Nigel Waugh's latest communication (17 April 2023) told us that the new 'Human Capital Management (HCM) System Optimisation Program' had been successfully rolled out with improvements, including that 'estimates of annual leave accruals will now be visible within Workday'… We can barely hold our breath with anticipation.
Let's hope the less ambiguously titled 'Fingers Crossed Workday Now Works Program' draws on accurate data. It is not an exaggeration when we say that staff should not put their trust in any of the university's payroll/workday systems until we have an ironclad guarantee that no one will find themselves at the pointy end of a threatening email or instruction from management because of errors in its systems. Who is accountable for these errors?
Too many of our colleagues have found themselves having to pay back money or told that they had over-extended their leave because of incorrect data in systems that are not fit for purpose. The bullying way Swinburne management then attempts to claw back money or time when its systems make errors is offensive. An audit is often done on past pay and leave balances and figures then shift and change. As the debt to Swinburne grows, management's faith in the accuracy of its (dodgy) data becomes more obstinate. Clawing back money might be halfway palatable if Swinburne management voluntarily paid back the money it owes to its casual staff, whose work is rarely covered by the pay they receive. Until then, an acknowledgement and apology for the broken systems and redress mechanism are overdue.