1. Approve Requests in TeleStaff
Toronto Paramedic Services

2. Agenda Requests and Approvals In TeleStaff
Accruals in TeleStaff and Workforce Central
Approve Time Off Requests
Overview
Approve Request
Deny Request
Lieu Time
Vacation/FSH
ILL/ILL Dependent
Approve Shift Swaps (Schedulers)
Approve OT
Beginning of shift (WFC)
End of shift (WFC)

3. Learning Objectives
Describe processes and rules for approving Time Off requests and Shift Swaps
Describe approval processes for ad hoc absences including Vacation, FSH (Float), Lieu, Sick (off and on duty), and Shift Swaps
Demonstrate the steps to approve or deny requests

4. New Terms/Concepts WFTS ⇒ Workforce TeleStaff; WFC ⇒ Workforce Central
Accruals = Bank Balance
Opportunity = Seniority
Requester = Employee who requests Time Off

5. New Terms/Concepts
Work Codes:

6. Requests and Approvals
In TeleStaff

7. Time Off Requests Collective agreement rules apply
They govern automatic initial scheduling process and automated system checks during online requests for time off, OT, and shift swaps
All requests must be for a full shift
If a request is for a partial shift, the employee must contact the supervisor/duty officer who will scheduling with the appropriate approval
Employees can check their accruals (Bank Balance) before they make a request

8. Approvals in TeleStaff
For ILL requests, the requester must enter a specific time period
For anything over 3 days or where the return date is unknown, the requester must contact the Superintendent
All pending requests are available to view by all Approvers
End of Shift Overtime is approved by Duty Officers in Workforce Central
Duty officers will learn more about approving End of Shift Overtime in another course

9. Approvals in TeleStaff
Approvers identify the requests that require their approval and either
Approve or
In the case of delegation to a Scheduler, approval to the Scheduler
Vacation requests within 7 days of shift start require On Call Commander approval
Valid only after the original vacation bid, which follows a different process
Filter requests are based on:
Work Codes (e.g., LT-REG Lieu, FSH – Float HOL REG)
Dates requested off
Rank, Opportunity (Seniority)
Date request submitted

10. Benefits of Kronos Approvals
Online request and approval process for standard requests (e.g., full day time-off)
Before online requests are sent for approval, TeleStaff applies rules and determines if the requests meet the required validation process
Employee can display Accruals (Bank Balance)
Approved absences (e.g., Vacation) entered in TeleStaff are transferred automatically to Workforce Central Timecard for the current period – no dual entry required
Employee calendar updates to display status of request approvals

11. Accrual Reports: WFTS & WFC
TeleStaff accruals are based on what is requested and approved in TeleStaff (past+current+future) while Workforce Central accruals are based on actual time taken (past), and not future booked time
Schedule data flows from TeleStaff to Workforce Central after 2 business days
Note: Badge in and out time is tracked by Workforce Central, not TeleStaff – remember TeleStaff is for scheduling while Workforce Central is for actual time tracking

12. Approval Process
Flow

13. Approval Process: Requester Flow
The request is entered in TeleStaff by the Requester. The system displays the link to the requests in the approver's dashboard, so the approver can accept or deny. Figure 2: Requester Workflow in Figure 2 shows the process from the Requester perspective and also shows how the requests (pending, approved and denied) are graphically displayed in TeleStaff.

14. Approval Process: Approver Flow
Approvers display the list of requests by Time and Type to find the requests they should be approving. Approvers review the notifications sorting by rules and filtering requests, and once they have identified the target requests (SMEs reference manuals/rules/links/portal…) they approve or deny.

15. Approver Requirements by Request Type and Timing
Request Type and Work Code
Timing
Approver
Lieu Time (LT – REG)
As required
On Call Commander, , Duty Officer, Scheduler ( authorization from a Commander required for approval)
ILL/ILL Dependent On/Off Shift
ILL – SICK HRS REGULAR RATE
IDEP – SICK DEPENDANT
Approve all Ill and Ill Dependent for current day (ad hoc) and in future (planned)
Duty Officer
Scheduler ( authorization from a Commander or Duty Officer required for approval)
Vacation/FSH
VAC- VAC HRS, FSH –FLOAT HOL REG
More than 7 days from present date
Scheduler (based on availability)
Vacation/FSH VAC- VAC HRS, FSH –FLOAT HOL REG
Less than or equal to 7 days from present date
Shift Swap
Shift Swap OFF
Shift Swap ON
Shift Swap ON - SWING
PT Shift Swap On
PT Shift Swap Off
Shift Swap pair requests submitted for approval
Scheduler, Scheduling Management
The table shows who is the approver for each work code and the time requirements for the approval of the request.

16. Approval Process
Overview

17. Approval Process: Overview
Display Requests in two ways: Calendar or List of Requests (by Date, Request type)
In this section, we are covering the Calendar view
Review:
View individual requests
View “Who Else” is making the same request on the same shift (creates a subset list for further detailed review)
View Seniority (Opportunity) in Name pane for multiple requesters
Approve/Deny Request
Approve Request
Select single or multiple requests
Click Approve
Deny Request
Enter Deny Work Code

18. Display Requests in Calendar
Select Calendar from the Navigation bar
Click the Advanced tab All active employees display in Name pane
Use the Date selector to view a specific period
to go to previous/next month
to change by month and year (select date and click Done)
Enter a value to change how many Weeks are in view
There are different ways to display requests in TeleStaff. The Calendar shows different boxes with shifts and the requests. Requests are marked with an asterisk To display all requests in the calendar for a specific period:

19. Display Requests in Calendar
Filter requests
Click Limit Display to select filters
Work Codes (e.g., LT - REG)
Districts (e.g., District 1 Days)
Station(s)
Unit(s)
Note: Multiple users display in the calendar and left pane
Click Time Off request box to view details
Start Time
Date
Duration
Note: Popup information indicates number of employees on that shift with a request
Sort by employee
Select a Request, and click Who Else
Click on the column to sort by Opportunity

20. Review Requests: Individual Requests
Review the employee information as necessary:
To review Notes regarding the request, click Edit
Click Cancel to close window without changes
One employee requests (1)

21. Review Employee Details
To review individual employee info (Rank, Opportunity, Specialty, Location):
Scroll the bar in the lower Name pane to view and sort by columns, e.g., by:
Rank
Opportunity = seniority (lower number = higher seniority)
Specialty
Location
Talk about magnifying glass icon to “isolate”

22. Multiple Requests on Same Day
If on the same day you see more than one request, be aware that each box refers to a different shift (e.g.07-19, 09-21, ) and may contain multiple requests
To display all requests on a day, click the Show More hyperlink
Lieu is the system process example. possibility that calling the Shift markers a "box" rather than a request, when clicked may lead people to think that it's the checkbox
Two employee requests (2)
Edit button greyed

23. Exercise 1: Filter and Sort Requests
Scenario: TeleStaff Calendar
Instructions:
Select Advanced
Limit Display Work Code = LT – REG
Limit Display District = 5
Select a Request
See Who Else
Sort by Opportunity (Seniority)

24. Approve Request Example: Lieu Time
Demo

25. Approve Request Display the request(s) using Calendar and Filters
Click the Request box
For individual shifts, select the request checkbox
For multiple shifts, select shift checkboxes
Click Who Else to review number of similar requests in shift
Click Approve
Click Save
The time off request displays with no asterisk
Once you have displayed, filtered and reviewed all requests assigned to you as an approver, you are ready to approve or deny. You can approve one or more requests at the same time

26. Approving Lieu Time Lieu Time is approved by On Call Commander
Duty Officer
Approval can be delegated to a Scheduler (with authorization and memo for approval)

27. Exercise 2: Approve Lieu Time
Scenario: TeleStaff Calendar
Instructions:
Select Work Code = LT – REG
Select a Lieu Time Request
Check Who Else requested Lieu Time for the same shift
Sort by Opportunity (Seniority).
Approve the Request for the Employee with highest Seniority (lowest Opportunity number)

28. Deny Request
Demo

29. Deny Request Select Calendar from the Navigation bar
Select the Advanced tab
Filter to find the assigned requests
Select the request box (with asterisk)
Click Edit
Select Denied in the Work Code
Enter a Note
Click Save
When a request doesn't meet the criteria to be approved (checked during display and review activities), the approver will deny
e.g. LT – REG submitted less than 7 days in advance:

30. Exercise 3: Deny Request
Scenario: TeleStaff Calendar
Instructions:
Filter by Work Code = LT – REG
Check Who Else from the Request Callout
Sort by Opportunity (Seniority)
Deny the LT – REG request to the Employee with lowest Seniority (highest Opportunity Number).

31. Approving Vacation/FSH
Demo

32. Approving Vacation/FSH
When request is made by employee, WFTS rules are applied to ensure that they meet TPS business rules (e.g., sufficient time accrued by employee)
If rules are not met, the employee cannot complete the request in TeleStaff
Ad hoc vacation requests are approved by date submitted not seniority
To view by date submitted, you must display requests from List of Requests view not the Calendar view
On-line employee requests for VAC/FSH submitted after the original bid will not be allowed by WFTS if the request is within the next 7 days:
Requests that fall within 7 days for VAC and FSH will have to go through the employees' commander
The VAC/FSH requests for the employee, if approved, are entered by the Approver or Scheduler (with authorization)

33. Review Requests by Submission Date/Time
To determine which request was submitted first:
In the Dashboard > Requests pane, click View all Requests. The Approve pane displays.
Filter Requests by date using the date selector and by Work Codes
Sort results by time and date submitted (Created), Seniority (Opportunity)
Some requests are approved based on the time of submission rather than seniority (Opportunity)

34. Review Requests by Submission Date/Time
You can only approve, not deny, requests from this screen.
Select the checkboxes for employees with requests to be approved
Note: click the Approve Another checkbox to return to the Approve pane after completing transaction otherwise the system will go back to the Dashboard
Click Submit

35. Exercise 4: Approve Vacation
Scenario: TeleStaff Dashboard - Requests
Instructions
Filer by Work Code = VAC- VAC HRS
Sort by Submission Date (Created)
Approve the first Vacation request submitted

36. Exercise 5: Approve FSH Scenario: TeleStaff Dashboard – Requests
Instructions
Filer by Work Code = FSH – FLOAT HOL REG
Sort by Submission Date (Created)
Approve the first two FSH requests submitted
same rules apply for Float as they do for Vacation (filled by time stamp, not seniority and must be able to fill the shift)

37. Approving ILL/ILL Dependant
Demo

38. Approving ILL/ILL Dependent
ILL/ILL Dependent is approved in advance OR on day of illness
Later changes to Illness codes also require approval
As per current practice schedulers can only change three days back as long as in current open pay period
Schedulers have access to full open pay period
Note:
Requests for ILL Time Off require a defined time period when requested. Unlike today, employees will no longer book off indefinitely until they ‘Book Fit’.
For ILL requests over 3 days the employee must contact the Superintendent

39. Exercise 6: Approve ILL Scenario: TeleStaff Dashboard Instructions
Filter by Work Code: ILL- SICK HRS REGULAR RATE
Approve an ILL – SICK HRS REGULAR RATE request
Scenario
Approver: Duty Officer/Commander (Scheduler can approve in TeleStaff after receiving authorization)
Select Work Code:
ILL – SICK HRS REGULAR RATE

40. Approving Shift Swap
Demo

41. Approving Shift Swaps Shift Swaps are approved by Schedulers
Payback requests (Shift Swaps entered by each person in an exchange) must be performed within 12 hours
All current Shift Swap rules apply including: paybacks must be within the same 6 week cycle
Incomplete Shift Swaps will not be approved

42. Approving Shift Swaps In the Navigation bar, click Calendar.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Limit Display button.
In the Limit Calendar pane, apply Work Code filters:
SHIFT SWAP OFF,
SHIFT SWAP ON,
PT - SHIFT SWAP OFF,
PT - SHIFT SWAP ON,
SHIFT SWAP ON - SWING
The Calendar will display only the selected work codes, and the Name pane will show only the employees who have Shift Swaps.

43. Approving Shift Swaps
Identify the Shift Swap pair to approve (unapproved Shift Swaps identified by *)
Verify that both employees have submitted the matching requests covering each other’s shifts
Click on each request box to view details
Important to remind schedulers that nights are the actual night shift now.

44. Approving Shift Swaps
If these conditions are met, mark each Shift Swap checkbox and click Approve
Click Approve? to select the checkboxes
Click Save
Repeat all steps for other ‘day’ of shift swaps
Important to remind schedulers that nights are the actual night shift now.

45. Exercise 7: Approve/Deny Shift Swap
Scenario: TeleStaff Calendar
Approve a Shift Swap from the Calendar after having verified the request has been reciprocated
Instructions:
Filter by Work Code =
SC-OFF – SHIFT SWAP OFF
SC-ON – SHIFT SWAP ON
Approve a Shift Swap where the request has been reciprocated
Deny a Shift Swap where the request hasn't been reciprocated

46. Overtime Requests
Lieu / Cash

47. Overtime Requests: Beginning of Shift
Approval of Overtime (OT) is an offline process
OPS – If an employee takes an early call, CACC will log the start time on the sheets and if the employee wants OT or LE. Payroll will enter the beginning of shift start time into WFC. Payroll will check the sheets daily to confirm correct entries.
CACC/Admin – All additional OT will be entered on an OT form and submitted through their commander for processing.

48. Overtime Requests: End of Shift
Approval of Overtime (OT)
OPS – When the employees Badge Off at the end of shift they will be offered OT/LE through the InTouch for every minute after their scheduled shift. They will answer the appropriate questions. The Duty Officer will approve the OT in WFC which is then sent to Payroll.
PT Ops staff will only be offered OT
CACC/Admin – All OT will be entered on an OT form and submitted through their commander for processing.
Note: End of Shift Overtime is entered and approved only in Workforce Central

49. Questions

50. Summary Approve Workflow Approve Process Display List Calendar Review
Using Calendars, Filters
Approve / Deny Requests

51. Thank you