Previous Berkshire Product Release Notes

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2010‑2018 Product Release Notes

September 2018

BalanceAAP 4.0

Version 4.0 has been updated to include the following:

  • To support clients with their recordkeeping needs, Excel documents can now be uploaded into Reports, including in the libraries available for storing Plan Documents and Company Documents alongside AAP results.
  • We continue to enhance the newly designed interface in response to previously identified customer needs and to enhance performance or perform minor bug fixes.

BalanceTRAK 3.9/4.0

September to December 2018

  • (4.0) Each balanceTRAK user can access new settings, under Account user name:
    • The user can configure a default Requisition list view to show on entry, by selecting and applying one or more filters from detailed menus.
  • The Job Posting page has been updated to:
    • Allow Job Seekers to login even when the client organization has no currently open positions. This allows an applicant to create a profile or submit a RESUME when positions are open in the future.
    • Permit the inclusion of a message to Job Seekers when no positions are currently open, via Job Posting Page settings.
  • (4.0) Administrative tools under Settings > Workflow have been modified:
    • For better efficiency, menus have been reorganized to align with how settings impact Requisition/Job Seeker activities.
    • To allow for flexibility in Requisition automation, each client can decide to close a Requisition when the number of hires meets/exceeds the number of job openings OR have the system take no action.

  • The Login-"Forget Password" menu has been augmented to enhance security and usability.
  • The Job Posting page has been updated to include settings for the client-side Administrator to hide the Date Posted for job listings.
  • The PDF version of each Job Seeker Form is now clearly labeled with the Job Seeker's name, application date, and Requisition-identifying information.
  • When performing a Job Seeker data Export:
    • A Filter for Hire Date is available.
    • The Source tracking code can be included.
  • On the Approvals tab, an ongoing Approval Process for a Requisition or Job Seeker can be canceled by the client-side Administrator having appropriate permissions.
  • We continue to enhance the newly designed interface in response to previously identified customer needs and to enhance performance or perform minor bug fixes.

July 2018 (Version 4.0, Revamped Interface)

  Software Transition Crosswalk

BalanceAAP

Version 4.0 has been updated to include the following:

  • New balanceAAP user interface for better navigation and usability
  • New logos for all applications in the balanceWORKS suite, including balanceAAP
  • Re-designed Profile Management, which allows an Administrator to turn on/off access to fields, functions, and screens, easily via checkbox
  • User Management, including individual plan permissions, has been consolidated throughout and is now controlled through balanceWORKS.
  • REACH has been separated out and is now a stand-alone product. Connectivity to balanceAAP remains in place, without change.
  • BalanceHUB SHARE, the reports distribution portal, has been reincorporated into balanceAAP.
  • Controls to Publish Plan for distribution are now directly listed on the side navigation menu.
  • The AAP Reports menu has been redesigned with a more modern layout, reorganized Report Groups, and improved functionality. All balanceAAP reports, including those previously found in SHARE, can be found here.
  • The Dashboard has also been incorporated into balanceAAP and is now located directly in the side navigation menu.
  • Narratives (including templates and settings) have been separated from Reports and can now be accessed directly from the side navigation menu.

BalanceTRAK

Version 4.0 introduces the following:

  • New balanceTRAK user interface for better navigation and usability
  • New logos for all applications in the balanceWORKS suite, including balanceTRAK
  • Re-designed Profile Management, which allows an Administrator to turn on/off access to fields, functions, and screens, easily via checkbox
  • User Management, including location/department permissions, has been consolidated throughout and is now controlled through balanceWORKS.
  • The Job Seeker Export has been enhanced to include new data fields, date range options, the ability to save custom exports and several default export templates, including exporting Job Seeker data for use in balanceAAP.
  • Several Client Settings have been moved to the System tab, located within the Settings menu. These options include Default User Settings, Archive, and Job Seeker login instructions.
  • Standard Job Posting Pages can now be modified through the Settings menu, where users can update header information, Requisition filters, and each page’s style and color.
  • The Job Posting Page layout has been updated with user-friendly filtering options that can be customized per account.

April 2017

BalanceAAP & BalanceHUB 3.9.1

  • The Plan Settings menu for Adverse Impact calculations now offers an option to activate a threshold for determining a favored group when analyzing applicant data. Once turned on, a minimum number of applicants can be entered, representing the lowest number of applicants allowed before a class can be considered as the favored group.
  • A batch-processing button was added to the Applicant table in Data Tables for use in reconciling IWD and Protected Veteran (PV) fields in the Applicant, Roster, and personnel action tables to support consistency across the records.
  • Refinements to the Availability display filters now allow more areas, as calculated by the Recruitment Area Wizard, to be included (or excluded) on the screen. This change will ensure single-region areas display when the filter to include these areas is in place.
  • Internal Availability has been enhanced with an option to export Feeders to an Excel workbook, using a toolbar button.
  • The IWD (Individuals with Disabilities)/Veterans module has been updated to reflect the new Protected Veteran hiring benchmark for March 30, 2017, as published by the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) under the Vietnam Veterans Readjustment and Assistance Act (VEVRAA).
  • Pages in the Narratives can now be numbered, by activating an option on the Narratives > Settings tab.
  • The HISTORY SOURCE SUMMARY report, previously available by Job Group, can now be run by Job Code.
  • In REACH, the ACTIVITY DETAIL LIST report has been reorganized to include evaluation scores and notes.
  • Minor updates were made to improve performance and resolve bugs.

BalanceTRAK 3.9.1

  • The SELF-IDENTIFICATION section/form for disability status to be completed by the Job Seeker is now available in English OR Spanish through Administrative Settings > Form Templates.
  • The SELF-IDENTIFICATION section/form for disability status also reflects a revised Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) expiration date of January 31, 2020.
  • For improved communication of your organization’s compliance language, multiple versions of EEO and PAY TRANSPARENCY documents can be stored for display to Job Seekers during the application process. In particular, this change allows for the storage of English and Spanish versions of these attachments.
  • Minor changes have been made to improve performance and resolve bugs.

September 14, 2016

BalanceAAP and BalanceHUB Version 3.9

  • The Recruitment Area Wizard has been enhanced to allow users to run the area assignments in the background. Once the area assignments have finished, the user will be notified through the Notifications panel.
  • BalanceAAP History settings have been enhanced to provide users with the option to include new hires in the history pools for selected personnel actions.
  • The Minorities/Women narrative has been updated to remove the Sex Discrimination Policy section, by default, for all plans created after August 15, 2016. The policy was removed from the narrative in light of recent regulatory changes. Although the policy has been removed from the narrative, upon request, Berkshire will provide clients a template policy that can be more easily customized to reflect a client’s current compliance practices.
  • Individual sections in narrative Templates can now be included or excluded from the narrative's Table of Contents.
  • Users can now import custom narrative Tags and Values into Master plans, using a system-generated Excel template. This allows users to quickly populate narrative information for multiple plans at the same time.
  • BalanceAAP Administrators (Admins) can now view BALANCEhub as another system user within their account.
  • An option has been added to ADVERSE IMPACT reports to allow the name of the favored group to be suppressed for audit situations.
  • An additional option has been added to Apps to Hires that will update the Job Code of all applicants within a requisition to have the same Job Code, making applicant flow data more consistent.

BalanceTRAK 3.9

  • Links have been added to the Requisitions and Job Seekers list and detail pages to improve access to related information.
  • BalanceTRAK users can now add themselves as a BCC recipient when sending emails directly to Job Seekers.
  • Several enhancements have been made for creating and editing Questions:
    • A new question type, called “Time Stamp,” is now available. When added to a form, this question will record the date the Job Seeker completed the specific section or form.
    • Individual form questions can now be hidden from view for Job Seekers through the "HR Use Only" feature.
    • The additional options available on several question types now includes long freeform text.
  • The feature to notify balanceTRAK users, when a Job Seeker has been placed into a specific stage, has been modified to allow the selection of entire user profile groups, instead of just individual users.
  • Additional changes have been made throughout the Requisitions, Job Seekers, and Home pages to improve performance.

BalanceTRAK 3.9 Video Tutorials

June 1, 2016

BalanceAAP & BalanceHUB Version 3.8

  • The Recruitment Area Wizard has been enhanced so users can apply Recruitment Area results to selected plans and/or Job Groups.
  • Additional options have been built into the Apps to Hires feature, which is located on the Applicant table, to allow for the export of an Apps to Hires workbook to assist in the reconciliation with the applicant flow and new hires file. Users can now correct the fields for multiple applicant records at a time through various predetermined actions. The user can also import changes made to the Apps to Hires workbook.
  • The DASH summary export has been enhanced to better represent current AAP guidelines and display the data by individual protected classes.
  • User Defined Personnel Actions have been expanded to provide users with the option to choose the source of pool data for the newly created action’s Adverse Impact reports. The new option allows the pool and selected candidates to be contained in a single table, helpful for calculating such actions as internal applicant flow.
  • The job feeder options, within Internal Availability, have been enhanced to allow job feeders to be read when feeders are being assigned by Job Group. Additionally, the feeder weight options have been enhanced to allow them to be calculated different ways, such as by the number of total personnel action movements or by current employment totals.

BalanceTRAK Version 3.8

  • A Requisition limit notification has been added to all balanceTRAK accounts. When the number of Requisitions created, in each calendar year, reaches 80% and 100% of your account’s plan, the account administrators will notified through a system alert. If you are unclear of your account’s current Requisition limit, please contact Berkshire's Product Support.
  • New subscription options have been added so Job Seekers can restrict their job posting notifications, based on each Requisition’s full-time/part-time status and the Requisition’s designated city, state, and postal code values.
  • A new email option has been added to each balanceTRAK account that, when activated, will send all manual emails from the system-designated email address and not from the individual user’s email address.
  • The Send Job Seeker to Others feature has been updated to allow the Job Seeker’s PRESCREENER form to be included in the email.
  • Approval Processes for Requisitions have been updated to incorporate several new workflow options. The new options include the ability to select the specific status in which a Requisition will be placed upon approval, rejection, or if the process remains idle for a predetermined amount of time. For additional information on this feature or to update Approval Process options, please contact Product Support.
  • The Job Codes displayed on the (Add) Requisition page can now be restricted, based on organizational information. For more information on this feature, please contact Product Support.
  • The Job Seeker APPLICATION pages and the Job Description pages have an improved color scheme, allowing for a better display on a variety of devices.

February 3, 2016

BalanceAAP & BalanceHUB 3.7

  • The Swap Hires option on the Applicant Data table has been enhanced and renamed Apps to Hires. This enhanced feature provides users an extensive analysis in Excel format, comparing data in the Applicant and New Hire tables, allowing you to quickly reconcile inconsistencies in the data. Functions are also available to help automate some specific inconsistencies in batches to further expedite data clean-up.
  • The Availability module (External, Internal, and Factor Weights) has been enhanced to accommodate the use of Plan Groups. Plan Groups are pre-determined sets of sub plans that enable changes to be applied to multiple sub plans at a time. When Plan Groups are used to set Recruitment Areas, create internal feeder options and/or set Factor Weights, those changes will only be reflected in plans that make up the Plan Group.
  • A new advanced Search option was added to each Data and Reference table that will grant users the ability to search and filter within specified columns.
  • A new report will be available, within BALANCEhub, showing plan administrators which team members have viewed published AAP reports.
  • The ability to create separate Report Groups, based on plan type, has been added to BALANCEhub. Report Groups are used to control the reports that are displayed to users in BALANCEhub; this new feature will allow a different list of reports to be displayed in Update and Annual plans.
  • Additional bug fixes and minor enhancements

BalanceTRAK 3.7

  • The integration between balanceTRAK and Indeed has been enhanced to include Indeed Apply. This enhanced integration will be enabled for all balanceTRAK accounts, during the week of February 15th. This feature will provide Job Seekers with the flexibility to apply for jobs in balanceTRAK through Indeed Apply (from Indeed’s mobile app or through the Indeed Website). Additional information on this feature is available in the attached balanceTRAK Indeed Apply article, or by contacting Product Support.
  • Individual balanceTRAK user settings have been updated to allow users to change their current time zone. Changes to individual time zone settings will automatically adjust the date/time values throughout the system.
  • For accounts that utilize the two-part Applicant Stage and Disposition Code workflow, the assignment of a candidate’s Applicant Stage and Disposition can be independently controlled within Profile Management.
  • An option has been added to Profile Management that will grant a user universal access to all locations (or other user access code) when assigned the option.
  • Additional bug fixes and minor enhancements

November 4, 2015

BalanceAAP & BalanceHUB 3.6

  • The Open Plan page in balanceAAP and the Plans page in BALANCEhub have been enhanced to improve usability. Your list of Affirmative Action Plans has been grouped by year, and the ability to filter your plans by type has been added.
  • The Plan Archive Date has been added to the Plan Information page. This date will control when each of your plans will be archived and potentially removed from the software. For more information, see Berkshire's Data Retention policy.
  • A plan Export All option has been added to each plan’s home screen. This feature will provide users with the ability to export their entire AAP, prior to the plan being archived. The export file is a single Zip file that contains each plan’s data and Reference tables, overall plan settings, and plan reports.
  • The Errors page has been enhanced to provide more flexibility when correcting employees or individual records with multiple data errors.
  • The Narrative Templates section has been updated to provide users with a more advanced editor. The editor now closely resembles a standard word processing software. Additionally, users will be able to export selected sections, make changes to those sections and then import those changes directly into templates.
  • The IWD Utilization Goal and Protected Veteran Benchmark values have been added to the BALANCEhub Summary and Scorecard.
  • The PROGRESS SUMMARY report has been added to update plans. Similar to the PLAN SUMMARY found in Annual plans, the PROGRESS SUMMARY pulls the results from key Affirmative Action reports into a single analysis.
  • Recruitment Area Assignment in External Availability has been redesigned to perform more efficiently, including the ability to show or hide recruitment areas that have been generated by the Recruitment Area Wizard.
  • A list of users that have access to a plan via BALANCEhub can now be exported from the system.
  • Additional bug fixes and minor enhancements.

BalanceTRAK 3.6

  • The ability to archive and remove Requisition and Job Seeker information, has been added to Administrative Settings. For more information, see Berkshire's Data Retention policy.
  • A global Requisition and Job Seeker Search has been added to the top of most screens throughout balanceTRAK. When an exact match is found, the Search will bring you directly to the detailed information page for that Requisition or Job Seeker. If multiple matches have been found, you will be provided a list of matching results.
  • Previously entered Employment, Education, and References will now prepopulate into subsequent Job Seeker APPLICATIONS. For additional information, please contact Berkshire's Product Support.
  • When sending Job Seeker Information to other balanceTRAK users, the option to attach Job Seeker forms has been enhanced to include the COVER LETTER.
  • The ability to identify and merge duplicate Job Seekers has now been added. For additional information or to activate this feature, please contact Product Support.
  • Additional bug fixes and minor enhancements.

July 29, 2015

BalanceAAP and BalanceTRAK 3.5

This balanceAAP upgrade will include the following:

  • The VETS-4212 Federal Contractor Veterans’ Employment Report, and an export file for upload to the VETS Website, are now available. The report has been added to the Reports module for plans with a Plan Date on or after January 1, 2015.
  • The Adverse Impact analysis has been augmented to better assess the groups that can be considered favored or non-favored. When this option is enabled, the analysis looks at both reasonable recruitment and applicant or pool data to ensure a group has at least 2% representation to be considered as a favored group, or considered to have adverse impact.
  • The Roster Data table provides a tool to set employees’ Reports to Plan and Report Location fields, based on the assigned supervisor’s Plan Code.
  • A Validate Zip Code feature has been added to the Recruitment Area Wizard. When the option to use zip codes is selected, this validator will review your selected zip code list, identify invalid entries, and allow you to correct invalid codes.
  • A new IWD and Protected Veteran Hiring Overview option has been added that will match values for Jobs Opened and Jobs Filled.
  • The PLAN SUMMARY report now includes IWD and Protected Veteran information.
  • The Shortfall number in the ADVERSE IMPACT reports has been corrected so that results display properly when run by Individual race. All affected areas will recalculate and be automatically resolved when the report is loaded.
  • Video Tutorials have been updated throughout the application.
  • Additional bug fixes and minor enhancements.

This balanceTRAK upgrade will include the following:

  • ZipRecruiter has been added to the balanceTRAK integration list.
  • Creating Approval Processes for individual requisitions has been enhanced to allow the addition of approver groups.
  • The option to exclude closed Requisitions when viewing Job Seekers by Requisition has now been added to improve load time and performance. To enable this feature, or for additional information, please contact Berkshire’s Product Support.
  • A new Requisition workflow option has been added that will automatically change a requisition’s status when the requisition reaches the Posting End Date. To enable this feature or for additional information, please contact Product Support.
  • BalanceTRAK's Data Profiles have an expanded security feature, which restricts viewing of Job Seeker forms for specific users.
  • Additional bug fixes

Thursday, May 28, 2015

BalanceTRAK 3.4

This upgrade includes the following:

  • The User Management section has been redesigned to improve functionality and usability when managing your balanceTRAK users. New features include:
    • Copy to User and Create from User tools to expedite the creation of new balanceTRAK users.
    • Filter and search tools for finding specific users or groups of users, based on user access level and function or data profile.
    • Enhanced User Management reporting, accessible on the Reports page.
  • The Form Template editor has been redesigned to better reflect the Job Seeker application process:
    • The overall “look and feel” now provides improved usability and better reflects what the Job Seeker will see as they are applying for a Requisition.
    • The form sections include new menus, icons, and working areas to streamline form and question creation and management.
    • Additional functionality has also been added to the form editor, including:

The header, footer, and instructions in forms can now accept formatting such as bold, italics, etc.

Cover letters may now be marked as required.

Education, employment, and reference fields can be renamed by contacting Berkshire's Product Support department.

  • Job Seekers that have been hidden from view due to the Requisition Job Seeker Filter, can now be viewed through Profile Management permissions. For more information on this feature, please contact Product Support.

  • BalanceTRAK users can now be notified when a Job Seeker has been placed into an Applicant Stage.
  • A balanceTRAK user’s ability to update a job code’s default Job Description can now be restricted through Profile Management settings.
  • The Job Description editor is now fully compliant with the recent versions of IE, Chrome, and Firefox.
  • Additional bug fixes
  • The Help documentation has been restructured into a "Wiki" format.

January 28, 2015

BalanceAAP & BalanceHUB 3.3

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues.

IWD/Veterans
The accuracy of the Jobs Opened calculation, in the Hiring Overview activity, has been improved by counting all hired applicants in addition to the unique requisitions where a job seeker has not been hired. Unique Promotion IDs can also now be included to incorporate internal openings into this calculation.

Roster Data Table
The Roster Data table has been updated to include additional fields required in the most recent Scheduling letter, including: Grade, Wage Rate, Typical Hours in a Work Week, Other Compensation, Status, and Protected Veteran.

Compensation Data Export
The ability to export the compensation data, as outlined in the revised Scheduling letter, has been added to the Data Export page.

Adverse Impact Reporting
Also in response to the recent changes from the OFCCP’s Scheduling Letter, the following changes have been made to the Adverse Impact reports:

  • The Traditional Adverse Impact reports previously available, can still be accessed through balanceAAP, but are now called “Adverse Impact….Traditional."
  • Plans created after this January 2015 release will have these plans hidden by default, but can be displayed by unchecking the “Hide Legacy Reports” option, located in the Global Settings on the Select Reports page.
  • Adverse Impact reports have been modified to analyze the data, based off the Favored Group analyses. These reports will now compare the selection rate for each individual race or gender against the group that has the highest overall selection rate.
  • Adverse Impact reports will no longer be specifically identified as being run by Favored Groups. New plans will only show Adverse Impact and Adverse Impact Detail reports.
  • Adverse Impact Detail reports have been updated to support the Favored Group analysis and enhanced to further breakdown by selected groups into Hired, Internal Successful, and Offer Extended.
  • In addition to running Favored Groups by Race and Gender, a new section has been added to compare Total Minorities versus Whites.
  • BALANCEhub will also include all corresponding Adverse Impact changes to calculations, Reports, and DASH graphs.
  • Adverse Impact reports can be filtered by Job Group to help minimize the amount of information produced in reports that must be submitted for review.
  • BalanceAAP now supports multiple versions of Narrative Templates so that updates can be phased in, as necessary.

BalanceAAP Narratives and Reports

  • A new version of the Narratives has been included to comply with the most recent changes to the Scheduling letter. The modifications include:
    • Overall language changes have been made to the default Narrative Templates.
    • Additional Narrative template tags have been added, including: Top US Official and their Title, Review of Personnel Processes Detail, Review of Physical and Mental Job Requirements Detail, and Additional Monitoring Actions.

  • The Data > Export tab is now directly accessible from the Select Reports page.

  • The Compensation Summary report is now run by Favored Group.

Help
The Help documentation has been restructured in a "Wiki" format.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

BalanceTRAK 3.2

This upgrade will include the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  • The ability to access balanceTRAK, using a Single Sign On (SSO) connection. Contact Berkshire's Product Support for more details.
  • Job Posting pages can now be set to operate in "kiosk" mode, which will allow multiple Job Seekers to apply to the same Requisition, using the same browser session.
  • From the Review Requisition page, a link has been added that will take balanceTRAK* users to the list of Job Seekers that have applied for the Requisition.
  • The ability to view the COVER LETTER, RESUME, PRESCREENER, and APPLICATION has been added to the Job Seekers section of the Review Requisition page.
  • The Job Seekers’ Resume Search has been enhanced to include a Boolean search option, using separators “and” or “or”.
  • Additional predefined text fields for the Job Seeker’s First Name and Last Name have been added to the Email Template options.
  • Job Seekers will now receive an email confirmation when they have successfully subscribed to new job postings.
  • An “In use” icon has been added to the Approval Process list to help identify which process has previously been used.
  • Inactive and unused user Function Profiles can now be removed from the system.
  • A new Function Profile has been added that can restrict a balanceTRAK user’s ability to delete a job Requisition.
  • The ability to restrict access to specific Requisition and Job Description fields has now been added to the Data Profiles page in Profile Management.
  • Requisition fields can now be re-ordered to better meet the needs of your company’s Requisition process. Contact Product Support for more details.
  • Additional bug fixes

Monday, July 7, 2014

BalanceAAP 3.1

This upgrade iincludes the following new features and enhancements:

Introducing BALANCEhub REACH, a Good Faith Efforts Tracker

  • The ability to track the Good Faith Efforts (GFE) of your organization’s outreach and recruitment programs has now been added to BALANCEhub.
  • REACH allows your organization to:
    • Log individual outreach Activities, and record and search by, various factors such as geographic reach, target group, and location.
    • Store the outreach source information for use at a later time or for reference.
    • Perform Evaluations on each activity and every source.
    • Define your own criteria to evaluate your Sources.
    • Report on Good Faith Efforts data collected and statistics about this information.

BalanceAAP – REACH integration

  • REACH data can now be integrated into your organization’s Affirmative Action plan Narratives when the plans are developed in the software.

BALANCEhub Modifications

  • In additional to adding REACH to BALANCEhub, the remaining BALANCEhub features have been rebranded but maintain the same functionality as before:
    • The Dashboard section has been renamed DASH.
  • The Reports section has been renamed SHARE.

Monday, May 5, 2014

balanceTRAK 3.1

This upgrade will include the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  • An optional Workflow setting will now be available to automatically close a Requisition when the number of hires meets the Requisition’s specified number of positions
  • Individual Job Seeker Questions and answers will now be available for system data export
  • The User Permissions report has been enhanced to list active and inactive balanceTRAK users
  • Usability enhancements have been made for clients having multiple Job Posting pages
  • Enhancements have been made to the Requisition Detail, Job Seeker by Requisition, and Open Requisition reports to improve usability
  • The capability to delete Job Seekers has been restructured and placed into its own Function Profile
  • BalanceTRAK users can now specify a default Application or Prescreener form on each Requisition
  • General bug fixes

Sunday, March 23, 2014

BalanceAAP 3.0

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  • A new “look and feel” has been applied to balanceAAP for improved usability
  • RDS is now renamed to BALANCEhub.
  • Modifications were made to BALANCEhub Permissions.
  • Access to BALANCEhub will now be controlled through the balanceWORKS User Permissions page.
  • BALANCEhub user permissions will now be controlled through the balanceAAP Profile Management page.

  • Summaries across sub plans for Utilization, Adverse Impact, and Goal Attainment will be available in the BALANCEhub Dashboard
  • Data Enhancements for the Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) and Protected Veterans Regulations:
    • Roster and Applicant Data Tables have been modified to begin tracking IWD metrics.
    • The Applicant Table has been modified to include a Protected Veteran field.
    • The Veterans Reference table has been updated to reflect new classifications for Veterans.

  • New IWD/Veterans Data Collection section to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans Regulations:
    • Hiring Overview: Calculate jobs opened and filled by Plan, Sub Plan, and Job Group
    • IWD Analysis: Calculate the IWD utilization goals by Plan, Sub Plan, and Job Group
    • Protected Veteran Analysis: Calculate the Veteran Hiring Benchmarks by Plan, Sub Plan, and Job Group
      • – Options include support for standard Protected Veteran Hiring Benchmark, or the more in-depth five-factor analysis.

  • Updated Narratives and Reports
    • The Narratives section has been split into three separate narratives to comply with the new regulations:
    • Minorities/Women
    • Individuals with Disabilities
    • Protected Veterans
  • Narratives now support custom headers and footers.
  • Run newly created IWD and Protected Veterans reports:
    • Data Collection for IWDs
    • Data Collection for Protected Veterans
    • Individuals with Disabilities Utilization Goals
    • Veteran Benchmarks for Hiring Analysis
    • Adverse Impact for IWDs
    • Adverse Impact for Protected Veterans

  • Modifications made to the File Consistency section and File Consistency Batch Operations:
    • General performance improvements
    • Search capability has been added to the View Employees section.
    • The ability to filter employees by issue has now been added .
    • Additional options have been added to perform Batch Operations.
    • Additional selections have been added to File Consistency Options.
  • General system bug fixes

Sunday, March 23, 2014

BalanceTRAK 3.0

This upgrade will include the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  • A new “look and feel” has been applied to balanceTRAK for improved usability
  • Ability to add an EEO Statement to the Job Posting page, the Job Description page, and the Job Seeker Login page
  • System enhancements for the Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) and Protected Veterans Regulations:
    • Addition of the IWD question to comply with the new regulations and with the mandated wording
    • Modification of the default Veterans question to comply with the new regulations and with the mandated wording
    • Ability to add the newly created IWD and Veterans question to existing Self-ID form or create and manage additional Self-ID forms.
    • IWD and Protected Veteran reporting enhancements
  • General system bug fixes

Monday, October 28, 2013

BalanceTRAK 2.2

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  • Revised application process and Job Seeker options
  • Improved Application Forms — The Job Seeker application process has been revised to work more fluidly on various browsers and devices. The application process was also enhanced to improve accessibility, and be more in line with accessibility standards, for Individuals with Disabilities.
  • Subscribe to Job Openings — Job Seekers can now sign up to receive email notifications from an organization when a job opening, fitting personalized selections, has been opened.
    • Enhanced Job Seeker Profile Page — The Job Seeker’s profile page has been redesigned to improve usability, manage their subscriptions, and enable them to better manage their profile.
    • Improved Job Description Page Customization — The Job Description page has been improved to allow for additional information from the job posting to be included with the Job Description. Additionally, the look and feel of the job description page can now be customized to match Job Posting pages

  • Separate Applicant Stage and Disposition Code fields — The balanceTRAK system now has the ability to separate the Applicant Status field into a dual Applicant Stage/Applicant Status model that better reflects hiring processes. The new feature will allow Job Seekers to be grouped by their stage in the hiring process, and their current or final disposition within each stage. Please contact Product Support for activation information.
  • Client Usage Report — A system report has been added to the Client Settings menu which shows how many Requisitions have been opened, how many job seekers have applied, and how often the system is being used by each of its users.
  • Job Seeker Limit — BalanceTRAK now provides users with the ability to set a limit on the number of job seekers that can apply for a specific Requisition. Please contact Product Support for activation information.
  • Importing Job Descriptions — The ability to import Job Descriptions has been added to the Job Code table.
  • Improved Email Features
    • Selecting Job Seeker’s Requisition — When sending an email to job seeker through balanceTRAK, or sending Job Seeker information to another balanceTRAK user, a specific Requisition can now be selected for that candidate if he or she applied to more than one Requisition.
    • Attaching a Job Seeker’s Resumé to Calendar Event — When creating and sending a calendar event for a specific Job Seeker, users now have the option to include the Job Seeker’s Resumé as part of the appointment.
    • System Email Delay — The ability to delay the auto response emails to Job Seekers has been added to the Email Settings page. This is useful when you do not want a Job Seeker to be notified immediately when he or she fails a Prescreener.
  • Job Seeker Management Enhancements — The Job Seekers list can now be filtered by Flagged Job Seekers and Internal Job Seekers by using new options in the View menu at the top of the Manage Job Seekers page.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

BalanceAAP 2.2

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

Availability Enhancements

  • The Applicant Zip code, which is now available when importing applicant data, can now be used to create Recruitment Areas with the Recruitment Area Wizard.
  • The Factor 2 Check now identifies job groups that have feeders assigned but no weight applied to Factor 2 in the Factor Weights section.

Data Enhancements

  • The ability to create and provide Adverse Impact reporting on Competitive Promotions and Termination Pools has been added.
  • Plan data can now be imported from a sub plan, using the Import From Existing Plan feature.
  • The File Consistency tool has been modified to allow easier navigation between personnel issues and the ability to change personnel actions for selected employees has been added. Salary may also be identified at the time a roster record is edited.

Usability Enhancements

  • The balanceAAP layout was optimized to better use the available screen space.
  • To improve efficiency, selected processes are now able to be Run in Background, which will allow users to continue working within a plan while other processes are still running.

Reports Enhancements

  • The plan Narratives have been enhanced to allow for the creation and insertion of Custom Narrative Sections.
  • Images, such as company logos, and signatures can be inserted into the Narrative document using new Image Tags.
  • Ability to use Reporting Level Drilldowns as Establishment Codes for the EEO-1/VETS-100/100A Reports has been made available.
  • Minor report enhancements

Plan Structure Enhancements

  • Drilldowns and Rollups can now be imported from an existing plan in the Reporting Levels section.
  • The ability to inactivate Drilldowns has also been added to the Reporting Levels page.
  • The Reports to Other Department field can now be imported into directly, and will appear on the Workforce Analysis report.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

BalanceTRAK 2.1

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  • View Selected Job Seekers — Provides the ability to select and view the Application form and Resumé for multiple Job Seekers. Additionally, Job Seekers can be flagged for future reference and have their status codes changed.

  • Email Jobs to Friends — The ability to forward job postings to friends will be added to the Job Posting page.

    • Note: This feature will not be turned on by default. Contact Berkshire’s Product Support Team to have this enabled for your organization.

  • Approval Process Modification — The names of existing Approval Processes can now be edited.

  • Approval Process Email Templates — The emails sent by balanceTRAK during a Requisition or hiring Approval Process can now be customized.

  • New Standard Requisition Fields — Requisition Fields for City, State, Postal Code, and Country are now standard fields in the software.

  • Form Template Auditing — Form template changes can now be tracked and monitored in the Form Templates pages under Administrative Settings.

  • Improved Veteran Tracking — A default Reference table has been added for Veteran Status, and a designated Personal Info field to track Veteran status for future reporting.

  • Job Seeker Filter Enhancement — The Job Seekers list can now be adjusted to show all seekers, all seekers that have completed at least one form, or all seekers that have completed an Application form.

  • Expanded Form Permissions — The form permissions were enhanced to allow users to choose one of the following options: Allow form edits after job seekers have applied; allow form edits until a job seeker has applied; or allow form edits until the approval process is complete.

  • Attach Documents to a Requisition — The ability to attach a document to a Requisition has been added to the Review Requisition page.

  • Enhanced Portability of Job Seeker Resumés — All uploaded resumés will now be automatically converted into PDF format removing the need of Microsoft Word or other text editors local to your computer or mobile device.

  • More Flexible Email Templates — Email Templates now allow the insertion of predefined text fields into the subject line.

  • Improved Requisition Source Section — The Sources section within a requisition has been combined with the job posting links to provide a more intuitive and integrated interface to manage your sources. Automatic postings to job boards, such as Indeed.com and US.jobs, can also be turned on or off by Requisition, as necessary.

  • balanceTRAK API — The software now includes version 1.0 of an API, allowing your IT professionals to read Job Seeker and Requisition information programmatically to integrate with your other HR systems, including Payroll and HRIS.

February 11, 2013

BalanceAAP 2.1

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

2010 ACS Census Data
BalanceAAP now supports the 2010 ACS Census Data and the corresponding 2010 Census Codes to be used in your organization's Affirmative Action plans. Even though the 2010 ACS Census Data is not yet required by OFCCP, we are providing you the data early so you can become familiar with the differences and be prepared to use the data when necessary. This upgrade includes the following new features and benefits:

  • Conversion of your current Reasonable Recruitment Areas to use the new data.
  • Translation of current Census Codes to the updated 2010 codes.
  • New Census Groups and Occupations have been added to better reflect the current workforce.
  • Ability to filter 2010 ACS Census Data by citizenship status, worksite, and residence locations, as well as additional educational breakouts and industry data.
  • Settings have been modified to provide additional options when creating your plan’s Reasonable Recruitment Areas. Examples include, stand-alone county data with improved search capabilities, additional MSA options, and specific geographic places.

Recruitment Area Wizard
The Recruitment Area Wizard has new options available providing even greater flexibility and control in generating areas by Zip code, and also now incorporates the 2010 ACS Census Data.

File Consistency Batch Operations
Fixing File Consistency issues can be time consuming when there are repetitive problems in the data imported into balanceAAP. The File Consistency > Batch Operations takes the eight most common fixes to resolve these issues and allows these fixes to be run across the entire plan.

IPEDS Categories
Universities can now assign Job Groups to valid IPEDS categories, accurately representing their reporting requirements.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

BalanceAAP 2.0

Reports Distribution System (RDS) Enhancements

  • Executive Dashboard – The Executive Dashboard is a new reporting tool, used to provide a high-level overview of your organization’s AAP results across multiple locations. As part of the Reports Distribution System (RDS), the Dashboard will display your organization’s AAP results, using a variety of metrics and levels of analyses. The Dashboard feature is only available for plans that have been created using the multi-plan capability, and can be activated by your RDS Administrator from the RDS Publish Groups page.
  • Plan Overview – The layout of the Plan Overview charts in the existing RDS have been updated to enhance readability.

  • User Guides – Guides have been created for balanceAAP and the Executive Dashboard. A link to the documents will be placed in each application.

  • Bug Fixes – Corrections of several previously reported system issues have been made.

BalanceTRAK 2.0

BalanceTRAK 2.0 was updated to run on ASP.NET 4.0 and updated version of supporting libraries, such as jQuery to improve efficiency of the application and enable for expanded functionality in future releases.

Monday, December 19, 2011

balanceTRAK 1.2.2

This upgrade includes the following new features and enhancements, as well as fixes for previously reported issues:

  1. The Requisitions and Job Seekers lists have additional fields that can now be added or removed to the display on these pages. Users can now display all selected fields side by side on these pages by using the [Expand List] button. Fields can now be filtered directly on these pages by clicking the magnifying class above the fields.
  2. The Customize View page now differentiates between default fields and optional fields included as part of a view. Additionally optional fields may now be reordered on this screen so that they may be displayed in a particular order.
  3. When a user searches for Requisitions or Job Seekers, the software now stores this information for historical purposes. A new report has also been added to the Reports page, which allows a user to see all searches performed for a Requisition or Job Seeker.
  4. Inactive users are by default no longer displayed in the User Management screen. Inactive users are also removed from Approval Processes, notifications, and scheduled events.
  5. An additional Profile option has been added to allow/not allow users to create a new “Basic” Approval Process when submitting a requisition or hire for approval.
  6. Job seekers now have additional options for submitting a Cover Letter when applying for a position. The Job Seeker now has the ability to manually enter the Cover Letter in addition to uploading a separate document.
  7. Users now have the ability to disable Approval Processes no longer needed. Disabled processes no longer appear as options when selecting an Approval Process for a Requisition or a hired Job Seeker.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

BalanceAAP

BalanceAAP Web will be unavailable Friday, September 30, 2011 from 5 to 8 PM Eastern Time to perform an upgrade, which includes several major enhancements. Some of the new features include:

  • Drilldown Analysis and Reports – Organizations can now look at the data included in an Affirmative Action plan in smaller pieces and optionally examine the External Availability by these units. For example, Affirmative Action plans that may have satellite locations reporting in can now identify a Reasonable Recruitment Area (RRA) specific to each physical satellite location and let balanceAAP appropriately weight each area.
  • Rollup Reports – In addition to looking at data in smaller units, organizations that have taken advantage of BALANCEaap’s Multi-Plan capability can now also produce reports at a higher level that show the “big picture” of an organization, examining data across multiple plans. An organization can create multiple levels of rollups to provide this type of analysis at various organizational units. BalanceAAP also provides tools to help validate the rollups defined and ensure the reporting structure created is consistent and logical.
  • Building Recruitment Areas by Zip Code – BalanceAAP can now build RRAs that reflect the exact representation at a Plan, Job Group, or Drilldown. Automate building RRAs that include MSA, County or State data, or a specified combination of each. The Recruitment Area Composition report has been added to detail the Recruitment Areas that have been created or assigned by balanceAAP.
  • Enhanced Sector Functionality – Sectors are no longer limited to just departments and can now be defined by a wide variety of fields. Sector definitions can also now be imported from an external file, saving time in setting up and running Sector reports.
  • Additional Process Improvements and Enhancements – Several bug fixes, performance improvements, and user interface changes have been made to help enhance the overall user experience.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

BalanceTRAK 1.2

Berkshire is very excited to announce the latest update to balanceTRAK, which includes many new features and enhancements over the previous version.

  • Scoring Schemes – you can now score the responses of Job Seekers by assigning point values to Questions and answers, allowing you to quickly determine which candidates are the most ideal for a position. BalanceTRAK will automatically score the candidate immediately upon completing a Prescreener or Application.
  • JobCentral.com integration – The software can now automatically post new requisitions to JobCentral.com for additional exposure to potential job seekers. Posting jobs on Job Central also meets 4212 VEVRAA/JVA requirements for federal contractors.
  • Job Seeker Listing Enhancements:
    • The sort settings used on the page will be maintained when switching requisitions. Previously, the sort would automatically reset when switching requisitions.
    • An application Icon is now available directly from the Job Seeker Listing page to quickly view the Application in PDF format.

  • Copying Requisitions – BalanceTRAK now allows a requisition to be copied and job seekers can be either included or excluded during the copy.
  • Sending Response Letters – When balanceTRAK is not configured to automatically send response letters, multiple Job Seekers may be selected and a response letter can be manually sent in batches.
  • Internal / External Forms – Job Seekers can now be distinguished as an internal or external candidate when initially applying for position, and will then be routed to the appropriate application form. This allows you to ask targeted questions for the type of candidate applying for the position.
  • Hiding Incomplete Applications – BalanceTRAK now provides an option for a Requisition that allows you to hide candidates who did not complete the initial form for the open position.
  • Option to Make Additional Fields Required – Fields in the Employment, Education and References sections that were previously optional, can now be made required.
  • Attachments for Emails – balanceTRAK now allows for attachments to be added to Email Templates, as well as individual, customized emails.
  • Easier Requisition Approval – Approvals may now be initiated directly from a notification email received during the Approval Process. Previously, users would have to login to the software in order to approve a Requisition.
  • Import User Access Information – BalanceTRAK users with rights to manage access to the software can now import permissions by user name to help reduce the amount of time needed to establish new users in the system.
  • Default Form Assignment – Requisitions created for a position previously staffed in balanceTRAK will now automatically pull the Prescreener and Application forms that were used for the prior Requisition for that position. Previously, these forms would have to be manually entered every time.
  • RSS Feeds for Open Positions – BalanceTRAK now provides a RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication) for all jobs listed on the Job Posting Page. Job Seekers can subscribe to this feed using a variety of common applications, including Microsoft Outlook or a Web browser, to immediately see positions that become available at your organization.

Monday, October 4, 2010

BalanceTRAK 1.1

We are pleased to announce several enhancements and fixes.

Enhancements:

  • User Access Code (e.g. Location, Dept, etc.) now appears by default on the page that lists requisitions.
  • The ability to search for requisitions by keyword has been added.
  • Application Date was added as a predefined text field for Email Templates.
  • When a predefined text field specified in an email template cannot be replaced, balanceTRAK will now warn the user before sending the email.
  • The user now has the ability to decide whether answers to questions on a job application should follow job seekers when they are copied from one requisition to another.
  • A preview for Job Description has been added.
  • A user will now be automatically taken to the User Access page after adding a user access code when they have the appropriate permissions.
  • Cover Letter icon now shows on the Job Seekers list.
  • When an application is automatically filled from a Job Seeker's Resume, schools, employers, and references that have not been verified are shown in red until the Job Seeker has verified each piece of information.
  • Additional settings have been added to the user profiles:
    • The Administrator can assign export only functionality to users who do not have access to race and gender.
    • The Administrator can determine whether a system user has rights to assign the Applicant Status for a Job Seeker.

Important issues fixed:

  • Previously, the Applicant Status drop-down box was cutting off the options. The box has been expanded to show the entire status and description.
  • An error caused by exporting a Job Description from the Edit Job Description page has been fixed.
  • Buttons that were previously not entirely displayed have been fixed.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

BalanceAAP

BalanceAAP Web will be unavailable Wednesday, July 21, 2010 from 10 to 11 PM Eastern Time to perform an upgrade including several enhancements. Some of the new features include:

  • Import from Previous Versions of balanceAAP – Plans that have been created in balanceAAP can now be imported to use within balanceAAP Web, either as a History Sources or as stand-alone plans.
  • EEO-1 and VETS-100/VETS-100A reporting – BalanceAAP Web now provides the ability to generate EEO-1 and VETS-100/VETS-100A reports from the reports section of your affirmative action plan. This also includes the ability to generate a file in the format to be submitted electronically.
  • Create and Manage Custom Aggregate Census Codes – For positions that may represent a composite of the standard occupation codes provided by the census, aggregate census codes can be used to represent the percentage of the standard codes that make up your position. The software now provides the ability to create and manage these aggregate census codes.
  • Create a Department Hierarchy from Supervisor Employee Number – By supplying a supervisor employee number for each employee in your roster, balanceAAP Web can now determine your reporting structure and establish your department hierarchy for use in the Organizational Profile.
  • Best Utilization Rule Report – BalanceAAP Web can now indicate which Utilization Rule will produce the fewest number of placement goals in an individual plan, or across all plans when creating multiple plans from a single data set.
  • Import from balanceTRAK – BalanceTRAK is now integrated with balanceAAP, and users can now import Applicant Flow Log directly from balanceTRAK into balanceAAP.
  • Additional Process Improvements and Enhancements – New process and performance improvements have been implemented, including the Import, External & Internal Availability, Factor Weights and the Narratives.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

BalanceTRAK 1.0

Berkshire is excited to announce a new version is available, which includes several new features as well as an improved user interface.