This blog post would give you a brief idea about the new SAP 1H 2021 Time off related release updates.
SAP has come up with astounding and much needed updates over different SuccessFactors modules and especially in Time Management sector, it’s been proved once again that, SAP is listening to customer requirements and providing us with the best possible features. From allowing single record approval in Time sheet to removing Full day checkbox field in Time Off absence screen to novel Time sheet User Interface, all of the updates are really cool and are impressive for both SF Consultants and end users.
1. Reference Number: TIM‑18185
Description:
With single record approval, time sheet entries can be approved separately rather than on a weekly basis
Explanation:
By default, employees submit their time sheets for approval on a weekly basis. However, some organizations require that certain or all time sheet entries are approved separately. Typical use cases include entries that require an additional approver and entries that require approval in advance. For example, perhaps company policy states that if an employee would like to attend a training course next week, this has to be approved upfront.
Single record approval helps you ensure that you can get specific workflow approvals for certain time types, independent of the weekly time sheet approvals.
Prerequisites
- You have activated Time Tracking in Provisioning.
- Your organization can access the new time sheet UI.
Testing:
- Navigate to the Time sheet UI of the employee
- Create an attendance, on call, break, or extra time type
- Enter a workflow configuration to your time type
- Time sheet entries with this time type require single approval.
2. Reference Number: TIM‑9386
Description:
It is now possible for employees to record working time that ends directly at midnight
Explanation:
Additionally, you can now define segments in the work schedule, the work schedule day model, and time segment filters in the time valuation that end at midnight. With this new function, it is now much easier to support any working time models that allow employees to work during the night.
Previously, if employees attempted to enter working time that ended directly at midnight they would receive an error message.
Testing:
- Navigate to Manage data to create Work schedule Day model
- Enter the End time as 24:00
- The system will not throw any error as before
3. Reference Number: TIM‑21080
Description:
You can now use the Granted Users’ Peers permission to restrict the target population to peers for a permission role
Explanation:
In the current version, you can restrict the absences that appear in the peers view. In the previous version, the Employee Time permission had to be assigned to all employees so that the absences in the peers tab of the team absence calendar could be viewed.
Testing:
- Go to the Admin Center.
- In the Tools Search, search for Manage Permission Roles.
- On the Permission Role Detail screen, under the Grant this role to section, select Edit Granting for one of the permission roles you’ve created.
- Choose Target population of and select Granted Users’ Peers from the dropdown menu.
- Click Done to assign this role to the defined users.
4. Reference Number: TIM‑9369
Description:
A new employee self-service (ESS) user interface (UI) for attendance recording is available. This new UI supports accessibility standards and can be used on both desktop and mobile devices
Explanation:
Easier to record attendances, breaks, on-call times, and absences. In addition, employees can now request approval for single attendance recordings when SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking is switched on.
Features of New Time sheet UI
- A two-month calendar overview which displays the status of previous time sheets, so employees can keep track of their scheduled payments.
- Responsive to screen size, meaning it always displays the correct amount of information for the user’s specific screen.
- Can be used on both desktop and mobile browsers, and fully supports accessibility standards.
- Enables employees to record working time that ends directly at midnight.
- When SAP SuccessFactors Time Tracking is switched on, employees can use the new UI to request approval for single attendance recordings.
Navigate to the New Timesheet UI
5. Reference Number: TIM‑19662
Description:
A validation error is raised when you try to delete or deactivate a time type that is referenced under the time profile in the available time type
Testing:
- Navigate to Admin center – > Manage Data
- Select the Time type that is already assigned to the Time Profile.
- Try deleting the Time type and an error message pop ups as below.
6. Reference Number: TIM‑15211
Description:
You can use the opening accrual and opening entitlement posting types to manually post an initial leave balance to a time account.
Explanation:
In the current version, you can use the opening accrual to make an initial leave balance posting that is yet to be transferred into an entitlement. The initial leave balance posting doesn’t get recalculated based on the accrual rule. In the previous version, the system might have overwritten values according to the accrual rule when manual accrual postings were recalculated.
- Accruals: Not available for consumption.
- Entitlements: Available for consumption.
Testing:
- Create an Time Account and make an initial Leave balance posting .
- This balance will not be disturbed by the standard accrual rule associated to this account via Time Account type
7. Reference Number: TIM‑22453
Description:
There is now a dashboard that time admins can use to view live information on the workflow status of time objects
The dashboard gives information on pending approvals, managers, and objects that are in another status, such as Approved, Rejected, and Cancelled, for objects in Employee Central Time Off and Time Sheet. The number of objects and their workflow percentage is also shown
Admins can use the dashboard to keep track of pending approvals. They can also use it to drill down to information on the manager who is to give approval and the user who submitted the information or request for which approval is pending.
Pre-requisite:
People analytics enabled
Content store permission granted
Testing Path:
The template is now available on Import Content Store in Report Center. The title of the template story is SF_TIM_TimeManagement_Workflow_Status_Analysis_v1.0
