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FAQs

OverviewEmployee MaintenanceWeekendingsWorkgroup Account MasksCreating a TimesheetWeekly Timesheet Entry

Overview

How are EPOL units delivered?

EPOL will be shipped with a Main and 2nd Unit by default.  Additional Units can be added upon request.

Each Unit has a Shooting Start and Shooting End date.  These dates can be used to optionally control rental payments and some penalties.  For example, you could restrict kit rentals to be paid only during shoot.  Meal Penalties and Turnaround can also be controlled.  The dates are specified on the Unit for two reasons: 

1) The date restrictions can be different for each unit.  

2) If the shoot dates change, the restrictions can all be controlled from one screen.

Employees can have multiple jobs, and each job must specify a Unit.

This is important, because Weekendings and Account Masks belong to a Unit.

This will be discussed under Creating a Timesheet.

What is a Workgroup?

The Workgroup is a code which can subdivide your employees into groups that are similar for weekending and G/L account purposes.  These groups can cross over unions and departments.  The purpose of these divisions will be explained shortly.

What Workgroups are in EPOL?

EPOL will be shipped with the following Workgroups:

Camera

Employees who work around the Camera and are subject to schedules and account coding that relate to the actual shoot. This group would include camera personnel, directors, cast, grips, electrics etc.

Off-Camera 

Employees who work around the set, but are not directly affected by the shoot.

This group would include Set Decorators, Production Assistants, Generator Operators etc.

Production Office

Employees who work at the production office or on the same schedule as the production office.

Construction

Employees who work on or supervise construction projects.

How are workgroups managed?

Workgroups can be used to control Weekendings. Each Weekending has a Workgroup code.  The code can be a specific Workgroup or *Any.

If your production office is on a Mon-Fri workweek and the rest of the crew is working Tue Sat, you would make two Weekendings.  One weekending would be for the Workgroup  ‘Production Office’ and the other weekending would be for *Any.  The *Any weekending would be used for everyone except Production Office employees.  This topic is covered in detail under the Weekendings section.

Can Workgroups be used to control Workgroup Account Masks?

Workgroups can also be used to control Workgroup Account Masks. Each Account Mask has Workgroup code.  The code can be a specific Workgroup or *Any.  This works in much the same fashion as Weekendings.

If the construction crew is working one episode ahead of the shooting crew, Workgroup Account Masks can be created that are specifically for the Construction Workgroup. This topic is covered in further detail under the Workgroup Account Masks section.

Each employee job has a Workgroup.  As you create a timesheet the system will attempt to find the best Weekending and best set of Account Masks for that workgroup.

Do I have to use Workgroups?

It is very important to understand that the use of WorkGroups is entirely optional.  Until you create a weekending or account mask for a specific Workgroup (rather than picking *Any), the workgroup code will be ignored.

Even if you think you do not need Workgroups, we encourage you to leave the codes in place. If an insurance claim applies to only one group, all of the employees will be ready to use this technique.

What is a payroll code?

Each timesheet that is created is associated with a payroll code.  A payroll code defines the type of payroll (Cast/Crew/Construction etc), the currency, and the work province.  When transmitting timesheet batches, the primary method of selecting timesheets is the payroll code.  By using payroll codes, EPOL is able to combine timesheets from multiple work provinces and currencies into one database.

How do I use multiple payroll codes?

If you are using multiple payroll codes, the assignment process works as follows:

1)   Each employee is assigned a single currency.  This cannot be changed.  If you need to pay an employee in multiple currencies, you must set that employee up multiple times.

2)   A default payroll code must be assigned to each job.  The code must match the employee’s currency, but may vary according to payroll type and/or work province.

Each timesheet has a single payroll code.  This code is copied from the job as the timesheet is created.  Once the timesheet exists, you may change the payroll code; however, you will be restricted by the employee’s currency.

How do I assign payroll codes?

In most cases, the assignment of payroll codes is automatic, and you will not be required to make selections or manipulate the codes.

What is the purpose of departments?

Departments are not related to timesheet calculation.  They only serve to divide employees up according to job categories for input and reporting purposes.

If a union agreement has special payment rules for a department (e.g. Transport), the rules are invoked using a Job Class.

A department can include any mix of employees regardless of union or category.

What is a job class code used for?

Each employee job is assigned
a Job Class.  This code is used to indicate which rules should be followed if an agreement specifies differences according to category or department. 

For most unions, there is a ‘Standard’ job class which is used as a default set of rules.  Additional job classes are created for exceptions.

For example, if an agreement specifies a 10 hour rest period for most crew, and a 9 hour rest period for the Transport department, there will be two job classes:  Standard, and Transport.

The 9 hour rule has nothing to do with the Department.  If you put a camera operator in the Transport job class, the transport rules will be used. If you put a Driver in the Standard job class, the standard rules will be used.

What is a pay class code and how is it different from a job class code?

Many categories have rules
which are not written into the standard agreements.  For example, production office personnel do not usually receive meal penalties because the catering table is constantly available.  

The system overrides Job Class rules by using a Pay Class code.

Each code can override one or more payment options.

Some examples:

No Meal Penalty

No Meal Penalty or Turnaround

No Penalties.

Can I request a new pay class?

Each union is setup with a set of common of Pay Classes.  If there is a combination of exceptions that you require, your EPOL support representative can add new Pay Classes very easily.

Employee Maintenance

Can I differentiate workers as employees or corporations?

The name tab allows you to uniquely identify either an employee or corporation.

What is accepted as the government identifier?

When entering a government identifier, you can specify either SIN, SSN, or Child.

If you select Child, the date of birth (from the next tab) will be verified.

Are my entries validated?

Validation of the entries will be done when you attempt to Save the employee.  If anything is wrong, the computer will beep and a red dot will appear beside the problem area.

Can I enter more than one address or contact number?

There is a capability for entering multiple address and contact numbers.  These inputs are optional.

How do I know if I am looking at an employee or corporation?

The top left panel will change according the choice of Employee/Corporation on the Name tab.

What is the “Other” panel for?

The panel titled ‘Other’ contains start and end dates for the employee.  These dates are defaulted based upon your user option settings (under the Tools/Options menu item).  If you attempt to create a timesheet in Weekly Entry which has dates outside of this range, a warning will be displayed.  If you are using Daily Timesheet Entry, the employee will not be shown outside of the employee dates.

How to I choose a Talent Agency?

In the Talent Agency panel, the button to the right of the Add button will let you pick Agencies quickly.  The list is made up of the five most common agencies that you have selected within the show.

Can I pay an employee in multiple currencies?

You must select a currency for each employee. If you need to pay an employee under multiple currencies, they must be set up multiple times.

Can an employee have more than one job?

You can create a number of different jobs for each employee.  These jobs can be for different unions and categories.  This is convenient if an employee is working under different categories within a show, or is being frequently upgraded to another position.

How can I change an employee’s job?

On a timesheet, jobs can change day to day, or even within a day (subject to some restrictions).  If a job is going to be performed more than once, it is usually worthwhile to set it up in employee maintenance.  There are several ways to pull these jobs onto a timesheet.  This will be discussed under the Weekly Timesheets section.

How do I create a Per Day rental?

Pressing the Add button will create a Per Day rental for the employee.

Can I add other types of rentals?

The drop down selection to the right of the Add button offers other types of rentals:

Per Day: The payment amount is paid for each active day

Per Week: The payment amount is paid once per week, but the amount may be prorated across days.

By Count: The payment is made by multiplying the rate by a number 

Adjustment:  The amount is paid once, but may be prorated across days.

Weekly Guarantee:  An automatic Gross Adjustment will top off the Gross payment total to bring the amount up to a minimum figure if necessary. 

The Per Day rental allows you to set a default method of payment.

Unlike previous version of EPOL, v4 allows you to easily change the rental payment options while you are entering a timesheet.  This will make using the Per Day rental type much more convenient.

Can I set a default proration method?

The other rental types (Weekly etc) allow you to set a default proration method.

The flat payment amount can be spread over timesheet days in several ways.  This is usually important on episodic productions.

Can rental payments be restricted?

Rental payment can be restricted by Unit prep/shoot/wrap dates or specific dates.

The Unit dates are established for each under the Tools/Configure/UnitWorkgroups menu item.

Where do I find the default settings?

All of the payment, proration, and date restriction defaults are set within the Tools/Options menu item.  These options are configurable per User.

Weekendings

Does the weekending have to have both a Unit and a Workgroup?

A Weekending must have a Unit and optionally can have a Workgroup.  If a Weekending applies to everyone, its Workgroup should be set to *Any. This is the typical situation.

Does the Weekending have to be set as a Saturday?

Weekending can end on any day of the week, however, Saturday is generally preferable.

Can I set different weekendings for different Workgroups?

If a Workgroup, such as the Production Office, has a different schedule from the rest of the Workgroups you could set up two Weekendings, one for the production office and one for *Any.  The Production Office weekending would specify Saturday as the 6th day and Sunday as the 7th day.  The *Any Weekending would specify Sunday as the 6th day and Monday as the 7th day.

Can I override the system generated weekending?

As you create timesheets, the system will attempt to pick the correct weekending according to Workgroup.  You can override the default choice where necessary.

How do I manage Daylight Saving Time with rest periods?

When  a Daylight Saving Time change occurs close to the weekending, a warning will appear. You do not have to change anything.  The system will automatically adjust Rest Periods to take time changes into account based upon the time zone of your computer.  This feature can be overridden, but you should talk to your EPOL Support Representative if this is an issue.

How are days calculated?

The options for Calculate As vary by Union. Typically they will be offered choices such as Reg, 6th, 7th etc.

Can I change the “Calculate As” day?

If you need to change a day there is a right-click option available which allows you to copy values (where possible) to all of the other unions.

These are default values for the Weekending.  When a timesheet is created for this weekending, these values are copied. Changing values here has no effect upon existing timesheets.

How do I set the payment day?

The options for Payment Day vary by Union. Typically they will be offered choices such as Off, Work, PaidHol, Travel etc.

Can I change the payment day?

If you need to change a day there is a right-click option available which allows you to copy values (where possible) to all of the other unions.  

These are default values for the Weekending.  When a timesheet is created for this weekending, these values are copied. Changing values here has no effect upon existing timesheets.

What is the “holiday percent”?

These figures are only relevant in Quebec, where certain holidays can be paid at less than a full day’s pay.

What values are permitted in the Rest Period column?

The Rest Period column allows values for 1 Night, 1 Day, 2 Days, and 3 Days.

The 1 Night selection should be used for a normal shift to shift time period (typically 9 or 10 hours).

What are “Alternate Rest Periods”?

You can also choose to activate Alternate Rest Periods per union. This is used when work weeks shift or variances are applied (such as “Twice in the life of the production the weekend rest period can be reduced to….”)

Each Union cheat sheet has a section which explains how the Rest Period and Alternate Rest Period selections affect the number of hours in the calculation.

The possible alternate rest periods appear on the lower portion of the screen when a union column is selected.

What is the Auto Adjust feature?

The Auto Adjust feature, if active, will reduce the rest period when it appears an employee has worked during the default rest period.  For example, if on a Monday you have specified 2 days rest, and an employee worked the preceding Saturday, the system will dynamically change the rest period to 1 day.

Workgroup Account Masks

What is the default Unit and Date Range?

Workgroup account masks are created for a Unit, workgroup, and day.

The inputs at the top of the screen are filters which limit the masks being shown.

Creating a Timesheet

How do I create a timesheet?

Before creating a timesheet you must create a weekending, and optionally a set of workgroup account masks. You must also create at least one job for the employee.

When the Create Timesheet window appears, it will display the employee along with inputs for the unit, workgroup, job and weekending.  Of these, the job and weekending selections are the most important.  They will form the basis of the timesheet.

There is also a right-click ‘Fast Create’ option for Timesheets which bypasses the Create Timesheet Window and uses default selection that you can preset.  Your support representative can provide details on this function.

What do I do if multiple jobs exist for an employee?

If multiple jobs exist for the employee, the system will try to anticipate your choice.  You can override the ‘normal’ Unit and Workgroup that is associated with the job.  You may want to do this if an employee is working on a 2nd unit temporarily. This allows you to adjust the job without having to either alter the employee maintenance job, or add an additional employee maintenance job.  Similarly, you can change the Workgroup if this employee has special masking requirements for the week.

How do I set / modify the weekending for a timesheet?

A weekending will be selected automatically based on the job’s unit and workgroup.

If you do not like the way the system chooses Weekendings you can modify the available list by using the ‘Filter’ button.  If the Filter button is red, one or more Weekendings have been made temporarily unavailable.

How do I create multiple timesheets?

When you press the Create Timesheet button, the system will duplicate the selected job for every day within the Weekending.  These jobs can be changed once you start working on the timesheet, but the job in question does establish the ‘ownership’ of the timesheet. When a timesheet is printed out, the Department and Job information will come from the initial job. 

This is true even if you change every job within the timesheet.

Can an employee be paid more than once before a weekending?

The system will check for previous payment and present a warning message if this employee has been paid before on this Weekending.  It will also warn if the employee start and end dates fall within the date range. Any duplicate payment days will appear in red on the Entry tab.  Conflicting payments can be viewed on the History tab near the bottom of the Entry tab screen.

What is the process for creating days within a timesheet?

Each day within the Weekending is created following the same process:

1)   On the Entry tab, the Calculate As and Payment Day columns are copied from the Weekending default values. Rental payment and proration flags are then set based upon the column values. 

2)   On the Job tab, the employee maintenance job selected on the Create Timesheet screen is copied to the day.  If a Unit/Workgroup change has been requested, changes are made. 

3)   On the O/E tab, default settings are created based upon the job’s Pay Class and Job Class.

4)   On the G/L tab, job information is used to find a matching G/L mask.  The order of search is Preferred Unit/Workgroup, Unit/Workgroup, Unit/*Any.

If a match cannot be found, a blank mask is created for the day.

The sequence is important when using Daily Entry, as you may not know the G/L information for days later in the week.  Daily Entry will only create a single day (if necessary) whereas Weekly Entry will immediately create all necessary days.

Weekly Timesheet Entry

What is “Week mode” and “Day mode”?

The area on the left of the screen shows the word ‘Week’ followed by a list of days.  When ‘Week’ is highlighted we refer to this as Week mode.  When an individual day is highlighted we refer to this as Day mode.

The Entry grid and Rental/Adjustment sections are not affected by the mode; however, most other screens will show a filtered view when you are in Day mode.  This allows you to work with a single day at a time if you have a complex situation.

How do I keep track of calculations?

The Entry, Jobs, O/E, and G/L tabs have inputs that allow you to control the calculation process.  The Breakdown and Distribution tabs show the results.

Why do I sometimes see tab names in italics?

If a timesheet has not been calculated, the Breakdown and Distribution tab names are shown in italics.  You can move between all of the tabs at any time.  If, however, you change anything on a calculated timesheet, the calculation status will return to ‘non-calculated’ and the Breakdown and Distribution tab names will once again be shown in italics.

What features are available in each tab?

The following is a brief description of the features available:

Entry Tab

Grid

Most features are listed in ‘tooltips’ which appear if you hover the mouse over the grid column headers.

Payment Day: Spacebar will toggle between ‘Work’ and ‘Off’.  This can be configured to toggle through other values.  Shift-Spacebar will turn all days of the week ‘Off’.

Keystrokes within the Grid:

Enter = Tab into the next cell according to skip and auto-fill rules

C = Copy times from previous day

S = Set a template of times (per user)

A = Apply a template of times

Ctrl-A = Apply template times for a single day

+ = Apply a single General Timesheet time followed by an Enter 

X = Apply General Timesheet times

Shift-X = Apply General Timesheet times for a single day

Right-Click = Advanced Time Entry

J = Go to the Job tab

Shift-J = Go to the Job

F = Fast Job Modification (for performing Upgrades or changes)

H = Fast Job Modification and switch to Hourly

U = Switch Jobs (for changing to other existing jobs)

W = Modify job Unit/Workgroup (for changing the current job)

O = Go to the O/E tab

Shift-M = Turn Off all Meal Penalties

Shift-1 = Turn Off Meal Penalty 1

Shift-2 = Turn Off Meal Penalty 2

Shift-T = Turn Off Turnaround  

Shift-R = O/E Reset 

G = Go to the G/L tab

Ctrl-G = Clear the QuickMask for the current day

R = Add a Rental/Adj

T = Add a Template Rental/Adj

Of these keystrokes, the F (Fast Job Mod) keystroke is the biggest time saver.

It will allow you to switch the category, job description, rate and account on a single screen.

Right Clicking on the time entry column headers allows you to set Warning Tolerances, Autofill values, and Skip options. Warnings will only appear when you attempt to calculate the timesheet.  The Autofill and Column skip functions work when using the Enter key in much the same way as EPOLv3.

Rent/Adj

 

The Rental and Adjustment area is updated automatically as Calculate As, and Payment Day values change.

There is a daily checkbox section on each rental. For PerDay type rentals, this indicates if the payment is being made.  For other types of rentals and adjustments, the checkboxes indicate that any money paid will be prorated across the day.

If you want to override the default payment or proration, you can use the mouse to set the checkbox values.  When you do this, the value is locked in place.  If you click elsewhere in the Rental area, the locked in values will be highlighted in red.   You can remove the lock by using a menu option under Timesheet, Clear Rental/Adj Locks, or by toggling the Pay checkbox off and on.

Info Area

 

The area near the bottom of the Entry tab presents information from the other timesheet tabs (Jobs, O/E, G/L, Breakdown). This allows you to see the information without going to another tab.  Double-clicking on many of the items shown will cause the system to move to that area.

The Breakdown tab will only show information if the timesheet has been calculated.

The History tab can show every timesheet for the current employee by pressing the Older and Newer buttons.  If you are trying to verify week to week Turnaround payments, clicking on this tab will show you the out time and rate from the previous timesheet.

The Notes tab allows you to put a comment on the timesheet.  This comment can appear on the printed timesheet if desired.

The Timesheet tab shows information about the timesheet as a whole.  Placing the timesheet ‘On Hold’ will separate it from the other timesheets during the transmit process.  ‘Locking’ the calculation will provide a reminder if you attempt to calculate the timesheet at a later date.  It will also exclude the timesheet from Recalculation Wizard processing.

The Payroll code will be used to group timesheets during the transmit process. You may be able to change the Payroll code if your payroll is subdivided by department and/or work province.

Can I enter more than one job per day?

Each day must have one base Job. Depending upon the Pay Type (Hourly, Daily, Daily AutoHourly etc), you may be able to add additional jobs.

How do I add a job?

When you add a job, you must specify a start and end time.  If any work is paid outside of those times, the system will assume that the base Job is being performed.

Can I have multiple unions and currencies on a timesheet?

All jobs on a timesheet must belong to the same union and currency.

All jobs on a day must share the same Pay Class, Job Class, and Pay Type.

How do I correct accounts and rates on a timesheet?

If you need to correct accounts and rates based on a change to the Employee Maintenance job, a button is available when you are in Week mode.

What are the default settings on the O/E tab?

Default settings on the O/E tab are based on the day’s Pay Type, Job Class, Payclass, and workday values.

If you select a setting by clicking on it, an explanation will appear on the right of the screen.

How do I change the default settings?

To change a setting, select it and then right-click. Settings displayed in gray are read-only.  An underline indicates that a setting lower in the ‘tree’ has been modified.

In Week mode, only modified settings will be displayed.  These can be toggled with a right-click if necessary.

How do I edit values?

In Week or Day mode, Quick Mask values can be edited directly.

If you press the Enter key, the cursor will move to the first non-# position on the following line.  This is very useful when entering quick masks for episodes or sets.

Day mode should be used when working on Percentage or Advanced splits .

How are percentage splits applied?

Percentage splits are always applied in addition to the Quick Mask.  If the Percentage masks do not affect the same segment as the Quick Mask, you may not get the results you expect.

What are advanced masks?

Advanced masks allow you to split the day by percentage, between times, before and after times, and for time periods at the start and end of the day.

Advanced masks also allow you to pick the compensation types that are affected by the mask.  For example, if you have an insurance claim that affects everything except Turnaround, you can indicate this by setting limits.

If you need to use Advanced Masks, please contact your EPOL Support Representative for guidance.

How is the Distributions tab organized?

The distribution tab is divided into a two part distribution section and an ‘Other’ section.

The ‘Distribution’ section displays compensation lines which are related to G/L accounts.

The ‘Other’ section displays all other amounts.  This area typically shows a breakdown of taxable benefits such as Catered Meal amounts.

How do I modify Breakdown lines?

Breakdown lines cannot be modified directly.  If changes are necessary, these results can be modified by using Adjustments, O/E settings, or editing breakdown values.

What do I see in “Week Mode” vs “Day Mode”?

In Week mode, the ‘Distribution’ section lists accounts and dollar amounts summarized by Earning Type, G/L Account, and Description, followed by Earning Type subtotals.

In Day mode, the same information is displayed, but it is limited to the selected day and is not summarized.

Where is the Analysis tab?

The Analysis tab is hidden by default because it uses significant system resources.  It can be activated by selecting “Analyze” under the Timesheet menu. Once selected, it will remain visible while Weekly Timesheet Entry is active.

Is data stored in the Analysis tab?

Analysis data is generated during a calculation and then discarded when you leave the timesheet.  If the analysis tab in inactive, or a calculation has not been performed prior to viewing the tab, data will be unavailable.  This means that if you are viewing a previously calculated timesheet (including Historical timesheets), data will be unavailable until you recalculate the timesheet.

What happens in Summary Mode?

In Summary mode, the analysis screen will present a column for each part of the day  when the payment situation does not change.  The column headers state the time that situation began and the length of time the situation remained in effect.  For example, if call is at 9:00 and lunch is 15:00 and nothing else is happening that has an effect on payment (such as Turnaround), the system will create a column which begins at 9:00 and has an elapsed time of 6:00.  

Under the column there will be rows in the Status section which indicate the situation (in this case “Work”).   When the meal begins at 15:00, the system will create a new column because the situation has changed.  A row will be shown for “Meal 1”.  A green line for “Work” will extend from 9:00 until 15:00 and then stop.  A green line for “Meal 1” will begin at 15:00.  If the meal is 30 minutes long, the next column will start at 15:30.

How do I see if a meal was a Paythrough?

If the meal was a Paythrough, the system will create a line for the Paythrough and draw a green line for it during the lunch period.  By looking at the grid, it is possible to determine how and why compensation was calculated for almost every situation.  The screen can be shown in Low, Medium, and High detail levels.

How is the pay rate displayed?

In the Compensation section, the system will display the pay rate used for each section of the day.  These rates are divided by compensation type.  If the rate is in bold, then it contributes to the Rate In Effect and is part of the Total.

How do I get started using Daily Timesheet Entry?

Using the Daily Entry module, you can begin your payroll by entering times from your Daily Production Report.  By entering times on a daily basis, you can take advantage of the v4’s Hot Cost reporting capabilities.

To use Daily Entry you must first select a day, layout, weekending and department.

A “layout”  is a defined set of columns that make up a timesheet.

Cast timesheets have a different layout than crew timesheets because columns exist for Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe.

As you use Daily Entry, v4 builds up a timesheet one day at a time.  Using Weekly Timesheet Entry or the Calculate Timesheet Wizard will fill in any missing days with an “Off” day.

Tools

The following tools allow you to work with group of employees, rentals, timesheets instead of individually.  Configuration options allow you to customize the system to match your production, and your personal preferences.  The following is a brief description of each menu item:

Templates

Templates can be used to quickly add Jobs and Rental/Adjustment items to the system.  You can create templates from scratch within this tool.  You can also create templates based on real employee jobs and rentals. Create Template

Buttons are located just about the Job and Rental grids in Employee Maintenance.  

Job Templates

View or Change Job Templates.  Control relationships between Job and Rental/Adjustment templates.

Rental/Adjustment Templates

View or Change Rental Templates.

Employee

Most of these screens allow you to drag column headers onto an area near the top of the screen.  This allows you to group data by column values such as Department.

Employee Status

View or change status, start and end dates, auto flat and label selections.

Employee Unit/Workgroups

View or change Unit/Workgroups.  View Pay Classes, Job Classes and Masking Groups.

Employee Rental/Adjustments

View or change Rentals and Adjustments.

Employee Rental/Adj Tracking

View Rentals and Adjustments which have Tracking turned on.  This screen provides up-to-date information about payment totals.

Label Export Wizard

Export your employee information to a format which can be used for word-processing merges.

Timesheet 

Timesheet Status

View non-transmitted timesheets.  Columns can be used to identify timesheets that need to be calculated or are on hold status.

 

AutoFlat Wizard

Create and calculated basic timesheets for employees by selecting jobs and a weekending.  The system will create, calculate, and save timesheets automatically.

Hotcost Wizard

Run a variety of reports which estimate costs for a single day.

Calculate Timesheet Wizard

Select a group of uncalculated timesheets to be processed and have the system calculate and save them automatically. This can be useful if you have created timesheet through Daily Entry and you are confident that most of the calculation results will not require additional overrides or changes.

Transmit Wizard

This wizard allows you to create a file which can be transmitted to EP Canada for payment.

Chart of Accounts

Values for each segment of the G/L account can be defined using the Chart of Account screen.  You may add, edit, or delete account values.  There is a Find button available which allows you to search for accounts by account value and description.

Configure

Unit/Workgroups

By default each production is shipped with a Main and 2nd Unit.

Under each Unit there are Workgroups for Camera, Off Camera, Production Office, and Construction.

These groupings can be easily changed if they do not suit your needs.  If you want to make changes, please contact your EPOL Support Representative for advice.

On the Unit screen the default selections are for future development.  The Auto Entry Masks can be used to manipulate G/L accounts semi-automatically whenever you alter the Unit code on a Job.

The Schedule should be entered as soon as it is known.  If rentals and adjustments have been set up to use Unit Prep/Shoot/Wrap restrictions, these dates will affect their payments.

On the Workgroup screen the default selections are for future development.  The Account selections can be used to change the Weekly Timesheet Entry grid to show portions of the Quick Mask on the times entry grid.

Union/Departments

The association between Departments and Unions can be configured using this screen.  As a Job is being created, the system uses this information to predict the Union you require based on the selected Department. 

This screen can also be used to create new departments.

 

Category Defaults

Setting up Category Defaults is extremely important. If these defaults are set correctly it will vastly improve the way the system works.  Every job on the system is created using values pulled from this screen.

Before setting up any Employees, you should drag the Department (and or Union Code) column onto the gray header area and then view the settings for Workgroup, Pay Class, Job Class, and Pay Type.  If the settings are not appropriate for your production, please take the time to change them.  

 

Copy Categories Wizard

This wizard allows new departments to be created, and allows categories to be copied from one department to another.

Earning Types

Use this screen to set default G/L codes for each Earning Type.

Talent Agencies

This screen can be used to add new Talent Agencies onto the system as well as view Talent Agencies and their associated employees.

 

Contracts

Agreements and rate tiers for your production are shown on this screen.  Please verify that the settings are correct.

Calculations

View contract settings for combinations of union, job class, pay class, and types of days.

Options

Project options apply to the production as a whole. The project options are selected by production name.  They control Tree Formats, and Workgroup Account Mask defaults.

User options are based on your login name. These options are selected by user name. They control personal preferences.

Project

Under the Acount Masks tab, you should set the “Apply to Rentals & Adjusments” checkbox.  This is the default setting for the Rent/Adj checkbox  when you create new Quick mask lines in the Workgroup Account Masks screen.

User

The system has many options which are based on individual User Names.

Under the General tab, you can control default employee start and end dates, Tree format preferences, and the default Talent Agency province filter.

Under the Rentals/Adjustment tab, you can provide settings which will speed up the process of adding new items.

The Advanced tab controls preferences for Timesheet Entry.

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