Policy

The Electronic Timekeeping and Approvals module of the Banner Human Resources/Payroll system provides a paperless solution for relaying hours worked and exception time data to Payroll Services for use in the preparation of payroll checks. Historical time and attendance data will be accessible on-line indefinitely to satisfy both employee inquires and administrative requirements.

Three methods of reporting will be utilized for the collection of time and attendance data within Banner. (Departments utilizing time clocks will continue to do so and are not included in this discussion.)

Electronic Biweekly Timesheets: Applicable to all hourly biweekly paid students, staff, and faculty. Wage and hour regulations require the recording of each time-in and time-out instance of hours worked and exception time on a daily basis. The University requires electronic submission and certification of the timesheet by the employee for subsequent supervisory approval in order to receive pay. To reduce the University’s exposure to risk, and for appropriate pay and accruals, an employee may not be designated as their own time approver.

Electronic Monthly Exception Timesheets: Applicable to all monthly paid salaried staff eligible for vacation and sick leave accruals and other paid leave. The University requires recording of each instance of exception time (vacation, sick, etc.) and electronic submission and certification of the timesheet by the employee for subsequent administrative approval, even if the employee had no exception time to report for the period.

Department Time Approvers Monthly Exception Time Reporting: Applicable to all monthly paid and contracted faculty, student assistantships and others, specifically identified, to whom only sick and/or unpaid leave exception time is available. This time entry method, of approving timesheets, requires that the designated Approver “Extract” (Start) the Department Timesheets, for reporting of exception time, as well as providing a method for the department to review those employees to assure that all should be paid for that pay period.

Each of the timekeeping methods identified above must have electronic approval prior to submission to Payroll Services, which requires establishment of routing queues for each department or sub-unit. Within Banner, departments and sub departments are called Organizations, or Orgs. Before beginning or establishing any approval queues the Department must have established proper security access for Time Approvers with Human Resources (hebel@slu.edu) for the appropriate Orgs.

Banner allows for considerable flexibility in the establishment of routing queues specific to the identified Org. Choices range from having one departmental approver to identifying each individual or position with his/her own approver or multiple approvers. For example, an Org having one timekeeper approve or enter all other time could have another individual approving only the timekeeper’s time. Time Approvers that are leaving their position before the end of a pay period must be replaced prior to the beginning of the effected pay period to assure a smooth transition in the approval process. Every identified approver must also have a “Proxy”; another identified Banner User, who can assume the approver’s duties in the absence of the approver. The Proxy must have the proper security access from Human Resources also before they can be setup. Payroll does not, and cannot, setup a Time Approvers Proxy.

Procedure

1. If the person being added as an approver does not have HRS (Human Resource System ) or INB (Internet Native Banner) access to the Org they will be approving, then the Department Head or Business Manager must complete the Screen Access Form and forward it to Nick Hebel (977-2336 or hebel@slu.edu). The field that indicates which departments the approver will need access to should be completed using the Banner Timesheet Org. #. Listing each Org separately will assist in avoiding confusion.

2. Once the new approver’s security access has been setup, Nick Hebel will contact the new approver and payroll via timeq@slu.edu, so that the Time Approval Queues can be changed. Approval Queue changes cannot be made until the HRS access has been setup. Changes to Approval Queues before the HRS access is granted will result in errors on the timesheet, and denial of access to the timesheet for the employee.

3. The Department Head or Business Manager should contact payroll at timeq@slu.edu to request a current listing of their current Approval Queue setup. The subject line of the email to timeq@slu.edu should contain the Banner Org. that is being requested i.e.: D010, Z602, T703. Please note that a separate email should be sent for each Org for which the approval queue needs to be changed.

4. Payroll Services will email the Department Head or Business Manager a “Time Approver by Individual by ORGN Report” in excel format. The Department Head or Business Manager will review and insert changes into the spreadsheet. To improve efficiency, and better serve you, we ask that the changes be made by changing your font color in those cells to red. The changes must include the new Approvers position number, Banner ID, and name (as it appears in Banner).

5. The Department Head or Business Manager should then email the excel file back to Payroll using timeq@slu.edu and then a representative from Payroll Services will email the Department Head or Business Manager once all the changes have been made. At that time you can also request a new copy of the “Time Approver by Individual by ORGN Report” for your records.

Page content owned by: Payroll Services

Revised: Monday, 26 Mar 2007

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