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Troubleshooting

Common problems in Employee Self-Service and how to resolve them. Use the contents list on the right to jump to a section, or press Ctrl+F to search this page.

I can't sign in to ESS​

Cause — A personal or non-GEMS Microsoft account is being used, or the portal link is wrong.

Fix — Sign in with your GEMS Microsoft 365 email address and password — the same login you use for email. There is no separate ESS password. Your IT team or HR provides the portal URL.

Do I need to install anything?​

Cause — ESS is sometimes assumed to be a separate app.

Fix — No. ESS runs in any web browser. There is nothing to install and no app to download.

A tile is missing from my home page​

Cause — Tiles reflect what is available to your role. Not every employee sees every area.

Fix — If you expect a tile that isn't there — for example a manager-only area — contact HR to confirm your role and permissions.

I've navigated away and can't get back to the home page​

Cause — There's no obvious home link on some pages.

Fix — Click ESS System in the navigation bar, or use your browser's back button.

I'm not seeing alerts about expiring documents​

Cause — Alerts appear in the notification bell rather than by email.

Fix — Check the bell icon at the top right. It flags documents approaching expiry, newly assigned questionnaires, and approval requests. Click a notification to jump straight to the record.

Your Profile​

My new profile image hasn't appeared​

Cause — Profile images go through an approval workflow.

Fix — The image stays pending until HR or your line manager approves it. A notification confirms your submission was received.

I can't delete an address​

Cause — The address you're trying to delete is marked as your primary residence, and your profile must always have one.

Fix — Open another address, switch on the Primary Residence toggle, then delete the original. The primary address pins to the top of the list.

My address change hasn't gone for approval​

Cause — Address and contact information changes apply immediately.

Fix — No action needed. Unlike identification, education, skills and payment details, these two areas have no approval workflow.

The Submit button is greyed out when adding an identification document​

Cause — That document type requires a supporting file and none has been uploaded.

Fix — Click Choose file, attach a copy of the document, and the Submit button becomes available.

I can't edit an identification record I've submitted​

Cause — Records are locked once submitted and stay Pending until HR processes them.

Fix — Wait for HR to review it. If something is wrong, contact HR directly rather than trying to resubmit.

I can only see one identification document on my profile​

Cause — The Identification tab shows only your current active document by default.

Fix — This is expected. Superseded records aren't displayed in the main view.

Where do I record my DEWA or Ejari details?​

Cause — These aren't a separate section.

Fix — They're identification types. Go to Full Profile ▸ Identification, click Add new identification +, and select DEWA or Ejari from the Identification type dropdown.

My bank account change hasn't taken effect​

Cause — Payment information changes go through an approval workflow, and only one account can be active at a time.

Fix — The previous account is marked inactive once the new one is approved. Note that the system also runs a duplicate IBAN check on submission, so a rejected submission may be a duplicate.

I can't see my old bank account​

Cause — Only the active account is shown in ESS. Inactive accounts are filtered out.

Fix — This is expected behaviour.

I can't add or change a screening record​

Cause — Most screening records are read-only. Only items explicitly enabled for employee action can be updated, and not all employees have permission.

Fix — Contact HR if a screening record needs correcting.

My qualification isn't showing on my profile​

Cause — Education records show as In Review until HR approves them.

Fix — Once approved, the qualification appears on your profile immediately. Make sure you attached your certificate and transcripts, as a missing attachment can hold up review.

My skill or subject is still pending​

Cause — Skills and subjects are routed through an approval workflow with your manager or HR.

Fix — The record stays pending until approved. Your manager sees it in their Tasks ▸ Approvals tab.

The org chart is slow to load​

Cause — The chart pulls live structure data from Dynamics 365 on first load.

Fix — The initial load takes a few seconds. After that, navigating between levels is instant.

I can't find a colleague in the company directory​

Cause — The search matches on names.

Fix — Try searching their reporting manager's name instead of theirs. Both work as search terms.

A certificate shows as Expiring or Expired​

Cause — Certificates are tracked against their expiry date and labelled Valid, Expiring, Expired, or Invalid.

Fix — Add a renewed certificate via Skills & performance ▸ View All Certificates ▸ Add new certificate +, complete the details, and upload the file. Expiry notifications also appear in the notification bell.

Questionnaires​

I can't find a questionnaire I was told to complete​

Cause — Questionnaires sit under a specific tab and only appear within their active date window.

Fix — Go to My work ▸ Questionnaires. If it isn't listed, the schedule may not have started yet or may have closed — check with HR.

I lost my progress on a long questionnaire​

Cause — Progress is only kept if you save it deliberately.

Fix — Use Save as Draft before leaving. The status changes to In Progress and you can pick it up with Continue.

The questions changed as I answered them​

Cause — Questionnaires can branch based on your responses.

Fix — This is by design. Answer each question in sequence.

A questionnaire disappeared after I submitted it​

Cause — Submitted questionnaires drop out of your active list.

Fix — A full history of everything you've completed remains available in the same tab.

I finished the offboarding survey but my checklist still shows it as outstanding​

Cause — Submitting the survey and completing the checklist task are two separate actions.

Fix — Return to your task list and mark the associated task as complete so HR sees the updated status.

Approvals and Tasks​

A request from my team member hasn't reached me​

Cause — Only certain profile changes require approval, and they land in a specific tab.

Fix — Check Tasks ▸ Approvals. Identification, education, subject, professional experience and skill submissions appear there. Address and contact changes never require approval.

I'm going on leave — how do I stop approvals piling up?​

Cause — Approvals continue to route to you unless a delegation is in place.

Fix — Go to Approval delegations, click Add delegation, name the delegate, set a start and end date, choose the scope, tick Enable delegation, and submit. It expires automatically at the end date.

My delegate isn't receiving anything​

Cause — The delegation was created but not enabled, or the date range hasn't started.

Fix — Reopen the delegation and confirm Enable delegation is ticked and today's date falls inside the start and end dates.

Onboarding​

A task in my list is locked​

Cause — The task has a dependency on another task that hasn't been completed yet.

Fix — Open the task. Its detail view lists each dependency, its status, who it's assigned to, and its target date. If a dependency is overdue, contact the person responsible.

I completed a task but it's still showing​

Cause — Updating the status alone doesn't record the change.

Fix — After setting the status, click Confirm. The task is then marked complete and drops off your active list.

HR Requests​

The request type I need isn't listed​

Cause — Only request types HR has enabled for ESS are shown. Some types are initiated internally by HR.

Fix — Contact HR to ask whether the request should be raised through another route.

I can't submit my request​

Cause — One or more mandatory fields haven't been completed.

Fix — Fields vary by request type — an Early Exit request, for example, asks for a covering person, effective date, time, handover notes and reason. Complete everything marked mandatory, then submit.

The Tuition Fee button is greyed out​

Cause — Eligibility isn't met, or a request already exists for that dependent.

Fix — Check that the dependent has been approved through the workflow and is flagged as a Full-Time Student at a GEMS school on their Dependent Details sub-tab. If you have already submitted a tuition fee request for that dependent, it cannot be resubmitted.

My transport request won't submit​

Cause — The transport request runs as an integration with the external Phoenix system, which validates the student before the request can proceed.

Fix — Confirm the dependent is approved and has a valid student ID and school recorded. Without these, validation fails and the request cannot be submitted.

My request status hasn't changed even though HR says it's done​

Cause — The ESS cache refreshes on a five-minute cycle.

Fix — Allow 3–5 minutes for the updated status to appear. This delay is by design.

I've changed my mind about a request I submitted​

Cause — Requests can be withdrawn, but only while still pending.

Fix — Open the request and click Cancel.

I can't find HR's response​

Cause — Feedback and documents sit inside the request record rather than being emailed.

Fix — Open the Submit request tile, click My requests →, and open the request. You'll see the status, the HR Feedback notes, and a Download link for any document HR attached.

Probation​

I'm a manager and can't find my team's probation review​

Cause — Reviews are routed to a specific queue when generated.

Fix — Go to Skills & performance ▸ Performance Management ▸ Team Probation Review Requests. Reviews also appear in your Manager View or My Team section. If nothing is listed, the review may not have been generated yet — check with HR.

I can't type in the employee comment field​

Cause — At the manager stage, the employee's comment field is read-only.

Fix — This is expected. Use the Manager Comments field per competency and Overall Manager Comments for your summary. The employee completes their own fields after you submit.

The Stage 2 form is asking for a Review Outcome​

Cause — Stage 2 reviews carry an outcome that determines what happens next.

Fix — Select Meets Expectations to pass the review to the employee for feedback with HR notified at the same time, or Performance Concerns to route it directly to HR only — in that case the employee is not informed of the outcome at this stage.

I'm an employee and haven't received my probation review​

Cause — The review only reaches you after your manager submits their part — and, for Stage 2, only where the outcome is Meets Expectations.

Fix — You'll get a notification when your feedback is due. Find it under Employment ▸ Probation Review.

I want to see how Stage 1 compared with Stage 2​

Cause — The two stages are separate records.

Fix — Stage 2 forms display Stage 1 ratings and comments side by side with the Stage 2 fields, so the progression is visible on one screen.

Benefits​

A benefit or allowance is missing from my rewards statement​

Cause — Only components HR has classified with a reward type appear on the statement.

Fix — The statement is read-only and maintained by HR and Finance. Contact your HR team if something looks wrong or missing.

My airfare figure doesn't match what I expected​

Cause — The airfare amount shown reflects actuals integrated from the payroll system rather than an entitlement value.

Fix — Contact your HR team if the figure looks incorrect.

I can't find my gratuity figure​

Cause — Gratuity sits on the Benefits tab rather than in the main rewards statement.

Fix — Go to Rewards & Benefits and select the Benefits tab. Gratuity is calculated from your payroll disbursement record and shown alongside your enrolled benefit plans and entitlement amounts.

My child's concession isn't listed​

Cause — Children's concessions appear on the statement per child once processed, including the student ID.

Fix — Confirm the tuition fee or transport request has been submitted and approved. If it has and the concession still isn't showing, contact HR.

Learning​

I can't find my GEMSU courses​

Cause — GEMSU courses are surfaced through a tile on the ESS home page rather than a menu.

Fix — Click the Learning and Professional Development tile on the home page. If the tile isn't there, contact HR to confirm your role and permissions.

A course I've completed in GEMSU still shows as in progress​

Cause — Course status reaches ESS through the integration with GEMSU, so there is a delay between finishing a course and the status updating.

Fix — Allow time for the integration to run, then check again. If the status still hasn't changed, contact your HR team.

A course I've been assigned isn't showing in ESS​

Cause — The course hasn't come through from GEMSU.

Fix — Confirm in GEMSU that the course is assigned to you. If it is and it still isn't in ESS, contact your HR team — they can check the integration log.

I don't know which courses I have to complete​

Cause — Not every assigned course is compulsory.

Fix — Check the tag on each course. Mandatory courses are required; Recommended courses are optional. Anything flagged Overdue has passed its start date and should be picked up first.

I can't update or complete a course from ESS​

Cause — The ESS course list is a read-only view of your GEMSU record.

Fix — Complete the course itself in GEMSU. Your progress flows back into ESS through the integration.

Leave​

The leave plan or leave type I want isn't in the list​

Cause — HR controls which plans and types are visible in ESS, and you only see the plans you are enrolled in.

Fix — Your enrolment comes from your position, so it updates when you move roles. If a plan or type you expect is missing, contact your HR team.

I can't change the end date on my maternity leave request​

Cause — Grant-based leave types must be taken as one full block.

Fix — Select your start date and let the system calculate the end date from the full grant. The block can't be shortened in ESS — speak to HR if you need a different arrangement.

My leave is longer than the days I requested​

Cause — Weekends and public holidays already in your calendar are skipped rather than deducted.

Fix — No action needed. The greyed-out days on the request are the ones not being taken from your balance.

My request was rejected for advance notice​

Cause — Longer periods of some leave types have to be requested a set number of days ahead.

Fix — The message names both figures — for example, requests of 14 days or more needing 40 days' notice. Either move your dates further out or shorten the request.

I see 'Please record at least one document' when submitting sick leave​

Cause — A medical certificate is required for this request.

Fix — Attach the certificate and submit again. During probation a certificate is needed for any sick leave; once you're confirmed, it's only needed beyond the number of days set for your school.

I can't cancel an old leave request​

Cause — There is a limit on how far back leave can be cancelled, measured from the leave's start date rather than the date you submitted it.

Fix — The message tells you how old the request is. Leave outside the window has to be reversed by your HR team.

A leave request appeared that I didn't submit​

Cause — A public holiday was announced or moved, and the system adjusted your leave for you.

Fix — No action needed. These requests are flagged as system generated and approve automatically. See Understand how calendar changes affect your leave.

The number of days on my request changed​

Cause — A day inside your requested period was announced as a public holiday, so it was removed from the request.

Fix — No action needed. The request keeps its original submission date and stays with your approver.

My leave balance has changed unexpectedly​

Cause — Balances update when a calendar change is applied, or when a request is approved or cancelled.

Fix — Check your recent time off requests for a system-generated entry. If the balance still looks wrong, contact your HR team — they can see the full history against each request.

Performance​

I can't submit my review — there's an error about weightage​

Cause — Your goal weightings do not add up to 100%.

Fix — Go back through your goals and adjust the weightings until they total exactly 100. You can't go over 100% either, so the figures have to balance before the review will submit. See Submit your goal setting review.

My review isn't in Skills and performance​

Cause — Reviews are released by HR as a batch rather than created by you.

Fix — If your colleagues have theirs and you don't, contact your HR team — your review may not have been included in the run.

My goal setting review has disappeared​

Cause — It has been submitted and processed.

Fix — This is expected. Once submitted, your review moves to your manager and is removed from your list of outstanding reviews.

I can't edit my review after submitting it​

Cause — Reviews become read-only once submitted.

Fix — You can still open the review and see everything you entered, but it can't be changed. If something needs correcting, speak to your manager.

I missed my goal setting or mid year review — can I still do my end of year one?​

Cause — Nothing blocks it.

Fix — You can complete your end of year review even where earlier stages were missed. The system does not stop you.

Some of my goals have no rating or weighting​

Cause — PIP and PDP goals aren't scored.

Fix — This is expected. They are there to support your development rather than to be weighted into your overall result.

My total and average scores are showing as zero​

Cause — They are calculated when your manager submits your end of year review.

Fix — This is expected before that point. The figures appear once the review has been submitted.

My final rating hasn't appeared​

Cause — Your manager has not published it yet.

Fix — Your rating is published after calibration is complete. Your manager speaks to you before publishing, so if you have had no conversation and your rating is overdue, contact them. See View your calibrated rating.

My final rating is different from what my manager told me​

Cause — Ratings can change during calibration, where performance is compared across the organisation.

Fix — Your manager should have discussed any change with you before publishing. Speak to them if the published rating is not what you expected.

I'm a manager but I can't see my team's reviews​

Cause — Nothing is waiting for you, or the review hasn't been submitted yet.

Fix — Reviews only appear in your manager view once the employee has submitted and the status is Ready for review.

I can't change an employee's career aspirations​

Cause — That section is submitted by the employee and locked to managers.

Fix — This is expected. You can see the aspirations and comment elsewhere in the review, but the section itself can't be edited. The same applies to training the employee has marked as completed.

I can't see the calibration or growth and performance screens​

Cause — These views need HR access.

Fix — The HR view of calibration, the growth and performance matrix and talent view are restricted. Managers without HR access see only the calibration manager view, and only once ratings have been released to them.

My calibration manager view is empty​

Cause — HR has not released any ratings to you yet.

Fix — The view populates once HR completes calibration and releases. Until then there is nothing to show.

I can only select four employees to compare​

Cause — Talent comparison is capped at four at a time.

Fix — This is a deliberate limit that keeps the comparison readable. Compare in batches of four. See Compare talent profiles.

An employee's talent comparison fields are empty​

Cause — Their talent review hasn't been completed.

Fix — Open the employee from the growth and performance matrix using the three dots and complete their talent review. See Use the growth and performance matrix.

Time and Attendance​

My attendance for today isn't showing​

Cause — Attendance refreshes on an interval, and the feed from the attendance system arrives once a day.

Fix — Allow about five minutes and refresh. A day's punches will not be there in real time as you work.

A day on my attendance calendar is wrong​

Cause — The punch recorded against you doesn't match what you actually worked — the machine wasn't available, or a late arrival or early exit was agreed.

Fix — This can't be corrected in ESS. Raise it with HR, who amend the underlying attendance log in D365. The change appears here at the next refresh. See View your attendance.

I can't see the Team attendance tab​

Cause — The team tabs only appear where people report to you.

Fix — If you manage people and the tab is missing, contact HR to check that you are set as their line manager, or as their attendance or overtime manager on their position.

People I expect to see aren't in my team attendance​

Cause — There are two reporting views and you may be looking at the wrong one.

Fix — Toggle between Line and Hierarchy. Line shows your direct reports; hierarchy shows the people assigned to you as their attendance or overtime manager. The lists are usually different. See View your team's attendance.

An employee worked overtime but it isn't in my overtime list for approval​

Cause — Either their staff level is not flagged as eligible for overtime, or the overtime is below the minimum HR has set for approval.

Fix — Short daily overruns are excluded on purpose so approvers only see overtime worth approving. If the amount is substantial, ask HR to check the employee's overtime eligibility.

I approved overtime — does HR need to do anything else?​

Cause — Your approval is the first of three.

Fix — Yes. Overtime goes manager ▸ HR ▸ finance before it is released for payroll. Your approval writes back to D365 immediately, and HR and finance approve from there. See Approve your team's overtime.

I approved the wrong overtime entry​

Cause — Approval is confirmed at the point you click Confirm.

Fix — Contact HR. The record is in D365 and the overtime detail shows who approved it and when, so it can be picked up before HR and finance approve it.

A shortage is showing against one of my team that I know is wrong​

Cause — The shortage is calculated from what was recorded, not from what was agreed.

Fix — Ask HR to correct the attendance log in D365. The shortage clears from this view once the attendance summary job runs again. See Review attendance shortages for your team.