Objective
The time off structures required for accruals are:
Holiday calendar (Refer to Unit Absence Requests in Time Off for configuration instructions.)
Work schedule (Refer to Unit Absence Requests in Time Off for configuration instructions.)
Time types (Refer to Unit Absence Requests in Time Off for configuration instructions.)
Time profile (Refer to Unit Absence Requests in Time Off for configuration instructions.)
Time account types
Accrual Lookup By Seniority tables
Custom fields
MDF Objects
To configure accrual rules, follow these steps:
Create all holiday calendars, work schedules, time types, and time profiles, as needed.
Configure time account types.
Add the time account type to the time type.
Add custom fields to the Accrual Lookup By Seniority object.
Create the seniority lookup tables.
Configure the accrual rules.
Assign the accrual rules to the time account type.
Generate the time account.
Note
The accrual process needs at a minimum one holiday calendar, work schedule, time type, and time profile.
If holiday calendars, work schedules, time types, and time profiles are not available, create them as per the configuration instructions in the Configuration of Absence Requests unit.
The most common types of accrual rules are annual, monthly, hire (accruals for the period between the hire date and accrual period end date), termination (accruals between the accrual period start date and the termination date) and period-end (for example, year end).
The configuration and execution of an annual rule is used in this section to demonstrate how to configure and execute accrual rules. Accrual rules for monthly, hire, termination, and period-end will be addressed later.
Annual accruals are done once each year typically on January 1 or December 31. In fixed amount, a lump sum of hours or days are granted to the employee via an accrual rule.
Select Configure Business Rules→Create New Rule.
Select Accrual.
Make the following entries:
Enter the Rule Name.
Enter the Rule ID.
Choose Continue.
Here's some information on the individual parameters (see the Time Off implementation guide for more details).
accrualRuleParameters- You have to assign this parameter to each accrual rule. It contains information about accrual start date and end date and accruable start date and end date.
Accrual Start Date - This date is the start date for the accrual period. For example, if a monthly accrual frequency is defined, this parameter is filled with the first day of the month the accrual rule is called for.
Accrual End Date - This date is the end date for the accrual period. For example, if a monthly accrual frequency is defined, this parameter is filled with the last day of the month for which the accrual rule is called.
Accruable Start Date- The accruable start date is later than or the same as the Accrual Start Date, it can be later than in the case of the employee being hired during the accrual period, for example, the accrual period is January 1 to December 31, and the employee is hired on March 15, the accruable start date is March 15.
Accruable End Date- The accruable end date is later than or the same as the Accrual End Date. The date can be sooner than in the case of the employee being terminated during the accrual period. For example, if the accrual period is January 1 to December 31, and the employee is terminated on March 15, the accruable end date is March 15.
accrualRuleVariables- This variable is a helper object to store interim results for more clarity in a rule calculation. You can assign it as a parameter to an accrual rule. The fields of this object are always empty until you set them explicitly in the rule. Make sure that you assign values before you access them to guarantee proper rule execution.
An example is if you need to call several rule functions or lookup tables to determine the date or amount of an accrual. You can use the variables to keep interim results. No records of that object are saved. The predefined fields are as follows, but you are free to add custom fields according to your accrual rule needs:
Seniority
Posting Date
Balance
Number of Months
Average full-time equivalent(FTE)
plannedWorkingTimeParameters: This parameter is optional. It contains the number of hours and days planned (based on work schedule) for the accruable period.
accrualCalculationBaseParameters: This parameter is required if your time account type calculation is based on recorded times. It contains information about actual hours and days worked.
timeAccount: This parameter is required if you want to stop the accrual on a certain amount. It is also required if you want to use a rule function, which needs this object as input.
Set the rule to be Always True.
Create a THEN statement to set the fixed amount for the accrual period. See the following example:
Note
This rule is available in the Success Store (rule SF_ACCRUAL_FixedAmount). You can either copy it or create a new rule based on the Accrual rule scenario.
You need to configure the Time Accounts for some U.S. employees. Initially, you will create and assign the time profile to a single user for testing. You will also use the previously created Holiday Calendar, Work Schedule, Time Types, and Time profile.
You need to configure the accrual rule for the Slick Leave. In this scenario, sick leave is accrued every year, with each employee receiving six days.
Note
This exercise requires you to have successfully completed the following exercises: Create a Custom Holiday Calendar, Create a Period Work Schedule, Set Up a Time Type and Time Profile, and Create Time Accounts and Assign Time Profiles.
Create a new business rule based on the accrual scenario. Configure the based on the image:
Select Configure Business Rules→Create New Rule.
Select Rule Scenario: Time Management: Accrual.
Make the following entries:
Enter the Sick US Annual Accrual in the Rule Name field.
Enter the SICK_US_ACCRUAL in the Rule ID field.
Click Continue.
Complete the Rule according to the image.
Click Save.
Assign the Accrual Rule that you created to the Time Account Type Sick Leave Current Year. Set the frequency to annually.
Select Manage Time Off Structures.
Retrieve the time account type Sick Leave Current Year.
Click Take Action→Make Correction.
Set the Accrual Frequency Period to Annually.
Set Accrual Based on to Standard.
Choose Save.
Set the Accrual Rule field to SICK_US_ACCRUAL.
Accept the warning by clicking Yes.
Simulate creating the Time Account for the Sick Leave Current Year time type for next year. Use the start and end dates as January 1 and December 31 of the next year.
Note
The account for the current year has already been completed when the Time Profile was assigned, which will show the process for creating the accounts via the Time Off Calendar.
Select Manage Time Off Calendars.
Click the + New Calendar link to create the time account (if not already created) as follows:
From the drop-down, select Account Creation.
Enter the name of the run in the Name field – Sick Leave Current Year Account Creation.
Enter the Time Account Type Sick Leave Current Year.
Enter the Start Date (the start date of the accrual period, for example, January 1, yyyy).
Enter the End Date (the end date of the accrual period, for example, December 31, yyyy).
Select Save and Simulate.
Navigate to Scheduled Job Manager.
Download the Simulated Calendar Run job status and verify that an account has been created.
Run the Annual Accrual for the current year. Create and run an accrual calendar by using this year's dates for the time account Sick Leave Current Year.
Select Manage Time Off Calendars.
Select the + New Calendar link to create the time account (if not already created) as follows:
From the drop-down, select Accrual.
Enter the name of the run in the Name field as Sick Leave Current Year Account Creation.
Enter the Time Account Type SICK_US.
Enter the Start Date (the start date of the accrual period, for example, January 1, yyyy).
Enter the End Date (the end date of the accrual period, for example, December 31, yyyy).
Select Save.
Choose Run on the Accrual job you created.
Verify the posting of the Time Account Details to Frank Dillon.
In Action Search, type Administer time.
Select Administer time for… Frank Dillon.
Select the Sick Leave Current Year and verify that six days were posted.
Other than accruals done on an annual frequency, the next most common frequency is monthly. Typically, the seniority lookup tables are configured in a similar way to the annual seniority lookup tables, that is, the entitled amount is a lump sum for the entire year.
Because the accrual is done at the end of each month, the amount must be divided by 12.
Select Configure Business Rules→Create New Rule.
Enter the Rule Name, Rule ID, Start Date, Rule Type, and Base Object.
Configure the rule to compute the seniority. Then, to create a time account detail record by looking up the seniority lookup table for the amount based on the computed seniority and dividing by 12.
The rule populates (Set) the Variables. Seniority field with the difference in calendar years between the employee’s hire date and the accruable start date. It then creates a time account detail record by dividing the amount from the Accrual Lookup By Seniority table with Lookup Name Paid Time Off by 12 to get the monthly entitlements.
Assign the rule to the time account type by setting the Accrual Frequency Period to Monthly and the Accrual Rule to the monthly accrual rule Monthly Accrual.
The ACE USA’s Beverage Products division’s paid time off (PTO) policy is to accrue PTO hours monthly according to the seniority schedule as follows:
| Seniority From | Seniority To | Annual Entitlement (hours) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 5 | 80 |
| 5 | 10 | 120 |
| 10 | 99 | 160 |
In this exercise you will configure the Time Account from beginning to end, separate from scenario of the previous exercises.
Create the time type with the following details:
| Classification | Absence |
| Permitted Fractions for Unit Hour | Full hour bookings allowed |
| Units | Hour(s) |
| External Code | ptoBEV |
| External Name | Paid Time Off |
Select Manage Time Off Structures→Create New→Time Type.
Configure the time type.
Create a new Time Profile with the following details:
| External Code | profBEV |
| External Name | Profile for Beverage |
| Time Type | Enabled in ESS | Favorite | External Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Time Off (ptoBEV) | Yes | Yes | 1 |
| Sick Leave (SICKNESS) | No | No | 3 |
Select Manage Time Off Structures→Create New: Time Profile.
Enter the data as given in the following tables.
Add the time type in the Available Time Types section.
Hint
When you add a holiday to the holiday calendar, choose its Details link to locate the External Code field.
Save your record.
Create the time account type with the following details:
| External Code | monthlyAccrBev |
| External Name | Monthly Accrual Beverage |
| Unit | Hour(s) |
| Account Creation Type | Recurring |
| Accrual Frequency Period | Monthly |
| Simulate Accruals | Yes |
| Accruals Based On | Standard |
| Account Creation Start Date | Account Valid From (Day or Mon.) |
| Account Valid From (Day) | 1 |
| Account Valid From (Month) | 1 |
| Accrual Rule | Vacation US Annual Accrual |
Select Manage Time Off Structures→Create New→Time Account Type.
Enter the data as given in the preceding table.
Save your record and choose Yes.
In the confirmation popup, choose Yes.
Assign the time account type Monthly Accrual Beverage (monthlyAccrBev) to the time type Paid Time Off (ptoBEV).
Select Manage Time Off Structures and navigate to the Paid Time Off (ptoBEV) Time Type.
Select Take Action→Make Correction.
Add the Monthly Accrual Beverage (monthlyAccrBev) Time Account Type in the Time Account Posting Rules section. Set the external code to 1.
Set the Posting Priority to: Post to time accounts by posting rules only.
Set the Posting Priority to: Post to time accounts by posting rules only.
Save your record. If you get a pop-up warning, choose Yes.
Create lookup tables as shown in the following table:
External Code | Seniority From | Seniority To | Accrual Amount | Lookup Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | 0 | 5 | 80 | Beverage |
| 302 | 5 | 10 | 120 | Beverage |
| 303 | 10 | 99 | 160 | Beverage |
Select Manage Time Off Structures→Create New→Accrual Lookup By Seniority. Create the three lookup tables.
Create the monthly accrual rule.
Select Configure Business Rules→Create New Rule→ and create the rule with the following details:
The If statement must be marked as Always True. Fill out the Then statement of the rule based on the information in the preceding figure.
Assign the monthly accrual rule (Monthly Accrual Beverage) to the time account type (Monthly Accrual Beverage (monthlyAccrBev)).
Select Manage Time Off Structures and search for the Time Account Type, Monthly Accrual Beverage (monthlyAccrBev).
Click Take Action→Make Correction and add the Monthly Accrual Beverage accrual rule to the Accrual Rule field.
Choose Save. If you get a pop-up warning, choose Yes.
Create the time account.
Select Manage Time Off Calendars.
Select + New Calendar and choose Account Creation.
Fill in the information that you see on the following figure. You can choose the day after today's date as the Run Date (it must be a date in the future).
Select Save, and then Run the PTO account. Choose Run again.