Preparing for Workforce Management rollout in PeopleXD

The following departments are currently using PeopleXD to manage leave, sickness and other absences, they were originally involved in the pilot programme.

• Assurance Directorate 
• Faculty of Classics
• NDM
• University HR
• People and Organisational Development (POD)

We have planned a three-wave rollout to gradually introduce the new features across the University. We categorised departments, units, faculties and administrative areas into the waves, based on their preparedness and current leave recording methods. Considerations included existing contracts and factors that may add complexity, such as unique leave requirements, approvals processes or specific contractual terms for certain staff groups.

• Wave 1 - Launching the Leave and Absence functionality only on 1 October 2024, for the following departments:
  • MPLS: MPLS Divisional Office; Begbroke Directorate; Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Doctoral Training Centre; Earth Sciences
  • MSD: Biochemistry; Experimental Psychology; Sir William Dunn School of Pathology
  • Social Sciences: Social Sciences Divisional Office; Archaeology; Blavatnik School of Government; Economics; Education; Law; OSGA; Oxford Internet Institute; Said Business School & OSBS Ltd.; Social Policy and Intervention
  • Reuben College
• Wave 2 - Launching Leave & Absence and Timesheets in February 2025. Departments for this wave will be confirmed with key contacts and listed on this webpage in September 2024.
• Waves 3 and 4 - Launching in June and October 2025. Departments for these waves will also be confirmed with key contacts and listed on this webpage in September 2024.

The below timeline outlines key activities and deadlines for each wave, making it easy to understand the rollout plans at a glance.

Our project team will work with your department's HR team to manage the preparatory steps for the rollout. Each wave involves:

1. Engagement and timeline confirmation: The project team will confirm readiness and address queries.
2. Initial data preparation: HR will complete a questionnaire to understand data requirements.
3. 'Work Group' management: Assistance with tidying Work Groups and assigning relevant and appropriate managers.
4. Detailed data preparation: The project team will provide templates for capturing departmental working patterns and other details.
5. Creation of reference data: Data will be uploaded to PeopleXD, and HR teams will receive guidance on running data quality reports.
6. Training and communications: The project team will provide guidance for HR administrators, managers, and staff on the new functionality, along with communication materials to cascade more widely.

The project team will be available to guide and assist throughout all steps.

Current training, guidance, and briefing sessions issued for departments will be linked here as the rollout progresses. 

1. To see a quick overview of the annual leave and absence functionality, refer to our short promotional videos designed for HR, Managers and Employees, which have also been added to the HR Self-Service webpages. 
   • Employee - Request annual leave  
   • Employee - Complete sickness absence
   • Manager - Approve leave
   • Manager - Record sickness absence
   • HR - Record sickness absence
   • HR - Balance Adjustment  

2. Workshops for Wave 1 departments on 'Managing Work Groups' took place in July 2024.
3. Existing guidance for departments already live with these features has been incorporated into standard guides, such as appointing, found at: https://hrsystems.admin.ox.ac.uk/new-appointments. Additional guidance is also available at: https://hrsystems.admin.ox.ac.uk/hr-self-service-guidance. Further updates will be made as necessary. 
4. Additional training in the form of instructional videos and 'How-To Guides' have been created and there is more to come for online timesheets. 
   • New eLearners for HR staff can be found on the HR Systems training webpages. 
   • New eLearners for Managers staff can be found in the Manager HR Self-Service guidance.

To help departments keep on track we have developed some checklists:

Before the rollout

Tasks for HR staff

During the rollout

Key activities and checkpoints 

The FAQs below relate to the rollout plans only. Questions relating to the system functionality and processes are answered on the corresponding HR Systems guidance pages, as referenced above. 

1. Which wave is my department in? 

Please refer to the ‘Rollout schedule’ dropdown above for further details. 

2. Can I change the wave in which my department will go live with the new functionality? 

We will keep in direct conversation with departments over email and meetings throughout the project lifespan to provide an opportunity to discuss timings. Our aim is for the transition to be as convenient as possible for departments, and therefore welcome proposals from departments who may wish to go live earlier or later than initially considered in planning. 

3. I can’t see my department in the rollout timeline, why is this? 

The project team is still engaging directly with some departments to determine an appropriate go-live schedule, or to clarify existing data requirements and processes. Check with your department's nominated key contact for this project for further details. If your department is still unclear, please email workforcemanagement.project@it.ox.ac.uk. 

4. What communications are being planned to accompany the rollout launches? 

The project team will issue communications on the overall project in key university channels such as Cascade and HR Bulletin, as well as update at divisional and HR systems briefings. There will also be a comms toolkit for use inside departments, which will include posters, email templates, and FAQs. 

5. My department is currently using Teamseer; how will this affect the rollout and transition? 

The project team will coordinate with you to ensure a smooth transition from Teamseer to PeopleXD:

1. License coordination: We will collect details on your Teamseer license and end date to align rollout timings and license extensions, ensuring no disruption in your leave and absence logging.

2. Data transition: Before going live with PeopleXD, the project team will help store or upload data exported from Teamseer.

3. Guidance materials: We will provide materials comparing Teamseer and PeopleXD, highlighting differences and similarities to help your colleagues adjust to the new system.