01.03.2022
Dear All,
We finally made it!!
We have now completed all of our checks and we are happy to confirm, that you can now log into the Kronos portal.
To recap: Kronos has been down since 11th Dec 2021 due to a ransomware on their service, which caused considerable consequences to thousands of people worldwide.
During the outage, we all worked tirelessly to create solutions and processes to ensure all our colleagues were paid correctly, ranging from manual spreadsheets to a semi-automated timecard portal. We cannot thank you enough for embracing the change and working through some pain points at times.
As a reminder if you have not completed all the training or need a quick refresher, please log into ClickLearn here:
https://midcounties.content.eu.clicklearn.com/content/Kronos%20Training.1033/Kronos%20Training.htm.
For any queries, please refer to the FAQs:
https://colleaguesconnect.midcounties.coop/hidden-pages/kronos-updates-faqs/
or the Go Live checklist in the first instance. If you need assistance with processes or help with the system, please use the ClickLearn link to advise. We will be updating the portal as time goes on, to cover more areas of the system and improve your knowledge and confidence.
How to access Kronos:
https://midcounties.kronos.net/wfc/logon
To login you will need your AD credentials- if you are having issues accessing the system, please use FastPass to reset your AD password.
We will hold two more drop-in session tomorrow at 11.30am and 2.30pm. Please only join the session if you have a query or a question. (This is not a training session)
If there is a genuine issue with your data or you cannot find a resolution from the drop-in session, FAQs, or ClickLearn, please raise a ServiceNow incident to WFM.
Once again, a big Thank you to you all for your continued support.
25.02.2022
Remember Go Live is next week. I know we are getting really excited now!
There will be a few things that colleagues must do with their manager in particular checking holiday balances so make sure you are up to speed 😊 We will be updating the portal as time goes on, to cover more areas of the system and improve your knowledge and confidence so please do not worry.
A full suite of ‘How to Guides’ and refresher training material is available by using the link:
https://midcounties.content.eu.clicklearn.com/content/Kronos%20Training.1033/Kronos%20Training.htm.
Should you have any queries please refer to the FAQ’s here
If you have a genuine issue with your data or you cannot find a resolution from the FAQ’s then please speak to your manager.
Kronos has reassuringly confirmed that the data breach investigations are now at an advanced stage. They had found no evidence that the personal information of any individuals associated with the Society had been compromised. We will provide a further update once Kronos has concluded its investigation and confirmed its full findings. In the meantime, we wish to reassure you that Kronos does not hold your bank account details, home address, email, telephone, or other contact details.
22.02.2022
Please check your email as we have communicated with all Trading Group and Managers with their GO-Live Checklists and what you need to do each day. Please click on the link below to open your checklist.
Food PO Go Live Checklist.docx
Society Wide Go Live Checklist.docx
8.02.2022
We are pleased to announce that we will turn Kronos back on, week commencing 27th February.
If we deem it necessary to change the go-live date, we will communicate that information immediately.
Colleagues
We are currently putting together some user guides, and refresher modules for our colleagues on how to check/add/retract holidays in Kronos, as all colleagues will need to check and review any holiday in Kronos from 27th February to 31st March
Managers
To ensure this is a smooth transition and that colleagues are paid correctly, we have created some mandatory training for Managers.
Action - There will be an email communication for all Managers on Friday 18th February with all the details and links to the training.
We know some colleagues were concerned about their personal data. However, Kronos has reassuringly confirmed that the data breach investigations are now at an advanced stage. They had found no evidence that the personal information of any individuals associated with the Society had been compromised.
We will provide a further update once Kronos has concluded its investigation and confirmed its full findings. In the meantime, we wish to reassure you that Kronos does not hold your bank account details, home address, email, telephone, or other contact details.
As the situation progresses, we will, of course, continue to keep you informed; however, I appreciate that you may have some questions regarding this. Therefore, in the first instance please check the information provided below and talk to your line manager.
Kronos Restoration - New FAQ's
Q1. As a colleague, I can see submitted time off requests in my calendar, for dates during the outage period (05/12-26/02), when I log in?
These requests do not affect your balance, unless your manager has submitted Annual Leave on the manual/semi automated timecards. Annual Leave transactions will be displayed in My Timecards or available within the accrual detail report that your manager has access too (please see ClickLearn reports module for training)
Q2. As a manager, I can see time off requests for dates during the outage period (05/12-26/02) within my requests widget when I log in?
As a manager you should be up to date with your requests. However if a request was submitted just before the outage period then the request will still show within the Request screen. As the timecard has now been submitted these requests cannot be amended and will not affect your colleague holiday balances. Colleagues correct holiday submissions will be visible on the colleagues timecards on the relevant dates. Please run Accrual Detail Report for a detailed breakdown of holiday taken. Managers can use the sort function on the submit date, to order the requests, newest to oldest, which enable easier access to most recent requests
Q3. When do I stop using the automated timecard system?
Please continue to use & record hours until the 26th February. Then submit your timecards on the Monday 28th February, as per your trading group deadline.
Q4. Where do I record hours for Sunday 27th, Monday 28th February, if Kronos is not accessible until Tuesday 1st March?
(NON- FOOD) Once you have access to Kronos on Tuesday 1st March, Schedules will be visible to verify against what they have worked.
FOOD & POST OFFICE ONLY – Colleagues will need to clock in & out, to ensure they are paid for what they have worked. These punches will be visible in the timecard. During this time, we will be turning off exceptions. If your clock is not working, please enter the hours worked manually.
Q5. How do I log into Kronos on the 1st March & when will we get access?
We will communicate once the access has been granted on the 1st March, we are aiming for midday.
Here is a reminder of how to log into Kronos:
Kronos Log in Credentials
Via the App:
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Search in your App store for UKG Workforce Central - download for free!
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Enter the server address https://midcounties.kronos.net/wfc
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Enter your User Name and Password as issued by your manager
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Click Log On
Via the Portal:
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Open your web browser (not currently available on Safari, the system functions best on Google Chrome)
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Input the address https://midcounties.kronos.net/wfc/logon
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Enter your User Name and Password as issued by your manager
Via the Clock (Food Retail/ PO colleagues only)
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Go to the clock in your store
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Place your finger on the biometric reader
Q6: How do I log into ClickLearn on 18th February?
https://midcounties.content.eu.clicklearn.com/content/Kronos%20Training.2057/Kronos%20Training.htm
please note: to access the below, you will need to create a ClickLearn account, click on create account on the ClickLearn log in page. You will then be sent an activation code to access.
Q7: (Food & Post Office Managers only) Will Colleagues schedules/skills/job transfer sets/availability be in the system as before the outage?
Yes
Q8: (Food & Post Office Managers only) Will we have to log new starters to get them onto the clocks?
If you have a new colleague within your store, we have updated your clocks to allow them to enrol. If you have new colleagues that start after 27/02, you will need to raise a ServiceNow incident as normal for the WFM team send down an update.
Q9: (Food & Post Office Managers only) Why are there no schedules in the system?
No schedules will be visible from 27/02 through to 26/03- colleagues are required to clock in and out on the clocks for hours to appear on timecards- we have changed the configuration to auto approve exceptions to decrease your workload.
Q10: (Food & Post Office Managers only) When will the schedules be visible in the system?
Your store schedules will run and be visible from 27/03, so please use the Click learn user guides to assist you with posting your schedules and making them visible to your colleagues
Q11: (Food & Post Office Managers only) What happens if my clock is not working?
Raise a service now incident. The WFM will establish if an engineer is required.
Q12: Are there any differences to recording annual leave or sick?
For any pay code entries, for example Annual Leave or Sick, please use the Amount option within the Amount field and enter the number of hours the colleague is absent for. We have had to remove the full day & half day scheduled option.
Q13- I cannot see a new colleague or have a missing colleague?
Check IFS in the first instance, if they are visible in IFS but not in Kronos, please raise a Kronos service now incident. However, if the colleague is not visible in IFS, please email your HR administrator.
Q14- I have a query regarding annual leave balances?
As per the Go live checklist for Managers, they can run an accrual detail report to get the annual leave balance & information. Once verified with a line Manager, should there be any anomaly, please raise a historical correction.
Q15: Why can’t we just keep using the automated timecards?
Whilst we appreciate that we have had some great feedback around the automated timecards, these were only a temporary process to ensure we could get colleagues paid. There was a huge amount of manual intervention needed to process these & also it does not give us any functionality for scheduling, forecasting, or managing holidays across the society.
Q16: Is Kronos safe to be using again?
We know some colleagues were concerned about their personal data. However, Kronos has reassuringly confirmed that the data breach investigations are now at an advanced stage. They had found no evidence that the personal information of any individuals associated with the Society had been compromised.
We will provide a further update once Kronos has concluded its investigation and confirmed its full findings. In the meantime, we wish to reassure you that Kronos does not hold your bank account details, home address, email, telephone, or other contact details.
Q17: I have a query, what should I do?
For any queries, that are not answered in these FAQ’s, please check the Go Live checklist in the first instance. If you need assistance with processes or help with the system, please use the ClickLearn link to advise. We will be updating the portal as time goes on, to cover more areas of the system and improve your knowledge and confidence.
If there is a genuine issue with your data or you cannot find a resolution from the FAQ’s, Go Live checklist or ClickLearn, please raise a ServiceNow incident to WFM.
Q18: What happens with over spent holiday?
These are being investigated with any colleague that have a negative holiday balance. We will contact the colleagues in due course on how we will recover this. If you have any concerns please contact your manager.
Q19: Will all holiday balances be upto date?
Holiday will be updated however colleagues must complete holidays submissions from 27th February onwards.
Q20: Will I be using Kronos from 28th March?
The system will be accessible from 1st March to all users but you will need to add in hours from 27th February 2022. The first signoff in Kronos is 7th March.
Q21: Will be have to start from scratch and input everything again?
Work Force Manaagement have validated all the information in Kronos. Managers will need to use the Checklist to check and amend accordingly.
Q22: Will I need a new password?
AD accounts will be switched on from 1st March.
NEW PROCESS – Automated Timecards – now live
NEW PROCESS – Automated Timecards – now live
We are now live with the new automated timecard process; this will be a temporary process until we get Kronos fully restored.
To access the new timecard, follow the below process:
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Open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge as your web browser only.
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Either copy and paste timecard.cit.coop or type into the search bar.
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Bookmark the page by selecting the star on the right hand side of the search bar.
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Follow the instructions on the screen.
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Your login is the same as you would use to sign into Colleague Connect.
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The password to the same as the manual Excel timecard.
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When completing the new automated timecard for this week (w/c 16th Jan) you must enter the hours for Sunday 16th, Monday 17th & Tuesday 18th Jan.
The new automated version will need to be completed by the normal deadline - Monday 10am (12 noon Travel & Childcare) on Monday 24th January.
Please note - if you have multiple managers within a cost centre (support services), please ensure that only one person completes the submit & sign off process (between 6am Sunday & Monday 10am/ 12noon Travel & Childcare). The whole cost centre must be fully completed for all colleagues before this can be done. If it is submitted with any missing colleagues, then this will have to be completed as a historical correction on service now, as once it is submitted & signed you cannot go back.
Important Key Notes:
Managers – please be aware of the following common errors we have encountered in the Timesheets submitted to date:
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Acting up or Premium hours recorded but no basic hours on same day – they must be recorded on the same day as the basic hours worked by adding another row.
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Birthday Hour - only 1-hour to be recorded.
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No sick hours recorded, but comments recorded in text for colleague sick – even if you deem this unpaid sick, it must be recorded.
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More than 15 hours recorded in a day.
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Basic hours plus sick hours / holiday hours in one day- resulting in the recording of a double shift e.g. 8 hours basic & 8 hours sick.
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NOTE: When there has been inactivity in the system for over 20 minutes, you will no longer be able to save changes or change screens.
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The system locks out for security if the user does not do anything in 20 minutes to prevent tampering. If you are unable to save a timecard entry; or stuck with the loading page when changing between screens, log out and back in again.
You can read the user guide by clicking here, & you can access the training video below...
We will continue to use the new automated version until such time that Kronos is fully restored.
All Colleagues - Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens if I have a pay query?
Follow the normal process, talk to your manager and check your payslip together, if there are any issues with a particular pay code or number of hours managers need to agree the correction required with the colleague and then raise a historical correction. Please note that neither payroll nor managers have access to cross-check previous timesheets therefore the manager needs to agree what needs to happen and ask payroll to process the exact amendment via a normal historical correction.
2. Can I view my payslip?
Yes, if you are in a store/branch/office or on a laptop and VPN. You must be on Internet Explorer browser if you are on one of those computers (google chrome is not supported).
3. Has my colleague data been hacked?
Kronos has confirmed that the cause of the outage is a ransomware incident. The ransomewear incident is a matter that the Society has taken extremely seriously. With regard to the safety of our colleague data, we have been in close communication with Kronos to understand the extent that any colleague was impacted. On 3rd February 2022, Kronos reassuringly confirmed that the investigations are at an advanced stage and they had found no evidence that the personal information of any individuals associated with the Society had been compromised.
We will provide a further update once Kronos has concluded its investigation and confirmed its full findings. In the meantime, I wish to reassure you that Kronos does not hold does not hold your bank account details, home address, email, telephone or other contact details.
4. How do I manage holidays and how will balances be managed?
Your manager will have a manual holiday planner. You will need to request holidays with your manager, and they will update the manual planner and then add them to the spreadsheet on the correct week.
5. When will Kronos be back?
We are currently making good progress working through our restoration plan. Our plan is week commencing 27th February 2022.
6. How often will comms come out?
We will be providing weekly updates to you via colleague connect or the Daily/ Weekly Food for Thought in Food. This will include progress on the Kronos restoration plan.
Colleagues Working in Trading Groups - Frequently Asked Questions
1. How will I see my schedule or hours?
Normal processes apply. There will be a paper schedule that the store manager will put on the wall.
2. Can I see my timecard and if so, where will it be?
You won’t be able to see it in Kronos. There will be schedules on the wall that will show your schedule.
3. Should I still be clocking in and out?
Yes, continue to clock in and out if you are in a food store, we will also be providing a new manual register for store managers which will be displayed in-store. You will be asked to manually fill this in and sign it when you clock in and out to confirm your hours. This will be used in the case of an emergency so we do not miss anything.
4. I am a new starter, will I be able to clock in and out
No, you won’t be able to be added into the clock. Please sign in and out on the new clipboard rota for every shift.
All Managers - Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can you please confirm the password please for the timesheets?
A1. The Password for the timesheets is the same as the one you were using for the manual excel timesheets
Q2. New colleague who joined us last week is not reflecting on the new time cards is there way we can add her on please?
A2. New colleagues will be added every couple of days, please send their colleague name, employee number, cost centre, area/ division & contracted hours to workforcemanagement@midcounties.coop
Q3. What do we do if there is a New colleague missing off our timesheet for this week as they started with us on Sunday?
A3. New colleagues will be added every couple of days, please send their colleague name, employee number, cost centre, area/ division & contracted hours to workforcemanagement@midcounties.coop
Q4. Please can you clarify if additional hours worked are entered on the timecard as an additional entry or can all hours worked be entered on the first entry.
For example (Childcare) my contracted hours are 39 per week but I have worked an additional 9 to cover a colleague's annual leave. Do I enter my contracted hours on the first line and additional hours as an additional entry or can I put 48 hours through on the first entry line? All hours are paid at my basic rate of pay and there is no uplift payment.
A4. Enter your 39 hours as normal basic on first line, then enter another row for the 9 hours as overtime, eg. OT1 if overtime is paid, OT0 if it is not paid/ basic rate. For Managers (Food Retail) please record 39hrs basic in timecard. DO NOT use OT0 Code. Please write additional hours in the comments box as this is causing some errors for Team Managers/Store Managers)
Q5. Is there a way to add a reason for sickness? Or will it be on the next page where we review and submit?
A5. Please type in the comments section for sickness reason.