities for Career Development Template Management

This release introduces a new way to manage career development templates utilizing "Local Admins". This solution allows for more detailed management of these templates. This change is helpful because it gives more control to specific teams, makes it easier to set up career development processes, and allows for more efficient management by those who know the teams best.

There's a new setting called "Allow local admins in career development templates," which is off by default. When it's turned on, main admins can assign "Local Owners" to a template, giving them specific management rights focused on the template's population. Different user roles have different access to this setting, with some only able to see the settings and others able to change them.

When the global setting is on, a "Local Owner" box appears when creating a template. The person who creates the template is the "Local Owner" by default. Only certain people can be "Local Owners," and only one "Local Owner" can be assigned to a template. Once a template is live, you can't change the "Local Owner."

"Local Owners" can only change who sees the template. They can also publish templates and view/edit templates they own. When they change who sees the template, they only see the groups they have access to. Both main admins and "Local Owners" can publish a template.

The following figure illustrates the placement of the new setting option:

Career development settings page

Pay Intelligence

Currency Service

The Currency Settings configuration section is now fully accessible to all users with the proper permissions. You can now effortlessly access and manage your currency settings directly within the system's familiar interface. This streamlined approach empowers you with direct control, making your workflow smoother and more efficient than ever before.

Currency Service Data Ingestion via API

Version 1.10 of the Pay Suite platform introduces a powerful new API for currency service data ingestion. This robust mechanism allows technical users to programmatically manage exchange rates, opening up a world of automation and integration possibilities. You can now seamlessly add, modify, and even remove exchange rates through our API, with implied support for incremental updates, meaning only changes are processed for optimal performance. Data can be uploaded using CSV files, with a handy template available for download, or through JSON payloads via dedicated API endpoints. This means you have the flexibility to integrate your existing systems with our platform in a way that best suits your needs.

Get Currency API Enhancements

We've made significant enhancements to the Get Currency API, giving you even more control over retrieving currency information. You can now filter results based on currency codes like 'USD' or 'EUR', or by currency names like 'US Dollar' or 'Euro'. And to make things even more flexible, we've implemented an OR condition for these filters. This means if a currency matches either the provided code or the provided name, it will be included in your results. This powerful filtering capability allows you to quickly and easily find the exact currency data you need.

Exchange Rate Snapshot (RPC Implementation)

A system-to-system integration feature for exchange rate snapshots has been implemented using Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). The system now generates exchange rate snapshots upon request. The resulting data is packaged and sent back to the requesting system or designated recipient via an RPC message. This integration allows for the sharing and utilization of exchange rate data across connected systems.

Platform

Situation and Absence Configuration

This release introduces a new feature within the Workbench: Situation and Absence Configuration. This enhancement provides greater flexibility and control over how Time in Role (TiR) and Leave of Absence (LOA) are managed and calculated within your organization.

We've added a new feature within the Workbench called Situation and Absence Configuration to make managing employee time and leave easier. You can find it in the Workbench section under Data Management.

This tool helps you control how things like Time in Role (TiR) and Leave of Absence (LOA) are calculated. Time in Role refers to how long an employee has been in their current position. It’s a crucial metric used to evaluate eligibility for career advancements, role changes, or additional responsibilities. Now you can set rules for when job situations change, like when someone changes jobs. This helps you get correct Time in Role calculations.

You can also manage Leave of Absence which allows employees to take extended leave beyond regular paid time off. Proper handling of LOAs is critical for compensation like maternity or medical leave. You can set how long these leaves last and make sure they're used in pay calculations. This makes pay more accurate and helps with complex employee situations. You'll have one place to set all these rules, giving you more control and making things easier to understand.

The following figure illustrates the placement of the new setting option:

Situation and Absence Configuration page

Schema Changes

We've made changes to the "Worker" part of the system to make adding employee data easier. The "PreferredLanguage" and "Timezone" fields are now optional. You don't have to fill them in when adding an employee. If you leave them blank, the system will use the company's default settings.

This change makes it easier to upload employee data, especially if you don't have all the information right away. It also makes the system more reliable when dealing with incomplete data.