Announcements Archive
Announcements and Changes (July 2019 – August 2023)
Georgetown Management System (GMS) Service Advisory, Mar. 10 – 11 [UPDATE COMPLETED]
The Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable from Friday, March 10, 2023 at 9 p.m. EDT to Saturday, March 11, 2003 at 5 p.m. EDT, in order to implement Workday’s semi-annual system update. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for Georgetown employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post progress updates to the GMS website.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS. For more details about these changes, please review the Employee Quick Reference Guide (new window).
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the UIS Service Center.
December 2022 – Early Payroll Processing and Time Entry Deadlines
Dear Colleagues,
With the upcoming holidays and final pay dates for 2022 fast approaching, please be aware of the associated early payroll deadlines. In order for the final payrolls of 2022 to be processed and settled for the Friday, December 30 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- Friday, December 16, 12 p.m.: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the December 12-25 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Friday, December 16, 5 p.m.: GMS transactions (excluding timesheets) fully approved for the December 13-26 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Monday, December 19, 5 p.m.: Time entry/time off requests for hourly employees submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Tuesday, December 20 through Sunday, December 25.
Please visit the 2022 Winter Holiday Calendar and Payroll Procedures (new window)webpage to view additional details about the upcoming holidays and time entry/time off for managers, timekeepers, hourly employees, and employees scheduled to work on a holiday. Step-by-step instructions for submitting timesheets in GMS can also be found in the Holiday Timesheet Procedures Job Aid (new window).
The FY22 payroll calendars are available on the Payroll Services website (new window). Friday, December 30 is the final pay date of 2022 for monthly and biweekly paid employees. As you may recall, this is a change from prior years when the final pay date of the calendar year was the last day the University was open prior to the holiday break. This change in final pay date was implemented in 2021 in order to bring the University into line with industry best practices around pay schedules.
Finally, December 30 is also the third pay date of December, and as such, non-retirement benefit deductions will not be processed from this pay. The first bi-weekly pay date of 2023 is Friday, January 13.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Payroll Services (new window) at payrollservices@georgetown.edu (new window).
Sincerely,
Wade Smith, Jr.,
Director, Payroll Services
Willem Roos
Controller
Open Enrollment Correction Period Ends December 13, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
Open Enrollment for your 2023 benefits officially ended at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 15.
You are now able to (new window)view the benefit plans that will be in effect as of January 1, 2023 by following these steps:
- Log in to gms.georgetown.edu (new window);
- Click on the Benefits app/icon;
- Under “View”, select “Benefit Elections as of Date”;
- Enter 01/01/2023 and click “OK”.
You can view instructions with screenshots here. (new window)
If you did not take any action during Open Enrollment, your current (2022) benefits will remain in place for 2023 with the exception of Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) elections. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that you actively enroll each year if you would like to continue to contribute to these accounts. If you did not enroll in a FSA or HSA during Open Enrollment, your annual contribution as of January 1, 2023 will default to $0.
Need to make corrections to your 2023 benefits? You may do so by submitting an online correction form (new window) on or before Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Remember, changes to your retirement savings are not limited to Open Enrollment and can be made in GMS at any time during the year.
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to continuing to serve you in the year ahead.
Be well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President and Chief Benefits Officer
Update Crucial Tax, Personal and Contact Information (November 2022)
Dear Colleagues,
The university asks employees to take a few minutes each year to review and update important personal and contact information in the Georgetown Management System (GMS).
Key Tax & Contact Information
In order to ensure the accuracy of your W-2 and to improve university communication with employees, we ask that you please review and update your information as needed. You can easily click link-by-link to quickly view and address this information:
Legal name (new window): The name and Social Security Number (SSN) displayed on your last paycheck and in GMS should match the information displayed on your and Social Security Card.
W-2 Paper Copy opt-out (new window): If you wish to receive all future W-2 statements from Georgetown University electronically, you must provide your consent. To make a change, click “Edit” under “Printing Election”.
Home Address (new window): W-2s for the majority of employees will be sent to the Home (Primary) address on file in GMS. The assignment of a usage tag such as Payroll Tax Form, Payroll Form and/or Mailing may deliver your W-2 to an address that is different from your Home (Primary) Address.
Work and Home Contact Information (new window): Please consider providing home and work phone/cell numbers for university use in case of emergency.
Information for your Emergency Contact(s) (new window)
Non-U.S. resident employees will receive a separate communication with tax information reminders.
Personal Information
We invite you to review and update your personal information in GMS at this time. Use the following links to review and update your:
- Personal demographic information (new window)
- Disability status (new window)
- Education history (new window)
While submission of this information is voluntary, we encourage you to review and update information in all three sections. Please consider providing information by Monday, November 21, 2022.
All information provided will be treated in a confidential manner and will help us accurately share aggregate demographic data, upon request, to meet our federal obligations. For more information, see the IDEAA “Self-Identification of Demographic Information” page (new window).
Thank you in advance for your time reviewing this important information.
Sincerely,
Tony Kinslow
Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
University Human Resources
Bisi Okubadejo
Associate Vice President for Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Compliance
Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action
Wade Smith, Jr.
Director, Payroll Services
Open Enrollment: October 14 – November 15, 2022
During Open Enrollment, eligible employees can log into GMS (new window) to enroll or make changes to medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and other voluntary insurance benefits for 2023. Once you log into GMS and submit your final benefit choices, you can go back and make changes as often as you like until 10 p.m. ET on Monday, November 15, 2022. Your benefit changes will take effect on January 1, 2023. If you do not submit any changes during Open Enrollment, your benefits will remain the same with the exception of FSA and HSA elections, which must be made each year or they will default to $0 on January 1, 2023. Visit the benefits website (new window) for more information, resources, support and details about the upcoming Open Enrollment Fairs.
GMS Upgrade on Friday/Saturday, September 9/10 – [COMPLETED]
The Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable from Friday, September 9, 2022 at 9 p.m. EDT to Saturday, September 10, 2002 at 5 p.m. EDT, in order to implement Workday’s semi-annual system update. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for Georgetown employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post progress updates to the GMS website.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS. For more details about these changes, please review the Employee Quick Reference Guide.
Early Payroll and Time Entry Deadlines for Memorial Day (5/30) Holiday
Dear Colleagues,
Please be aware of the early payroll processing deadlines associated with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday ,to be observed on Monday, May 30. In order for the bi-weekly and weekly on-demand payrolls to be processed and settled for the Friday, June 3 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- Friday, May 27 – 10 a.m.: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the May 16-29, 2022 bi-weekly pay period.
- Friday, May 27 – 5 p.m.:
- Time entry submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Friday, May 27, Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29.
- Documents and requests for on demand/off-cycle payments are due to Payroll Services.
- Wednesday, June 1 – 10 a.m.: In order to be included in the off-cycle, on-demand payroll run for the Friday, June 3 pay date, all retroactive transactions must be approved in GMS by this deadline.
The full payroll calendar can be found on the Payroll Services website.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines.
Sincerely,
Wade Smith, Jr.,
Director, Payroll Services
Willem Roos
Controller
Fiscal Year 2022 Close – Key Dates and Deadlines
Dear Colleagues:
As we enter into the closing season of fiscal year 2022 (FY22), we ask that all employees be mindful of several important dates, deadlines and best practices. The full calendar of FY22 fiscal close is available in several formats on the Office of the Chief Financial Officer’s (new window) website.
Below are a few highlights and key dates:
Plan for time off. If you are responsible for approving GMS transactions and will be away in June or July, be sure to delegate your GMS inbox to a colleague. Delegate only to those who cannot initiate the types of GMS transactions that they will be approving. For example, GU-Journal Preparers should not be given authority to approve journals. Information on how to delegate your GMS inbox can be found here (new window).
Plan time for approvals. Deadlines apply to both new transactions and in-process transactions. Even though you will be able to initiate a transaction on the cut-off date, it will not count toward FY22 if it is not approved on the same day. July 18, 2022 is the final day to approve expense reports, supplier invoices, customer invoices and payroll accounting adjustments for posting in FY22.
Procurement Deadlines
- July 11, 2022: Final day to submit FY22 Purchase Order (PO) invoices and Non-PO invoices to Accounts Payable for posting in FY22
- July 18, 2022: Final day to approve FY22 supplier invoices and expense reports
- July 18, 2022: All open POs will be rolled forward into the next fiscal year
- Cost Center Buyers must close small dollar/unused purchase orders that should not be rolled forward by July 6, 2022
- FY23 purchase orders may be initiated now using the current date and will rollover into the new fiscal year on July 18, 2022.
Campus Journal Approval (Posting) Deadlines and Audit Timeline details can be found here (new window).
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the campus finance office for your respective campus.
Willem Roos
Controller
GMS Upgrade on Friday/Saturday, March 11/12 (Update Completed)
From Friday, March 11 at 8 pm EST to Saturday, March 12 at 5 pm EST, the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while Workday’s semi-annual system update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post progress updates to the GMS website.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS. For more details about these changes, please review the Employee Quick Reference Guide.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the UIS Service Center.
IRS Form 1095-C Now Available in GMS
Dear Colleague,
IRS Form 1095 provides information about the health care coverage that you were enrolled in or eligible for during the previous calendar year.
Much like Form W-2 and Form 1099, which include information about the income you received, Form 1095 provides information you may find useful when filing your individual income tax return. You do not submit Form 1095 with your tax return; it is, however, recommended that you keep it for your records.
Paper copies of IRS Form 1095-C have been mailed to the address on file for all those who were eligible for health insurance from Georgetown University in 2021. The form is also available in GMS and can be accessed by following these steps:
- From your GMS (new window) homepage click on the Benefits icon, then select My ACA Forms.
- Select View/Print to view the form. To save the form to your computer or to print, select the Download PDF icon or the Print icon, both located in the upper right hand corner of the window.Dear Colleagues:
- As we enter into the closing season of fiscal year 2022 (FY22), we ask that all employees be mindful of several important dates, deadlines and best practices. The full calendar of FY22 fiscal close is available in several formats on the Office of the Chief Financial Officer’s (new window) website.
- Below are a few highlights and key dates:
- Plan for time off. If you are responsible for approving GMS transactions and will be away in June or July, be sure to delegate your GMS inbox to a colleague. Delegate only to those who cannot initiate the types of GMS transactions that they will be approving. For example, GU-Journal Preparers should not be given authority to approve journals. Information on how to delegate your GMS inbox can be found here (new window).
- Plan time for approvals. Deadlines apply to both new transactions and in-process transactions. Even though you will be able to initiate a transaction on the cut-off date, it will not count toward FY22 if it is not approved on the same day. July 18, 2022 is the final day to approve expense reports, supplier invoices, customer invoices and payroll accounting adjustments for posting in FY22.
- Procurement DeadlinesJuly 11, 2022: Final day to submit FY22 Purchase Order (PO) invoices and Non-PO invoices to Accounts Payable for posting in FY22
- July 18, 2022: Final day to approve FY22 supplier invoices and expense reports
- July 18, 2022: All open POs will be rolled forward into the next fiscal year Cost Center Buyers must close small dollar/unused purchase orders that should not be rolled forward by July 6, 2022
- FY23 purchase orders may be initiated now using the current date and will rollover into the new fiscal year on July 18, 2022.
- Campus Journal Approval (Posting) Deadlines and Audit Timeline details can be found here (new window).
- Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the campus finance office for your respective campus.
- Willem Roos
- Controller
- cc: Faculty, Staff From your GMS (new window) homepage click on the Benefits icon, then select My ACA Forms.
- Select View/Print to view the form. To save the form to your computer or to print, select the Download PDF icon or the Print icon, both located in the upper right hand corner of the window.
There are other versions of Form 1095 you may receive if you were covered by either Kaiser Permanente (1095-B) or a marketplace health insurance plan (1095-A) in 2021. Those forms will come to you directly from your plan’s insurer.
You can learn more about Form 1095 on the benefits website (new window).
Please note that, while the Affordable Care Act mandate requiring individuals to enroll in health insurance or pay a penalty is no longer in effect, DC Individual Responsibility Requirement (new window) mandates most District taxpayers maintain qualifying health coverage, get an exemption or pay a penalty.
Be well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President, Benefits and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
Early Payroll Processing Deadlines for December 2021
Dear Colleagues,
With the upcoming holidays and final pay dates for 2021 fast approaching, please be aware of the associated early payroll deadlines. In order for the final payrolls of 2021 to be processed and settled for the Thursday, December 30 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- Friday, December 17, 12 p.m.: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the December 13-26 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Friday, December 17, 5 p.m.: GMS transactions (excluding timesheets) fully approved for the December 13-26 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Tuesday, December 21, 5 p.m.: Time entry/time off requests for hourly employees submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Wednesday, December 22 through Sunday, December 26.
You may also visit the 2021 Winter Holiday Calendar and Payroll Procedures webpage to view additional details about the upcoming holidays and time entry/time off.
The FY22 payroll calendars are available on the Payroll Services website. Please note, due to the Federal holiday (New Year’s Eve), Thursday, December 30 is the final pay date of 2021 for monthly and biweekly paid employees. This is a change from prior years when the final pay date of the calendar year was the last day the University was open prior to the holiday break. This change was made to bring the University into line with industry best practices around pay schedules.
Finally, December 30 is also the third pay date of December, and as such, non-retirement benefit deductions will not be processed from this pay. The first bi-weekly pay date of 2021 is Friday, January 14.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Payroll Services at payrollservices@georgetown.edu.
Sincerely,
Wade Smith
Director of Payroll
2021 Thanksgiving Holiday Calendar and Payroll Guidelines
Dear Colleagues,
The university Thanksgiving holiday (November 25-26) requires some special considerations for time entry.
As implemented last year, we will automatically submit and approve holiday hours for full-time, hourly employees. Part-time, hourly employees will need to complete their timesheets as indicated below.
Please feel free to submit any questions via the Department of Human Resources help ticket system.
Submitting Timesheets for Full-Time Hourly Employees (100% FTE)
- 16 holiday hours will be automatically loaded and approved for November 25-26.
Submitting Timesheets for Part-Time Hourly Employees (<100% FTE)
- Holiday part-timehours MUST be entered for any holidays for which a part-time employee is scheduled to work on November 25-26.
- Please refer to the Holiday Timesheet Procedures in GMS for detailed instructions for entering holiday part-time hours.
Managers and Timekeepers
- Managers who will not be working the week beginning November 22, 2021 must delegate their inboxes to assure the continued processing of time submission and payroll.
___________________________________________________________
Employees Scheduled to Work on a Holiday
Hourly Employees
- Part-time and full-time hourly employees should refer to the Holiday Timesheet Procedures in GMS for detailed instructions for entering time worked on a university holiday.
- Please refer to the university’s Holiday Policy for administrative staff and AAPs.
Salaried Employees
- Salaried employees can submit a paid time off request using the Holiday Compensatory Time to account for any holiday(s) worked.
- This time off must be taken within the same fiscal year (i.e. prior to July 1, 2022).
- Please refer to the university’s Holiday Policy (new window) for administrative staff and AAPs.
Be Well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
Wade Smith
Director of Payroll
Open Enrollment Corrections Period
Dear Colleagues,
Open Enrollment for your 2022 benefits officially ended at 10 p.m. (EST) on Monday, November 15.
You are now able to log in to GMS and view the benefit plans that will be in place for you as of January 1, 2022 by following these steps:
- Log in to gms.georgetown.edu
- Click on the Benefits icon
- Under “View” select “Benefit Elections as of Date”
- Enter 01/01/2022 and click “OK”
You can view instructions with screenshots here.
If you did not take any action during Open Enrollment, your current (2021) benefits will remain in place for 2022 with the exception of Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account elections. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that you actively enroll each year if you would like to continue to contribute to these accounts. If you did not enroll in a FSA or HSA during Open Enrollment, your annual contribution as of January 1, 2022 will default to $0.
Need to make corrections to your 2022 benefits? You may do so by submitting an online correction form on or before Friday, December 10, 2021. Remember, changes to your retirement savings are not limited to Open Enrollment and can be made in GMS at any time during the year.
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to continuing to serve you in the year ahead.
Be well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President and Chief Benefits Officer
New GMS Request Functionality for Georgetown Purchasing Card Limit Increase (Effective 11/22/21)
Dear Colleagues,
As of November 22, we are excited to announce an enhancement in GMS to support systematic requests for increases to university purchasing card limits.
You can now submit requests for increases to Procurement and/or Travel card limits by:
- Logging into GMS,
- Typing “Create Request” in the search bar
- Using the “Procard Credit Limit Increase” request type.
Requests will be automatically routed to the appropriate parties for review and approval, a process which can be expected to take 2-3 days. Once approved, the limit increase will be applied to your card within three (3) business days with an email confirmation. If you have an urgent request, please input it in GMS and also contact your SBM directly via email.
In general credit limit increases must be approved by your Manager, departmental Business Office, and the University Controller.
If you have any questions about this new functionality and process, please contact procard@georgetown.edu.
Regards,
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and GMS Core Team
GMS Expense Report Business Process Enhancement – Line Level Receipting (Effective 11/1/21)
Dear Colleagues:
Our teams continually implement best practices in GMS for financial business processes. To further that effort, we are announcing an enhancement to expense report processing.
Starting November 1, GMS expense report transactions will require expense receipts to be uploaded to the corresponding expense line. This change will increase the accuracy and timeliness of the financial review and approval steps. Several important changes are necessary for all who prepare expense reports in GMS. This includes both expenses incurred on a procurement card or reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses.
- Expense report receipts will be required at the expense line level. No receipts may be uploaded to the ‘Attachment’ tab on the summary page.
- Receipts included on an expense line should support the amount for that line only and should agree to the corresponding expense line amount.
- If you have delegated the expense report task in GMS, please send your receipts as separate documents or images to the employee responsible for completing the expense report on your behalf instead of one large pdf file.
- Note that expense line itemization is unnecessary for most expense lines, but it is necessary if there is one receipt that needs to be split between different worktags or expense items. Guidelines can be found here.
Should you have any questions, concerns or need further clarification, please contact the finance office in your respective campus.
Regards,
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and GMS Core Team
Early Payroll Processing Deadlines for December 2021
Dear Colleagues,
With the upcoming holidays and final pay dates for 2021 fast approaching, please be aware of the associated early payroll deadlines. In order for the final payrolls of 2021 to be processed and settled for the Thursday, December 30 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- Friday, December 17, 12 p.m.: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the December 13-26 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Friday, December 17, 5 p.m.: GMS transactions (excluding timesheets) fully approved for the December 13-26 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Tuesday, December 21, 5 p.m.: Time entry/time off requests for hourly employees submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Wednesday, December 22 through Sunday, December 26.
You may also visit the 2021 Winter Holiday Calendar and Payroll Procedures webpage to view additional details about the upcoming holidays and time entry/time off.
The FY22 payroll calendars are available on the Payroll Services website. Please note, due to the Federal holiday (New Year’s Eve), Thursday, December 30 is the final pay date of 2021 for monthly and biweekly paid employees. This is a change from prior years when the final pay date of the calendar year was the last day the University was open prior to the holiday break. This change was made to bring the University into line with industry best practices around pay schedules.
Finally, December 30 is also the third pay date of December, and as such, non-retirement benefit deductions will not be processed from this pay. The first bi-weekly pay date of 2021 is Friday, January 14.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Payroll Services at payrollservices@georgetown.edu.
Sincerely,
Wade Smith
Director of Payroll
2021 Thanksgiving Holiday Calendar and Payroll Guidelines
Dear Colleagues,
The university Thanksgiving holiday (November 25-26) requires some special considerations for time entry.
As implemented last year, we will automatically submit and approve holiday hours for full-time, hourly employees. Part-time, hourly employees will need to complete their timesheets as indicated below.
Please feel free to submit any questions via the Department of Human Resources help ticket system.
Submitting Timesheets for Full-Time Hourly Employees (100% FTE)
- 16 holiday hours will be automatically loaded and approved for November 25-26.
Submitting Timesheets for Part-Time Hourly Employees (<100% FTE)
- Holiday part-timehours MUST be entered for any holidays for which a part-time employee is scheduled to work on November 25-26.
- Please refer to the Holiday Timesheet Procedures in GMS for detailed instructions for entering holiday part-time hours.
Managers and Timekeepers
- Managers who will not be working the week beginning November 22, 2021 must delegate their inboxes to assure the continued processing of time submission and payroll.
___________________________________________________________
Employees Scheduled to Work on a Holiday
Hourly Employees
- Part-time and full-time hourly employees should refer to the Holiday Timesheet Procedures in GMS for detailed instructions for entering time worked on a university holiday.
- Please refer to the university’s Holiday Policy for administrative staff and AAPs.
Salaried Employees
- Salaried employees can submit a paid time off request using the Holiday Compensatory Time to account for any holiday(s) worked.
- This time off must be taken within the same fiscal year (i.e. prior to July 1, 2022).
- Please refer to the university’s Holiday Policy (new window) for administrative staff and AAPs.
Be Well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
Wade Smith
Director of Payroll
Open Enrollment Corrections Period
Dear Colleagues,
Open Enrollment for your 2022 benefits officially ended at 10 p.m. (EST) on Monday, November 15.
You are now able to log in to GMS and view the benefit plans that will be in place for you as of January 1, 2022 by following these steps:
- Log in to gms.georgetown.edu
- Click on the Benefits icon
- Under “View” select “Benefit Elections as of Date”
- Enter 01/01/2022 and click “OK”
You can view instructions with screenshots here.
If you did not take any action during Open Enrollment, your current (2021) benefits will remain in place for 2022 with the exception of Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account elections. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that you actively enroll each year if you would like to continue to contribute to these accounts. If you did not enroll in a FSA or HSA during Open Enrollment, your annual contribution as of January 1, 2022 will default to $0.
Need to make corrections to your 2022 benefits? You may do so by submitting an online correction form on or before Friday, December 10, 2021. Remember, changes to your retirement savings are not limited to Open Enrollment and can be made in GMS at any time during the year.
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to continuing to serve you in the year ahead.
Be well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President and Chief Benefits Officer
New GMS Request Functionality for Georgetown Purchasing Card Limit Increase (Effective 11/22/21)
Dear Colleagues,
As of November 22, we are excited to announce an enhancement in GMS to support systematic requests for increases to university purchasing card limits.
You can now submit requests for increases to Procurement and/or Travel card limits by:
- Logging into GMS,
- Typing “Create Request” in the search bar
- Using the “Procard Credit Limit Increase” request type.
Requests will be automatically routed to the appropriate parties for review and approval, a process which can be expected to take 2-3 days. Once approved, the limit increase will be applied to your card within three (3) business days with an email confirmation. If you have an urgent request, please input it in GMS and also contact your SBM directly via email.
In general credit limit increases must be approved by your Manager, departmental Business Office, and the University Controller.
If you have any questions about this new functionality and process, please contact procard@georgetown.edu.
Regards,
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and GMS Core Team
GMS Expense Report Business Process Enhancement – Line Level Receipting (Effective 11/1/21)
Dear Colleagues:
Our teams continually implement best practices in GMS for financial business processes. To further that effort, we are announcing an enhancement to expense report processing.
Starting November 1, GMS expense report transactions will require expense receipts to be uploaded to the corresponding expense line. This change will increase the accuracy and timeliness of the financial review and approval steps. Several important changes are necessary for all who prepare expense reports in GMS. This includes both expenses incurred on a procurement card or reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses.
- Expense report receipts will be required at the expense line level. No receipts may be uploaded to the ‘Attachment’ tab on the summary page.
- Receipts included on an expense line should support the amount for that line only and should agree to the corresponding expense line amount.
- If you have delegated the expense report task in GMS, please send your receipts as separate documents or images to the employee responsible for completing the expense report on your behalf instead of one large pdf file.
- Note that expense line itemization is unnecessary for most expense lines, but it is necessary if there is one receipt that needs to be split between different worktags or expense items. Guidelines can be found here.
Should you have any questions, concerns or need further clarification, please contact the finance office in your respective campus.
Regards,
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and GMS Core Team
Review and Update your Personal Information in GMS
The university invites employees to voluntarily review and update their demographic information, emergency contact information, and education history in GMS. Updates must be submitted no later than Monday, November 15. Employees will have received an email containing direct links to their GMS records, a Reference Guide containing instructions for reviewing and updating their information, and helpful FAQs.
GU-Q employees: If there are any changes to your employee record, please contact Eunice Dickerson, GU-Q Payroll and Tax Manager, at sfsqpayroll@georgetown.edu for assistance. Please do NOT update your record on your own.
September Monthly Payroll Update (9/30/21)
Dear Colleagues:
Payroll Services is currently resolving an issue that has delayed the processing of payroll for some of our monthly-paid employees. For those employees who have direct deposit set up with PNC Bank, pay will be deposited to your account by the close of business today. For those employees who have direct deposit set up with other financial institutions, the direct deposit may take up to another 24 hours to be deposited into your account.
We are working to determine the reason for this delay and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause. If there is any financial hardship resulting from this delayed deposit, please reach out to payrollservices@georgetown.edu. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
David B. Green
Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
GMS Upgrade on Friday/Saturday, September 10/11 (Update Completed)
Dear Colleagues,
From Friday, September 10 at 8 pm EST to Saturday, September 11 at 5 pm EST, the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while Workday’s semiannual system update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post progress updates to the GMS website.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS, the most notable of which are outlined below.
General User Experience
- Enhanced search functionality to include:
- Easier-to-use search categories (i.e. Tasks, Reports, People, etc).
- When searching for reports or tasks, these will now pop up within the same window, rather than opening a new page.
- Search bar is now centered at the top of the page.
- For processes with a number of business steps, only those steps relevant to the specific process will display in the process history.
Human Capital Management (HCM)
- The Career websites will display Georgetown branding.
- Job requisitions will be able to be completed on mobile devices.
- Improved accessibility on the absence and time calendars, enabling keyboard-only users to display additional contextual information, and improved contrast standards.
Financials
- Expense report reviewers will now have a new work area to enable faster access to view expense reports.
- Cost Center Buyers will now be able to edit purchase orders without a Change Order.
Please refer to the Workday 2021R2 Employee Quick Reference Guide for more details about these and other changes. The reference guide will be located on the GMS website under the Training section, which contains detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the UIS Service Center.
Early Payroll and Time Entry Deadlines for the Labor Day Holiday on September 6
Dear Colleagues,
Please be aware of the early payroll processing deadlines associated with the upcoming Labor Day holiday to be observed on Monday, September 6. In order for the bi-weekly and weekly on-demand payrolls to be processed and settled for the Friday, September 10 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- 12 p.m., Thursday, September 2: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the August 23-September 5, 2021 bi-weekly pay period.
- 3 p.m., Friday, September 3:
- Time entry submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Friday, September 3, Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5.
- Documents and requests for on demand/off-cycle payments are due to Payroll Services.
- 10 a.m., Wednesday, September 8: In order to be included in the off-cycle, on-demand payroll run for the Friday, September 10 pay date, all retroactive transactions must be approved in GMS by this deadline.
The full payroll calendar can be found on the Payroll Services website (new window).
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines.
Sincerely,
Robert Hartridge
Interim Director, Payroll Services
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
Early Payroll and Time Entry Deadlines for the Memorial Day Holiday on May 31
Dear Colleagues,
Please be aware of the early payroll processing deadlines associated with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday to be observed on Monday, May 31. In order for the bi-weekly and weekly on-demand payrolls to be processed and settled for the Friday, June 4 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- 10 a.m., Friday, May 28: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the May 17-30, 2021 bi-weekly pay period.
- 5 p.m., Friday, May 28:
- Time entry submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Friday, May 28, Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30.
- Documents and requests for on demand/off-cycle payments are due to Payroll Services.
- 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 2: In order to be included in the off-cycle, on-demand payroll run for the Friday, June 4 pay date, all retroactive transactions must be approved in GMS by this deadline.
The full payroll calendar can be found on the Payroll Services website.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines.
Sincerely,
Robert Hartridge,
Interim Director, Payroll Services
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
GMS Upgrade on Saturday, March 13th (Update Completed)
Dear Colleagues,
From Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m. to Saturday, March 13 at 5 p.m., the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while the Workday 2021R1 update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post updates to gms.georgetown.edu. (new window)
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS. Some notable enhancements include:
System / User Interface (UI):
- Improved Accessibility: New viewing options on supported read-only tables
Human Capital Management (HCM)
- Electronic Form I-9: Section 2 is now available on mobile
- Time Tracking: Updated user interface makes time entry and submission more efficient for employees, timekeepers and managers
Financials
- Improved visibility into the end-to-end status for Purchase Orders, including the related Invoices and Receipts
- Ability to add attachments on Supplier Contracts without amending
Following the update, please refer to the Workday 2021R1 Employee Quick Reference Guide (new window) for more details about these and other changes. The reference guide will be located on the GMS website under the Training section, which contains detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the Service Center by emailing help@georgetown.edu (new window).
Thank you for your attention.
GMS Team
September Monthly Payroll Update (9/30/21)
Dear Colleagues:
Payroll Services is currently resolving an issue that has delayed the processing of payroll for some of our monthly-paid employees. For those employees who have direct deposit set up with PNC Bank, pay will be deposited to your account by the close of business today. For those employees who have direct deposit set up with other financial institutions, the direct deposit may take up to another 24 hours to be deposited into your account.
We are working to determine the reason for this delay and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause. If there is any financial hardship resulting from this delayed deposit, please reach out to payrollservices@georgetown.edu. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
David B. Green
Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
GMS Upgrade on Friday/Saturday, September 10/11 (Update Completed)
Dear Colleagues,
From Friday, September 10 at 8 pm EST to Saturday, September 11 at 5 pm EST, the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while Workday’s semiannual system update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post progress updates to the GMS website.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS, the most notable of which are outlined below.
General User Experience
- Enhanced search functionality to include:
- Easier-to-use search categories (i.e. Tasks, Reports, People, etc).
- When searching for reports or tasks, these will now pop up within the same window, rather than opening a new page.
- Search bar is now centered at the top of the page.
- For processes with a number of business steps, only those steps relevant to the specific process will display in the process history.
Human Capital Management (HCM)
- The Career websites will display Georgetown branding.
- Job requisitions will be able to be completed on mobile devices.
- Improved accessibility on the absence and time calendars, enabling keyboard-only users to display additional contextual information, and improved contrast standards.
Financials
- Expense report reviewers will now have a new work area to enable faster access to view expense reports.
- Cost Center Buyers will now be able to edit purchase orders without a Change Order.
Please refer to the Workday 2021R2 Employee Quick Reference Guide for more details about these and other changes. The reference guide will be located on the GMS website under the Training section, which contains detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the UIS Service Center.
Early Payroll and Time Entry Deadlines for the Labor Day Holiday on September 6
Dear Colleagues,
Please be aware of the early payroll processing deadlines associated with the upcoming Labor Day holiday to be observed on Monday, September 6. In order for the bi-weekly and weekly on-demand payrolls to be processed and settled for the Friday, September 10 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- 12 p.m., Thursday, September 2: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the August 23-September 5, 2021 bi-weekly pay period.
- 3 p.m., Friday, September 3:
- Time entry submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Friday, September 3, Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5.
- Documents and requests for on demand/off-cycle payments are due to Payroll Services.
- 10 a.m., Wednesday, September 8: In order to be included in the off-cycle, on-demand payroll run for the Friday, September 10 pay date, all retroactive transactions must be approved in GMS by this deadline.
The full payroll calendar can be found on the Payroll Services website (new window).
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines.
Sincerely,
Robert Hartridge
Interim Director, Payroll Services
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
Early Payroll and Time Entry Deadlines for the Memorial Day Holiday on May 31
Dear Colleagues,
Please be aware of the early payroll processing deadlines associated with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday to be observed on Monday, May 31. In order for the bi-weekly and weekly on-demand payrolls to be processed and settled for the Friday, June 4 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- 10 a.m., Friday, May 28: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the May 17-30, 2021 bi-weekly pay period.
- 5 p.m., Friday, May 28:
- Time entry submitted and approved. Please estimate hours worked for Friday, May 28, Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30.
- Documents and requests for on demand/off-cycle payments are due to Payroll Services.
- 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 2: In order to be included in the off-cycle, on-demand payroll run for the Friday, June 4 pay date, all retroactive transactions must be approved in GMS by this deadline.
The full payroll calendar can be found on the Payroll Services website.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines.
Sincerely,
Robert Hartridge,
Interim Director, Payroll Services
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
GMS Upgrade on Saturday, March 13th (Update Completed)
Dear Colleagues,
From Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m. to Saturday, March 13 at 5 p.m., the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while the Workday 2021R1 update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS during this outage period. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and will post updates to gms.georgetown.edu. (new window)
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS. Some notable enhancements include:
System / User Interface (UI):
- Improved Accessibility: New viewing options on supported read-only tables
Human Capital Management (HCM)
- Electronic Form I-9: Section 2 is now available on mobile
- Time Tracking: Updated user interface makes time entry and submission more efficient for employees, timekeepers and managers
Financials
- Improved visibility into the end-to-end status for Purchase Orders, including the related Invoices and Receipts
- Ability to add attachments on Supplier Contracts without amending
Following the update, please refer to the Workday 2021R1 Employee Quick Reference Guide (new window) for more details about these and other changes. The reference guide will be located on the GMS website under the Training section, which contains detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the Service Center by emailing help@georgetown.edu (new window).
Thank you for your attention.
GMS Team
Important Tax Updates (W-2s now available in GMS)
The email from Payroll is posted on box via this link.
Early Payroll Processing Deadlines for December 2020
Dear Colleagues,
With the upcoming holidays and final pay dates for 2020 fast approaching, please be aware of the associated early payroll deadlines. In order for the final payrolls of 2020 to be processed and settled for the Wednesday, December 23 pay date, the following deadlines must be met:
- Monday, December 14, 12 p.m.: Documents submitted to Payroll Services for the December 14-27 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Wednesday, December 16, 5 p.m.: GMS transactions (excluding timesheets) fully approved for the December 14-27 bi-weekly pay period and the December 1-31 monthly pay period.
- Thursday, December 17, 5 p.m.: Time entry/time off requests for hourly employees submitted and approved.
- Please estimate hours worked for Friday, December 18 through Sunday, December 27.
The FY21 payroll calendars are available on the Payroll Services website.
You may also visit the 2020 Winter Holiday Calendar and Payroll Procedures webpage to view additional details about the upcoming holidays and time entry/time off.
For employees who are paid on a bi-weekly basis the final bi-weekly pay date of 2020 is Wednesday, December 23. In addition, this pay date is the third pay date of December, and as such, non-retirement benefit deductions will not be processed from this pay. The first bi-weekly pay date of 2021 is Friday, January 15.
Thank you for your attention to these important deadlines.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Risley
Director, Payroll Services
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
2020 Winter Holiday and Payroll Procedures
The winter holidays require some special considerations, including early payroll deadlines. Please read the information page detailed instructions and processing deadlines for the end of the year.
2020 Year End Reminders from Payroll Services
The email from Payroll is posted on box via this link.
2020 W-2 Printed Opt Out
The email from Payroll is posted on box via this link.
Follow-up Regarding Additional Fall Holiday
Dear Members of the Georgetown Community:
As you recently saw from President DeGioia’s announcement, the university is providing all leave-eligible employees a special day of paid leave on Wednesday, November 25. I echo President DeGioia’s sentiments in expressing my gratitude for all the work that you have done and continue to do to support our community.
The special paid leave day can be taken to extend the Thanksgiving holiday into a five-day weekend. Staff may request to use this holiday by following regular time off procedures and choosing Fall Floating Holiday for the time off type, which will be available in GMS beginning today. If you are required to work on Wednesday, please identify a day prior to the end of 2020 to take a floating holiday and record this day in GMS, choosing Fall Floating Holiday for the time off type.
The Request Time Off Job Aid (new window) offers detailed instructions for submitting time off requests in GMS. For additional assistance, please reach out to your Client Services Partner (new window) or submit an HR Help Ticket (new window).
We recognize this has been a very challenging year, and this Thanksgiving may not resemble your traditional celebrations. No matter what your holiday looks like, we wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Anthony D. Kinslow, MA, JD
Chief Human Resources Officer
Vice President of Human Resources
Guidance on Election Day 2020
Dear Colleagues,
As we approach Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, we encourage our community to look into voting options (new window) in their states, such as early voting and voting by mail.
Time away from work for voting may be used during early voting days and Election Day. Given the circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood of long lines or other unexpected delays at the polls, employees will be liberally granted paid election leave to vote beyond the two hours provided in HR Policy 609: Voting Time (new window). This applies to all employees, regardless of where the employee is registered to vote.
Employees are expected to provide their manager with advance notice if their plans to vote will require them to take time away from scheduled work hours. Managers should grant employees flexibility and provide the paid time off, if required. The hourly cap for submitting Voting Time for non-exempt employees has been temporarily lifted to accommodate unexpected circumstances. Exempt employees should continue to follow their regular time off procedures.
If voting in-person, it is important to wear a mask and stay six feet apart from other people in public spaces, and wash your hands regularly to help prevent the spread of the virus.
For faculty, if you are teaching on November 3, you might consider alternatives such as asynchronous learning or assignments that can be completed in lieu of an in-class assignment for the students unable to attend due to voting.
We also want to highlight the Teaching in Difficult Times (new window), a 2020 Election resource page developed by the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS). We invite those interested to participate in the next event in the CNDLS/MCEF Roundtable (new window) Series exploring teaching during the election and its aftermath, on Friday, October 30, at 4:30 p.m.
It has become our tradition every four years, on the day before the election, to join together in prayer. All are invited to join Campus Ministry’s Interfaith Chaplains for this Virtual Interfaith Prayer for Our Nation for the good will of our community and nation on Monday, November 2, at 7 p.m. ET. The event will be live streamed from Dahlgren Chapel on the Georgetown University Facebook Page (new window).
The year 2020 has brought the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, racial injustice issues, as well as an election year. It has been a year of unimaginable challenges, so it is important to take time to care for yourself. The Mental Health, Wellness and Health Care Resources page (new window) of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center (new window) provides information about well-being resources accessible in person or remotely via telehealth. We have also created a new Georgetown Election 2020 website (new window) that includes resources and events that you might find helpful.
As a reminder, the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) (new window) remains open, free and available to help you by phone. Virtual appointments can be scheduled by emailing fsap@georgetown.edu (new window); a staff member will then contact you to find a time to connect that will work for your schedule. FSAP will also convene two community conversations for staff who want to connect at 10 p.m. on November 3 and at 1 p.m. on November 4. More information on these Zoom sessions will be posted on the FSAP website (new window) in the coming days.
As we approach Election Day, we hope these resources will help our community exercise their right to vote and find time to reflect and care for themselves.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President of Health Sciences
William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean of the Law Center
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
GMS Supplier Portal Purchasing Open to All Faculty and Staff
Dear Colleagues,
Beginning tomorrow, October 27, the Georgetown Management System supplier portal (GMS Punchout (new window)) will be available to all faculty and staff for purchases from Staples, Amazon Business, Grainger, Fisher Scientific, and select Apple, StaplesTech and CDWG items. Employees will no longer need the requisitioner role to purchase from these suppliers through the GMS Punchout.
Recognizing many of us are working off-site, we are launching this change to facilitate easier purchasing and the ability to have items shipped directly to homes. Please be mindful of all relevant spending policies while making purchases and continue to ensure the University’s resources are utilized appropriately. To expedite shipping for non-IT purchases under $100, only the department’s financial reviewer will have to verify the worktags and spend category before the order is processed. The financial reviewer will also ensure that spending is budgeted and in compliance with policies.
Please note that cumulative purchases by an employee exceeding $99 within seven days will be routed for pre-approval by the cost center manager, who also reviews all purchases monthly. Due to tech support requirements, all IT purchases will still require the standard approvals.
GU-Q faculty and staff should consult with their CCM before making purchases.
Please refer to the Punchout-Job Aid (new window) and FAQ (new window) for details on how to use the GMS supplier portal. For additional questions or concerns, please contact help@georgetown.edu (new window) or sourcing@georgetown.edu (new window).
Sincerely,
David B. Green
Chief Financial Officer
Upcoming Mid-Semester Holiday (Fall Floating Holiday)
Dear Colleagues,
On Monday, October 12, 2020 (mid-semester holiday), many of our academic programs will be open for student instruction. This change to academic calendars may require some non-union staff and AAPs to work on Monday, which was previously identified as a Georgetown holiday.
To address this, the University converted the day into a “floating” holiday to be used either on October 12 or another day this fall for those who need to work on Monday.
Given this change, non-union staff and AAPs on the Main, Medical and Law Center campuses, in consultation with their manager, will have two options:
Option 1: If you are required to work on Monday, please identify a day prior to Wednesday, December 23, 2020 to take a floating holiday and record this day in GMS, choosing Fall Floating Holiday for the time off type. After December 23, the holiday will no longer be available.
Option 2: If you do not have work required and you intend to spend October 12 as if it were the traditional holiday, please request the day off by following regular time off procedures in GMS and choosing Fall Floating Holiday for the time off type.
In either option, employees must enter the Fall Floating Holiday in GMS.
Union staff will not be required to work and do not need to submit a time off request to receive the paid holiday.
If you need help with the process, the Request Time Off Job Aid offers detailed instructions for submitting time off requests in GMS. For additional assistance, please reach out to your Client Services Partner or submit an HR Help Ticket.
Be well,
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President of Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
GMS and Interfolio Integration is Now Available for Faculty Recruitment
Dear Colleagues,
A new integration between GMS and Interfolio is now available for Faculty Recruitment. This update offers the following advantages to the University community:
- Allows for end-to-end recruitment functionality (from advertisement to application to hire) that can be efficiently managed in a secure, online environment
- Includes a faculty-specific application and recruitment experience for candidates and academic units
- Improves reporting capabilities and recordkeeping in compliance with current University policies and IDEAA requirements
As part of the integration, when a Job Requisition is completed and approved in GMS a Job Posting is automatically posted in Interfolio. Once a candidate is selected in Interfolio, the candidate will be automatically added to GMS. The hire can then be finalized through the integrated Job Application business process. If your department or program would like to use this integration and Interfolio, please review the user guide linked here and visit the GMS Training Portal.
Thank you,
GMS and Interfolio Teams
GMS Upgrade on Saturday, September 12
Dear Colleagues,
From Friday, September 11 at 8 p.m. to Saturday, September 12 at 5 p.m., the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while the Workday 2020R2 update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS from any internet connection (GU or otherwise) during this outage period. We apologize for any inconvenience and will post updates to gms.georgetown.edu.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS. Some notable items include:
HCM
- My Shortcuts – new icon in header for Quick Access to Tasks and Worklets
- Improved Search – predictive search, icons and better performance
- Accessibility – improved UI to meet more accessible color contrast, links throughout and preview PDFs with screen readers
- Redesign of Retirement and New Hire Enrollment Process
- Updated candidate home view for external candidates
Financials
- Expenses
- Send back lines of expense reports
- Improved tracking of personal charges on expense reports and repayments
- Improved performance and user experience of expense reports
- Procurement
- Receipting with tracking numbers
- $0 allowed for purchase order
- Mass close purchase order lines
- Supplier invoice work area (A/P)
- Grants Management
- Improved effort certification process
- New work area for effort certifications
Following the update, please refer to the Workday 2020R2 Employee Quick Reference Guide (new window) for more details about these and other changes. The reference guide will be located on the GMS website under the Training section, which contains detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the Service Center by emailing help@georgetown.edu.
Thank you for your attention.
Upcoming Labor Day Holiday (Fall Floating Holiday)
Dear Main Campus and Medical Center Colleagues,
As you may recall, on Monday, September 7, 2020 (Labor Day) many of our academic programs will be open for student instruction. This change to some academic calendars may require some non-union staff and AAPs to work on Monday, which was previously identified as a Georgetown holiday. To address this, the University converted the traditional Labor Day holiday into a “floating” holiday to be used either for Labor Day or another day this fall for those who need to work on Monday.
Given this change, non-union staff and AAPs on the Main and Medical Center campuses, in consultation with their manager, will have two options:
- Option 1: If you are required to work on Monday, please identify a day prior to Wednesday, December 23, 2020 to take a floating holiday and record this day in GMS, choosing Fall Floating Holiday for the time off type.
- Option 2: If you do not have work required and you intend to spend Labor Day as if it were the traditional holiday, please request Monday, September 7 off by following regular time off procedures in GMS and choosing Fall Floating Holiday for the time off type.
In either option, employees must enter the Fall Floating Holiday in GMS.
Union staff will not be required to work on Labor Day and do not need to submit a time off request.
If you need help with the process, the Request Time Off Job Aid offers detailed instructions for submitting time off requests in GMS. For additional assistance, please reach out to your Client Services Partner or submit an HR Help Ticket.
Be well,
Charles DeSantis
Interim Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Fiscal Year 2021 – GMS Ledger Account and Report Changes in support of University Budgeting
Dear Colleagues:
The university will go live with a new Workday budget and planning module this summer, which has given us an opportunity to enhance reporting of the budget to reflect actual results. The impact on GMS will include new ledger accounts, new revenue and spend categories, and updates to the system’s reports.
New Ledger Accounts
Fifteen new ledger accounts will be added in GMS for FY2021 to support budgeting and financial planning. Revenue and Spend categories provide specificity for financial transactions. Please refer to the New Accounts (new window) list for the category codes assigned to the new accounts, and refer to the GMS Planning Model (new window) (new window)for a complete list of revenue and spend categories with their assigned ledger account.

New Fund Planning Hierarchy
A Planning Hierarchy has been enabled in GMS, Adaptive and Cognos. This hierarchy maps to the UR/TR hierarchy, but allows for higher level funding source planning within Adaptive. Please refer to this mapping for funds (new window) for for quick reference.
GMS Reports
Current reports and dashboards displaying revenues and expenses will be updated so the new ledger accounts will appear in the appropriate lines, including:
● “Budget-to-Actuals” reports
● “GU GAAP” reports
● “GU Financial Plan” reports
GMS report updates should be completed by mid July.
GU Analytics (Cognos)
A new statement mapping hierarchy (“AH-15”) has been added to enable the business intelligence environment to produce income statements in the new budget-mapping (Adaptive) format.
● A new sectioned income statement report – “Budget_Mapping Report (Adaptive Layout)” – will be available that mimics the layout of the detail model in Adaptive
● For additional analysis, current reports that are used to extract/download data will be enriched to include the new statement mapping fields (AH15-AH18), as well as the new fund-planning hierarchy.
Timeline
The new accounts will be activated in GMS on Saturday, June 27 for immediate use on relevant FY2021 financial transactions, such as tuition and financial aid from the Banner and Destiny systems, and for procurement transactions for the payment of non-service stipends and equipment purchases. After that date, accounts to be inactivated – 50100/74901/75002 – should only be used to complete related financial transactions to close out FY2020.
Should you have any questions, concerns or need further clarification, please contact the campus finance office in your respective campus.
Stella Apekey
Senior AVP for Budget, Financial Planning and Treasury Management
Willem Roos
Controller
Partnership with Staples for Laptops and Desktops
Dear Colleagues,
Georgetown Procurement Services (GPS) recently concluded a review of select, high-spend commodities at the university, which included desktop and laptop purchases. As a result of this process, effective July 1, 2020, Staples will be Georgetown’s exclusive supplier for laptop and desktop computers.
GPS convened a committee comprised of key campus representatives to participate in a extensive competitive bid process to evaluate suppliers who could help the university achieve the following goals:
- Significant cost savings for desktop, laptop and peripheral technology supplies.
- Better current customer service, including response times, quicker quotes and reduced shipping times.
We look forward to working with Staples as the Georgetown University provider for laptop and desktop computers and to continuing a partnership in the years to come. Through this agreement, HP and Lenovo will now be the standard laptop and desktop computers for the University. For those employees who currently have a Dell laptop or desktop, the warranty and service for that computer will remain intact. These devices do not need to be replaced and can continue to be used.
As a reminder there is still a pause on discretionary spending (new window). Any purchases must be critical for sustaining our virtualized operations for the remainder of the academic year.
Your business offices will receive communications and engagement instructions once this agreement is in place. If you need additional information or further assistance, please contact Georgetown Procurement Services at sourcing@georgetown.edu (new window).
Sincerely,
David Green
Chief Financial Officer
Announcing New Travel Service Provider for University Travel
Dear Colleagues,
After a year-long customer service review, including extensive feedback from the University community, Georgetown Travel Services (GTS) is transitioning to a new managed travel service provider. GTS is pleased to announce this new partnership with Corporate Travel Partners (CTP) effective Wednesday, July 1, 2020. CTP specializes in higher education travel and better understands our needs at the institutional and individual level.
As we transition to this new provider, the travel moratorium for faculty and staff (new window)remains in place until further notice. When travel resumes, any university-sponsored travel must be booked through Georgetown Travel Services (new window). The service mitigates risk for trip changes or cancellations and also ensures the university is able to provide emergency assistance to its employees and students who are traveling on university business.
On July 1, the GTS website (new window) will be updated with the most current information on how to book and manage your travel, along with transition related FAQs and training information. If you have authorization to travel during the existing moratorium, details on how to speak to an agent directly in order to book travel will be posted on our website.
Our new partnership with CTP will provide our travelers with exceptional customer service and enhanced security while ensuring that each itinerary takes full advantage of all university negotiated discounts with our partner airlines, hotels and rental car companies. Georgetown Travel Services is excited to have CTP as our partner, and both CTP and GTS look forward to working with you on all of your travel needs.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this transition, please do not hesitate to contact our Travel Manager, Sheyna Arthur, at sheyna.arthur@georgetown.edu (new window).
Sincerely,
David Green
Chief Financial Officer
Restarting Research/GMS Now Available for Planning
Dear Colleagues,
At the Research Town Hall meeting held last Monday, June 15, we announced that faculty who wished to return to campus to conduct research would need to submit a plan for resuming research via GMS (new window) in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the document “Restarting Research Activities at Georgetown: a phased approach. (new window)”
The GMS portal (new window), through which we invite faculty to submit their resumption plans, is now available. One proposal is required for each research group or unit that intends to resume its work (graduate students and fellows should work with their PI or research leader). Please refer to this useful job aid (new window) for instructions on how to complete the submission form.
When you complete the online form in GMS, it will be submitted to your department chair. Final approval of plans will be made by the dean, in consultation with the chair and others.
Please note that even with a dean’s approval, research can only resume after we have reviewed the research reopening plan with the DC Government, and it has agreed to accept it.
As a reminder, for those currently approved to be on campus in support of research activities: wash your hands frequently, don’t come to work if you feel ill, and please remember that you must wear a face covering at all times, except when alone in a private room with a closed door or in a private vehicle.
Sincerely,
Billy Jack, Vice Provost for Research
Moshe Levi, GUMC Interim Dean for Research
COVID-19 Employment Actions
Click here (new window) to learn about Georgetown University’s employment actions related to COVID-19.
Recent Procurement Changes in GMS
Purchase Order Compliance
The GMS process for Purchase Order (PO) compliance events will be modified to institute a system-driven hard-stop validation at the issuance of a PO. This will prevent issuing POs that exceed the total contract amount. Cost Center Buyers (CCBs) will receive the following message in GMS with direction to amend the supplier contract:
The total amount on this Purchase Order will exceed the total Supplier Contract amount. This validation considers all POs linked to this Supplier Contract regardless of the PO status, excluding those that are closed. Review all POs and take the necessary actions. Closing the PO linked to the Supplier Contract will increase “PO Balance Remaining” on the Supplier Contract. If you intend to proceed with this PO, amend the Supplier Contract to account for the increase in the Purchase Order amount.
POs auto-sourced from Requisitions will remain in Draft mode and cannot be issued until the contract is amended. The CCB will receive an email alert reminding them to resolve this error before the PO can be issued. Once the contract is amended to increase the value, then the PO can be sourced. There is no need to cancel the PO; the error will go away once the contract is updated. You may need to click View Exceptions again on the PO after you resolve the error to make the error message go away.
Simplified Grant ICA Routing
A new modified workflow for grant-related ICA requests is now available. The goal is to create a fast-tracked review path to mitigate delays in grant-related ICAs. These requests, once reviewed and approved by Tax, will bypass the contract manager (CM) / senior contract manager (SCM) reviews and route directly to Adam Donaldson to review. From there it is approved in GMS, or it can be sent back or routed to Risk Management where applicable.
Please note the following:
- The effectiveness of this workflow will depend on request submissions that are complete and include all components required for IC types.
- Cost Center Buyers will need to ensure that they are selecting the appropriate contract type (Grant-related ICA types).
Supplier Contract Type Changes
Supplier contract types have been renamed in GMS, in addition to five new contract types. The linked document (new window) provides more details about the changes
COVID-19 PTO Available
As highlighted in the March 25, 2020 COVID-19 Update (new window) detailing specific resources for Staff/AAPs, a new category of leave is available which will provide paid time off for reasons attributable to COVID-19 (“COVID-19 PTO”). COVID-19 PTO is immediately available to be used if an employee cannot work (or telework) for reasons attributable to COVID-19, as described in the COVID-19 Paid Time Off policy (new window).
Announcing New Supplier Contract Observer Role and Additional Notifications
A new role is NOW AVAILABLE called GU-Supplier Contract Observer. This new role will allow for the viewing of specific supplier contracts. As part of the rollout, new real-time email status notifications will be sent to this role (and others) during supplier contract requests.
The new role can be assigned to any relevant stakeholder (no other roles required), which are captured on the contract request cover sheet. The role is assignable by the GU-Cost Center Buyer (CCB) role. Stakeholders assigned this role will be granted view-only access to the contract master record, including Process History and Notes.
The new email notifications for supplier contract events will be sent to the Georgetown email addresses of individuals assigned the GU-Cost Center Buyer and GU-Supplier Contract Observer role associated with the contract event. Individuals will be notified for the following actions:
- Contract has moved to the next step of the approval workflow
- New notes have been added to the contract event
- Supplier contract has been sent back to the CCB
- Supplier contract has been approved
To help guide the role assignment, GS&PS modified the contract request cover sheet (link (new window)). For guidance on how to assign the supplier contract observer role, please refer to page 15 of the End to End Procurement Guide (new window). Should you have any questions regarding the new role, role assignment, or the GMS notifications, please reach out to either contracts@georgetown.edu (new window) or help@georgetown.edu (new window).
GMS Training Dashboard – Grants Management Now Available
We are excited to announce the launch of the Grants Management training materials in GMS!
You can access these training materials by using the GMS Training Dashboard. This includes Overview, Pre-Award and Post-Award training materials. The HCM and self service training materials will be available in the near future.
To access the training dashboard, perform the following:
- Log into GMS
- Navigate to the Worklets area within the GMS Home Screen
- Click the GMS Training Worklet
- View the Announcements, Helpful Resources and the Training Materials table
- Click the Grants Management tab
- Select a link within the Click Here to Launch column to view training materials.
Our hope is that having the Grants Management Training materials within GMS will make it easier to locate the materials and enhance your learning experience.
Please reach out to help@georgetown.edu if you have any questions.
Worksheets and Drive – Now Available to All Employees
Dear Colleagues,
Worksheets and Drive in GMS is now available to all employees!
Drive is a cloud-based repository for documents , and Worksheets is a cloud-based spreadsheet tool. These features were previously only available to certain roles, but going forward all employees can use them in GMS. These features will allow you to analyze, manipulate, and share data directly within GMS. Some other benefits include:
- Export GMS reports into Worksheets as live data that can be refreshed
- Export GMS reports into Worksheets as static data
- Reports exported to Worksheets from GMS allow for drillback to the underlying data
- Import Excel files and convert them into Worksheets that can be manipulated in GMS
- Most Excel formulas and functionality are available in Worksheets
- Direct link sharing capabilities (i.e. static URL)
The easiest way to access these Worksheets and Drive is by clicking on the Cloud icon in the upper right hand corner within GMS and selecting the “Drive” option. For more details, a job aid can also be found in the Employee Self Service section on the GMS Training page (link). You can also refer to Workday’s User Guide accessible directly within Drive and and Worksheets. Please reach out to help@georgetown.edu if you have any questions.
IMPORTANT: Reports shared within Worksheets display for other users exactly as you see them regardless of their security/roles. Therefore it is your responsibility to protect any sensitive data (i.e. personally identifiable information, etc) shared within Worksheets in accordance with University policies.
GMS Report Request Form
Dear Colleagues,
A new Report Request Form is now available directly within GMS! Here’s how to submit a request:
- Run the task Create Request
- The Request Type is Report Request Form
The form allows you to request updates to existing reports, or new reports entirely. These requests will be prioritized accordingly, and not all requests can be or will be fulfilled.
Please reach out to help@georgetown.edu if you have any questions.
GMS Upgrade on Saturday, March 7, 2020 (UPGRADE COMPLETE)
Dear Colleagues,
From Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. to Saturday, March 7 at 5 p.m., the Georgetown Management System (GMS) will be unavailable while the Workday 2020R1 update is implemented. The outage will be limited to GMS and does not impact the Georgetown network. The only impact for GU employees will be a temporary inability to access GMS from any internet connection (GU or otherwise) during this outage period. We apologize for any inconvenience and will post updates to gms.georgetown.edu.
This Workday update will deliver several enhancements to GMS; some notable items include:
Financials
- Improved Procurement Requisitioner Experience
- Streamlined User Interface (Worktags and Shipping Defaults)
- Guided Tours
- Expense Report Enhancements
- Delegation Enhancements (Quick Expenses)
- Clearer Required Fields (Business Purpose)
- Grant and Award Enhancements
- Add Attachments During Award Event(s)
- Billing Milestones As Award Task
- Foreign Currency Sponsor Invoices
- Zero Value Authorized Awards
HCM
- Improved Worker Search and Prompts
- Updated Candidate Profile for Recruiting
- Education Attachments
- Timesheet Display Enhancement
Following the update please refer to the Workday 2020R1 Employee Quick Reference Guide (new window) for more details about these and other changes. The reference guide will be located on the GMS website under the Training section, which contains detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the Service Center by emailing help@georgetown.edu or calling (202) 687-4949.
Thank you for your attention.
GMS Team
Time Reporting Practices in GMS for Holidays
Dear Colleagues,
With the holidays quickly approaching, please take a moment to review the Holiday Policy (HR Policy #601 (new window)) found on the HR website. Additionally, instructions are listed below and included in this reference guide (new window), which outlines time reporting practices in GMS and options for alternate days off for employees who are required to work during the upcoming holiday break.
Christmas Holiday Timesheet Procedure (December 23 through December 29, 2019)
Holiday hours for the week of 12/23/19 through 12/29/19 are now available on time sheets in GMS. As an Hourly Administrative Employee or as a Manager or Timekeeper of Hourly Administrative Employees, you must take action to submit, review and/or approve these holiday hours as soon as possible in order to ensure the hours are paid. Based on the payroll calendar, the deadline to approve hours for December 23 through December 29 is 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 19 for payment on Friday, January 3, 2020.
The new time entry alerts will run on Thursday, December 19 as an additional reminder to take action on submitting the holiday hours for this week.
Full Time Hourly Employees (100% FTE):
Eight hours of holiday will appear on your Timesheet for the dates of Monday, December 23 through Friday, December 27. You MUST navigate to that week (December 23 through December 29) in GMS and click Submit on your Timesheet.
Part Time Hourly Employees (less than 100% FTE):
No hours will automatically appear on your Time sheet for the dates of Monday, December 23 through Friday, December 27. If you are regularly scheduled to work for the day(s) on which a holiday falls, but are NOT required to work:
- Input the number of regularly scheduled hours for each of those days using the Time Type of Holiday Part-Time (do NOT input your regularly scheduled hours on your Timesheet).
- Click Submit.
Timekeepers and Managers
Please ensure that Timesheets for the week of Monday, December 23 through Friday, December 27 are successfully submitted, reviewed and approved for any hourly administrative employee whose time you are responsible for by 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2019.
To find the payroll calendar, please go to gms.georgetown.edu (new window) then click on Payroll Calendar. Time tracking training guides are also available on gms.georgetown.edu (new window) under Training.
New Year’s Timesheet Procedure (December 30, 2019 through January 5, 2020)
Holiday hours for the week of Monday, December 30, 2019 through Sunday, January 5, 2020 are also available on time sheets in GMS. The hours for this week will be paid on Friday, January 17 and as such, are not due until Monday, January 13. Time sheets for these dates should be completed after returning from the holiday break.
Sincerely,
The Human Resources Department
Wire Form Changes Coming on January 6, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
This memo serves to inform you that the wire request process will change effective Monday, January 6, 2020. The process has been redesigned to minimize error rates and transmission delays. In summary, the existing paper form will be replaced by a digital form that is completed within GMS as part of the following processes:
- Requisition (REQ)
- Purchase Order (PO) / Change Order (CO)
- Miscellaneous Payment Request (MPREQ)
The digital wire form will be triggered for completion by the Requester in GMS for the following conditions:
- Payment method is “Wire”
- Applies to REQs, POs, COs, and MPREQs
- Requisition Type is “Wire Request”
- Only applies to REQs
- Invoice type is “Wire Request”
- Only applies to MPREQ
The payment will first be reviewed by Accounts Payable to confirm if wire is the appropriate payment method. Then Treasury Operations will review the information for completeness and will return to the Requester if additional information is needed. The process will then route for approval in GMS via the existing workflow. The End to End Procurement Guide (link (new window)) will be updated to reflect these new processes in light of the digital wire form.
To prevent delays, please ensure the following are in place.
- Supplier must have “wire” as a payment option in their profile. If this option does not exist, please contact the Tax Department.
- Wire instructions must be provided on the suppliers’ (beneficiary) bank letter head. This will be necessary to complete the digital form and to be attached to process.
It is important to note that wires are the most sensitive and costly method of payment and will only be used in the following circumstances. All other reasons will be rejected.
- International payments
- Contractual obligations
- Legal settlements
- Specific Georgetown benefits
All wires currently being routed for approval will be processed. For questions or concerns, please email faservice@georgetown.edu.
Regards,
Financial Affairs
GMS Core Team
CC: Accounts Payable Data Entry Specialist, Accounts Payable Settlement Specialist, Cash Analyst, Cost Center Manager, GU-Cost Center Buyer, GU-Finance CFO, GU-Financial Affairs Institutional Reporting, GU-Financial Reviewer, GU-Requisitioner, GU-Senior Business Manager
2019 W-2 Printed Copy Opt Out
Dear Colleagues,
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires Georgetown University to provide each employee with a W-2 Form that states compensation and tax withholding amounts for the previous calendar year on or before January 31 of the following year.
In 2004, the IRS approved the use of electronic W-2 statements. For the third year, GU employees may now choose to receive their W-2 statement electronically instead of having a paper copy sent through the mail.
The benefits of receiving an electronic W-2 statement include:
- Earlier access
- Reduces the possibility of the W-2 being lost or stolen
- Access to W-2 when away from usual home or work location
- Compensation and tax withholding information may easily be downloaded into many tax preparation software programs
Employers must comply with specific IRS regulations to use electronic W-2s and employees must provide their consent to receive an electronic W-2 instead of a paper copy. This notice contains the required IRS disclosure information and instructions for you to consent to receive your W-2 electronically instead of a paper copy. If you have any questions regarding this notice, or your W-2 statement, please contact Payroll Services.
Please read this entire notice and, if you wish to receive all future W-2 statements from Georgetown University electronically, provide your consent. If you do not provide this consent by January 2, 2020, you will continue to receive a paper copy of your W-2 statement. If you have already provided consent to receive your W-2 electronically, no further action is required. Your consent will remain in effect until you revoke it or are no longer employed by Georgetown University.
To assure compliance with this requirement, employees who wish to receive their W-2 electronically, must:
- Log in to GMS
- On your Home Screen, click the Pay worklet.
- In the View section, click My Tax Documents.
- In the Printing Election field, click Edit.
- If you would like to opt out of receiving a paper copy of your W-2, click the radio button that states, “Receive electronic copy of my Year End Tax Documents”. Then, read the disclaimer text and, if acceptable, click OK.
If you are unable to provide consent in this preferred manner, please contact Payroll Services no later than January 2, 2020. Consent will automatically cease when you are no longer employed by Georgetown University.
An employee who chooses to receive his/her W-2 statement electronically may withdraw consent. The employee’s withdrawal of consent will be effective on the date it is received and Payroll Services will confirm in writing or by e-mail the effective date of the consent withdrawal. If consent is withdrawn, it will only be effective for those W-2 statements not yet issued.
To withdraw your consent, send an e-mail or written notice to:
Payroll Services
Georgetown University
2115 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Suite 600
Washington DC 20007
202-687-2500
payrollservices@georgetown.edu
In addition, an employee’s written request to receive a paper copy of their W-2 will be considered a withdrawal of consent for electronic delivery.
If an employee consents to electronic W-2 delivery and the delivery is unable to be made due to a technical problem, incorrect e-mail address, login or password, the employee will receive a paper copy. If there is any change in method of electronic delivery, employees will be notified immediately via e-mail or written notice. Employees are also required to inform Human Resources promptly of any personal address or status changes through the company intranet or by written notification.
Electronic W-2 statements will be accessible for life time of employment.
If electronic consent is completed correctly, you will receive an e-mail notification no later than January 31, 2020, with the subject line “Important Tax Return Document Available.” Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Risley
Director, Payroll Services
Charles DeSantis
Associate Vice President, Benefits, Payroll and Wellness
Chief Benefits Officer
Holiday Payment Schedule
Dear Colleagues,
With the pending holidays, we have adjusted our payment schedule to ensure we continue to meet all of our payment commitments.
Invoices with due dates of January 6, 2020 or before must be submitted to Financial Affairs Accounts Payable Department via the approved processes below by Friday, December 13.

The final payment settlement for the year will be completed at 10 a.m., Thursday December 19. Therefore, all GMS approvals and receipts must be completed by Thursday December 19 at 9:30 a.m. This settlement will include:
- All approved staff expense reimbursements
- Successfully transmitted wire payments
- Approved invoices with due dates of January 6, 2020 or before
Please note: The payment terms for our supplier Net30 stipulate that payments become due 30 days after the invoice date (not 30 days after the invoice was submitted). With the exception of the holiday payment schedule, payments are generated and issued five days prior to the due date. This is done to account for mailing of checks and ACH (direct deposit) file transmissions.
Have a safe and happy Holidays,
Financial Affairs
Accounts Payable Team
Changes to the ProCard Application Process
Effective Monday, December 9, all new ProCard requests must be submitted in GMS. This change will allow for automated routing, reduced paper consumption and greater transparency in the application process. Please refer to the job aid (new window) for more details about the new GMS process, including:
- Prerequisite training
- Request initiation process
- Request approval process
Another important change to the ProCard application process is the satisfactory completion of ProCard training prior to application submission. The Expense Management Department (formerly ProCard Office) will not process applications for employees who have not yet completed the required training. Regular ProCard training is scheduled on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. To register for training, please email a request to procard@georgetown.edu (new window).
Please note that ProCard applications will be accepted through the current process (paper form and Box folder) through Friday, December 6. The existing Box repository will no longer be available after this date.
Please contact procard@georgetown.edu (new window) if you have any questions or concerns.
Enhancements to GMS Time Entry
In an effort to improve the timely submission and approval of timesheets for hourly employees, new, automated alerts will be sent to employees, timekeepers and managers when:
- Time has not been entered for the pay period
- Time has been entered but not submitted for the pay period
- Time has been submitted but not approved for the pay period
Employees, timekeepers and managers will receive any or all of the new alerts listed above on Mondays of pay weeks to include the previous 14 days. The alerts will replace the reporting and emails sent from the Payroll Services team. Automating this process should help to facilitate better compliance with time entry deadlines and therefore, more timely and accurate employee payments.
Timekeepers and managers will receive one email per alert type to include all employees who meet the alert’s conditions.In other words, you will receive up to three emails every other Monday and will not receive individual emails for each affected employee.
In addition to the alerts, various time tracking reports can be utilized to identify the status of time entry for employees in the organizations you support so that appropriate and prompt action can be taken. Examples of such reports include:
- Review Time
- TT – All Timesheets by Supervisory Organization
- TT – Missing Hours
- TT – Reported Hours Not submitted by Week
- TT – Hours Not Approved
Employees can refer to https://financialaffairs.georgetown.edu/payroll/submitting-hours/ and/or https://gms.georgetown.edu/training/ess/ for additional information on recording time in GMS.
New Payment Method in GMS
A new method of payment is now available in GMS for adjunct faculty. Period Activity Pay supports the payment of employees for fixed-term activities and payment arrangements, such as teaching a class for an academic term. The use of Period Activity Pay is not mandatory, but provides many benefits over the traditional base pay or allowance plan compensation model.
Payments are assigned to an academic period (semester) and evenly distributed among the number of pay periods between the payment start and end dates.While we are not deprecating the Allowance Plan compensation elements currently used to pay adjunct faculty, the advantages of the new functionality include:
- Additional data points related to academic work (academic period, instructional vs. non instructional activity, activity type)
- The ability to track activity dates along with payment dates
- Unlimited Activity Pay assignments for a period per worker
Please review the Period Activity Pay job aid (new window) and training video (new window) for more details regarding this process. Please coordinate with your campus academic affairs office if you plan to use Period Activity Pay.
Thank you,
GMS Core Team
CC: HR Contact, Finance Partner, CFO, Department Administrator, Academic HR Partner, Senior Business Manager
Enhancements to Organizational Security for GMS Financial Data – October 1, 2019
Historically, certain financial data and reports in GMS (Workday) could not inherently be restricted by organization (cost center). Custom filters were added to reports to restrict access to this data based on cost center role assignments. These custom filters caused slower performance and confusion during prompt selection.
Workday has updated the underlying security model to allow for inherent restriction to this data without the need for custom filters. The GMS team has made enhancements to existing reports to uptake these changes. Overall these enhancements will provide consistent security and better performance.
A detailed breakdown of reporting updates is listed below:
The following reports have new prompts for company and organization. The organization prompt allow you to search for any organization (cost center, grant, project, etc ..) Users that had previously saved filters on these reports will need to re-create those filters.
- GU Find Requisitions
- GU Find Purchase Orders
The following reports are only available to company-level roles and we have added a new company prompt.
- GU Find Supplier Invoices
- GU Find Receipts
- GU Find Supplier Contract
- GU Award Header Information
- GU Award Line Information
- GU Find Supplier Contracts – Grants
- GU Lookup Award for Grants
The following reports are NEW reports for organization-based roles to replace reports listed above:
- GU Find Supplier Invoices and Lines
- GU Find Receipts For Organization
- GU Find Supplier Contracts And Lines For Organization
- GU Award Header Information for Award Header Roles
- GU Award Line Information for Award Header Roles
- GU Award Line Information for Grant Roles
- GU Find Supplier Contracts – Grants for Grant Roles
- GU Lookup Award for Grants for Grant Roles
The following reports are now only available to company-level roles. The data contained in these reports (supplier invoice payments) is available to organizational roles via GU Find Supplier Invoices and Lines:
- GU Find Supplier Payment
- GU Find Payment
Please reach out to help@georgetown.edu if you have any questions.
Changes to GMS to Support Global Research
During the week of September 23 UIS implemented additional legal entities, known as Companies in GMS. The intent for this project is to create a scalable platform for HR, Payroll and Finance that supports global research activities. To this point GMS has had only one company (Georgetown University) and two currencies (USD and QAR). With this change, GMS will now be able to support:
- The ability to transact and report financial statements in relevant currencies other than USD and QAR;
- Daily fluctuating currency exchange rates for relevant currencies;
- New business processes to facilitate financial transactions between Georgetown University’s legal entities;
- Differentiated business processes workflows in order to meet legal and operational requirements for conducting research in foreign countries; and
- Restricted access to data based on role assignments to Companies.
There is expected to be minimal impact to end users who are not assigned roles in these new Companies. There is no action required, but please note that users may notice the following changes beginning on Monday, September 23:
- Seven (7) new Companies will become visible for users with certain roles;
- Minor differences to prompt options on reports and transactions, including Company and currency fields;
- New company-specific HCM master data, such as job profiles, compensation grades and pay group; and
- Costing Allocation transactions will now include a field for Company Costing.
If you have any questions regarding the impact of Company related fields in your processes please submit a support ticket to help@georgetown.edu.
2019 Annual Request to Self-Identify Personal Information
Between now and October 12th, the University is asking all employees—Faculty, Staff, AAPs, and Fellows—to review, and update as needed, their employee records in GMS. Each employee will have received an email requesting they update their personal information, emergency contact information, and career information in GMS. The email provides a link to GMS, step-by-step instructions (new window) for updating records, and helpful FAQs.
It is critical for the University to have up-to-date employee records. Your participation helps the University fulfill its mission and commitment to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. Furthermore, as a federal contractor, the University is required by federal law to solicit and report on the demographic information of our employee population, such as their gender and race/ethnicity. We experience compliance difficulties because employees often do not provide this information. We appreciate your cooperation and assistance in reviewing your information and providing answers to all requested data fields in GMS.
GU-Q EMPLOYEES: If there are any changes to your employee record, please contact Eunice Dickerson, GU-Q Payroll and Tax Manager, at sfsqpayroll@georgetown.edu for assistance. Do NOT update your record on your own.
GMS Live on Workday 33
Dear Colleagues,
Workday 33 is now live in GMS!
With this update, Workday provides several enhancements in regards to the look and feel of the system, including:
- User Interface (UI) Update to Blue Primary Buttons
- Enhanced Recruiting Filters
- Improved Job Profile Prompt
- Source Requisitions to Existing Purchase Orders
The Workday 33 Employee Quick Reference Guide is available on the GMS website, under the GMS Workday Updates section. These guides contain detailed explanations of the changes you can expect to find in the new release.
If you encounter any GMS issues, please contact the Service Center by emailing help@georgetown.edu or calling (202) 687-4949.
Thank you for your attention.
GMS Team
Enhancements to GMS Payroll Processes for Expired Grants (August 7)
Dear Colleagues,
This message is to inform you of upcoming enhancements to payroll processes for expired grants. These changes prevent payroll expenses from posting to expired grants and will be deployed in conjunction with payroll for the bi-weekly pay period ending Sunday, August 11, 2019. This email will provide you an overview of the functionality and how it will impact you.
What does this functionality entail?
At the time payroll runs, if a grant worktag is on a worker’s payroll costing allocation, then the system will check if the grant worktag is expired. If the grant worktag is expired, specifically if the payroll period is outside of the grant’s related Award Line dates (period of performance), then GMS will automatically reallocate the expired payroll expenses from the grant worktag to the worker’s default worktags.
What is an example of this impact?
The Award Line associated with a grant worktag (GR12345) has an end date of July 31, 2019. A costing allocation exists for a worker that extends through August 31, 2019, and uses the grant worktag. The costing allocation extends past the grant date, so when payroll runs for August 2019, the payroll expenses will post to the default cost center, fund (i.e. 1701), purpose, and program; they will not post to the grant.
What are the implications and what action is necessary?
If payroll expenses default to a worker’s default worktags (due to an expired grant worktag), then the following actions may need to be taken.
- Update the costing allocation to align with the Award Line dates
- Work with the Pre-Award office to update the expired grant and the related Award Line
- Submit a Payroll Accounting Adjustment (PAA) to move the payroll expenses back to the grant (if applicable)
When payroll runs you should be on the lookout for an email to notify you if this has happened and if action is required by you.
Please keep in mind for federal awards there is a 90-day period for the PAA to be submitted and approved in GMS. Failure to cost transfer the salary within the 90-day period will result in the payroll expense posting to the department’s operating budget and therefore can’t be moved to fund 1802 and billed to the sponsor. Please refer to Financial Affairs policy FA-113: Cost Transfer on Sponsored Projects for more details (link).
I am a Grant Manager, what can I do to avoid this scenario?
Review your award portfolio and confirm the following:
- The Award Line To Date associated with your grants is not expired
- Review the costing allocations for workers in your Award portfolio and make sure the Costing Allocation End Dates are within the Award Line To Date.
If you identify anything that needs to be cleaned up, you should coordinate with your Campus Finance and Pre-Award Office(s) to take necessary action.
For additional questions or concerns, please contact help@georgetown.edu. Thank you for your attention.
Regards,
Sponsored Projects Financial Operations (SPFO)
GMS Core Team
CC: Grant Manager, Effort Certification Coordinator, Senior Business Manager, Cost Center Manager, Pre-Award Specialist, Post-Award Specialist, Controller, University Treasurer, Finance CFO
Upcoming Changes to Effort Certification Coordinator Role in GMS (August 6)
Dear Colleagues,
This message is to inform you of upcoming changes to the Effort Certification Coordinator role in GMS. The changes will be deployed on Tuesday, August 6 in conjunction with the last effort certification in FY19. Specifically, the Effort Certification Coordinator role will be assignable by Grant.
Prior configuration had the role assignable by Supervisory Organization, where everyone in the same Supervisory Organization was certified by the same person. Based on feedback, this was problematic for a number of reasons, including when workers were in large job management Supervisory Organizations, when workers have multiple jobs, etc. After this change, the role can be assigned with more granularity so all effort for a Grant is certified by the same person, which will improve compliance through more accurate and timely effort certification.
Going forward, the role will be assigned during setup of new grants by the Pre-Award offices, namely the Office of Research Services (ORS) and the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR). For the initial implementation, the Pre-Award offices provided the mapping of individuals to be assigned the role based in part on feedback from current Grant Managers. Generally speaking, people currently in the Grant Manager role will be assigned the new Effort Certification Coordinator role. To clarify, this new role does not change other parts of the effort certification process — it simply allows greater flexibility in deciding who the appropriate person is to serve in the role of Effort Certification Coordinator.
Webinar-based training sessions will be provided over the next few weeks (registration link (new window)). You can also refer to the Effort Certification job aids (link (new window)) for more details. For additional questions or concerns, please contact help@georgetown.edu.
Thank you for your attention and efforts in keeping the University in compliance.
Regards,
Sponsored Projects Financial Operations (SPFO)
GMS Core Team
CC: Finance Partner, CFO, Grant Manager, Senior Business Manager, Pre-Award Specialist, Post-Award Specialist, Effort Certification Coordinator (NEW), Controller, University Treasurer
Procard Allocation Transition to GMS: Reminders for July 21
Dear Colleagues,
Effective Sunday, July 21, 2019, Georgetown University will begin using the GMS Expense Report functionality to allocate ProCard transactions. As we approach this date, it is necessary to follow the guidelines below to ensure timely proper allocation and prevent duplication.
All ProCard transactions posted between Monday, July 1 and Saturday, July 20, 2019 must be allocated in PaymentNet or via ProCard Reallocation Journals. Cardholders and responsible administrative staff will have through Wednesday, July 31 to complete reconciliation via PaymentNet, and through Tuesday, August 6 via ProCard Reallocation Journals.
PaymentNET allocations must include:
- Worktags
- Business Purpose
All supporting documentation must be submitted by your department’s established process.
Transactions are NOT to remain in Spend Category S0193 – Oth Op Exp – Procurement Card Expense. ProCard accounts with transactions that remain unallocated in PaymentNET for more than 45 days will be escalated for further review and action to the Campus CFO/CBO and the University CFO.
ProCard transactions posted on or after July 21 will be uploaded into the cardholder’s GMS expense report feed and must be allocated using a GMS Expense Report. Travel reservations charged to Travel Leaders’ centrally billed ProCard will also be posted to the GMS expense report feed. The staff member making the reservation will be responsible for allocating the transactions using GMS’s Expense Report functionality.
Please refer to this link (new window) for GMS Expense Report job aids. Additional training webinars will be available throughout the month of July. You can register for a session here (new window). As a reminder to personnel managers, you are in the approval workflow for expense reports in GMS going forward, so please familiarize yourself with the process before the July 21 go-live date.
Due to new requirements for receipts and merchants, in-progress expense reports may need to be sent back and re-routed for approval if not approved before Sunday, July 21. To avoid returns, be sure to approve any in-progress expense reports by midnight on Saturday, July 20.
For Department/Declining Balance Cards (DBCs), additional notification will be sent to the assigned Georgetown employees instructing those persons on how to assign delegates. For questions, contact LaKecia Miller at lfm33@georgetown.edu or (202) 687-8384.
We thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
Regards,
Financial Affairs
GMS Core Team
Transition to Delegation Functionality for Expense Reports
Dear Colleagues,
Based on discussions between Internal Audit and Financial Leadership, general use of the Expense Preparer role in GMS will be discontinued. It was determined the role grants excessive access to expense reports and ProCard transactions. In conjunction with the transition of Procard to GMS Expense Reporting beginning July 21, this role will be unassigned from most employees. The immediate impact is that expense report preparation will be delegated to a designated employee(s).
Employees are able to delegate this task (and others) using the “My Delegations” task in GMS (instructions for this can be found here (new window)). To aid with this process, a new role called ‘Delegation Initiator’ has been created, which will allow assignees to create delegations on behalf of other employees. To determine who on your campus has been assigned this role, please contact your campus’ business officer/senior business manager.
In preparation for the transition of ProCard to GMS Expense Reporting on July 21, it is strongly encouraged that ProCard holders who require assistance in initiating expense reports delegate this task before the go-live date. Please reach out to help@georgetown.edu if you have additional questions or need assistance.
Regards,
GS&PS
GMS Core Team
CC: Senior Business Manager, Cost Center Manager, Finance CFO’s and Expense Preparers, GMS Core
Operational Contract Process Changes
Dear Colleagues,
This message is to inform you of upcoming enhancements to the Supplier Contract process. On July 1 Tax, Risk, and Legal will be added to the approval workflow in GMS. GS&PS will be able to add the approvers to the workflow on an as needed basis.
This will transition away from using Box and emails for these steps, and enable a more efficient approval process that also gives campuses more visibility into the status of contracts. It will also simplify document storage since all executed contracts and related comments or redlining will be stored in GMS. However, please note that ad hoc approval has not been enabled for contracts requiring IT review by University Information Services (UIS) and will still follow the existing Box process.
Please also be aware that the following changes will also take effect on July 1:
- To enforce existing GS&PS requirements and reduce send backs, hard-stop validations have been added to the Purchase Order (PO) business process.
- All POs greater than $500 and not sourced from a Requisition.
- POs with Service Lines greater than or equal to $10k must be linked to a Supplier Contract.
- To improve reporting and tracking of contracts, worktags (i.e. Cost Center) are now required for all Non-Master Supplier Contract Lines.
- Campus approvers are not required to approve the Supplier Contract Line, but instead the Cost Center Buyer inputs the related approved REQ # in the Description of the Contract Line.
These enhancements will enable a more efficient overall Supplier Contract process with fewer send backs, more consistency, better reporting, and improved transparency. Overall the changes should have a minimal operational impact on the campuses since no additional campus approvals have been added to the business process. To recap, the only changes to campus processes are:
- Include worktags on Supplier Contract Lines (no additional campus approval required)
- Include the approved REQ # on the Supplier Contract Line Description
The End to End Procurement Guide has been updated to reflect these changes (link (new window)); refer to the Contracting (p.11) and Ordering (p.17) sections. Please reach out to help@georgetown.edu if you have any further questions or need assistance.
Regards,
GS&PS
GMS Core Team
CC: Cost Center Buyer, Cost Center Manager, Finance CFO, Financial Reviewer, Financial Reporter, Campus Financial Reporter, Requisitioner, Senior Business Manager, Supplier Contract Specialist