New Hire Action (PA) - Create New Hire Action

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Procedure Updated: 
02/08/2024

Use this procedure to hire a new employee into HRMS who does not currently have a Personnel number within HRMS.

Tips: 

Verify the new employee’s Social Security Number does not already exist within HRMS. Refer to the user procedure HRMS Search - Use Personnel Number Direct Selection Search by SSN.

If the Social Security Number already exists, determine the appropriate action type for hiring this employee: Appointment Change, Concurrent Employment, or Rehire; and follow the applicable user procedure.

This procedure may require hand-offs to other roles (payroll processor and/or benefits processor) depending on the structure of your agency and your role at your agency. The payroll processor should refer to the New Hire Action (PY) - Create New Hire Action procedure and the benefits processor should refer to the New Hire Action (BN) - Create New Hire Action procedure for their portions of the action.

Be sure to communicate with your payroll processor before entering a retroactive action.

  1. Step 1

    Enter transaction code PA40 in the command field and click the Enter button.

    Command field with transaction code PA40.

  2. Step 2

    Complete the following fields:

    • From

    Personnel no. field blankk and From field selected.

    TIPS:
    • The From date should be the employee's date of hire with your agency.

  3. Step 3

    Click the box to the left of New Hire.

    Personnel Actions tab with New Hire selected.

  4. Step 4

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  5. Step 5

    Click the Execute button to begin the transaction.

  6. Step 6

    Complete the Actions (0000) infotype.

    The following fields are mandatory:

    The following fields will default:

    Personnel Actions record selected.

  7. Step 7

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  8. Step 8

    An information window will appear. Click the Continue button.

    Information pop up window selected.

  9. Step 9

    The Personnel Number (Pers.No.) was generated and the following fields defaulted from the position. Confirm the defaulted fields are correct, or make necessary changes:

    Actions screen selected.

  10. Step 10

    Click the Save button.

  11. Step 11

    Complete the Personal Data (0002) infotype.

    The following fields are mandatory:

    The following fields are optional:

    Personal Data infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The employee must have a Social Security Number. There are special employer responsibilities when hiring workers who have applied for and are waiting to receive a SSN and card. Refer to the SSA’s fact sheet: Employer Responsibilities When Hiring Foreign Workers. If you have hired a worker who has applied for a SSN but has not received it, contact HereToHelp@ofm.wa.gov for guidance on what to enter in this field.

    • It is extremely important to enter the correct Social Security Number in HRMS. There are several downstream systems that use SSN as the employee’s unique identifier, including our healthcare and retirement systems. Manual corrections by both the agency processors and OFM ITS staff will be required if an incorrect SSN is used.

    • In order to avoid a failure during Year End Social Security Verification, the Name should match the Social Security Card exactly.

    • If you receive an error message “Social Security Number already assigned to another employee”, then make note of the Personnel Number you just created and send an email to the OFM Help Desk asking to have this erroneous personnel number deleted. Then determine the correct action type for hiring this employee; Appointment ChangeConcurrent Employment, or Rehire Action.

    • The Gender Designation of Health Ins radio button will default to Female. Make the appropriate selection for the employee.

    • The Gender Identity field will default to Unspecified. Make the appropriate selection for the employee.

    • For additional coding information for the Gender Designation of Health Ins and Gender Identity fields, refer to the Affirmative Action and Demographic Data Guide.

    • The Redaction Indicator will default to blank. Select this box to indicate an employee’s personally identifying information may need to be redacted before released outside the agency. This indicator is a flag only and will not automatically redact records. Always review the data definition and consult with your agency’s Privacy Officer and/or Public Records Officer prior to redacting any information.

    • The Last Name, First Name, Middle Name, and Nickname fields will allow the following characters:

      • Entire alphabet – upper and lower case
      • Numeric values – 0123456789
      • Special characters – * ` % & -! , . : ; / ( ) “ ‘ # and space

      When any other character is entered, an error message will appear “Invalid character(s) in XXX field. Correct to proceed.”

  12. Step 12

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  13. Step 13

    Click the Save button.

  14. Step 14

    Complete the Organizational Assignment (0001) infotype. Most fields will default based on the position’s values.

    The following field is mandatory:

    The following fields are optional:

    • Org. Key
    • Time

    Organizational Assignment infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • If the employee will be doing a different job than that assigned to their position (such as in-training or under fill appointments), notify your organizational management processor so they can create a Job to Person Relationship. Refer to the In-Training Appointments Coding Reference Guide for additional coding guidance.

  15. Step 15

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

    The following fields will populate based on the position's Address (1028) infotype:

    • UFI
    • Address 1
    • Address 2
    • City
    • State
    • Zip Code
    • County
    • Country

    Duty Station Address selected.

  16. Step 16

    Click the Save button.

    TIPS:
    • If the Delimit Vacancy box appears, select the appropriate option for your agency’s position.  This box will only appear if the position’s vacancy indicator is marked “Open”. Refer to the Vacancy Indicator job aid for more information.

  17. Step 17

    Complete the Contract Elements (0016) infotype.

    The following field is mandatory:

    The following field is optional:

    • Probationary Period

    Contract Elements infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • If the Probationary Period field is left blank, the Monitoring of Tasks (0019) infotype is skipped. Go to Step 23.

  18. Step 18

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  19. Step 19

    Click the Save button.

  20. Step 20

    Complete the Monitoring of Tasks (0019) infotype.

    The following fields will default:

    • Task Type
    • Date of Task
    • Processing indicator

    The following fields are optional:

    • Reminder Date
    • Lead/follow-up time

    Monitoring of Tasks infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The Reminder Date field can be completed by one of the following:

      • Enter a Reminder Date, or
      • Enter the Lead/follow-up time. The Reminder Date field will populate based on what was entered in the Lead/follow-up time field, or
      • Leave Reminder Date and Lead/follow-up time blank. The Reminder Date field will populate with a date two months prior to the Date of Task.
    • Run the Task Monitoring Report (S_PH0_48000450) to view the reminder dates and task dates for the tasks entered on this infotype.

    • Only one task can be entered during the new hire action (PA40). If you have more than one task to create for the employee, follow the Monitoring of Tasks - Create New Record user procedure.

  21. Step 21

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  22. Step 22

    Click the Save button.

  23. Step 23

    Complete the Addresses (0006) infotype.

    The following fields will default:

    The following fields are mandatory:

    • Street and House No.
    • Postal Code
    • City
    • Office/region
    • County code

    The following fields are optional:

    • 2nd Address Line
    • Telephone Number
    • Communication 1
    • Communication 2
    • Communication 3
    • Communication 4

    Addresses infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • Telephone Numbers and Communication selection fields should contain only the 10 digit area code and telephone number. Special characters and additional numeric values will be removed by HRMS prior to saving.

      The address fields will allow the following characters:

      • Entire alphabet – upper and lower case
      • Numeric values – 0123456789
      • Special characters - * ` % & - ! , . : ; / ( ) “ ‘ # and space

      When any other character is entered, an error message will appear “Invalid character(s) in XXX field. Correct to proceed.”

    • It is recommended that you use USPS Address Lookup Tool to ensure addresses are entered correctly.

    • In order to process payroll, employees must have an active Permanent residence address. If you have multiple address types to enter, enter the permanent residence address now, then follow the Addresses - Create New Record procedure to enter the Mailing address or Out of State Work Location address after the new hire action is complete.

    • If the employee receives a warrant by mail, ensure the address that is active on Day 3 of payroll processing is the correct address.

    • Do not enter out of country addresses for Permanent residence or Mailing Address types; it may cause redlines or other errors. If the employee lives out of country, it is recommended that the Permanent Residence or Mailing address records reflect either:

      • The agency address is entered and the agency then mails all items to the employee's out of country address as necessary; OR
      • The employee selects an address to use within the US, such as a family member or friend who is willing to forward their mail to their out of country address.
    • Out of country addresses can be entered for an Out of State Work Location address type.

    • Employees working outside of the state of Washington require an Out of State Work Location address record.

    • Ensure you are using the correct County Codes:

      • Permanent Residence and Mailing Address require a 2-digits County Code. If an out of state address is created for Permanent Residence and Mailing Address the county code should be entered as 40-Out of State.
      • Out of State Work Location address types require a 3-Digit County Code.
    • Be aware that Pay1 permanent residence address lines have shorter character limits than HRMS. HRMS will allow up to 35 characters in Address Lines 1 and 2, while Pay1 will only allow 30. Consider limiting the HRMS address to 30 characters so the complete address can be transferred to Pay1.

  24. Step 24

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  25. Step 25

    Click the Save button.

  26. Step 26

    Complete the Communication (0105) infotype.

    The following field is mandatory:

    • System ID

    Communication infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The System ID field should be the employee’s email address.

    • If you are a MyPortal agency, it is highly recommended to use an employee’s work email address. This email address is used for password resets and the leave request notification process.

    • Agencies that have employees who do not have a work email address will need to determine an internal business process to notify these employees of the status of a leave request.

    • If you do not know the employee’s work email address at the time of the new hire, click the Next Record button and skip to step 29. Then enter the email address as soon as you obtain it by following the Communication - Create New Record procedure.

    • During the New Hire Action, only an Email record can be created in the Communications (0105) infotype. If the employee will have access to Workday Financials during Phase 1A, follow the Communications – Create New Record procedure to create a WD1A record.

  27. Step 27

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  28. Step 28

    Click the Save button.

  29. Step 29

    Complete the Planned Working Time (0007) infotype.

    The following fields are mandatory:

    The following fields will default:

    Planned Working Time infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The Work schedule rule will default based on the Employee Subgroup entered in the action. You will need to select the appropriate work schedule for the employee.

    • The Part-time employee box is used to determine new employee eligibility for auto-enrollment in the DCP. New employees with the Part-time employee box checked will not be automatically enrolled in the DCP. It is important to check this box for all part-time employees. This field will default, but please validate the default value is correct. Refer to the Part-time Employees Coding Reference Guide for more information on coding part-time employees.

    • The Additional time ID field defaults to blank, but should be changed if the employee is not eligible for normal vacation and sick leave accruals.

    • The ACA Status Code is required for all new hires, rehires and employees who have had a change in employment status. Do not leave the default code of “Not Assigned.” Please refer to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Employee Status Code Instructions to determine the correct ACA Code.

    • The Time Type Override field is optional and only required if the agency needs to override the general timesheet requirements of an employee.

  30. Step 30

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  31. Step 31

    Click the Save button.

  32. Step 32

    Complete the Telework/Flex Work (Employee) (9106) infotype.

    The following fields are conditional:

    Telework/Flex Work (Employee) infotype selected.

     

    TIPS:
    • Employees should have an active Telework/Flex Work (Employee) record. Refer to the HRMS Data Definitions Resource Guide for more information on how this data is used.

    • Enter the employee's participation in the Telework (EE), Flextime (EE), and Compressed Workweek (EE) fields. Do not leave these fields blank. If the employee is not participating, then use the Not Participating (NP) selection value instead of blank.

    • Completing the Flex work hours is optional. HRMS automatically converts entries to the Flex work hours fields to “German Standard” Military Time.  If you have someone whose start or end time is midnight, use “24:00:00” rather than 12:00 am. If 12:00 am is entered, it will default to 00:00:00 and you must overwrite the default value with “24:00:00.”

  33. Step 33

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  34. Step 34

    Click the Save button.

  35. Step 35

    Select the proper level of education and click the Copy button.

    Education infotype subtype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The Education (0022) infotype can be skipped by clicking close button on the Subtypes for Infotype "Education" window. Go to Step 39.

  36. Step 36

    Complete the Education (0022) infotype.

    The following fields are mandatory:

    • Start
    • To
    • Education/training
    • Institute/location
    • Certificate

    Education infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The Start and To dates should be the start and end dates of the employee’s education or training.

  37. Step 37

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  38. Step 38

    Click the Save button.

  39. Step 39

    Complete the Date Specifications (0041) infotype.

    The following Date types will default:

    Additional Date types may be added.

    For each Date type, the following field is mandatory:

    • Date

     Date Specifications infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • This infotype is limited to 12 date types for each record.

  40. Step 40

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  41. Step 41

    Click the Save button.

  42. Step 42

    Complete the Additional Personal Data (0077) infotype.

    The following fields are optional:

    Additional Personal Data infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • Ethnic origin is the primary source of data for “persons of color” headcount in enterprise reports. Use the Ethnic Origin Crosswalk in the Affirmative Action and Demographic Data Guide to make the correct selection based on the employee’s ethnicity and race.

    • The Race and Ethnicity(New) fields are used in federal reporting on the EEO-4 report. If the Ethnicity(New) field is set to Not Hispanic/Latino (E2), then one or more Race checkboxes must be selected or the employee will not be counted in the male/female by race columns on the EEO-4 report.

    • When Ethnic Origin and Ethnicity(New) fields are both populated, HRMS displays a warning message “Ethnicity (New) field maintained thus Ethnic Origin field is disregarded.” This message is referring to the Ethnic Origin field being disregarded on the EEO-4 report. Ensure the appropriate selections are made in all fields for the employee to be reported accurately.

    • In the Race Data group, click the checkbox to the left of the appropriate Race Category to select. If multiple races are selected, the system will prompt you to also check the Two or More Races box. Do not check Two or More Races by itself.

    • To enable the Protected Veterans selection boxes, select the Protected Veterans radio button and click enter.

    • The option (X) Has a Disability (or previously had one) should only be used for employees with a current disability. Do not use this option for employees who previously had a disability since they no longer meet the definition; use (N) Does not Have a Disability.

    • Disability Date is not used by the state of Washington; however, HRMS requires an entry if the Disability Status is set to Has a disability (or previously had one) (X). If you know the employee's disability date, you can enter that date; otherwise, enter the date you learned of the disability (same date as the Date Learned field).

    • Military Spouse includes registered domestic partners.

    • LGBTQ+ and Military Spouse fields will default to Unspecified. Enter the appropriate selection for the employee.

    • The PSLF Status will default to Unspecified. Enter the appropriate selection for the employee. 
      The PSLF Date Effective should reflect the date an employee’s PSLF opt in or opt out status is effective, or the date the employee’s employment was last certified.

    • For additional coding information on the Create Additional Personal Data (0077) infotype, refer to the Affirmative Action and Demographic Data Guide.

  43. Step 43

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  44. Step 44

    Click the Save button.

  45. Step 45

    Complete the Military Service (0081) infotype.

    The following fields are mandatory:

    • Start
    • To
    • Service Type

    Military Service infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The Military Service (0081) infotype will only appear if a Military Status other than Non/Unspec Vet's Status was chosen on the Additional Personal Data (0077) infotype in the previous step. Skip to Step 51 if Military status selection was blank or Non/Unspec Vet's Status.

    • The Start and To dates should be the start and end dates of the employee’s military service, and should match the employee’s Form DD214 or other appropriate documentation.  If their service has not ended, then use 12/31/9999 as the end date.

  46. Step 46

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  47. Step 47

    Click the Save button.

  48. Step 48

    Complete the Time Specification/Employ. Period (0552) infotype.

    The following fields are mandatory:

    • Start
    • To

    The following Imputable period fields are optional:

    • Years
    • Months
    • Days

     Time Specification/Employ. Period  infotype selected..

    TIPS:
    • The Start and To dates should be the start and end dates of the employee’s military service, and should match the employee’s Form DD214 or other appropriate documentation.  If their service has not ended, then use 12/31/9999 as the end date.

    • The Duration of validity period section and the Imputable Period section may not match:

      • The Duration of validity period is system-calculated based on the infotype start and to dates, and will be populated upon clicking Enter.
      • The Imputable period fields should be entered to show the actual days, months, and years recorded on the employee's Form DD214.
  49. Step 49

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  50. Step 50

    Click the Save button.

  51. Step 51

    Complete the Basic Pay (0008) infotype.

    For employees who are indirectly valued, the following field is mandatory:

    For employees who are directly valued, the following fields are mandatory:

    For all employees, the following fields will default. Ensure the default values are accurate and make changes if necessary:

    Basic Pay infotype selected.

    TIPS:
    • The employee's Cap.util.lvl and WkHrs/period fields will default based on the employee's Planned Working Time (0007) infotype.

    • The employee’s pay scale / pay grade fields will default based on the employee’s position Planned Compensation (1005) infotype. The PS group should match the Pay Scale Group or Pay Grade of the job the employee is assigned. If the employee’s job is different than the position’s job, such as an in-training appointment, then change the PS Group to match the Pay Scale Group or Pay Grade of the job they are assigned. For more information on coding in-training appointments, refer to the In-Training Appointments Coding Reference Guide.

    • Next Inc. is the date an employee is scheduled to move to a higher salary step within the salary range of their current job class. This field is used as an override when there are exceptions to the rules built into the system, or if an agency prefers to manually enter this date. If no date is entered, the system will follow the Automated PID Process. Refer to the Basic Pay - Add Next Increase Date procedure for more information on the automated PID process and when manual overrides are necessary.

    • Manually enter the next increase date during the New Hire Action, to ensure employees receive their periodic increment on the correct date. If no date is entered and the employee is at Step A, they won’t receive their periodic increment until one year from their hire date.

    • Ind.val. indicates whether an employee’s pay is indirectly valued or directly valued.

      • Indirectly valued pay is derived from a salary schedule table and will automatically update when the salary schedule tables are changed. Enter the PS group and Level fields and the system will populate the wage type Amount and Ann.salary fields based on the salary schedule.
      • Directly valued pay is manually entered into the wage type Amount (recommended) or Ann.salary fields.
    • The wage type will default based on the employee’s Employee Subgroup. Wage type 1003 is used for monthly, wage type 1001 is used for hourly, and wage type 1006 is used for daily. Enter the correct wage type if the field is blank. You can also enter wage types for additional pay, such as shift premium and assignment pay.

  52. Step 52

    Click the Enter button to validate the information.

  53. Step 53

    Click the Save button.

    Stop:
    • Be sure to communicate with your payroll processor if the employee lives or works outside of the state of Washington.

      For the personnel administration processor, this will mark the end of the New Hire action. After saving, click the Exit button and transfer the new hire information packet to the payroll processor who will continue the action. The payroll processor should refer to the New Hire Action (PY) - Create New Hire Action procedure to complete their portion of the action.