Dear HR Partners, SSC Leaders, and Subject Matter Experts,
As we move into 2026, we are prioritizing quality and transparency through the Avanti initiative, a collaborative effort to transform the UCR employee experience by implementing automated technology solutions that streamline processes and enhance service excellence.
The purpose of our recent soft launch was to stress-test the R’Employee Services portal in a real-world environment. Thanks to your active engagement, practicing within the system, and honest feedback, this phase has been a success. You have helped us identify critical technical issues, pinpoint where we need additional guidance, and highlight future enhancements that will make this tool truly "campus-ready."
We have heard you and we’re extending the soft launch.
Your confidence in this system is our top priority. Following a comprehensive review of survey and meeting feedback, and to ensure everyone feels comfortable before we open the portal to the entire campus, we are extending the soft launch period. Our E.T.H.O.S. (Employee success, Technology, Human capital, Operational agility, and Service excellence) dictates that we do not simply launch on time, but that we launch with Service Excellence. This extension allows us to refine the system based directly on the feedback you provided.
The Path Forward: Co-Creation and Validation
We are not simply moving the date; we are using this window to deepen our partnership with you. To ensure a successful launch, we are moving into a phase of Deep-Dive Validation, and we need your expertise and continued engagement to get us across the finish line.
Over the coming weeks, we will be engaging our HR Partners and SSCs in the following:
- Extended User Acceptance Testing (UAT): To maximize our time, we will repurpose several upcoming training sessions into hands-on UAT sessions. This will allow us to validate complex, real-world scenarios together.
- End-to-End Process Walkthroughs: We will conduct "Process Clinics" to validate the entire journey—from the moment an employee submits a request in the portal to the final processing within the SSC. We must ensure every hand-off is seamless.
- Refining the Experience: We will work together to ensure that the portal's communications and workflows reflect our commitment to a person-centered HR experience.
What This Means for Your Teams
- January 8th Town Hall: This meeting will proceed as scheduled at 9:00 AM, but the focus will shift. We will provide a Project Progress Update to discuss the feedback we received and how we are incorporating it into our revised plan.
- New Launch Date: We are currently evaluating a new go-live date that ensures system stability and avoids peak academic deadlines. We look forward to sharing this updated schedule with you.
- Extended Soft Launch: Please continue processing your cases in the live system (hr.ucr.edu/agent). If you do not yet feel comfortable using the live environment, you may use the test environment (ucrsupporttest.service-now.
com/now/hr/agent/home ) to gain further experience and familiarity with the workflows. - Process Clinics and UAT: Please plan to attend existing meetings and training sessions, as these will be repurposed to perform the process clinics and other testing. Once the technical changes are implemented, we will need your expertise to validate the end-to-end process. We will share more information regarding the schedule for these sessions shortly.
We want to thank you for your honesty and dedication to the Avanti vision. By taking the time to get this right, we are ensuring that the future of HR at UCR is built on a foundation of trust and service excellence.
If you have questions or feedback about the changes, please send an email to hrpolicy@ucr.edu.
Let’s continue moving forward—together.
Sincerely,
S. Alex. Nájera
Chief HR Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor
Matthew Gunkel
Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor