Fact sheet: Matrix teams and position overrides

HR Links has features that give supervisors access to the appropriate staff while they’re on a temporary promotion or a detail. This fact sheet covers two of those features — Position Overrides and Matrix Teams.

Position overrides

Position overrides are an HR Links feature that automatically gives the supervisor of a detailed employee (the “detail supervisor”) access to the detailed employee’s timesheets, absence requests, and more. It functions similar to a matrix team. (See more on matrix teams)

For the duration of the detail, both the detail supervisor and the “reports to” supervisor can “manage” the detailed employee. This means that both can:

• See the detailed employee in their My Team tile
• Approve the detailed employee’s timesheets and absence requests
• Create a new performance plan for the detailed employee
• Approve a telework agreement submitted by the detailed employee

The detail supervisor can’t access the performance plans of employees that were created prior to the detail. To have a performance plan transferred to you, contact your OHRM Performance Management contact.

A position override will be automatically established, if an employee is detailed to a supervisory position. Employees detailed to supervisory positions will gain access to the staff they’ll supervise once the detail personnel action has been processed and the “direct reports” process runs in HR Links. This process runs four times per day (at 7:35 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 3:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. ET), and implements any supervisory changes made in HR Links since the last time the process ran.

The detail supervisor will lose access to the staff in HR Links when the detail ends and a “termination of detail” personnel action has been processed.

Employees are often temporarily promoted to supervisory positions while the supervisor of record is on a detail. When this happens, a “clone” of a supervisory position is created. The “clone” is then “tied” to the original supervisory position. This gives the temporary supervisor the ability to manage the employees in HR Links. This is best illustrated by example.

If a supervisory position needs to be cloned for this purpose, your organization’s Personnel Action Request (PAR) Initiator should first submit a “Create New Position” request. In the request, the Initiator should indicate the position number to clone and the Not-To-Exceed date of the temporary promotion. After the new position has been created, the PAR Initiator can submit the temporary promotion request.

Generally you want a position override to be established so that the detail supervisor can manage the detailee in HR Links. However, there are two exceptions:

1. Employee is being detailed to another agency
2. Employee is remaining in his/her current position while performing special duties that warrant a detail in order to document those special duties.

For these types of details, the PAR Initiator should use the generic detail position number “GSA1DET” as the detail position number on the PAR.

Matrix teams

Matrix teams is an HR Links feature that gives another supervisor (in addition to the employee’s “reports to” supervisor) the ability to manage an employee in HR Links for a temporary period of time.

Both the “reports to” supervisor and the matrix team manager can “manage” the employee(s) on the matrix team. This means that both can:

• See their employees in their My Team tile
• Approve timesheets and absence requests
• Create new performance plans
• Approve “Initiate SF-52” requests that are initiated in Manager Self-Service
• Receive email notifications about transactions they can approve (leave requests, timesheets, “reviewer” approval for level 5 performance ratings, etc.)
• Receive other HR Links email notifications (emails about probationary periods and upcoming Within Grade Increases, career ladder promotions, and Not-To-Exceed dates)

Matrix team managers cannot access the employee’s existing performance plan if the plan was created prior to the matrix team being established. However, the plan can be transferred to the matrix team manager by your OHRM Performance Management contact.

The position override feature gives detailed supervisors access to the appropriate staff members in HR Links, so matrix teams should rarely be needed. However, a matrix team may be an appropriate solution for unique situations. For example, when the “reports to” supervisor is out of the office, and another supervisor will be handling his/her supervisory responsibilities during the absence. Note: the 2nd level supervisor can also handle time and leave tasks in the absence of a 1st level supervisor. See the Supervisor Delegations Fact Sheet for details.

To request a matrix team, contact your OHRM’s “Reports to” coordinator. Your coordinator will work with you to determine if a matrix team is the appropriate solution, and if so, request approval. If approved, OHRM will set up the team in HR Links for you.

A matrix team takes effect after the team has been established by OHRM, and the next “direct reports” process runs in HR Links. This process runs four times per day (at 7:35 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 3:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. ET), and implements any matrix teams that were entered in HR Links since the last time the process ran. Example: If a matrix team is entered in HR Links at 10 a.m. ET, it will be effective in HR Links at 11:35 a.m. If it’s entered at 1 p.m., it will be effective at 3:35 p.m.