Sustainability Lunch & Learn with Dogwood Refillery

Join the Office for Sustainability for a zero-waste lunch catered by Vu Noodles. Our guest speaker this month will be Alex Theriault, owner of the local business Dogwood Refillery. We all know that recycling is a good first step in your “green” journey, but Alex can teach us more about reducing, reusing, and refilling! Learn more about her shop and her journey to becoming a local green business leader.

Wednesday, September 28 from Noon-1:00pm
Ridley Hall (formerly Ruffner Hall) Room 302

Must register here by Sept 23

FST Update: September 8, 2022

 No time to read all the text? Check out Five Things to Know about FST

Or listen in to WFST, the FST Radio News Broadcast

 It’s September, and that means we’re in the last month of the phase of the FST project called “hypercare,” a phase of the project that emphasizes knowledge transfer, close ongoing support, ironing out known issues, and preparation for the future state. 

Office Hours in September

Topic-based office hours are continuing through September - the Training Team along with our partners on the Functional Team are hosting sessions on reporting and dashboards, payroll, account certification, and other popular topics, plus new additions such as the Workday release on September 10 and the Tuition and Fee Proposal Tool. View the schedule.

Workday Release 2 on September 10

Workday often makes updates to improve the system's look and functionality.  For this particular update, users will notice that their homepage will look quite a bit different.   You will notice changes to the appearance of your apps, the addition of a global navigation menu, and improvements in the search feature, among other things.  Read more and access a video overview on the blog.  

FDM Requests Open

The FST team has officially opened the ability for schools and units to request new FDM values, edits to existing values, or deactivation of existing values. Each major business unit has an FDM administrator who will be responsible for submitting requests for their unit on a once-per-week basis. Read more on the blog.

New Tuition & Fee Portal

The Financial Planning & Analysis Team has developed an improvement around the 2023-2024 Tuition and Fee request process. The new process involves the use of Smartsheet and is much more streamlined and simple,  including enhanced reporting functionality, a familiar, excel-like format for viewing historical data, and the ability to add all requests while staying on just one screen.  The T&F portal is expected to open on September 12, and office hours and other resources will be available during the month of September while the portal is open for tuition & fee requests.  Read more on the blog.

Security Requests and Role Access

Now that Workday Financials has been in use for a couple of months, and especially since the passing of the August 31 deadline for completion of training, users may find that they need to make changes to security role access for themselves or in their teams. If you request a role through the system access request process in Workday, remember that training must be completed before the role is approved.
If you want to remove a training requirement for a role you don’t need, use the system access request process to request the removal of the role. Read more on the blog. 

Five Things to Know about FST: September 8, 2022

 

1.  FDM Requests are Open:  each major business unit has an FDM administrator who will be responsible for submitting requests for their unit once per week.

2. On September 10, your Workday home page will look different due to an update released by Workday.  You'll see changes to the appearance of your apps, a global navigation menu, and improvements in the search feature. 

3. Topic-based Office Hours sessions continue through September.  New sessions include the Workday Release changes and the new and improved Tuition & Fee Request Process.

4.  To add or remove security roles in Workday Financials, be sure and use the system access request process in Workday.

5.  Keep up with updates and system issues on the UVAFinance website as we move through the "hypercare" phase of the FST project this September. 

Q & A: Security Role Access

Here are a few questions and answers we common to security access in Workday Financials.

Q.  What is the turnaround time for security roles to be added/removed and what could be delaying my request?

A.  Turnaround for complete requests (role and cost center/grant/gift/project numbers included) is three business days.  If the requests lacks any required details, there will be delays.  You can check on approval status of your request by reviewing the Disposition column in the My FIN Security Requests report.

Q.  What is the maximum number of security roles I can request per submission?

A.  The new maximum of roles per request is 20 roles.

Q.  What actions should I take to remove a training requirement for a role I do not need?

A. To have the training requirement removed, request removal of the relevant security role using Request-Based Access in Workday

Q.  When completing a request for security role addition or removal, which fields are required to be complete?

A. Complete all fields including Role, Security Group Type, Organization Type, and Organization.  Failure to provide these vital details will result in the request being sent back to you.  If you aren't familiar with the security roles and definitions, refer to the Finance Security Roles on the UVAFinance website.

Faculty: Your Resources

UVAFinance understands there is a significant impact on faculty and staff and day-to-day operations as we have transitioned to Workday Financials. While fiscal administrators and business managers in schools and units are keeping pace with the day-to-day, the Finance Strategic Transformation team is keeping resources specifically for faculty and teaching staff updated.

Faculty can keep up with Workday Financials updates via the FST News Ticker on the UVAFinance homepage and stay informed of any known system issues. Resources such as training links, security role request instructions,

Need basic information on the change to Workday Financials?  

Check out this resource.

We encourage faculty to work closely with your area business manager or your go-to finance person for questions after reviewing the resources. You are also welcome to contact FST directly at askfinance@virginia.edu.

Book Club Discussion this October

The UVAFinance Equity Action Team is taking a break from our regularly scheduled Sprint Discussions to give everyone room in their schedules to participate in an early-fall book club discussion on October 6 at 4:30pm.

Our book is Razorblade Tears, by S. A Cosby. The book is an intriguing and fast-paced crime novel set here in Virginia and dealing with themes of racism, classism, homophobia, and parenting. We think you’ll really enjoy reading it and that it will result in some great conversation come October.

Questions?  Email us at uvafequityactionteam@virginia.edu 

Your Workday Homepage Changes on September 10

In a continual effort to improve its look and functionality, Workday is updating the design of the user homepage. You will be able to tailor your homepage to meet your unique Workday needs through enhanced customization functionality. 

Here's what's new:

• Update: Applications - When you log into Workday, you’ll notice your applications (like benefits, absence, etc.) are now accessible through a 'View All Apps' button and through the new 'Menu' feature (located in the top left of your screen, in your Workday toolbar).
• Update: Search – your search results are now returned in two sections: Saved Categories (which you can configure for your own efficiency) and More Categories (all categories not listed in your Saved Categories section).
• Update: Inbox – your Inbox is now searchable, providing you the ability to quickly find a specific task/person related to a task in your inbox list. Other aspects/features of the inbox are unchanged.
• New Feature: Global Navigation Menu – available to you no matter where you are in Workday. It includes your Applications (which you can reorganize) and your Shortcuts (if you chose to set them up).
• New Feature: Cards - provide information to you, based on your role, in categories of: Timely Suggestions, My Team, and/or Recommended for You.

Resources:

• Watch this Overview video (courtesy of UVAHR)
• Watch this Inbox Enhancement video (courtesy of UVAHR)
• See finance-specific details and frequently asked questions on the UVAFinance site.
• Access learning resources, a short self-paced demonstration, and more, on the Workday Finance Training page.

 

September Office Hours & Training Resources

Topic-based office hours continue through September.  Sessions include reporting and dashboards, payroll, account certification, and other popular topics, plus new additions such as the Workday R2 Release and the Tuition and Fee Proposal Tool.

You can find the September office hours schedule on the Workday Finance Training page, along with a wealth of other resources.  

A note about role requests:  if you request a role through the System Access Request process in Workday, remember that training must be completed before the role will be approved.  Read more about the process and view some frequently asked questions about it.

Financial Planning & Analysis Welcomes Reshma Gali

Reshma Gali, a 2022 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has joined the Financial Planning & Analysis team as a budget analyst.  

With experience in the private sector and a broad background in fundraising and volunteering, Gali is excited to make use of her background in the realm of higher education. 

In her role as a budget analyst, Gali will work with the FP&A team to assist UVA schools and units in their budgeting process in order to help them be successful and stay on track.  The key factor in her role, she says, is listening - "listening to what the departments need, and what their students, faculty, and staff need."

Gali hopes eventually to go to law school, so working at UVA is a perfect way for her to experience the culture of higher education.  

"UVA is touted as the ivy league of public schools, and I'm looking forward to learning here about how universities function financially and how, as a part of Financial Planning & Analysis, I can help contribute to that," she says. 

When she isn't working, Gali enjoys a wide range of activities and volunteers quite a bit.   She led a Bollywood fusion dance team during college, and will soon begin coaching a boxing class at her local fitness club.  Her love of sports has shaped her philanthropic activities, too:  in college, she helped raise funds to build classrooms and purchase sports equipment for girls in India as part of an effort to break the cycle of child marriage by using sports as a means for empowerment and recreation.

Gali is also a pet parent to her puppy Simha, who tends to bark during her Zoom meetings. 

Taking New Approaches

The first couple months of go-live with Workday Financials has been busy for the entire team. From answering questions and troubleshooting to developing new training and getting information to the website, it is a steady stream of information across Grounds. New data coming into UVAFinance is at a new level and team members are adjusting.

"The volume of data entering the data warehouse seems to be at least three times greater than we received from Oracle," says Forrest Swope, Director of Data Operations.

Swope reports that the number of journal lines created when payroll is run generates a file too large to move. That's a lot of data!

"We devised a method to overcome these limitations - which is inelegant, but effective," he says.

While his team routinely checks the results of the nightly processing, it proved challenging to confirm
that they were certain they were receiving all of the lines using just Journal Lines data from Workday as a validation.

"After the end of July, we were able to run a Trial Balance in Workday for the entire month and compare the results (Beginning Balance: Changes during July: Ending Balance) to precisely tie out the total of all transactions by Company and Ledger Account to the Journal Lines data collected in the Data Warehouse," shares Swope.

The results of this new assessment have proved successful as Swope reports, "Across six companies with over six million posted transactions, totaling $9 billion we were off by exactly $0.00."

Swope thanks Mohan Vijay Adusumilli, Navya K, and Sai Mahesh Vemulapalli for their dedication to determining new processes and evaluations.

"It's a team effort and my hat goes off to the entire group."
 

 

New T&F Portal: A process improvement from Financial Planning & Analysis

Continuous Improvement is one of the four parts of Finance Strategic Transformation.  This September, the Office of Financial Planning & Analysis delivers an improvement around the 2023-2023 Tuition and Fee request process.

The team has been hard at work since last year’s tuition & fee submission rethinking, designing, and building out a new process for submitting tuition and fee requests utilizing Smartsheet. They're calling tthe new system the Tuition & Fee (T&F) Portal. 

The T&F Portal will provide a streamlined and simple experience for entering tuition & fee requests in coming years. Here are a few highlights users can expect:

• Familiar, Excel-like format for viewing prior-year data
• Enhanced reporting functionality allowing for a Board of Visitors report updated in real-time
• Ability to add all requests while staying on just one screen

The T&F portal is expected to open on September 12, and office hours and other resources will be available during the month of September while the portal is open for tuition & fee requests.

SWAMFEST 2022 Registration has Opened!

For the first time since 2019, SWaMfest, the Commonwealth’s premier networking, educational, and professional development event for small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses, will return to an in-person format.

Hosted by the Virginia Association of State College & University Purchasing Professionals, SWaMfest 2022 takes place October 26-27 in Richmond’s historic Shockhoe Bottom district at Renaissance Revival style Main Street Station.

Why attend SWaMfest?

• Networking opportunities for SWaM businesses and representatives from VASCUPP institutions, prime contractors, and corporations.
• Engaging in workshops to enhance your professional development
• Opportunities to reassess how your organization operates and how to embrace the untapped potential in SWaM business relationships.

See you October 26-27, 2022, at Richmond's famed Main Street Station! Learn more and register at https://events.bizzabo.com/swamfest2022/home 

Questions?  Contact Mark Cartwright in UVA Supplier Diversity.

UVA Employee Resource Group Fall Fest

UVA’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Affinity Communities will be hosting the 1st Annual ERG Fall Fest on Friday, September 9, from 11 am to 1 pm in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom. This event is open to all faculty and staff (Academic Division and UVA Health), and in particular, hopes to welcome new faculty and staff. The following groups will be represented:

• Latinx ERG
• Black Faculty/Staff ERG
• Native and Indigenous Relations Community
• Asian American Pacific Islander Group
• Military Veterans Group
• LGBTQ Committee
• Organization of Employees from Africa
• Disability Action & Advocacy Committee

There will be snacks, swag, and ways to get involved with each of these organizations/groups. Join us as we kick off the academic year, celebrating the diverse UVA community.

DMV Real ID event

Brought to you by the Travel & Expense Team

DMV REAL ID Event October 24-25, 2022 in Carruthers Hall

Make an appointment to obtain your REAL ID. We will email fees and documentation requirements closer to the dates of the event. 

If you sign up but are unable to attend, please use the same link to cancel or email Travel@virginia.edu so others may take advantage of this opportunity.

Get Ready: Open Enrollment 2023 is October 3-14

UVA’s Benefits Open Enrollment for plan year 2023 will occur October 3 – 14, 2022. 

Now is the time to review the benefits that you will select for next year. Since the Open Enrollment window is only two weeks, we are providing you with all the information you need to decide prior to Open Enrollment going live in Workday so you can carefully consider options and ask questions. Don't wait until the short window opens to do it all.

Here's what you can do to prepare for Open Enrollment: 

• Make sure the benefits you chose in 2022 are meeting your needs and supporting your health and well-being. Consider: Have you used all your preventive services for health, dental, and vision? Visit:
• Medical Claims and Pharmacy: Aetna website
• Dental: United Concordia member website
• Vision: Davis Vision member website
• Do you have funds left in your FSA account that you can use? Visit the Chard Snyder website to check your FSA account balance. All funds in your Full FSA need to be used by the end of 2022 if you are changing to Basic Health with HSA, or by the grace period deadline.
• Chard Snyder has an online FSA store where you can use your FSA dollars. Check out the FSA Eligibility List to find out which kinds of over-the-counter products and medications you can purchase.
• Do you have funds left in your Dependent Care FSA account that you can use? Visit the Chard Snyder website to check your Dependent Care FSA account balance. All funds in your Dependent Care FSA need to be used by the end of 2022, or through the grace period. Review your dependent care costs and spending to plan for caregiving costs in 2023.
• Did your benefits elections in Workday match your spending in 2022? Log in to Workday and review your benefits.
• Are your dependents listed with social security numbers in Workday? Add their social security numbers if they're missing.
• Is your home address and phone number correct in Workday? Review your profile in Workday and update as needed.

Asking yourself these questions can help you make the best investment. As Open Enrollment approaches, knowing what you need now is a great way to thoughtfully prepare for next year.

Check out these resources:

Visit UVAHR's Open Enrollment 2023 website for important dates and helpful resources. Note that this website will be fully updated on September 14, 2022.

Register for the Open Enrollment Town Hall on October 6 here.