NewsLink Articles
Greetings Administrative System Users!
Ohio State employees should first log in to NewsLink to ensure any staff-only posts display.
NewsLink provides news and information about Workday and other Ohio State administrative systems. Updates are collected twice a month, or more frequently as needed, and pushed out to system users by direct email. Bookmark and check this page frequently for the latest information. The next NewsLink email updates are scheduled for Monday, February 10 and Monday, February 24.
Please note: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's purchasing information for employees is available through go.osu.edu/supply.
Important dates and deadlines:
- GFA SP25 deadlines
- Business and Finance Period Close Calendar
- PCard Transaction Expensing
- Workday maintenance page (login required)
The Administrative Resource Center is your go-to spot for Workday training resources. Separate Fiscal policy training is available and offered by the Office of the Controller.
Need more hands-on help? Periodic Office Hours sessions are conducted by Ohio State business areas to help provide answers to commonly asked Workday questions. Office hours are open to users of all levels and are hosted by subject matter experts.
Coming Soon: Updated Spend Category Hierarchies for Reporting
Spend category hierarchies (level 5) will be updated to create logical groupings of expenses. These groupings will help provide a level of visibility that is inbetween the high-level Supplies and Services view, and the granular spend category level. Below are a few examples of logical expense groupings the changes will create.
- Computer, Audiovisual, and Copying Services
- Maintenance and Repair Services
- Financial, Accounting, and Legal Services
- HVAC, Electrical and Electronic Components
Once the hierarchy changes are made, the "Sources and Uses - Variance Analysis" report will be updated to bring in the level 5 spend category hierarchies. This will allow you to expand supplies and services and view spend associated with the updated hierarchies. You will still have the option to drill/expand to view at the individual spend category level if you have the need.
Quick Expense: Email/Receipt Scanning
New functionality will be available starting Friday, February 14, which will allow business travelers to email or mobile scan receipts into Workday. The functionality uses AI to read receipts and create a Quick Expense record. The Quick Expense will not automatically generate payment or reconcile PCard transactions. The Quick Expense must be linked to an Expense Report to finalize processing. See the full post for more details.
Employee vs Independent Contractor Classification
Requirements have been updated to provide guidance on how employee vs independent contractor work at Ohio State should be classified.
If you plan to hire certain types of individuals or businesses for work in your area, you must follow these requirements to ensure they are correctly classified as employees or independent contractors. The Independent Contractor Guidelines provide an overview of the process for how to evaluate independent contractors and are available on the Purchasing website.
Additionally an Independent Contractor form is available on the Policies and Forms page of the Business and Finance website. This form is a decision-making and documentation tool which is to be used by departments when purchasing services from individuals.
Grants Reporting Updates
Report Enhancement: Find Journal Lines – OSU - Posted Journals by Amount Type
The output of the report "Grant - FDM Values" has been enhanced to include four additional columns. Those columns include the Award Line From Date, Award Line To Date, Prime Sponsor Type, and Sponsor Type.
Procurement Reporting Updates
Supplier Contracts Prompt Added to Procurement Reporting
An update to the prompt "Supplier" on the "Find Requisition Summary - OSU" report is scheduled to take place at end of day on Friday, February 14. See the full post for more details.
Save Time with Fastenal Order Templates
Fastenal is the contracted supplier for building maintenance supplies and janitorial products. University purchases for these items must go through Buckeye Buy. And if you’re a frequent user of the Fastenal catalog in the supplier website section of Buckeye Buy, you may be able to save time with order templates.
International Acknowledgement of Understanding Questionnaire Update
Effective January 28, the International Acknowledgement of Understanding Questionnaire will include additional acknowledgement content, such as Travel Documentation Requirements, Accident and Sickness Insurance (War Exclusion Disclaimer), International Ground Transportation and Fly America Act Requirements. The International Acknowledgement of Understanding Questionnaire was originally established with the release of university wide Travel Guidelines to acknowledge health and safety risks with international travel.
The traveler (faculty/staff only) must complete the International Acknowledgement of Understanding Questionnaire in Workday for a Spend Authorization with an international destination in order to proceed to next approval steps. If travelers are not prompted in Workday, the PDF version of the form can be accessed through Travel Policies and Forms.
Contact the Travel Office with questions at travel@osu.edu or 614-292-9290.
New Catering Equipment Rental Spend Category (SC11037)
A new spend category has been created for Catering Equipment Rental (SC11037). Please use this spend category for the service of renting out specialized equipment and tools used for catering events, parties, and gatherings, such as: Tableware (e.g., plates, glasses, cutlery, napkins), Beverageware (e.g., cups, mugs, wine glasses), Event furniture (e.g., tables, chairs, linen), Party tents, Serving equipment (e.g., chafing dishes, food warmers, platters, serving trays), and Bar equipment (e.g., cocktail shakers, ice buckets, bar counters).
These rentals provide the necessary gear to prepare, serve, and store food without having to purchase these items outright.
Adaptive Planning Sheet/Report Visual Changes
Effective January 15, the sheet and report user interface within Adaptive Planning will be updated. The blue banner will be removed on all report and sheet pages and all search fields and data tables will have rounded corners. Additionally, the Add New button will move to a new location below the top menu bar on the report overview and sheet overview pages. The functionality on these pages will remain the same. See the full post to preview the new look.