Friendly Names and
CalTime
An overview of friendly names and how it is
necessary for a biweekly paid employee to record
time to their friendly name.
What is a Friendly name?
A friendly name is typically a short name comprised of department code, job code, and
HCM record number and represents a biweekly paid employee's HCM appointment/job.
Many non-exempts have one job and do not need to know their friendly name. However
employees with multiple jobs (such as students) have to transfer and record time to a
friendly name in the CalTime timekeeping system depending on the job they are working at.
CalTime uses the friendly name to join a biweekly paid employee's time recorded in
CalTime to their HR job. The friendly name enables CalTime to send time worked and leave
taken to the UCPath payroll system with the employees correct job and chartstring
information.
Roles and responsibilities
Berkeley Regional Services: Maintain and update friendly names in the friendly name
application and communicate friendly name assigned to HR job to employee.
Employee: Record hours worked and leave taken to the correct friendly name especially if the
employee has more than one job and multiple friendly names
Supervisor: Review and ensure employee is recording hours worked and leave taken to the
correct friendly name especially if the employee has more than one job and multiple friendly
names. Assist employee as needed with timecard and friendly name updates. Contact Berkeley
Regional Services if needed to assist with changes to the employees assigned friendly name.
CalTime: Provision friendly name update access for HR and Payroll administrators, troubleshoot
friendly name and system issues, and manage system change requests.
How is a friendly name created?
When an employees job is established in the UCpath system, the
job information is imported into a application known as the friendly
name application. A default friendly name is created comprised of
department, job code, and record number.
FSPAY-4921-0
Once the default friendly name is established in the friendly name
application, the friendly name administrator (typically Berkeley
regional services HR) may change the default friendly name to a
different name (i.e. “lead tech”) up to 20 characters.
Dept.
Job code
record
Timing
It takes three business days before a new employee can begin
recording time worked and leave taken to a friendly name in
CalTime.
UCPath
• HR Job is created
Friendly name
application
• Friendly name is
created
CalTime
• Employee can
record time to
friendly name
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Friendly name types
There are three types of Friendly Names which determine how an employees time is tracked and recorded in the general
ledger for financial purposes.
A: Appointment (92% of the population)
One friendly name is assigned to a job. Employee hours recorded in CalTime are charged to the position funding set up in
UCPath. This is the default and most common friendly name type.
C: Chartstring (7% of the population)
Multiple friendly names are assigned to one job. More than one chart string is assigned to an employees job position
funding in UCPath. In the friendly name application each chart string is assigned a unique friendly name and supervisor
allowing the employee to record hours worked by chart string and multiple supervisors to approve time by chart string
associated with job. This function allows an employee to record time by an individual chart string (i.e. friendly name).
CalTime will send hours recorded and a chart string to UCPath.
S: Special (1% of the population)
Type S is limited to five campus departments (UCPD, RSSP, Intercollegiate Athletics, Rec Sports, Cal Performances) and
combines friendly name, chart string and specified location. Type A relies on s special table of chart strings that is
maintained in the friendly name application. The employees position funding chart string setup in UCpath is not used.
When an employee records time to the friendly name, CalTime will derive the chart strings associated with the friendly
name from the chartstring table setup in the friendly name application and transmit this chart string with the time recorded
to UCPath overriding the employees UCPath job position funding.
Employee: Recording time to a
friendly name in CalTime
Employees that record time anytime click on the transfer column to select a friendly name
Employees that record time in RealTime at the beginning and end of their shift click on the
transfer field in the My time stamp box.
Note: Employees may only access friendly names assigned to their job(s). If an employee has
multiple jobs but do not transfer in to a job and select a friendly name, CalTime will automatically
record hours worked to the employees primary job. The primary job is determined by the HR job
in the UCPath system.
AnyTime
RealTime
Supervisors: Edit and update
Supervisors also have access to record time and leave taken to a friendly name on behalf of their
employee. It is important to know that supervisors have access to all friendly names and not just
the list of friendly names assigned to the employee they are viewing in CalTime. The supervisor
should verify the friendly name assigned to the employee by logging into https://fn.berkeley.edu/
and looking up the employee by employee id or name. Once the supervisor has confirmed the
friendly name assigned to the employee, they can click on the transfer column and click on search
to insert the friendly name. Supervisors should not assume that the friendly name that appears in
the transfer column in the employees timecard is correct. The system will retain the most recent
friendly name the supervisor selected and not necessarily the friendly name assigned to the
employee.
Incorrect friendly name assigned
Because supervisors and timekeepers have access to all friendly names, an incorrect friendly
name can be assigned to employees hours worked and leave taken.
When a friendly name is assigned in CalTime and does not match the friendly name currently
assigned to the employee in the friendly name application, CalTime is unable to determine and
assign the hours on the timecard to the employee’s HR job.
Therefore, the hours are not transmitted to the UCPath system and are unable to be paid. When
this occurs, the hours that were not able to be transmitted to UCPath are provided on a CalTime
reconciliation report emailed to the Berkeley Regional Services Payroll teams for correction and
manual pay.
Fn App Campus Access: Any user
There are different access roles in the Friendly Name application:
Any campus employee with a calnet ID my use their calnet ID and passphrase to login to the
friendly name application to view an employees assigned friendly name and job.
The user may search by employee ID and friendly name
Best Practices:
• Verify the employees friendly name by logging into
https://fn.berkeley.edu/
• Supervisors who assist with friendly name updates should use the
search field in the transfer column to search for a friendly name once
they have verified the friendly name for the employee
• If possible, departments should use the default friendly name
assigned instead of creating a unique friendly name.
• Berkeley Regional Services should review the friendly name reports
“missing friendly name” to identify employees that currently do not
have a friendly name assigned and update the employees friendly
name record.
• Berkeley Regional Services should review the friendly name reports
“changed” friendly names report to identify employees that recently
had a friendly name change to alert the supervisor and employee.
Resources:
• Friendly Name Application Access: https://fn.berkeley.edu/
• Supervisor: CalTime and transfer to friendly name job aid:
https://caltime.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/supervisor_-
_
time_entry_transfers.pdf
• Biweekly employee: CalTime and transfer to friendly name job
aid:
https://caltime.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/non-exempt_anytime_-
_
time_entry_transfers.pdf
• CalTime information: https://caltime.berkeley.edu/
• Email caltime@Berkeley.edu
