WorkForce Help Centre
How to Add and Edit Employees in WorkForce
This article was update in September 2021 to reflect the new Manage Employees page.
How to add a new employee into WorkForce People.
The details inserted into the Employees section in WorkForce can be used for all the different WorkForce software modules.
Note: To create Employees in WorkForce, your user account must have Administrator permissions for WorkForce People. If you are a WorkForce Administrator, navigate to the ‘Manage Users’ section in WorkForce to provide yourself with Administrator permissions for WorkForce People, by selecting WorkForce People in the modules drop down menu and select the relative Administrator checkbox for your user account.
To create Employees in WorkForce, ‘Launch’ WorkForce People and click on the Employees’ section from the left-hand side menu.
Next, click ‘Add’ in the menu that appeared after clicking on the Employees’ section.
After pressing add, the below will appear:
Enter the necessary fields (marked by an *) and click on the “Create New Employee” button.
Note: The ‘List’ option is available to see all employees inserted into the system, and on page load, WorkForce People Administrators have the option to edit employees.
At this point, another page will promptly follow, allowing you to input all the other data. As per below:
The new features of the ‘Manage Employees’ includes a sidebar on the left-hand side containing the most relevant information about that specific employee (as quick reference) and the whole page was redesigned, grouping together related data fields.
How do I terminate an employee?
To terminate an employee, you have to go to that specific employee, click on ‘Edit/View’, and in the General Information tab (as per above screenshot) at the bottom of the page, click on the ‘Update’ under the ‘Employment Periods’ section:
Simply insert the Termination Date in the appropriate box and click save.
Product Links
Linked products represent the software modules which the Employee has been licenced for.
Products that show up in colour indicate that the employee has a licence assigned for that product, and products which are greyed out are not assigned to that employee.
Required tabs and fields
Based on the Product Licences selected, some Tabs and Fields will be marked as required. Tabs titles will change to red, and fields titles will change to bold and an (*) will appear next to them. In addition, underneath the fields that the system will also show a ‘field is required’ note as shown below:
Saving Employee data
After entering all the required fields (as a minimum requirement), click the ‘Save’ button shown below on the bottom, right-hand side of the screen. If further intervention is required, Warnings or Errors will appear.
Warnings and Errors
After Saving an employee’s details, the system will validate the data entered the system, and if further intervention is needed, the system will notify you with:
– Errors: Meaning that one or more changes to the populated content is required to the Employee’s data as it was not inserted correctly. Failing to correct Errors will result in the loss of the populated data unless corrected and saved.
– Warnings: Meaning that you might want to check the information inserted, as it may require correct formatting.
Errors and warnings will appear at the top right-hand side of the page and will guide you on what needs to be updated accordingly.
How to give access to the employee to log into WorkForce?
For an employee to be able to log into WorkForce, the employee needs to be linked to a user. That user is usually the employee per se.
There are three options on how to link a user:
The ‘Manage Users’ section allows for administrators to invite or add users to use the software, as well as to provide permissions to users. Each product has its own set of permissions which will allow product-specific roles.
Users can be added or invited via the 2 blue buttons on the top, right-hand side of the page. Hovering over these buttons will indicate the function of each button.
The options available from the ‘Manage Users’ section to add users to the system are:
Option 1: Invite User – With this option, an administrator can provide the system with a First Name, Last Name and Email address. After inserting and saving this information the invited user will receive an email where they will need to click on the call-to-action button to verify their email address, after which they will be prompted to create a password, confirm their password and finally, they will be able to login.
Option 2: Add User – With this option, an administrator can provide the system with a First Name, Last Name, Email address and Password. After inserting and saving this information, the added user will receive an email and can get started by clicking the call-to-action button within the email to proceed to login. It is advised that when adding a user, you provide them with the password you created for them.
New Option 3 – Allows you to link users from the ‘Manage Employees’. This is a new function we have added to the side bar when creating/editing an employee.
As you can see from the above example, Mary Duncan is linked to user Gorg Borg. However, employees can be linked with themselves as well. Information to understand the difference between a user and an employee can be found here: https://workforce.com.mt/docs/what-is-the-difference-between-a-user-and-an-employee/
How can an Administrator provide permissions to WorkForce?
For an Administrator to provide permissions for WorkForce and its different software modules, the administrator would need to select the drop-down menu from the ‘Manage Users’ to the far right of the page. After selecting a module from this drop-down menu, the users’ permissions will appear and can be edited accordingly via ticking or unticking the checkboxes next to each user. Information about specific roles is available on the documentation for each software module which can be found here: https://workforce.com.mt/documentation/
Tip: When creating a new organisation, it is essential for the administrator to go to the mentioned page for each product and give themselves ‘Administrator Permissions ‘.
New Users
The invited user will receive an email containing a link to follow, which will take them to the registration screen to fill in the rest of their details. Once submitted, the new user will be linked to the organisation.
Existing Users
The invited user will receive an email containing a link to follow to be able to accept the invitation to join the organisation.
Deleting Users from the system
Any users can be removed from the system, to remove users click the trash can icon next to the name of any user.
Verified Users
If a user has correctly verified their email address, a blue icon will appear under the verified column as an indicator of this. Once a User is linked to an Employee, they will automatically receive access to the Employee Self Service Portal where they will be able to see (based on licenced modules and items pushed to the Employee Portal by the Administrator): The day’s clocking’s, Payslips, FS3s, Team members on Leave for that day, that day’s visits, Upcoming Leave and current tasks assigned.
Linking Employees to Payroll
HR Information Tab
When populating the employee details in the ‘HR Information’ tab, please note that the Civil Status placeholder is independent of the FSS status ‘Employment Details’ tab. The Civil Status is in the ‘HR Information’ tab is kept simply as a record.
Note: Any change made to the employee’s Civil Status during the year will affect the employee’s FS3. For example: when an employee gets married, an administrator would need to update the Civil Status to ‘Married’. Also filling in the Spouse Name and Spouse ID Card as these become required when Status is changed to ‘Married’. At the end of the year the system will automatically generate 2 FS3s as required by law.
Additionally, it is also imperative to include a correct date of Birth when inserting an employee. This is because some payroll items are calculated in relation to the age of the employee (calculation of NI). Failing to do this correctly from the start, would require an administrator to undo any pay runs processed with this employee to be able to correct their date of Birth.
Contract expirty field becomes a requirement if the employment terms of the employee is a definite contract.
Employment Details Tab
In the ‘Employment Details’ tab, there are a number of fields which determine the automated calculations for employees’ payslips. All fields in this section are required.
Working Days section
This section allows the system to know working days for that specific employee.
Employment Details section
– The ‘Employment type’ field is a case in point, as its selection would determine whether the employee’s emoluments would show as Full-time or Part-time in their FS3s.
Note: Should you wish to change the employment type for an employee midway through their engagement, it is important to note that you need first to terminate this employee, then create a duplicate employee with the new Employment Type.
Note: In case of the Employment Type has been inserted in the system incorrectly, WorkForce Payroll enables the Administrator to update the Employment Type by undoing the Finalised Payroll Runs. Kindly refer to the following article for assistance: https://workforce.com.mt/docs/how-to-change-an-employees-employment-type-for-workforce-payroll/
Note: In the case of a Part-time employee whose income is only from your company, you would need to select ‘Full-time (reduced)’ for the employee to be charged at the regular tax rates based on the selection of the FSS Status.
– The ‘Terms’ field is mandatory. This field states the basis on which the employee is employed.
– The ‘Payroll Frequency’ field is mandatory. This field indicates the frequency this specific employee will be paid.
– The ‘Benefit Type’ field is mandatory, you must choose between single or married option, and this will have an affect on when an employee is either sick or injured.
– ‘Average Weekly Hours’ The weekly hours worked by an employee. Unless this employee works fixed hours, you would need to set their ‘Average Weekly Hours’ to 0 (zero) to be able to include their hours in their payslip once payslips have been processed. ‘Average Weekly Hours’ should also be set to 0 (zero) in the case that the employee is paid with an hourly rate and not an annual salary.
Previous Employment Section
– ‘Previous Emoluments’, ‘Previous Tax’, ‘Previous Fringe Benefits’ and ‘Previous Category 1 Car Allowance’ would need to be included from the employee’s last FS3 of the current year, which they would have received from their previous employment for FSS calculations to be made correctly; (The FSS tax system requires to be aware of the earnings made by the employee to date for the year of process).
Mid-Month Payments section
– The ‘Deduct Mid-Month Payments’ option allows for organisations to pay their employees part of their monthly pay (as a percentage or an amount) mid-way during the month. In the event of employees who have direct credit details, the SEPA file can be extracted during the middle of the month with the Mid-Month values inputted in this section.
Other Information section
-Default commission rate field should be used in the case if the company has an agreement with the employee for a specific commission rate.
– The ‘Default Overtime Rate’ field should be used in the case that your company has an agreement for a different overtime rate than the standard set by law.
– The ‘Self-Employed N.I. Amount’ field should be used in the case that a Self-employed worker would decide to pay a different N.I. amount from the regularly calculated amounts; (Typically this would be a higher rate than the rate for those who are not tagged as self-employed).
– The ‘N.I. Reimbursements (%)’ and ‘Tax Reimbursements (%)’ fields should be used in the case that an employee paid more N.I. or Tax in previous months.
– The ‘FSS Exemption Yearly Amount’ field would be used in the case of an employee who is entitled to a tax exemption by government.
-Arrears Tax (%) Employee will receive a Post-Tax Deduction. Arrears Tax can be set up as either Rate (%) or Amount.
Salary Details Tab
Salary Details section
Click ‘Add New Salary History Record’ to insert a Salary. A light box will appear where in some instances, the Salary Type can be selected and the Salary Amount and Date Applicable from are available to be populated. Click ‘Save’ once done to proceed to the next tab.
Note: Employees with Full-Time, Full-Time (reduced) and Part-Time employment, all of which work regular hours, are eligible for an annual salary. In the case of Full-Time (reduced) and Part-Time employment for employees who do not work regular hours, the DataByte WorkForce Administrator would be required to provide the employee with an hourly rate.
Should you start processing payroll with an incorrect salary, the system will not allow you to make updates to a salary as pay runs would have already been processed. Firstly, we recommend that users ensure that they are entering the correct data before processing. If it could not have been avoided, a user would need to undo payroll to before the Date Applicable from, for this salary and to try editing a salary after that point.
15% Overtime Tax section
For assistance on how to setup the 15% Tax on Overtime, kindly refer to the following article: https://workforce.com.mt/how-do-i-enable-a-15-percent-tax-rate-for-the-first-100-hours-of-overtime-for-an-employee/
Direct Credit Details section
This tab allows for an employee’s bank account details to be populated. It is advisable that all fields are filled. And tick the box to ‘Add to payrun SEPA file’ so that when generating the SEPA file each employee who gets paid by bank transfer, receives the salary accordingly.
For several reasons, the employee might request that their wage is split into a few different accounts. WorkForce caters for this as the system supports multiple bank accounts for single employee.
By pressing the Add new Direct Credit Record link you can Add/Edit the Direct Credit details.
Pay run Adjustment Tab
FSS Settings section
The ‘FSS Status’ selected would be based on the wishes of the employee as different selections provide different tax calculation rates.
– A ‘Fixed Tax Rate’ may be applied by populating the field ‘Fixed Tax Rate (%)’ with a percentage.
– The ‘Custom FSS Status Value’ was added to the system to allow for Government Depts. To pay tax according to government schemes and should not be used in cases of regular employment unless specified by the Inland Revenue Dept.
Payrun Additional Settings section
– Deduct N.I. Payments from Salary: Applies National Insurance on employee payslips
– Enable Disability Benefit: Applies weekly National Insurance for the employee only. With this option, the company will not pay any NI on behalf of the employee
– Enforce 10% N.I.: Used in cases where the employee would like to pay 10% N.I. instead of the full rate
– Deduct Maternity Leave Contribution from Salary: Applies Maternity Leave Contributions for the employee
– Add Government Bonuses: Applies Government Bonuses and Allowances for employee (March, June, September, and December)
– Enforce Full Government Bonus: Allows employees who do not work 40-hour weeks to still be paid full government bonus
– Calculate OTx2 on Average Weekly Hours: Only used if the employee is linked to Timekeeper, to calculate Overtime hours according to weekly attendance.
– Holds a Director Position: Applies Director settings for employee
Fringe Benefits section
To add a new Fringe Benefit, WorkForce Payroll requires to have the Category (Assets & Accommodation, Car Benefits or Other Benefits), the Amount to be added per payrun, the Type (Cash, Non-Cash, or Pre-Paid Cash), Start Run Number, Start Year, and Description. The Fringe Benefit can be marked as taxable by selecting the ‘Is Taxable’ checkbox. An End-Run Number and End Year can also be added if required.
To update the amount of Fringe Benefit, set an end date to the current Fringe Benefit and create a new Fringe Benefit from the following Pay run.
Note: It is important to note that only benefits with a Cash type would be added to the Gross Pay of the employee as the rest are non-cash or prepaid by the company.
Note: For ‘Car Benefits’ Fringe Benefits, WorkForce Payroll calculates 50% of the Amount as taxable, and 50% of the Amount as non-taxable, until the maximum cap of €1,170 is reached. WorkForce Payroll automatically calculates the whole Amount as taxable after the maximum cap of €1,170 has been exceeded.
Fixed Payroll Data section
This tab allows for regular adjustments (both fixed additions and deductions, pre or post tax) to be made. This includes commissions, bonuses, pre- and post-tax additions or deductions, custom fields, and other items of this nature. To enter an item, click the ‘Add New Fixed Payroll Data’ link on the bottom of the box, and populate the items that appear accordingly.
Note: Should you need to create additional payroll fields for fixed payroll data or even one-off items, fields can be created from Settings > Field Configuration within the payroll module.
To add a new Fixed Payroll Data, WorkForce Payroll is required to have the Data Field (which includes default system fields as well as additional custom payroll fields), Value to be added per pay run, the Type (Rate or Amount), Start Run Number and Start Year. An End-Run Number and End Year can also be added if required.
To update the amount of a Fixed Payroll Date, set an end date to the current field and create a new Fixed Payroll Date from the following Pay run.
Note: Fixed Payroll Data cannot be updated or deleted if the field has been processed in a pay run. Should you need to update please undo your finalised pay runs in which the fields are included and reprocess the employees.
Note: Should you need to create additional custom payroll fields for fixed payroll data or even one-off items, fields can be created from Settings > Field Configuration within the payroll module.
Pro-rata fixed payroll data adjustments upon termination of employee
If an employee has fixed payroll data, upon termination these will be calculated pro-rata according to the termination date inserted.
The example below shows the Fixed payroll data of an employee:
This employees’ termination date was inputted in the system, upon pressing save, you can notice that a new tab (Termination Information) immediately appears as per below:
This tab will have information such as the fixed payroll data for that specific employee, the original value of the fixed payroll data, the pro-rata value (which will be calculated automatically by the system) and for which affected payroll:
To put these in effect in the payrun, you just need to click the tick box next to each fixed payroll data to select them:
And click the green button: Save pro-rata calculation for the selected fields.
You can immediately notice that these two fixed payroll data were saved, and the original ones now are greyed out meaning cannot be updated/deleted.
And in the payrun range, will let you know details such as which run and when it was worked, plus the email address of whoever inserted the termination date.
Upon pressing request reprocess for the terminated employees, you will immediately notice that these have been adjusted accordingly also in the payrun.
Working Schedule tab
When populating the ‘Working Schedule Details’ section, (based on your HR policies) you can select ‘Use tenant organisation working schedule’ and the ‘Use tenant organisation timekeeper setting’ which would report based on the Working Schedule set up in the WorkForce settings section.
Alternatively, you may set the specific minimum punch-in time and maximum punch-out time per day for the employee (if the ‘Use tenant organisation working schedule’ option is removed) with the option of automatic punch-out (this is not recommended for employees who have the option to work overtime), as well as the option to work night shift which will automatically punchout and punch-in the employee at midnight should they be working a Night Shift.
Note: The ‘Approve Attendance Hours’ option should only be used for employees with an hourly rate or working flexible hours. Please see the Data Processing section of this manual for more information.
Note: The ‘Approve Break Hours’ function allows you to approve break hours individually.
After populating all necessary data, click the ‘Save’ button and check to ensure that there are no errors to ensure that the employee has been inserted into the system.
Leave Information tab
-The ‘Calculate Leave according to days worked in year’ function is typically used for companies with a high employee turnover, since it calculates leave entitlement according to the number of days worked till the booked leave date/s.
The ‘to edit any employee leave values please click here’ link automatically takes you to the page Leave>Setup>Employee Leave in the WorkForce Leave so that you can edit accordingly.
Important: After inserting all the information required for Payroll purposes, you can now go ahead and link the payroll just by clicking on it, and it automatically saves all the information. Or another option is, fill out the required fields, press save and link after.
Should you wish to read about how to remove an employee from WorkForce payroll click on this link: https://workforce.com.mt/docs/how-to-remove-an-employee-from-workforce-payroll/
Linking Employees to WorkForce Timekeeper
When linking employees to the WorkForce Timekeeper module it is necessary to populate the Badge Id. (Punch Clock Number). This field is found in the General Information tab, under the General Information. Although this number can differ from the Employee Number, we advise they are the same number to avoid unnecessary confusion.