Release Summary
Whilst the latest release brought new features, today's update focuses on Quality of Life updates.
Apart from the improvement of the user experience and minor fixes, Buddy is introducing a new UI Module for cloud-based punch-clock integrations such as ZKTeco and Time Moto
The full release notes can be read below.
Release Notes
User Experience
The main highlight of this release is small but significant improvements across multiple features.
- Update: When loading the Leave Balance page, Buddy will no longer default to the year filter (which checks balances at the end of the current year). Instead, it will use today's date to show a more realistic picture.
- Update: Improved the Search feature in the People page to ignore extra spaces.
- Update: Improved the flow of adding multiple employees in a row to avoid unintentionally skipping some personal details.
- Fix: The effective overtime rates in the Salary Details will now show the correct rate for employees working less than 40 hours per week.
- Update: When updating salary, users will now be restricted to a date before the termination date, if applicable.
- Update: During the Setup stage, incomplete profiles will no longer be counted towards the People target.
- Update: During the Setup stage, the postcode will no longer be required to complete an address.
- Update: Updated the Carryover Banner visual and linked information for better clarity
- Update: When reviewing integration changes (such as BambooHR changes to employee profiles), users can now click 'Go Back' without relying on browser buttons.
- Update: Clicking 'Un-Archive' on an archived company will immediately unarchive it, without requiring a refresh.
- Update: When inviting an employee, an "Invite Sent" status will temporarily replace the invite button. This will prevent users from double-clicking and sending multiple invites at once.
- Update: Updated the Portal Access toggle button in both FS3s and Payslips page to align to the column width, reducing potential misclicks.
Integrations
Integration settings with cloud-based punch-clocks like TimeMoto and ZKTeco, can now be fully managed and customised through the Integrations User Interface. We've also made a few enhancements to the Workforce Integration
Punch Clocks
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Add Clock
- Add multiple punch-clocks with custom names, unique Serial Numbers and allocate these to pre-set Work Locations
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Skip Double Punches
- Most punch clocks should already have features that reduce the possibility of double punches. When enabled through Buddy, Buddy will ignore any double punches to reduce errors
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Automated Breaks Setup
- Add automated breaks after timesheets of a specific shift duration.
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Round Timesheet Minutes
- Timesheets can be automatically rounded, e.g. to the closest 5 minutes
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Round Timesheet Time-In
- Time-in can be preset to round to a later scheduled time on specific weekdays automatically. In the above screenshot, Monday - Thursday time-ins would be automatically rounded to 8:00 am, even if the employee punched in at 7:33 am.
Workforce Integration
- Fix: Re-enabled connection to Workforce, as well as reconnection
- Update: Updated the way integration settings are stored. If the integration is disconnected and re-connected, the previous settings will now remain
Advisor Related Updates
These two changes are relevant to Advisors managing multiple clients on Buddy.
- Update: The client list is now sorted by status so that companies in Setup mode show at the top, and archived companies appear at the last of the list.
- Fix: When Advisors create new clients, the Pay Schedule will be saved immediately alongside the company creation, prior to getting to the Getting Started page
Pay Period
The first pay period is crucial to start on the right foot. We have resolved two issues relating to the creation of pay periods.
- Fix: Resolved an issue where if new companies moved their first pay period to previous years, the year did not update automatically.
- Fix: Resolved an issue where pay periods started from 0th instead of 1st period
Employee/Manager Portal
- Update: If an employee is terminated, based on the company's settings, they will still be able to input timesheets for the period in which they were employed.
- Update: Managers will now be able to access timesheets for terminated employees
Other
- Update: Users can now allocate employees to Pension Groups even if they do not qualify for all auto-enrolment criteria.
- Fix: Resolved an issue allowing employees with View-only permissions to edit termination dates and access the Re-hire button.
- Fix: Resolved a particular issue where Processing Timesheets for employees with Mixed Salaries and Sundays (included in the basic) inflated the total earnings by 0.5 of the hourly rate for each Sunday.