Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Which employees are entered into the Halogen system?
2. How do I log in to the Halogen website?
3. When do I receive an email notification?
4. How do I reset my Halogen password?
5. How long can you be in Halogen before it will time you out?
6. Why did I get an Auto-Save message when I logged into Halogen?
7. What is the relationship between Halogen and HRIS?
8. Which is the official place of record, Halogen or HRIS?
9. Does Halogen Software replace HRIS?
10. Are disciplinary records still entered in HRIS?
11. Can the employee edit a form after the Save and Submit is selected?
12. Will I receive a confirmation when I select Save and Submit?
13. What is the maximum number of characters allowed on forms? What about in the Feedback Notes?
14. What are the steps to Goal Setting?
15. How do I add additional goals outside of the initial goal setting process?
16. How do I edit a goal?
17. How do I change (or add) the department goal that my work goal is linked to?
18. What is the Feedback section?
20. Am I required to share Journal Notes and Supervisor Notes?
21. How do I upload a document to my personal page in Halogen?
22. How do I enter a Development Plan?
23. Can a list of accomplishments be added to the Performance Appraisal?
24. Why can't I see my current supervisor on my form?
26. What should I do if, as a supervisor, I have an employee showing up that doesn’t report to me?
27. Do supervisors receive a notification when their direct reports submit their self-appraisal?
28. How long can you be in the Halogen system before it will time you out?
29. What should I do if my supervisor does not give me an annual performance appraisal?
30. What if I forgot to sign off on my appraisal/my employees appraisal?
| Which employees are entered into the Halogen system? |
| Every City employee can be entered into the Halogen system. Regular full-time, regular part-time, regular seasonal and permit employees expected to be employed for more than 6 months should be entered. |
| How do I log in to the Halogen website? |
| You can login to Halogen from any location that has Internet access. Use the link https://ondemand.halogensoftware.com/minneapolis/welcome.jsp Enter your username (your six-digit employee ID) and your password. Your password must contain a minimum of 8 characters and contain at least one uppercase letter and one number. |
| When do I receive an email notification? |
You will receive email notifications when 1. You have a task to do in Halogen – like enter goals, sign off on a form, do a self-appraisal. 2. You are nearing the deadline for a task – usually 3 days before the deadline.3. You are overdue completing a task. You will continue to get emails every 2 days if are overdue.Note: If you have a step that depends on another person completing their step, your notification email to be sent at 1:00 a.m. the next day. If you know that the preceding step has been completed, you don’t need to wait for notification email, the next step in the process is available immediately. |
| How do I reset my Halogen password? |
| You reset your password by selecting “Forgot Password” at the login screen and following the directions. |
| How long can you be in Halogen before it will time you out? |
| After 30 minutes of inactivity, a message will appear asking if you want to stay active. If you ignore that message, whatever you are doing will be saved, and you will be logged out. |
| Why did I get an Auto-Save message when I logged into Halogen? |
 There is an auto-save feature so that if your power goes out, if you lose your Internet connection or if you leave a form open for a prolonged period there will be a 'last copy' on file. |
| What is the relationship between Halogen and HRIS? |
| Halogen pulls basic employee data such as name, supervisor, department and other information from HRIS. Halogen information is not sent to HRIS. |
| Which is the official place of record, Halogen or HRIS? |
| Halogen is the official place of record for employee performance. |
| Does Halogen Software replace HRIS? |
| No, Halogen software does not replace HRIS. |
| Are Disciplinary records still entered in HRIS? |
| Once the appeal period has ended, enter discipline information in HRIS on the Disciplinary Action Record and the Job Data pages, if necessary. Upload the Final Determination Letter in as a document in Halogen. See Documents in the Halogen User Guides for how to upload a document. |
| Can the employee edit a form after the Save and Submit is selected? |
| No, it is no longer editable. The only exception is information entered on the Goal Setting form. It is stored on your My Performance Page under "Goals." Goals can be edited either by the supervisor or by the employee if they are given editing rights by their supervisor. See To edit a goal in the Halogen Use Guides. |
| Will I receive a confirmation when I select Save and Submit? |
Yes. The system will show the following message if you choose the Save and Submit button.  |
| What is the maximum number of characters allowed on forms? What about in the Feedback Notes? |
| 30,000 is the maximum number of characters allowed in the comment sections for competencies and Job Success Factors, Supervisor Comments and Employee Comments. 3,000 is the maximum number of characters allowed in goal sections and Development Plan sections. 3,000 is the maximum number of characters allowed in Journal notes, Supervisor Notes and Recognition. Once the maximum number of characters is reached the following message will pop up in blue:  |
| What are the steps to Goal Setting? |
1. Employee drafts their goals 2. Supervisor finalizes goals for employee (review, write and/or edit) 3. Employee signs-off on goals |
| How do I add additional goals outside of the initial goal setting process? |
| See Goals in the Halogen User Guides. |
| How do I edit a Goal? |
| See Goals in the Halogen User Guides. |
| How do I change (or add) the department goal that my work goal is linked to? |
| See how to edit a goal in Goals in the Halogen User Guides. Click on the goal name. The Goal Details screen will appear. You can change which organizational goal it is linked to by clicking on the icon next to "Linked to" and selecting a different department goal.
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| What is the Feedback section? |
| The Feedback feature lets employees and supervisors keep track of performance throughout the year: to copy an email from a satisfied customer, to make note of a challenge that came up and was resolved or to keep a record of a coaching conversation. There are three types of feedback notes. 1. A Journal Note is a note you write about yourself. You can decide to share the note with your supervisor. 2. A Supervisor Note is a note written by the supervisor about an employee. The supervisor can decide to share the note with the employee. 3. A Recognition is a note written to anyone by anyone. Being able to access these journal notes eliminates the scramble for results data, dates and comments when it’s time to do an appraisal. |
| How do I add Feedback? |
| See Feedback in the Halogen User Guides. |
| Am I required to share Journal Notes and Supervisor Notes? |
| No, but you are urged to do so. In the interest of an open relationship between supervisor and employee, both should be sharing information. |
| How do I upload a document to my personal page in Halogen? |
| See Documents in the Halogen User Guides for how to upload a document. |
| How do I enter a Development Plan? |
| See Development Plans in the Halogen User Guides. |
| Can a list of accomplishments be added to the Performance Appraisal? |
| The "Accomplishments" section on the Self-Appraisal and the Performance Appraisal form have a maximum of 2000 characters. However, you or your supervisor can upload a document (in any format – Word, PDF, Excel, etc.). See Documents in the Halogen User Guides for how to upload a document. |
| Why can't I see my current supervisor on my form? |
| If your supervisor changed after the form was opened, the change will not show up on the form. Contact Perform.Minneapolis@minneapolismn.gov |
| As a supervisor, why can’t I see the tab for My Employees on my home page, but I have a task to complete for an employee? |
| This means that you are not set as the supervisor for the employee. “Reports To” relationships are imported from HRIS very night. Be sure the reporting relationship is correct in HRIS. If it is, email perform.minneapolis@minneapolismn.gov and an administrator will correct it. |
| What should I do if, as a supervisor, I have an employee showing up that doesn’t report to me? |
| This means that you are incorrectly set as the supervisor for the employee. The correction needs to be made in HRIS first. Be sure the reporting relationship is correct in HRIS. If it is, email perform.minneapolis@minneapolismn.gov and an administrator will correct it. |
| Do supervisors receive a notification when their direct reports submit their self-appraisal? |
| The self-appraisal is not a prerequisite for the supervisor to conduct an appraisal, therefore, there is no notification sent to the supervisor when it is completed. |
| How long can you be in the Halogen system before it will time you out? |
| After 30 minutes of inactivity, a message will appear asking if you want to stay active. if that is ignored, whatever you are doing will be saved, and you will be logged out. |
| What should I do if my supervisor does not give me an annual performance appraisal? |
| Supervisors are required to conduct a performance appraisal for each employee at least once annually. The appraisal period is generally from January to March. If you do not receive your performance appraisal, first discuss it with your supervisor. If you do not receive an appraisal, speak with the HR Generalist assigned to your department. |
| What if I forgot to sign off on my appraisal/my employees appraisal? |
| For all people (employee, supervisor, manager) that sign off on the appraisal, an electronic signature page attached. For those that do not, the appraisal will be forced into completion at the conclusion of the appraisal period and the electronic signature will not be on the appraisal. However, regardless of signatures, the appraisal will be saved under the employees evaluations section in the Halogen software. |
Last updated Jun. 11, 2013