Overview

There are three categories of email notifications that users may receive related to the M-Pathways time entry and approval process. This document describes the different types of emails, who sends them and who may receive them.

M-Pathways Role-Based Emails

For each regular payroll (i.e., biweekly and monthly), the University Payroll Office sends two emails:

  1. Advance notice of the upcoming payroll - sent approximately two business days prior to the time approval deadline.
  2. Notice that the 10 a.m. time approval deadline is approaching - sent at 8:15 a.m. the morning of the deadline.

These emails are role-based emails that are sent to people who have the TL Time Entry Approver or TL Time Entry Users roles. Users cannot opt in or out of receiving these emails, although they can set up email filters to prevent them from appearing in their inboxes.

The emails are addressed from "Payroll Office" and the standard subject lines are:

  • Reminder: Guidelines for Upcoming Biweekly (or Monthly) Payroll
  • Reminder: Approval Deadline for Biweekly (or Monthly) Payroll is 10 a.m.

If there is an exception to the normal schedule, the subject line begins with “Special.”

Related to these emails, University Payroll Office also provides:

  • Payroll Cutoffs / Deadlines / Paydate Calendars on the Financial Operations website.
  • A Google Calendar that has the cutoff dates for self-service time entry and for time approval. To subscribe to the calendar, enter Finance Payroll Calendar [fin-payrollcalendar@umich.edu] in the Other Calendars box on your Google Calendar page. If desired, you can add email and/or pop-up notifications to the calendar events that identify the cutoffs.

Time Approval Email Notifications

Effective June 29, 2015, time approval email notifications can be sent to the primary time approvers and/or backup approvers (i.e., delegates) when employees click the Submit button on the self-service timesheet.

These opt-in email notifications are controlled by a checkbox on the Approval Delegate Group page in the M-Pathways Human Resources Management System (HRMS). For instructions on how to subscribe to these emails, or to add delegates for a primary time approver, refer to the Add or Remove Employees in a Time Approval Delegate Group document.

It is important to note that:

  • The Supervisor ID field in M-Pathways HRMS is used to grant time approval access to the primary time approvers of staff who have their time approved on a timesheet page.
  • Punch Time Approvers cannot receive these time approval email notifications because it would result in too many email notifications (i.e., an email would be sent each time an employee punches in or out of a punch time clock).

A button labeled Save for Later at the bottom of the timesheet, next to the Submit button, gives employees some control over when the time approval email notifications are sent. The Save for Later button allows an employee to enter time, save it, and then return to the timesheet later to click the Submit button when ready for the time to be approved (e.g., at the end of the pay period).

If necessary, employees, approvers and delegate approvers can also change the reported time after the Submit button is clicked.

eNotification Emails from Shared Services Center (SSC)

The following information is also available in the Time and Leave Administration section of the HR Services page on the SSC website. When requesting these services, please refer to the SSC website for the most current information.

Effective April 20, 2015, the SSC can assist unit administrators and staff members with requests for targeted email notifications (called eNotifications). Departments may choose to voluntarily opt in to receive any of these email notifications:

  1. Notification to employees in a static or dynamic group who have not yet reported their time for the current payroll, sent on the morning prior to the payroll cutoff
  2. Notification to the last approver for employee(s) in a static or dynamic group who reported time that is not yet approved, sent the afternoon prior to the payroll cutoff
  3. Notification to the employee who missed reporting time. It is important to note that these emails:
    • Are sent the day after the payroll has been completed
    • Are sent to employees with missing (i.e., not submitted and approved) timesheets for any prior pay period, not just the most recently completed payroll
    • Do not replace the current “missing time” emails and spreadsheets that are sent after each payroll to Department Managers (or designated time data recipient overrides)

How to Request Service

Please have the following information available to complete your request:

  • For eNotification A (above): The static or dynamic group code(s) for the employee notifications
  • For eNotification B (above): The static or dynamic group code(s) for the last approver notifications
  • For eNotification C (above): The Department ID (DeptID) for the employee missing time notification

You may submit your request by eForm or phone:

By eForm:

Complete and submit the online request form (eForm): Time Entry and Approval eNotification Request. An SSC Time and Leave associate will contact you to process your request. You will receive a confirmation email when the processing is complete.

By phone:

For general timekeeping information and questions about form completion, call the Shared Services Center at 734-615-2000, press #2.