When I heard of the changes to the Paycom system, I was mainly confused at first. The changes seemed very abrupt, occurring halfway through the year rather than at the beginning of a year, and we didn’t even hear about them until not too long before winter break. As I learned more about the updated system, I became increasingly frustrated. I regularly use Paycom for both my job at Common Grounds as well as for Weather Vane, and the irregular hours of Weather Vane work and the changes to Paycom don’t mix well since you’re supposed to clock in and out on a school computer. I don’t want to go all the way to Maplewood basement to clock in just so I have to go all the back up to Cedarwood 3rd to write an article. And then (get this) I have to go back to Maplewood basement to clock out. It’s just inconvenient and unnecessary.
From what I understand, this change was brought about by some users of Paycom entering more hours than they actually worked or something like that. I’m not really sure what it was, but whatever it was, there are so many better ways to handle this than to inconvenience everyone for the actions of a few. The way I see it, all of this just seems like a desperate attempt to seize a bit of control from those of us who use Paycom on a regular basis. While I can see the reasoning behind it, it definitely feels like there are better ways to go about this.
- Doran Kennedy, Co Editor.
The new Paycom system has proven time and time again to be frustrating. Requiring students to clock in and out on school-administered computers has been tedious for many, especially for those who are transitioning away from the old, much more convenient, Paycom system. While there are plenty of work-study positions on campus I could see the new system working well for, the Weather Vane isn’t one of them. Jobs in the library or Dining Hall have student workers in one centralized location; a computer to clock in and out of Paycom can easily be accessed. However, the Weather Vane staff doesn’t have the same luxury. For Wednesday night planning and production, sure, we have a computer to use. However, when we write, photograph, or edit articles, we’re not always near a school-administered computer. I personally do all of my writing in my room or in Common Grounds. I take photos all over campus, both indoors and outdoors. If we were given the option to use our phones to log hours, the new system wouldn’t be nearly as bad. However, not having this choice makes the whole process frustrating.
- Erika Lopez, Co-Editor
This is my first semester using Paycom, so my thoughts on the system are much less informed than those who have been using it for multiple semesters. I use Paycom for my job as a Student Chaplain with the Faith and Spiritual Life department. The Faith and Spiritual Life department is another place where the new Paycom system does not work well. We do a lot of our work in various locations around campus, so having to go to the Student Life Suite, clock in, go do our work, go back to the Student Life Suite and clock out is quite annoying. From what I have heard, whoever is in charge of Paycom is allowing little, if any, flexibility in where or how students clock in which complicates work for students whose jobs require various tasks around campus. The Paycom system needs to change or EMU administration needs to allow more flexibility for EMU students that hold flexible jobs such as student chaplains, CAs, Weathervane staff, and others.
- Miranda Beidler, Page Editor
I am a work-study student for the Weather Vane, and I just started working for them this semester. This semester is the first time I am using Paycom, and honestly, I do not think it is very user-friendly, at least for the weather vane. For us, having to clock in and out on an Eastern Mennonite University computer is a little annoying. The new Paycom update wants people to use a campus computer to clock in and out. This is hard when you spend an hour writing an article in your dorm or going to the city to report on something. They let you sometimes use your phone to clock in and out, but they prefer if you use a campus computer. Also, it needs to be clarified to try to clock in and out. I might not be the best with technology, but it can take me a long time to punch in my hours for the week that I did writing articles at home.
- Caleb Stoltzfus, page editor
I have been a work-study student for the Weather Vane since January 2022. I have a year of experience using Paycom, and the changes made this semester have been nothing but a headache. The clock-in clock-out system does not work for the Weather Vane. I am a student-athlete, who goes home every weekend, and work on a majority of my articles at home, or at 12-1 A.M. I do not have the option of driving/walking on the interstate back to EMU to clock in and out when I write from home. Nor would I like to walk down from Cedarwood Third, to the Maplewood Basement at 1 in the morning, in the middle of January, to clock in, then come back to clock out.
Not giving Weather Vane staff the option to clock-in and out on their phones is utter blasphemy. Changing the way students use a system without any student feedback or input, makes no sense. The response from HR has also been less than ideal. I sent an email to HR a couple of weeks ago detailing my issues, and input on the new system. I have yet to receive any form of a response from HR. This whole situation has been frustrating, and nothing but a headache. I’m hoping for improvements in the future, but I am not very optimistic that changes will be made.
- Zack Furr, Page Editor
