UW-Shared Services Glossary

Top

---

"F" Terms

FA (Faculty):
A job classification for employees with instructional, research and/or service responsibilities who hold the title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor

FA/AS/LI (Faculty, Academic Staff, Limited Appointees):
Term used for Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees combined

FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act):
A law that requires employers and employees to contribute a percentage of earned payroll income into the Social Security and Medicare systems.   Interfaces between HRS and student enrollment systems facilitate the management of these exemptions for institutions

FMLA  (Family Medical and Leave Act):
A federal law administered by the U. S. Department of Labor that guarantees job protection and continuation of group health insurance coverage to employees taking a leave of absence (up to 12 weeks) for specified family or medical reasons.  Leave may be paid or unpaid

FN  (Finance Module):
A functional area within HRS and operational UWSS Service Operations employees

FPPP  (Financial and Administrative Policies and Procedures):
UW-System policies that address a wide variety of important issues, such as Position Management, Accounting and Budget Control, College Credit in High Schools, Segregated University Fees, Affirmative Action Data Collection, Student FICA Exemptions, Patents, etc.

FSA (Flexible Spending Account; See Also: LPFSA; Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account):
A financial account that allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their payroll checks to pre-fund anticipated, eligible medical and/or dependent care expenses.

FTE  (Full Time Equivalent): 
A term used to describe the number of hours an employee works per week.  An employee who works a standard 40 hours per week has an FTE = 1 (or 1 full time position).  A person who works 1/2 of a standard 40 hour work week would have an FTE of .50 (or 1/2 of a full time position).  To calculate the FTE, take the hours worked per week divided by 40 hours.  FTE can be found on both Job Data and Position in the HRS system.

FY  (Fiscal Year):
A unique calendar system related to budgeting; begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year at UW System.  The HRS system uses a code to denote the fiscal year of FY+YY.  Example: FY17 = July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017

FYE (Fiscal Year-End):
Refers to a set of actions taken to close out a Fiscal Year

Faculty (FA):
A job classification for employees with instructional, research and/or service responsibilities who hold the title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, or Instructor

Faculty Relationship (Department):
A term specific to faculty (tenured or on tenure track) who have an association with a department but do not have an ongoing commitment; relationship examples: joint, joint executive (has voting rights), affiliation

Family Medical and Leave Act (FMLA):
FMLA is a federal law administered by the U. S. Department of Labor that guarantees job protection and continuation of group health insurance coverage to employees taking a leave of absence (up to 12 weeks) for specified family or medical reasons.  Leave may be paid or unpaid

Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA):
A law that requires employers and employees to contribute a percentage of earned payroll income into the Social Security and Medicare systems.   Interfaces between HRS and student enrollment systems facilitate the management of these exemptions for institutions

Field:
Smallest unit used to store data in a relational database.  Multiple fields are often contained within a record - for example, hire date, job code, business unit are all fields contained on the Job Data record or table.

Final Batch Edit:
Prepares the HRS information to be interfaced to the Shared Financial System (SFS) and WISDM (Wisconsin Data Mart for PeopleSoft Financials) for financial reporting.

Final Payroll Calc:
The last payroll calculation performed to prepare records for the payroll confirmation process; typically runs on Thursdays around noon during a payroll processing week

Finance Module (FN):
A functional area within HRS and operational UWSS Service Operations employees

Financial and Administrative Policies and Procedures (FPPP):
UW-System policies that address a wide variety of important issues, such as Position Management, Accounting and Budget Control, College Credit in High Schools, Segregated University Fees, Affirmative Action Data Collection, Student FICA Exemptions, Patents, etc.

Fiscal Year (FY):
A unique calendar system related to budgeting; begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year at UW System.  The HRS system uses a code to denote the fiscal year of FY+YY.  Example: FY17 = July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017

Fiscal Year-End (FYE):
Refers to a set of actions taken to close out a Fiscal Year

Fixed-Term Renewal Intended Contract (See Also: Academic Staff Fixed Renewable):
An Academic Staff ongoing appointment with generally a one- to five-year contract, with a contract renewal expected

Fixed-Term Terminal Contract (See Also: Academic Staff Fixed Terminal):
An Academic Staff appointment that has a specific end date and is not generally expected to be renewed; these contracts are typically one-year in duration and can be extended in certain circumstances

Flexible Spending Account (FSA; See Also:  LPFSA; Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account):
An employee reimbursement account that allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their payroll checks to pre-fund anticipated, eligible medical and/or dependent care expenses.  (See also Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account

Floating Holiday:
A paid leave type that is created under two scenarios: 1) when Legal Holidays fall on a weekend and System or campus policy does not require offices to be closed on an adjacent regular business day; and 2) when an employee elects, with supervisory approval, not to use Legal Holiday time on the regularly scheduled Legal Holiday

Fob:
A small hardware device which generates a unique code that can be used as one of the identification factors for multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Fringe Benefits:
A term generally used to describe benefits such as vacation, insurance, holidays and pensions

FSA Event:
Benefit Administration Event automatically created once a year to enroll all employees who made an election for Flexible Spending Accounts and/or or a Health Savings Account.

Full-time:
Personnel term referring to an employee who is scheduled to work 40 or more hours per week in one or more positions/jobs

Full Time Equivalent  (FTE): 
A term used to describe the number of hours an employee works per week.  An employee who works a standard 40 hours per week has an Full Time Equivalency = 1 (or 1 full time position).  A person who works 1/2 of a standard 40 hour work week would have an Full Time Equivalency of .50 (or 1/2 of a full time position).  To calculate the Full Time Equivalency, take the hours worked per week divided by 40 hours.  Full Time Equivalency can be found on both Job Data and Position in the HRS system.

Full-time/Part-time Field:
Describes the status of an employee as it relates to the number of hours worked; should be set to Part-time if position's FTE is less than 1.0

Funding Department:
A code used to identify from which account(s) an employee's payroll is funded; also known as Department Chartfield; may or may not correspond to an organization department

Funding Hierarchy:
The order in which HRS will look for applicable funding rules; the order is as follows: Appointment (Employee ID + Employee Record), Position, Department; if no funding is assigned at any of these levels, an employee's job will be paid using a Suspense Chartfield combination (See also Suspense Chartfield)

Funding Strings (See Also: Chartfields):
Indicates which department money will be drawn from to pay an expense and/or which account money received by the UW should be deposited; includes Fund Code, Department ID, Program Code, Project Code, Budget Year, Account Code, Class/Building

Funding Source:
Valid funding Chartfield combination from Shared Financial System including fund, department ID, program, project and account

Top

---

"G" Terms

GAPP (General Administrative Policy Papers):
Refers to policy documents published by University of Wisconsin System Administration

GBY (See Also: UWGBY; Green Bay):
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

GIB (Group Insurance Board):
A group connected to the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds that sets policy and oversees the administration of health, life and income continuation insurance plans for Wisconsin employees and retirees

GL (General Ledger):
The central repository for all accounting records and data; the GL PeopleSoft module is part of the Shared Financial System (SFS)

GPR (General Purpose Revenue):
Money raised by the state mainly through taxes; the most flexible type of state funding because it is available for appropriation by the Legislature for any purpose; UW System receives an allotment annually which is used to support core operating expenses

General Administrative Policy Papers (GAPP):
Refers to policy documents published by University of Wisconsin System Administration

General Deductions:
All non-benefit related deductions; sometimes called "Service Deductions" or "Voluntary Deductions;" includes deductions which are not typically thought of as voluntary, such as garnishments

General Ledger (GL):
The central repository for all accounting records and data; the GL PeopleSoft module is part of the Shared Financial System (SFS)

General Purpose Revenue (GPR):
Money raised by the state mainly through taxes; the most flexible type of state funding because it is available for appropriation by the Legislature for any purpose; UW System receives an allotment annually which is used to support core operating expenses

Glacier:
A third party data system that interfaces with HRS to manage taxes for foreign national employees+C226

Group ID:
A unique identifier in HRS that groups employees into Static and Dynamic Groups for viewing, approving, and processing Payable Time in the Time and Labor module

Group Insurance Board (GIB):
A group connected to the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds that sets policy and oversees the administration of health, life and income continuation insurance plans for Wisconsin employees and retirees

Guaranteed Length:
The length of time related to a fixed term renewable or rolling horizon position or job; valid values are 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years; blank is equivalent to the 1 year default

Top

---

"H" Terms

HC0 Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when University Staff Regular employees, who have no prior service and are on a Self-Service campus is hired. The Event is used by the employee via eBenefits or Self-Service to enroll for benefits.  (See also eBenefits)

Health Savings Account (HSA):
A pre-tax savings account used to pay for eligible medical, dental, prescription and vision expenses for employees enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan.  Employee and Employer contributions are made via payroll deduction and can be used on a tax-free basis when withdrawn for qualified expenses.  Money contributed to an HSA can roll over from year to year.  (See Also High Deductible Health Plan and Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account)

HG0 Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when Graduate Student employees and hired on a Self-Service campus. The Event is used by the employee via eBenefits or Self-Service to enroll for benefits.  (See also eBenefits)

High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP):
A health plan that, under federal law, has a minimum annual deductible and a maximum annual out-of-pocket limit set by the IRS; does not pay any health care costs until the annual deductible has been met (with the exception of preventive services mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act); plan is designed to offer a lower monthly premium in return for more shared health care costs by the member (See also Health Savings Account)

Hire (See Also: New Hire):
An Action in Job Data used to add an initial employment instance for an employee on a previously unused Empl Rcd or adding an additional employment instance.  (See also Rehire and Transfer)

Hiring Manager:
An administrator within TAM who has access to view or modify a specific Job Opening or view the Applicant materials of that Job Opening; hiring Managers do not have access to communicate with an Applicant or view sensitive Applicant Data

HL0 Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when University Staff Short Term employees, who have no prior service and are on a Self-Service campus is hired. The Event is used by the employee via eBenefits or Self-Service to enroll for benefits.  (See also eBenefits)

HR Design:
Refers to the new UW-Madison personnel policies that went into effect on July 1, 2015, as directed and authorized by the State of Wisconsin legislature; also see University Personnel System (UPS)

HRS Actuals Distribution:
Refers to the page in HRS where funding can be viewed for an employee's earnings, deductions, and taxes for a particular payroll after payroll post-confirmation processing (and before HRS payroll is posted to the General Ledger)

HRS Module (See Also Module):
Refers to a functional area of the HRS database that stores data, manages and processes transactions, and creates reports.  The HRS modules include:* Absence Management (AM)* Benefits (BN)* Finance (FN)* Human Resources (HR)* Payroll (PY)* Talent Acquisition Manager (TAM)* Time and Labor (TL)"

HU0 Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when FA/AS/LI employees, who have no prior service and are on a Self-Service campus is hired. The Event is used by the employee via eBenefits or Self-Service to enroll for benefits.  (See also eBenefits)

Human Resource System (HRS):
An enterprise data system that administers human resource functions for the entire University of Wisconsin System; major functions or modules include human resources, payroll, time and labor, absence management, benefits, funding, and reporting; became operational April 18, 2011

Human Resources (HR) Module:
HRS Module that stores employee person, position, and job data.  Accuracy of data in this module is central to the proper functioning of all other HRS modules

Hyperion Query (See Also: Brio Query; IR; Interactive Reporting):
A report created using Interactive Reporting software to extract data from multiple sources, e.g., EPM, WISDM, InfoAccess; file extension is ".bqy;" Interactive Reporting, Hyperion and Brio terms are often used interchangeably due to past ownership changes

Top

---

"I" Terms

ICI (Income Continuation Insurance):
A benefit plan that replaces up to 75% of an employee's monthly salary if the employee is unable to work due to injury or illness.

ICI Event:
Benefit Administration Event automatically created once a year for employees eligible to enroll for ICI Deferred Enrollment

IFSS (International Faculty and Staff Services):
An office within OHR that provides employment services to international employees.

IR (Interactive Reporting; See Also Brio; Hyperion):
A suite of enterprise reporting tools used by UW System to create Brio queries; the suite includes a desktop client ("Studio") and a web client; queries found in the online Query Library are built and published with the web client

IUJ (Inter-Unit Journal):
Journal entries related to Unit Transfers, transfers of funds from one campus to another; note that SFS does not have the capability to automatically record journal entries for Inter Unit Transfers

IUT (Inter Unit Transfer):
Transfer of funds from one institution to another

Indefinite Appointment:
An academic staff job with permanent status and for an unlimited term; granted by a chancellor (or president for UWSA) after completing a probationary period

Information Security:
The use of policies, procedures, controls and awareness to help prevent data loss, fraud, and reduce risk

Initial Entitlement:
Sick Leave hours that are granted to Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited appointees at the time they begin WRS eligible appointments; starting 18 months after receiving the allocation, employees begin earning additional Sick Leave each pay period

Institutional Planning Spreadsheet (IPS):
This spreadsheet supports institutions in the compensation administration process involved in implementing institutional pay plans or other pay increases.  Rate adjustment and funding data from this document can be mass uploaded to the Compensation Administration Tool (CAT) for analysis, reporting, editing, and salary line reconciliation.  (See also;  IPS, CAT, Compensation Administration Tool)

Initialization Report (IR):
This report is the first step of the Compensation Administration Tool process.  It exports current job compensation and funding data out of HRS for the next Fiscal Year's budgeted population into an .xls file.  The outputs of this report are used to populate the Institutional Planning Spreadsheet.

Inside Payroll Costs:
Employee benefits costs that are not segregated as such, e.g., paid rest periods and paid leave time

International Faculty and Staff Services (IFSS):
An office within OHR that provides employment services to international employees.

Inter Unit Transfer (IUT):
Transfer of funds from one institution to another

Interactive Reporting (IR; See Also: Brio Query; Hyperion):
A suite of enterprise reporting tools used by UW System to create Brio queries; the suite includes a desktop client ("Studio") and a web client; queries found in the online Query Library are built and published with the web client

Interested Party:
Term used in the Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module to describe individuals other than the recruiter who entered a particular Job Opening or Application to view or modify that Job Opening or Application

Interface to SFS Financials General Ledger:
The process used to share HRS payroll data with the Shared Financial System (SFS) and the General Ledger after payroll post-confirmation processing; general ledger account information for HRS payroll can be viewed in WISDM (Wisconsin Data Mart for PeopleSoft Financials) (See also WISDM)

Inter-Unit Journal (IUJ):
Journal entries related to Unit Transfers, transfers of funds from one campus to another; note that SFS does not have the capability to automatically record journal entries for Inter Unit Transfers

Interview Calendars:
A tool within Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module that allows interviewers to keep track of their interviews with applicants

Interviewer:
An individual working within Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module who can see an application and Job Opening details for a specified Job Opening, but does not have any Approval rights

Its Your Choice Open Enrollment Period (IYC; See Also: ABE; Annual Benefit Enrollment Period; OE; Open Enrollment):
Refers to the Annual Benefit Enrollment period when UW employees can add or update selected benefit plans, add or remove dependents from coverage, and change State Group Health plans.

Top

---

"J" Terms

JEMS (Job & Employee Management System):
One of the data systems that comprise the Job and Employee Management System (JEMS) in place at UW-Madison; used to track human resources transactions such as vacancies, reclassification requests and position descriptions

JEMS Change:
One of the data systems that comprise the Job and Employee Management System (JEMS); used by UW Madison to facilitate the creation and approval of changes to employee data, such as FTE or Probation End Date

JEMS-CHRIS:
One of the data systems that comprise the Job and Employee Management System (JEMS) in place at UW-Madison; used to track human resources transactions for University Staff, such as vacancies, reclassification requests and position descriptions

JEMS CHRIS-HR (Classified Human Resources Information System; JEMS):
One of the data systems that comprise the larger Job and Employee Management System (JEMS) in place at UW-Madison; used to track human resources transactions for University Staff, such as vacancies, reclassification requests and position descriptions; "HR" suffix identifies a modification of the CHRIS system used by larger departments that need an approval hierarchy within the department

JEMS PVL (See Also: Position Vacancy Listing; PVL; PVL/Waiver):
A unique number assigned to each UW-Madison Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited recruitment; a PVL is considered a "waiver" when a full recruitment is not required to be conducted, such as in the case of most zero-dollar positions

JET (Journal Entry Tool):
A custom built journal entry application for HRS-Financials

JIRA:
A web-based system used by the UWSS Service Operations for tracking HRS system issues

JCOER (Joint Committee on Employment Relations)
Committee in the Wisconsin State Legislature primarily in charge of employment regulations, working conditions and insurance

Job:
A collection of data attributes associated with a job title, including but not limited to pay frequency, pay basis, work location, pay rate, recruiting source, etc.

Job Action:
A change to a job record in HRS; e.g. pay rate, title, status, etc. (See also Action and Action Reason)

Job and Employee Management System (JEMS):
Used at UW-Madison to facilitate the creation and approval of specific Personnel Actions, i.e., salary increases, job vacancies, hires, etc.; sends interfaced data to HRS on a regular basis

Job Approval:
An automated workflow process within the Talent Aquisition Manager (TAM) module that is generated during the Job Opening and Job Offer stages, once the opening or offer has been saved and submitted; approvers can approve, deny or pushback the Job Opening or Job Offer

Job Code:
This is a numeric (university staff) or alpha-numeric (faculty, academic staff, limited) code that corresponds to a unique Job Title; e.g., C20NN = PROFESSOR

Job Opening:
A series of pages in Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module that aggregates information for a specific employment opportunity within the UW System

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS):
Bureau of Labor Statistics survey program released in September that produces data on job openings, hires, and separations.

Job Opening Details:
The page within Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module that contains the bulk of the information concerning a specific job offering, such as the Business Unit, Department, Salary Minimum and Maximum, and total FTE

Job Opening Status:
The workflow status in Talent Acquisition Manager (TAM) module for a particular job offering; current Job Opening Statuses include Canceled, Closed, Denied, Draft, Hold, Open, and Pending

Job Postings:
The page within Talent Acquisition Manager (TAM) module that illustrates how a Job Opening will be announced to locations such as the campus' self service careers portal, the campus website, a local newspaper, and external, non-UW job boards

JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey):
Bureau of Labor Statistics survey program released in September that produces data on job openings, hires, and separations.

Journal Entry Tool (JET):
A custom built journal entry application for HRS-Financials

Top

---

"K" Terms

KB (Knowledgebase):
An online library of user procedures and other documentation related to HRS

Key Field:
A field that either by itself or in conjunction with other fields identifies a unique row of data in a relational database.  Key fields are used when creating reports or queries that pull data from multiple tables to ensure an employee's information returned from one table will return information for the same employee from another table.  For example - if a report contains both an employee's unique Empl_ID and their name - the use of the key field (Empl_ID) will tie the employee's Empl_ID from the Job Table to the correct name of the employee from the Person Table.

Key Performance Indices:
Data points used at the management level to evaluate the success of an organization or of a particular activity (such as projects, programs, products and other initiatives) in which it engages

Knowledgebase (KB):
An online library of user procedures and other documentation related to HRS

Top

---

"L" Terms

LAB (Legislative Audit Bureau):
A State of Wisconsin agency that conducts financial and program evaluation audits of other state agencies

LAC (See Also: UWLAC; UW LaCrosse)
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

LH (Legal Holiday):
A paid leave type for nine recognized UW holidays throughout the calendar year, e.g., New Year's Day, Memorial Day

LHU (Legal holiday hours used):
Refers to the number of Legal Holiday hours paid to University Staff in a pay period as either Legal Holiday or Floating Holiday; appears on UW Paid Hours page

LI (Limited Appointee):
A special appointment to a designated administrative position; holder serves at the pleasure of the hiring official; usually involved directly in formulating policy or major programs on behalf of administrative officers

LOA (Leave of Absence):
A period of time in which an employee is approved to be absent from work but remains employed; every leave of absence is defined as paid, unpaid, or intermittent (See also Leave Without Pay,  Paid Leave of Absence, Unpaid Leave of Absence)

LPFSA  (Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Account; See Also:  FSA; Flexible Spending Account):
An employee reimbursement account that allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their payroll check to pre-fund anticipated, eligible vision, dental, and/or dependent care expenses (see also Flexible Spending Account).  Employees must be enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and a Health Savings Account (HSA) (see also High Deductible Health Plan and Health Savings Account)

LTC (Long Term Care Insurance):
A voluntary benefit plan that provides long term health and personal services

LWOP (Leave of Absence without Pay):
A defined period of time in which an employee does not work and is not paid, but is still considered to be employed (See also Unpaid Leave of Absence)

Leave Accrual:
Refers to the process of allocating Earned Leave hours to employees each pay period

Leave Balance:
Number of hours of a particular leave type an employee has left to use in the fiscal or calendar year; calculated as the total number of hours available in the year minus the number of hours used in the year

Leave Conversion:
The process of transferring leave hours from Vacation to Banked Leave

Leave Entitlement:
Referred to in two ways: 1) number of leave hours an employee will have available to use in a year assuming the employee works the entire fiscal or calendar year (depends on employee's Pay Group); 2) Personal Holiday leave that is allocated up-front and not earned over time

Leave of Absence (LOA):
A period of time in which an employee is approved to be absent from work but remains employed; every leave of absence is defined as paid, unpaid, or intermittent (See also Leave Without Pay,  Paid Leave of Absence, Unpaid Leave of Absence)

Leave of Absence without Pay (LWOP):
A defined period of time in which an employee does not work and is not paid, but is still considered to be employed (See also Unpaid Leave of Absence)

Leave Payback:
The process to recoup leave hours paid to an employee who has used more hours than they have earned; paid back when the position ends or at the end of the calendar or fiscal year

Leave Payout:
The process to pay an employee who has earned more leave hours during a fiscal or annual basis (excluding Sick Leave) than has been used when their position is ending

Leave Report:
A personal monthly statement of the number of hours taken for paid time off such as vacation, sick etc for Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees;  See also "Sick Leave Reduction"

Leave Take:
The HRS term for paid time off (vacation, sick, etc.) used by an employee

Legal Holiday (LH):
A paid leave type for nine recognized UW holidays throughout the calendar year, e.g., New Year's Day, Memorial Day

Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB):
A State of Wisconsin agency that conducts financial and program evaluation audits of other state agencies

Limited (LI):
A special appointment to a designated administrative position; holder serves at the pleasure of the hiring official; usually involved directly in formulating policy or major programs on behalf of administrative officers

Limited Purpose Health Care Flexible Spending Account (LPFSA):
An employee reimbursement account that allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their payroll check to pre-fund anticipated, eligible vision, dental, and/or dependent care expenses (see also Flexible Spending Account).  Employees must be enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and a Health Savings Account (HSA) (see also High Deductible Health Plan and Health Savings Account)

LOA Event:
Benefits Administration Event used for employees who go on an unpaid leave of absence.  Benefits Administration will finalize Event automatically.  (See also LOA Report; Benefits Billing)

LOA Report:
A Report automatically generated out of HRS for any employee who is on an unpaid leave of absence who may require monitoring by the campuses.  (See also Benefits Billing; LOA Event)

Location:
A field in HRS denoting where an employee works; used primarily for Worker's Compensation reporting

Long Term Care Insurance (LTC):
A voluntary benefit plan that provides long term health and personal services

Top

---

"M" Terms

MAD (See Also: UWMAD; UW Madison)
University of Wisconsin - Madison

MIL (See Also: UWMIL; UW Milwaukee)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

MSS (Manager Self Service):
A component of HRS that allows managers to enter and approve time and absence requests for their employees

Manage Applicants:
A page within Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module that allows TAM Administrators to view, modify, and take action on applicant information

Manage Hires:
A page within the Talent Aquisition Management (TAM) module where applicants appear that have been prepared for hire; within this page, an HR Administrator completes the hire and the applicant's information is imported into HRS

Manager Self Service (MSS):
A component of HRS that allows managers to enter and approve time and absence requests for their employees

Mapped Drive / Shared Drive:
A shortcut to a drive that's physically located on a different computer, typically a server designated for storing data.

Miscellaneous Event (MSC Event):
A type of Benefit Administration Event that is triggered by rows added to an employee’s Job Data records; (See also MSC Event Evaluation Report)

MSC Event Evaluation Report:
A report generated from HRS job actions listing all employees who may potentially need counseling on new or changing benefit enrollment opportunities.  E.g. Employees who are moving from one Benefit Program to another such that they are gaining benefits, losing benefits, or have a change in rate structure. (See also Miscellaneous Event)

Module (See Also: HRS Module):
Refers to a functional area of the HRS database that stores data, manages and processes transactions, and creates reports.  The HRS modules include: Absence Management (AM), Benefits (BN), Finance (FN), Human Resources (HR), Payroll (PY), Talent Acquisition Manager (TAM), Time and Labor (TL)

Modifications:
When the UW makes changes to the "vanilla" delivered version of PeopleSoft software in order to meet a specific business need.  Modifications add a layer of complexity to the HRS system and magnifies the cost to maintain and update the system over time.

Multi-Factor Authentication:
Refers to the use of at least two of the following qualities to verify the login credentials of a system end user.   - Something a person knows, e.g., password, PIN, mother's maiden name - Something a person has, e.g., ID badges, physical keys, uniforms, digital certificates - Something a person ""is"" (biometrics, fingerprints, retna scans, etc.)

My Favorites:
Refers to the bookmarking of pages within HRS; similar to standard web browser bookmarks for frequently accessed web pages

Top

---

"N" Terms

Navigation:
Refers to movement between menus, sub-menus, pages and tabs within the HRS system.  Example: Workforce Administration (menu) > Job Information (sub-menu) > Job Data (page) > Payroll (tab)

Network ID:
Unique identifier assigned to you which follows the format "firstname.lastname."

Nonrenewal:
The termination of an academic staff member’s employment at the end of the current contract period because of funding loss, a budget or program decision, or unsatisfactory performance

Non-UW Interviewer:
Refers to a Person of Interest (POI), who does not have an active Job in HRS, but is asked to participate on the Search and Screen Committee for a recruitment

Notice Period:
The minimum length of time required between giving written notice of nonrenewal to an academic staff member and ending their appointment (job or position)

Top

---

"O" Terms

OCI (Office of the Commissioner of Insurance):
The state agency that sets policy and administers insurance plans offered in Wisconsin

OHRD (Office of Human Resource Development)
Provides support and promotes professional development to UW-Madison employees

OHRWD (Office of Human Resources & Workforce Diversity):
The main body that administers or interprets broad Human Resources Policies throughout the UW System, including but not limited to Employee Benefits, Wisconsin Retirement System inquiries, Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity issues

OSER (Office of State Employment Relations):
An office within the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) that has oversight responsibilities for the administration of personnel policies by state government agencies; effective July 1, 2015, UW System and UW Madison have the authority to follow independent personnel policies

OSH: (UWOSH; UW Oshkosh)
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

OTP (One Time Password; See Also Digital ID):
A code that works in concert with a username and password to authorize an HRS user for a single HRS session; a smartphone app or a key fob is used to generate the single-use code

Obamacare:  (See Also: ACA; Affordable Care Act)
The 2010 comprehensive health care reform bill also referred to as the Affordable Care Act.

OE Event:
Benefit Administration Event automatically created once a year in October for employees to make enrollment changes due to the Annual Benefit Enrollment period

Off-Cycle Checks:
Payroll processed outside the normal On-cycle UW payrolls for the purpose of producing a payroll check and/or making corrections to prior payrolls

Office of Human Resources & Workforce Diversity (OHRWD):
The main body that administers or interprets broad Human Resources Policies throughout the UW System, including but not limited to Employee Benefits, Wisconsin Retirement System inquiries, Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity issues

Office of State Employment Relations (OSER):
An office within the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) that has oversight responsibilities for the administration of personnel policies by state government agencies; effective July 1, 2015, UW System and UW Madison have the authority to follow independent personnel policies

Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI):
The state agency that sets policy and administers insurance plans offered in Wisconsin

On-Demand Event Maintenance:
A page in HRS used to trigger the HRS Benefit Administration (Ben Admin) process on an ad hoc basis for specific individuals

One Time Password (OTP; See Also Digital ID):
A code that works in concert with a username and password to authorize an HRS user for a single HRS session; a smartphone app or a key fob is used to generate the single-use code

Open Enrollment/Dual Choice:
See Annual Benefit Enrollment

Operator:
When creating a query in a database, operators help define and narrow the query results based on values you supply.  Operators include:  equal to, less than, greater than, not equal to, between, in list, etc.


Top

---

"P" Terms

PH (Personal Holiday):
A paid leave type that is allocated to eligible employees at the beginning of the calendar (University Staff) or fiscal year (Academic Staff) that can be used much like vacation.  Hours are not carried over into the next year

PKS: (UWPKS; UW Parkside)
University of Wisconsin Parkside

PLT: (UWPLT; UW Platteville)
University of Wisconsin Platteville

PMO (Project Management Office):
An office within the UWSS Service Operations that coordinates and oversees UW System Administration information technology projects and programs

POI (Person of Interest):
A non-UW System employee with data stored in HRS; person is not paid by the UW and does not need reimbursement of expenses from the UW; may include consultants, emeritus faculty, some work study students, non-UW interviewers or non-UW time approvers

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization):
Type of health insurance plan that allows subscribers to choose their own doctor but provides a higher level of benefit for those utilizing a specified network of doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers

PS (PeopleSoft):
An enterprise information system licensed by Oracle used as the foundation of UW System Administration's Human Resources System (HRS)

PVL (Position Vacancy Listing; PVL/Waiver) :
A unique number assigned to each UW-Madison Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited recruitment; a PVL is considered a "waiver" when a full recruitment is not required to be conducted, such as in the case of most zero-dollar positions

PY (Payroll Module):
HRS module that pulls paid hours, requested absences, funding information, calculates benefits deductions, and then generates payroll checks to compensate University of Wisconsin employees

Paid Leave of Absence:
A defined period of time in which an employee does not work;  the employee still receives some or all of their pay and is still considered to be employed

Pagelet:
A block of content located on the home page of HRS that display information or report outputs.  The pagelet used by the UW is called the Workflow Exception Dashboard (or WED) and it provides HRS end users with reports that require immediate attention.  See also "WED" or "Workflow Exception Dashboard"

Participating Employer:
A term used for any State of Wisconsin employer covered under the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)

Part-time:
Personnel term referring to an employee who is scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week

Passive Events:
Automated Benefit Events created for the purpose of moving employees between Benefit Plans; These Events are created and processed by a scheduled program and are not triggered by changes to Job Data or created manually by a Benefit Administrator

PAY Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when pay rate changes are made in HRS.  Benefits Administration will automatically finalize Event and no action is required by Benefit Administrators.

Pay Basis (Frequency):
This HRS term defines how often an employee is paid. Examples include annual, lump, and hourly

Pay Calendar:
A pay calendar is used to schedule the payroll cycles for a pay group. Each entry on the pay calendar corresponds to a specific pay period, defined by its begin and end dates

Pay Group:
A pay group gathers a set of employee records for payroll processing. It is established in each job record for an employee and denotes separate payroll parameters such as pay period begin and end dates and pay check dates. It is also used to default earnings codes for payments generated from the compensation tab in the job record and is important in establishing the correct income code for foreign nationals

Pay Rate:
A term used to describe an individual's hourly, monthly, or annual compensation.

Pay Status:
A field in HRS used to denote whether an employee is receiving payment for hours worked or paid leave; does not include an employee on a leave of absence without pay, on layoff, serving a suspension without pay, or receiving income continuation or worker’s compensation benefits

Payable Time:
This term describes an employee’s reported hours and paid absences that have been approved by their supervisor, processed by Time Administration, and are now ready to be loaded into the payroll

Paycheck Stubs/Direct Deposit Advices:
An electronic form of earning statements

Payline:
Record of earnings or deductions for an individual employee for a specific pay period

Payroll (PY):
HRS module that pulls paid hours, requested absences, funding information, calculates benefits deductions, and then generates payroll checks to compensate University of Wisconsin employees

Payroll Calculation and Confirmation:
The HRS business process responsible for finalizing employee payroll paychecks for each biweekly pay period

Payroll Confirmation:
HRS business process that finalizes employee payroll checks each biweekly pay period.

Paysheets:
Page in HRS that holds all data for an employee used in the payroll calculation process including paid hours, absence requests, insurance premium deductions, garnishments, taxes, etc.

Pending Approvals:
Used in the Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) module once the initial stage of creating a job offering has been completed

PeopleSoft (PS):
An enterprise information system licensed by Oracle used as the foundation of UW System Administration's Human Resources System (HRS)

Permanent Status:
This term means the rights and privileges attained by an employee upon successful completion of a probationary period or career executive trial period required upon an appointment to permanent or seasonal employment.

Person ID:
This term refers to the unique numeric identifier given to a person in HRS who will not be a paid employee. (See Person of Interest for more information)

Person of Interest (POI):
A non-UW System employee with data stored in HRS; person is not paid by the UW and does not need reimbursement of expenses from the UW; may include consultants, emeritus faculty, some work study students, non-UW interviewers or non-UW time approvers

Personal Holiday (PH):
A paid leave type that is allocated to eligible employees at the beginning of the calendar (University Staff) or fiscal year (Academic Staff) that can be used much like vacation.  Hours are not carried over into the next year

Phishing:
A scam typically carried out through unsolicited email and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites and lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and/or financial information

PLA Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created by HRS for employees who go on a paid leave of absence.  Benefits Administration will automatically finalize Event automatically - no action is required by Benefits Administrators.

Plan Type:
Refers to a set of Benefit Plans that share common attributes in HRS.  Plan Types that begin with the number "1" are health insurance plans and will include all Health, Dental, and/or Vision plans.  Plan Types that begin with the number "2" are Life Insurance plans.  Those that begin with the number "3" are disability plans.  Savings plans begin with "4" and Flexible Spending Accounts or Health Savings Accounts will begin with "6."  Retirement plans begin with the number "7."

POS Event:
Benefits Administration Events automatically created when position changes are made in the system.  This Event may or may not impact benefits. (See also MSC Event Evaluation Report)

Position:
Page in HRS that includes attributes of an employee including Business Unit, Department, Location, Job Code and FTE; used to default specific information into the job record

Position Funding:
Designed to be used when multiple employees are assigned to one Position number and all salary expenses, e.g., earnings, deductions, taxes, should be charged to the same account

Positive Pay Time Reporters:
Employees who must submit hours worked on their timesheet in order to receive pay; hours are not pre-populated based on a schedule; (See also Exception Time Reporters)

Post Confirm:
A period of time after each Payroll Confirm that is used to verify appropriate salary expense funding before paychecks are issued

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO):
Type of health insurance plan that allows subscribers to choose their own doctor but provides a higher level of benefit for those utilizing a specified network of doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers

Preliminary Payroll Calculations (Prelim Payroll Calcs):
After each preliminary payroll calculation during a payroll processing week (refer to UW Payroll Calendar), various queries/reports are run each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of a payroll processing week to determine whether or not an add or change is needed to funding for an employee's job before the Payroll Confirmation deadline

Prevailing Wage Rate:
The amount paid by other employers in the labor market for similar work

Primary Job:
Refers to an employee's main job at the UW (typically the job with the highest FTE) primarily used for reporting purposes

Primary Job Indicator:
Field on Job Data to denote the employee's main job at the UW (See also Primary Job)

Probation:
Personnel term used to denote the period of time for University Staff employees and some employees in management or higher positions that must serve an initial trial period before their jobs are considered permanent

Process Monitor:
A page in HRS that allows end users to access to view, download, and print output reports or logs either on demand or via a batch schedule.

Program Code:
A classification of expenditures, e.g., Student Services, Instruction, Financial Aid

Project Management Office (PMO):
An office within the UWSS Service Operations that coordinates and oversees UW System Administration information technology projects and programs

Process Monitor:
An HRS component found within the People Tools menu of PeopleSoft that allows an authorized user to access information regarding processes as well as access report and query outputs

Punch Exception Timesheet:
A timesheet that is pre-populated with an employee's default Work Schedule, including specific "In" and "Out" times; requires changes only when an employee works a different schedule or requests absences

Punch Positive Timesheet:
A blank timesheet typically used for non-exempt employees where employees submit their "In" and "Out" times each day

Punch Time Reporters:
Employees who must report "In" and "Out" punches for each work shift, as opposed to total hours worked per day; (See also Punch Positive Timesheet)

Push To Hire:
A term used by UW Madison human resources staff that refers to loading new hire data from JEMS to HRS; assumes accurate data has been entered into JEMS Hire and approved

Top

---

"Q" Terms

Query:
A report created by requesting information from the HRS database tables

Query Library:
A web-based repository of pre-written and tested queries to support primarily HR and payroll processes

Query Manager:
A function found within the PeopleSoft-delivered Reporting Tools menu in both HRS and EPM systems; allows authorized users to write and edit custom queries (See also Query)

Query Viewer:
A function found within the PeopleSoft-delivered Reporting Tools menu in both HRS and EPM systems; allows authorized users to run pre-written queries (See also Query; Query Manager)

Top

---

"R" Terms

RFP (Request for Proposal):
A phase at the beginning of a project where vendors or groups are invited to submit potential solutions

RVF: (UWRVF; UW River Falls)
University of Wisconsin River Falls

RBK Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when an employee is returned from short work break.  Benefits Administration will automatically finalize Event.  (See also Benefits Billing; Deduction PrePay)

Reallocation:
Personnel transaction in which the position is assigned to a different job title

Reclass:
See Reclassification

Record:
A table containing one or more rows of data.  Example:  Job Data contains all rows (past, current, and future) for the duration of an employee's employment with the UW.

Reclassification:
Assignment of a filled position to a different employment class based upon a logical and gradual change to the duties or responsibilities of a position or the attainment of specified education or experience by the incumbent such that the duties performed are better described by a new classification title; can result in upward and lateral, as well as downward movement for the position

Recruiter:
An employee who can view and modify aspects of a Job Opening in TAM; has access to manually provision security access for Hiring Managers and TA Coordinators, and can also view ethnic and gender information for applicants; has the most access in TAM outside of the TA Approval Administrator Role

Recruiting Location:
The WI county in which a recruitment is taking place and is displayed when an Applicant searches through Job Openings in TAM

Recruitment Waiver:
Also known as a Waiver Hire, is when a vacancy does not need a public recruitment. Each institution has their own policy on this action, however, it is usually when there is an unexpected or emergency type of vacancy where there is not enough time to go through the full recruitment process.

Rehire:
An Action used to hire an employee back into an existing terminated Empl Rcd on Job Data when there has been a break-in-service

Relational Database:
A database structured to recognize relationships among stored items of information on tables that allows vast volumes of data to be easily located and retrieved in a short time

Reported Time:
Work and paid absence hours an employee has submitted on their timecards that has not yet been evaluated and approved

Request for Proposal (RFP):
A phase at the beginning of a project where vendors or groups are invited to submit potential solutions

Restricted Data:
Data elements associated with a specific individual that are identified and protected by law or standards; includes the following items at UW-System: - Social Security Numbers, - Driver's License numbers or State ID number, - Financial Account numbers, - DNA profile, - Unique biometric data, e.g., including fingerprint, voice print, retina or iris image, - Protected health information, e.g., any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care

Results by Calendar:
A page within the Absence Management Module that details Leave Balances, Takes, adjustments, Entitlements and Accruals by pay period

Retroactive Payroll:
HRS process which calculates certain earnings owed to an individual from the entry of an increase in wages/earnings dating back to previous pay periods; can be done on an individual basis or processed as a mass change

Return from Short Work Break:
An HRS Job Data Action used primarily for academic year (9-month) employees (but can also be used with any other type of appointment) that returns an employee to active status and resumes the generation of earnings and payroll checks

RFL Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when an employee is returned from a leave.  Benefits Administration will automatically finalize Event.  (See also Benefits Billing; Deduction Pre-Pay)

RL1 Event:
Benefits Administration Event used when an employee voluntarily retires in lieu of layoff;  It will be automatically generated and will affect Benefits, Absence Management, and Payroll;  A 5 day lag will delay the finalization of this Event by Benefits Administration before all benefits are ended

Rolling-Horizon Appointment:
Refers to an Academic Staff position that must be extended annually for the term specified in the letter of appointment or other document; term of appointment may be two or more years (one or more years at UW Madison and extended daily); Example: a 3-year rolling-horizon appointment at a non-Madison campus automatically renews every year and entitles the employee to a full three years' notice of nonrenewal; annual renewal can be effective July 1 of each year or on the granting date of the rolling-horizon status, depending on campus policy

Role:
Identifies the level of security access an HRS end user has for a particular menu, page, and field, whether that access is campus specific or organization-wide, and whether access is read only, update, or at the level of correct history.

Row (of data):
Refers to a set of data records stored in a table typically tied to an effective date in order to create a history of data.  Each "row" represents a new effective dated record for an employee

RT1 Event:
Benefits Administration Event used when an employee voluntarily retires;  It will be automatically generated and will affect Benefits, Absence Management, and Payroll;  A 5 day lag will delay the finalization of this Event by Benefits Administration before all benefits are ended

Rules (TL):
Preset parameters in the Time and Labor module used to determine and evaluate components of an employee's reported time

Run Control ID:
A reusable code created by an HRS end user that allows them to set the parameters for running a report or process as well as launch it in the system.  When paired with your Empl_ID and running a report or process, a unique Process Instance is created that can be tracked within the system.

Top

---

"S" Terms

SA (Student Assistant):
An Empl Class designed primarily for graduate students who hold a fellowship, scholarship, or traineeship; usually under the supervision of faculty member; typically paid on the monthly payroll

SFD (Salary Fringe Detail):
An HRS Financials table available through WISDM (Wisconsin Data Mart)

SFS (Shared Financial System):
Shared Financial System (SFS) is a financial database for the University of Wisconsin System.  Modules included in the SFS application are the General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), Purchasing (PO), Asset Management (AM), Project Costing (PC), Commitment Control (KK), Travel and Expense (EX), and the Grants Suite as well as number of bolt-on applications.  The SFS application also has many partner systems with which it interfaces including: the Human Resource System (HRS), the Journal Entry Tool (JET), and the WISDM/WISER data warehouse

SGH (State Group Health):
Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Fund (ETF) administered program that provides health insurance to state employees covered under the Wisconsin Retirement System

SGL (State Group Life):
Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Fund (ETF) administered program that provides life insurance to state employees covered under the Wisconsin Retirement System

SH (Student Help):
Students who typically work part-time in administrative, technical or other support functions on campus; may be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at  UW campus; paid on the bi-weekly payroll

SL (Sick Leave):
Paid time off earned each pay period a University Staff employee has worked, or paid time off accrued for Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited appointees; can be used for personal illness, etc (see campus policy for more information); University Staff employees cannot use this paid time off before it is earned

SME (Subject Matter Expert):
An individual who is well versed in all aspects of a specific topic or process.

SPVI (System Publicly Visible Identifier):
A unique identifier that ties an employee’s records together from the different UW System Identification, Authentication and Authorization sub-systems

SRP (Supplemental Retirement Plan):
Benefit plan that allows an employee to defer a portion of their earnings (pre or post tax) towards a 403(b) retirement plan 

SSA (Social Security Administration):
The federal agency responsible for administering the Social Security retirement and benefit plans.

STP (UWSTP; UW Stevens Point)
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

STO (UWSTO; UW Stout)
University of Wisconsin Stout

SUP (UWSUP; UW Superior)
University of Wisconsin Superior

SWB (Short Work Break):
An HRS Job Data Action used for academic year (9-month) employees as well as seasonal employees that places them into leave status and prevents earnings from generating during short breaks in employment; ensures continuous insurance coverage during the break (See also Deduction Pre Pay)

SWIB (State of Wisconsin Investment Board):
State government agency that manages state trust funds, including the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)

SYS (UWSYS; UW System Administration)
University of Wisconsin System Administration

Sabbatical (Faculty Leave Program):
A UW System professional leave program for Faculty members; purpose is to enable recipients to be engaged in intensive study in order to become more effective teachers and scholars and to enhance their services to the University

Sabbatical Account (See Also: ALRA; Banked Leave):
Eligible employees may elect to convert a portion of their vacation balance that is remaining at the end of the calendar or fiscal year (depends on employee's Pay Group) to this leave account; hours do not expire and can be used at any time or paid out upon termination; formerly known as Sabbatical for University Staff; also referred to as ALRA for Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited Appointees

Salary Cash Transfer:
A custom built menu option in WISDM (Wisconsin Data Mart for HRS Financials) that allows a user to correct funding for previous payrolls

Salary Cost Transfer (See Also: Direct Retro Funding Distribution):
Funding corrections that are retroactive to previous payroll periods; formerly known as Salary Cost Transfer

Salary Encumbrance (See Also: Encumbrance):
A claim against funds; a projection of future expenses for the fiscal year based on the current conditions.  Actual expenses can and often vary from projected expenses.

Salary Fringe Detail (SFD):
An HRS Financials table available through WISDM (Wisconsin Data Mart)

Salary Grade:
A graduated scale or range of compensation used for groups of equivalent occupational positions based on a variety of parameters such as level of difficulty, educational requirements, and responsibilities.

SAV Event:
Benefits Administration Event used to enroll or make changes to Savings Plans.  It must be manually created and processed

SBK Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created when an employee is put on short work break.  Benefits Administration will automatically finalize Event.  (See also Deduction PrePay)

Schedule Query:
An HRS Reporting Tool that allows users to set specific dates and times to run pre-defined queries; most useful when a report is expected to return a large data set and interfere with other system processes

Screening:
A process which multiple-choice questions used to evaluate a list of potential candidates within a Job Opening and narrow it down to a few qualified candidates to be interviewed or hired in TAM

Seasonal Employee:
This is a type of employment for Classified or Unclassified staff who work for a specific portion of the year (e.g. agricultural workers, coaches). Classification, compensation and benefits are the same as for permanent employees.

Search and Screen Committee:
A group of individuals, comprised of UW staff members and non-UW interviewers, who gather to review application materials to determine whether or not an applicant is eligible for the Job Posting they're applying for with the UW

Seasonal Employee:
An employee who works a finite recurring schedule, e.g., works every first semester during registration or summers only; employee is placed on a seasonal leave of absence in HRS when pay should be stopped

Secure Data Handling:
Complying with secure best practices when identifying, viewing, updating, mailing, transmitting, redistributing, storing or disposing of Restricted Data

Self Service:
A function used by UW employees and managers to enter or change certain data elements electronically such as reporting time on timecards, changing addresses, or making certain allowable benefit changes

Sensitive Data:
Institutional data whose public disclosure is restricted by law, contract, University policy, professional code, or practice within the applicable unit, discipline, or profession; records of the University's security measures; institutional data whose value would be lost or reduced by disclosure in advance of the time prescribed for its authorized public release, or whose disclosure would otherwise adversely affect the University financially

Sequence:
See Effective Sequence

Shared Drive / Mapped Drive:
A shortcut to a drive that's physically located on a different computer, typically a server designated for storing data.

Shared Financial System (SFS):
Shared Financial System (SFS) is a financial database for the University of Wisconsin System.  Modules included in the SFS application are the General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), Purchasing (PO), Asset Management (AM), Project Costing (PC), Commitment Control (KK), Travel and Expense (EX), and the Grants Suite as well as number of bolt-on applications.  The SFS application also has many partner systems with which it interfaces including: the Human Resource System (HRS), the Journal Entry Tool (JET), and the WISDM/WISER data warehouse

Short Work Break (SWB):
An HRS Job Data Action used for academic year (9-month) employees as well as seasonal employees that places them into leave status and prevents earnings from generating during short breaks in employment; ensures continuous insurance coverage during the break (See also Deduction Pre Pay)

Sick Leave (SL):
Paid time off earned each pay period a University Staff employee has worked, or paid time off accrued for Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited appointees; can be used for personal illness, etc (see campus policy for more information); University Staff employees cannot use this paid time off before it is earned

Sick Leave Reduction:
A negative adjustment that is made to Faculty, Academic Staff and Limited appointee Sick Leave balances if the employee is missing a monthly Leave Report for any month in the preceding fiscal year (See also Leave Report)

Social Engineering:
Refers to when an attacker uses human interaction and social skills to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems

Social Security Administration (SSA):
The federal agency responsible for administering the Social Security retirement and benefit plans.

Special Accumulators:
Earnings Codes that are grouped together on an employee's payroll check for specific calculations or reporting. (For example, the WRS Special Accumulator groups together the Earnings Codes used to calculate the appropriate Wisconsin Retirement System deduction for an employee. The VLR Special Accumulator groups together the Earnings Codes used to calculate an employee's vacation accrual.)

Standard Hours:
Found on Job Data, this represents the percentage of full-time that an employee works.  A full-time employee is typically expressed as 40 standard hours per week.

Standard Requisition:
A type of job opening that is used for specific jobs or positions that are to be filled.  They require specific data regarding the job opening and are used when there is a fix number of vacancies to fill within the job opening

State Group Health (SGH):
Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Fund (ETF) administered program that provides health insurance to state employees covered under the Wisconsin Retirement System

State Group Life (SGL):
Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Fund (ETF) administered program that provides life insurance to state employees covered under the Wisconsin Retirement System

State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB):
State government agency that manages state trust funds, including the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)

Static Groups:
A unique identifier that contains active employees for viewing, approving and processing Payable Time; controls access to employees primarily on Time and Labor pages; group membership changes when payroll coordinator or approver changes are entered into a Time Reporter's Time and Labor Security page

Student Assistant (SA):
An Empl Class designed primarily for graduate students who hold a fellowship, scholarship, or traineeship; usually under the supervision of faculty member; typically paid on the monthly payroll

Student Help (SH):
Students who typically work part-time in administrative, technical or other support functions on campus; may be undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at  UW campus; paid on the bi-weekly payroll

Summary Hours:
A link on the Timesheet page that allows employees to view non worked hours such as floating holiday; summarizes the hours worked by Time Recorder Code (TRC) for an employee and provides a total of hours reported for the pay period; enables employees to verify they have met their FTE requirement

Summer Prepay (Deduction Prepays):
A process used to take additional months of insurance premiums in advance of an unpaid leave of absence using before-tax payroll deductions. This process is used primarily to pre-pay insurance premiums for 9 month (C Basis) employees who do not work over the summer months but can be used in advance of any type of unpaid leave.  The money is paid out to the insurance company to offset premiums due for each month of absence.  (See also LOA Event; RFL Event; SBK Event; RBK Event)

Supplemental Retirement Plan (SRP):
Benefit plan that allows an employee to defer a portion of their earnings (pre or post tax) towards a 403(b) retirement plan 

Suspense Chartfield:
Represents payroll funding that was missing for part or all of an employee's pay period

System Publicly Visible Identifier (SPVI):
A unique identifier that ties an employee’s records together from the different UW System Identification, Authentication and Authorization sub-systems

Top

---

"T" Terms

TA (Time Administration Process):
A process that runs several times daily and applies Rules to determine if Reported Time should be processed to Payable Time for approval; generates Exceptions for Reported Time that does not pass one or more Rules

TA Affirmative Action:
A TAM Administrator whose security access is similar to a Hiring Manager's, except these individuals also have access to sensitive Applicant Data

TA Approval Administrator:
A role that can only be used in conjunction with the Recruiter role, this allows a TAM user to terminate the approval process for a specific Job Offer or a specific Job Opening; currently has the most access to TAM pages out of any other role type

TA Coordinator:
A specialized TAM user who can view and modify many aspects of a Job Opening; has all of the same access as a Recruiter, except cannot request security access for Hiring Managers and TA Coordinators, clone or approve a Job Opening, or view sensitive Applicant data

TAM (Talent Acquisition Manager Module):
HRS Module that is used to manage the recruitment process at many UW institutions; manages job openings, applications, screening and interviewing, job offers and hires

TII (Targeted Improvement Initiative):
A reporting and analysis project designed to improve reporting and streamline processes for the UWSS Service Operations.

TL (Time and Labor Module):
HRS Module that records and processes employee work hours by applying rules and edits; generates Payable Time which is sent to the Payroll module for processing in the upcoming payroll cycle

TCD (Time Collection Device):
A method of obtaining and storing reported time that a Time Reporter (employee) is authorized to use

TRC (Time Reporting Code):
Codes that define the type of hours being submitted on a timesheet (e.g., REG00 for regular work hours or FLHOL for Floating Holiday)

TSR (Tax Summary Report):
Summarizes an international employee’s GLACIER information

Table:
A collection of data or rows stored in a relational database.  It is the basic unit of data storage for PeopleSoft.  Within a Table, data is stored in rows and columns similar to a spreadsheet.

Talent Acquisition Manager (TAM) Module:
HRS Module that is used to manage the recruitment process at many UW institutions; manages job openings, applications, screening and interviewing, job offers and hires

Target Openings:
A field in the TAM system that displays the number of available openings, (if Limited was selected in the Openings to Fill field; default value is 1) 

Tax Summary Report (TSR):
Summarizes an international employee’s GLACIER information

Template Hire:
A web form used to expedite the hiring process for common hiring situations; for example, the Student Template is used to hire Student Help employees

Termination:
Refers to the HRS Action that ends an employee's position or job

Termination Date:
The first day an employee is no longer active in a position or job (day following last day worked)

Time Administration (TA) Process:
A process that runs several times daily and applies Rules to determine if Reported Time should be processed to Payable Time for approval; generates Exceptions for Reported Time that does not pass one or more Rules

Time and Labor (TL) Module:
HRS Module that records and processes employee work hours by applying rules and edits; generates Payable Time which is sent to the Payroll module for processing in the upcoming payroll cycle

Time Approver:
A person who is assigned to approve Payable Time (hours worked plus paid absences) for one or more employees; assignment is made on the Time and Labor Security page

Time Collection Device (TCD):
A device, such as a time clock, that is used to record an employee's hours worked using 'In' and 'Out' punches

Time Off With Pay:
An employee benefit category that includes paid leave time (vacation, holidays, sick leave), meal periods, and other miscellaneous leave for which an employee is compensated

Time Reporting Code (TRC):
Codes that define the type of hours being submitted on a timesheet (e.g., REG00 for regular work hours or FLHOL for Floating Holiday)

TL1 Event:
Benefits Administration Event used when an employee terminated due to a layoff;  It will be automatically generated and will affect Benefits, Absence Management, and Payroll;  A 5 day lag will delay the finalization of this Event by Benefits Administration before all benefits are ended

TM1 Event:
Benefits Administration Event used when an employee voluntarily terminates employment;  It will be automatically generated and will affect Benefits, Absence Management, and Payroll;  A 5 day lag will delay the finalization of this Event by Benefits Administration before all benefits are ended

Top Frequency:
Refers to the Frequency field found on the top of the Compensation tab in Job Data; dictates how the Comp Rate will be interpreted for purposes of calculating earnings in each pay period; e.g., M-calculate a monthly salary based on 12 months (annual-basis employee), 9M-calculate a monthly salary based on 9 months (academic-basis employee), H-calculate earnings on an hourly basis

Total Compensation:
The complete reward/recognition package for employees, including all forms of salary, benefits, services and in-kind payments

Transfer:
An HRS Action when an employee ends one job and starts another within the UW System without a break-in-service (a 2-day weekend does not constitute a break-in-service); on the Effective Date of the Transfer Action, the former job becomes inactive and the new job becomes active; the same Empl Record is used, and there is no action of Termination of the first job; NOT used for concurrent hires

Triggers:
HRS mechanisms that the system will use to automatically 'detect' data changes where a recalculation is required

TX1 Event:
Benefits Administration Event used when an employee terminates due to a transfer;  It will be automatically generated and will affect Benefits, Absence Management, and Payroll;  A 5 day lag will delay the finalization of this Event by Benefits Administration before all benefits are ended

Top

---

"U" Terms

UAT (User Acceptance Testing):
A process wherein a subset of end-users perform job functions in a test environment before a new process or module is made available to all users in the live system

UIA (University Insurance Association Insurance Plan):
A decreasing term life insurance plan mandatory for Academic Staff employees; deductions occur once per year on the October Payroll (10M)

UPS (University Personnel System):
Refers to the direction by the State of Wisconsin legislature to develop two distinct new personnel systems: one for all UW-Madison employees ("HR Design") and one for all other UW System employees (UPS); both systems went into effect on July 1, 2015

UWS (University of Wisconsin System):
One of the largest public higher education systems in the country; made up of 13 four-year universities, 13 freshman-sophomore college campuses, and statewide UW-Extension

UWSA (University of Wisconsin System Administration):
Organization that develops the policies for all the University of Wisconsin System institutions.

UW Colleges:
Refers to the two-year colleges within the University of Wisconsin System

UWADM:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Administration.  (See also UWSYS)

UWCOL:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Colleges.

UWEAU:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Eau Claire institution.

UWEXT:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Extension.

UWGBY:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Green Bay institution.

UWLAC:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-LaCrosse institution.

UWMIL:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Milwaukee institution. 

UWMSN:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Madison institution.

UWOSH:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Oshkosh institution. 

UWPLT:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Platteville institution.

UWPKS:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Parkside institution.

UWRVF:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-River Falls institution.

UWSTO:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Stout institution.

UWSTP:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Stevens Point institution.

UWSUP:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Superior institution.

UWSYS:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-System Administration.

UWWTW:
Business Unit Code in HRS to denote UW-Whitewater institution.

UCT Event:
Benefit Administration Event used for FA/AS/LI (Unclassified) Employees who are enrolled in ICI but are no longer eligible for Supplemental; Supplemental coverage will terminate when the Event is finalized

UIA Event:
Benefits Administration Event automatically created each October to re-enroll or un-enroll employees into the University Insurance Association (UIA) Benefit Plan based on eligibility rules.  It can also be manually entered if the Benefit Administrator needs to re-instate an employee's UIA Benefit Plan due to a termination in error

Unclassified:
Retired term no longer used by the University.  (See FA / AS / LI, Faculty, Academic Staff, Limited Term Appointee)

University Insurance Association (UIA):
A decreasing term life insurance plan mandatory for Academic Staff employees; deductions occur once per year on the October Payroll (10M)

University of Wisconsin System (UWS):
One of the largest public higher education systems in the country; made up of 13 four-year universities, 13 freshman-sophomore college campuses, and statewide UW-Extension

University Personnel System (UPS):
Refers to the direction by the State of Wisconsin legislature to develop two distinct new personnel systems: one for all UW-Madison employees ("HR Design") and one for all other UW System employees (UPS); both systems went into effect on July 1, 2015

Unpaid Leave of Absence:
A defined period of time in which an employee does not work and does not receive pay;  the employee is still considered to be employed (See also Leave of Absence Without Pay)

User Acceptance Testing (UAT):
A process wherein a subset of end-users perform job functions in a test environment before a new process or module is made available to all users in the live system

User Principal Name (UPN):
A login ID that follows an email address format (Example:  "firstname.lastname@uwss.wisconsin.edu")

User ID:
A unique number assigned to a Person of Interest (i.e. a person within the HRS database who does not have an employment relationship with the UW.)

Top

---

"V" Terms

VC (Vacation Carryover):
A paid leave type that refers to vacation hours earned and not used in the prior calendar or fiscal year (Unversity Staff earn vacation per calendar year, FA/AS/LI employees have vacation allocated by fiscal year); hours must be used within a certain amount of time, as defined by campus policy

VLR:
Refers to the number of total hours and days paid to an employee in a pay period; appears on UW Paid Hours page and is used to calculate leave accruals

VN (Vacation):
A paid leave type allocated to eligible employees at the time of initial appointment and at each new calendar or fiscal year; hours remaining will become Vacation Carryover at the beginning of the next year

VoIP (Voice Over IP):
Technology that enables phone calls to be made using an internet connection rather than telephone lines.

VPN (Virtual Private Network):
A network that provides a secure communications mechanism for data between personal or public networks and the UW internal network.

VSIP (Voluntary Separation Incentive Program):
Limited-time employment separation incentives to eligible employees, as authorized by campus chancellors in order to achieve specific institutional budget objectives

Vacation (VN):
A paid leave type allocated to eligible employees at the time of initial appointment and at each new calendar or fiscal year; hours remaining will become Vacation Carryover at the beginning of the next year

Vacation Carryover (VC):
A paid leave type that refers to vacation hours earned and not used in the prior calendar or fiscal year (Unversity Staff earn vacation per calendar year, FA/AS/LI employees have vacation allocated by fiscal year); hours must be used within a certain amount of time, as defined by campus policy

Variable Fringe Rate:
Percentage rate established by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and applied to wage adjustments to represent the cost of variable fringe benefits; comprises the employer’s contributions to: the Wisconsin Retirement System, State Group Life insurance benefits, Social Security and Medicare taxes

Virtual Private Network (VPN):
A network that provides a secure communications mechanism for data between personal or public networks and the UW internal network.

Voice Over IP (VoIP):
Technology that enables phone calls to be made using an internet connection rather than telephone lines.

Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP):
Limited-time employment separation incentives to eligible employees, as authorized by campus chancellors in order to achieve specific institutional budget objectives

Top

---

"W" Terms

WDC (Wisconsin Deferred Compensation):
A 457 retirement savings plan for UW System employees

WED (Workforce Exception Dashboard):
A pagelet/portal on the HRS homepage created for authorized HRS users to quickly identify records with errors that need to be rectified in a timely manner to prevent downstream impacts

WISDM (Wisconsin Data Mart):
A custom built tool used to report from Shared Financial Systems (SFS).  See also Shared Financial Systems

WRS (Wisconsin Retirement System):
A state program administered by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board that provides retirement, disability, and death benefits to state employees and retirees (See also SWIB)

WTW: (UWWTW; UW Whitewater)
University of Wisconsin Whitewater

Waiver Hire:
Also known as a Recruitment Waiver, is when a vacancy does not need a public recruitment. Each institution has their own policy on this action, however, it is usually when there is an unexpected or emergency type of vacancy where there is not enough time to go through the full recruitment process.

Web Clock:
A web-based method of time entry that can be used to report hours worked using In and Out punches; punch time is automatically recorded on the employee's timesheet

Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC):
A 457 retirement savings plan for UW System employees

Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF):
A state government agency that administers the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), State Group Health Insurance, State Group Life Insurance, and Income Continuation Insurance for Wisconsin State, Local, and UW System employees and retirees.  This agency is responsible for determining benefit levels, interpreting and establishing policy, and setting insurance premium rates

Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS):
A state program administered by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board that provides retirement, disability, and death benefits to state employees and retirees (See also SWIB)

Wisconsin Data Mart (WISDM):
A custom built tool used to report from Shared Financial Systems (SFS).  See also Shared Financial Systems

Workgroup: A group of people within HRS that share some of the same job attributes within the Time and Labor module.

Workflow:
A series of tasks within HRS that are routed to multiple supervisors/managers for approval.

Work Schedule:
Expected work hours that can be assigned to employees to pre-populate the timesheet

Work Study Awards:
Financial awards that are part of a federally funded need-based program in which the government and employer share the payroll cost of employing a student; employee is paid via payroll checks for work performed as part of a Student Hourly position

Workflow Exception Dashboard (WED):
A pagelet/portal on the HRS homepage created for authorized HRS users to quickly identify records with errors that need to be rectified in a timely manner to prevent downstream impacts

Workgroups:
Used in Time and Labor to group similar employee types which allows HRS to apply a common set of Rules and Time Reporting Codes (TRCs) to Reported Time for each employee in the group

Working Title:
A specific name added to an employee’s official job title; an extra piece of data to distinguish between people who have similar job titles within an organizational unit; example:  Job Title: Assistant Professor, Working Title: American History

WRS Separation Benefit:
A lump sum WRS benefit payment taken by an employee who terminates employment with the UW; typically these employees have not worked long enough to be eligible for a WRS annuity

Top

---

"XYZ" Terms

YTD (Year-to-date):
Describes an employee’s earnings, deductions, leave entitlements, etc. from the beginning of a calendar year up to a specific pay period

Year-to-date (YTD):
Describes an employee’s earnings, deductions, leave entitlements, etc. from the beginning of a calendar year up to a specific pay period

Top