Understanding UCPath

What is UCPath?

UCPath is the University of California’s priority program, with the goal to implement a single payroll, benefits, human resources and academic personnel solution for all UC employees. To learn more, visit http://ucpathproject.ucop.edu/. 

As the largest administrative project in UC history, UCPath will:

• Standardize payroll and HR processes systemwide
• Centralize certain HR/APO and payroll transactional processes within the UCPath shared service center
• Replace UC’s 40-year old Payroll/Personnel System (PPS) with a single new payroll and HR technology system

UCPATH is an acronym for “UC Payroll, Academic Personnel, Timekeeping* & Human Resources.”

*Timekeeping is still under consideration for a later phase. The focus of the current phase is Payroll, Benefits, Absence Management, Compensation and Workforce Administration.

Why UCPath?

The University of California’s current HR/payroll processes and tools are outdated:

• UC’s Personnel/Payroll System (PPS) is 40 years old and difficult to use, with 11 versions each with differing data definitions and policies, applied differently by each UC location
• UC employees perform significant amount of manual calculations, workarounds, corrections, and paper processing to run payroll and manage HR for UC faculty and staff
• UC’s current processes and technology are not able to meet the needs of its complex and diverse employee population

UC Regents, President, Leaders, Chancellors, Controllers, Campus HR Officers, and Academic Personnel Directors:

• Recommended replacing PPS with a single, integrated, UC-wide HR/payroll solution
• Agreed to work towards conforming business practices
• Committed themselves to systemwide representation

What is the UCPath Center?

The UCPath Center is the shared services hub for the UC system where payroll, benefits and HR information will be centralized to ensure that employees receive consistent, accurate job related information. UCPath Center staff provides individualized support to UC employees and is available Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on UC holidays. Located in Riverside, CA, the UCPath Center building is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified. Twenty-five percent of UCPath Center staff has previously worked at other UC locations.  To learn more, visit http://www.ucop.edu/ucpath-center/. 

UCPath @ UC ANR

Current State

Presently, UC ANR’s workforce management is distributed using 4 campus-based payroll and HR systems and processes, and is accountable to 4 sets of local policies and procedures.

Issues and inefficiencies with this current state:

• UC ANR is essentially functioning as 4 distinct employers. Location transfers require termination and re-hire processes.
• Capturing and consolidating even basic HR and payroll information is labor intensive. It is difficult to effectively and efficiently manage, monitor or report on our workforce on a state-wide basis.
• Compliance, accountability and control issues require greater management effort and oversight to mitigate risk of non-compliance.
• Retrieving programmatic information is cumbersome due to the need for data integration from 4 different financial ledgers.

Future State

UCPath implementation and UC ANR's emergence as a single unified business unit will result in:

• Streamlined, standardized and synchronized business processes
• Standardized HR policies and practices across the division
• Ease of access to consistent, quality, and timely data and information for management decision making
• Improved effort reporting and accountability as well as strengthened controls and compliance