COMPAS NEWSLETTER

MAY 2026

The 2026 COMPAS Change Readiness

Survey has Launched

Calling all COMPAS project stakeholders … we want to hear from you! 

Check your email: an invitation to complete the 2026 COMPAS change readiness survey was sent from GovDelivery on May 12th.

This short survey, sponsored by the Organizational Change Management team, asks for your feedback in several areas:

• Your experience with the first wave of end user training (Web-Based Training, Instructor-Led Training, job aids, and study hall sessions)
• Your perception of the project implementation
• Areas related to your job tasks for which you would like to see more training in the future

Your confidential feedback and survey results will be shared with the COMPAS project to help us understand how prepared users feel following training and identify where additional support may be needed to ensure a smooth transition.  

COMPAS Communications and

Website Engagement Continue to Grow

Employee engagement with COMPAS communications and website resources continued to grow throughout 2025 and early 2026, demonstrating strong interest in payroll modernization updates, training materials and support tools.

COMPAS newsletters consistently performed well, with open rates ranging from 52% to 70% and strong engagement with links directing employees to learning resources, FAQs, payroll codes, crosswalk terminology and project documentation. The April 2026 newsletter recorded one of the highest engagement levels to date, reaching a 70% open rate and a 56% click rate. Across all reporting periods, newsletter delivery rates remained strong and unsubscribe activity remained at zero.

The COMPAS website also experienced steady growth in traffic and engagement between March 2025 and March 2026. During the reporting period, the site recorded more than 6,100 visitors, with engagement increasing significantly beginning in January 2026.

Several dates aligned with communication and outreach efforts generated major traffic increases. Dec. 30, 2025, marked the highest traffic day on record with 586 visitors, followed by Jan. 22, 2026, with 559 visitors and Feb. 27, 2026, with 477 visitors. Monthly communication cycles also appeared to drive recurring increases in traffic throughout the fall of 2025.

Frequently visited pages included the COMPAS home page, Agency Engagement and Participation resources, the COMPAS Learning Center, User Role Definition pages and Office Hours information.

Training and support materials continued to receive strong engagement. UPDOC Templates and FAQs recorded some of the highest engagement times among all website resources, reinforcing the importance of accessible employee support content during payroll modernization efforts.

Together, the newsletter and website analytics highlight continued employee engagement with COMPAS resources, training opportunities and project communications as payroll modernization efforts move forward.

WordWise

The COMPAS implementation introduces a new set of terminology that may be unfamiliar at first. That’s why we’re launching WordWise, a monthly segment designed to help you become fluent in COMPAS—one word at a time.

This month’s featured words: On-Line Check, One-Time Payment, Overload Payment

CORE Payroll introduces a new term, On-Line Check (OCHK), pronounced “OH-check.” An On-Line Check is the same as what CPPS calls a CHOP check, and in some places it’s known as a manual or live check.

An OCHK is a check issued to an employee outside of the regular payroll process. This usually happens when an original check was incorrect, lost, or needed to be stopped, voided, or canceled. The process for this transaction is in development and more training will be provided in the future. 

While working in CORE Payroll, you might also hear the terms one-time payment (OTPAY) and overload payment (OPAY). We know – so many acronyms! Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of them.

• An OTPAY is used to issue a single, non-recurring payment, such as a bonus.
• An OPAY provides short-term additional pay to full-time, salaried employees who are taking on duties beyond their normal job responsibilities. 

Want to learn more? Visit the COMPAS Crosswalk for a helpful glossary of terms with mappings from CPPS to COMPAS. The COMPAS Acronyms page is also a great resource for decoding the many abbreviations you will see and hear as you explore COMPAS.

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May COMPAS Office Hours and Study Hall Update

During May, the COMPAS team will host extended one-hour Office Hours and Study Hall sessions to provide deeper dives into key COMPAS content areas. Sessions will take place during regularly scheduled meeting times.

Upcoming topics include:

• Personnel Management -May 15

• Paycheck Management - May 22 

• Paycheck Management - May 29

Please note that the schedule is tentative and topics may expand into additional sessions based on discussion and demonstration needs.

If you missed our session on Position Management or our first session on Personnel Administration, you can find those videos on our office hours site.

The COMPAS team looks forward to connecting with stakeholders and answering questions during these sessions.

One of the many improvements coming with CORE Payroll (aka “COMPAS”) is support for effective dating and end dating of transactions. While these terms may sound technical, the benefit is actually very simple: you can enter a transaction now and have it automatically take effect at the right time in the future.

Today in CPPS, transactions must be entered exactly when they need to occur. That means busy HR and Payroll professionals have to remember future actions and manually complete them later. With so many competing priorities, it can be easy for something to slip through the cracks. A great example of where this might be used is for seasonal workers or term-limited employees. Departments may know the worker’s end date when they are hired, but someone still has to remember to go back into the system and process the termination on the correct day. If that step is missed, it can lead to payroll corrections and extra follow-up work later.

CORE payroll helps solve this problem. Users will be able to enter both the new hire and the termination transaction at the time of hire, allowing the system to automatically process the termination at the appropriate time.

This enhancement will help improve the accuracy of payroll and HR data, reduce manual reminders and follow-up tasks, and decrease the need for corrections after the fact. Most importantly, it gives HR and Payroll professionals one less thing to worry about.

We'd Love to Hear From You

Have ideas for future newsletter topics or office hours? Is there something you'd like to hear more about?  We are all ears.  Your feedback helps shape content that matters to you. corepayroll.help@state.co.us