Getting Started

Effective the morning of Wednesday, May 5th, we’re updating the PeopleSoft login process to make it simpler, more consistent, and more secure. The login process will be the same for Williams Human Resources (ephr.williams.edu) including the timeclock, Williams Student Records (sarah.williams.edu), and Williams Financials (finance.williams.edu).

The new login process consists of two parts:

  • Step 1:  To activate your Williams Google (email) account, please complete this New Account Setup Request Form.
  • Step 2: Log in to your Williams Google (email) account, e.g. [email protected].
  • Step 3: Log in using your Williams username (without the @williams.edu) and Williams account password

See the Announcement for more information. Contact Client Services at itsupport​​​@williams​​​.edu or leave a message at 413-597-4090 if you need assistance. Use the Password Changer to change your Williams account password if needed.

 

Alternative Process

You can continue to use your W##### user ID, password, and response process:

Finding Your User ID and Reminder Response

Your Employee Self-Service User ID is the letter ‘W’ plus your 7-digit Employee ID which can be found on your pay statement, example: W1234567.

For New Hires, your User ID and a default reminder question response will be provided by the Dean of the Faculty’s Office (Faculty) or by the Office of Human Resources (Staff).

If you have trouble determining your User ID or reminder question, contact Human Resources at x2682 or x3032.

Setting Up Your Password

The first step is to activate your Williams e-mail account.  You will need to access this e-mail account to retrieve a temporary password the first time you go into Self-Service.

  • To activate your account, please complete this New Account Setup Request Form.
  • OIT will guide you to the OIT password changer (user name is your email without @williams.edu) and will provide you with a temporary password. This password expires the same day it is given. Activation takes up to 10 minutes to update for use.
  • Once activated, employees can access e-mail via http://email.williams.edu.
  • Upon first time Login you will be prompted to set up 2-step verification. This process is required by OIT for account security. Follow the prompts on the screen to activate 2-step verification.

The next step is to set up your account for our main administrative software systems.

  • For your initial login you will need to know your User ID (W#######) and a default reminder question/answer.  For Faculty this information will be provided by the Dean of the Faculty’s Office and for Staff by the Office of Human Resources.
  • Once you have received this information, access the Human Resources System login page directly at https://ephr.williams.edu or from the HR home page click HR System Self-Service, and then click the link for the Human Resources System login.
    • Access from outside the Williams network will always require logging in first with your Williams username (e.g. abc2) and password before accessing the login page.
    • Click: Reset My Password
    • Enter your User ID (W must be in caps) and click Continue.
    • Enter the Question Response you received.
    • Click Email New Password.
    • Close the browser window.
  • A new randomly-generated password will be e-mailed to you from [email protected] within a few minutes.  After receiving your new password, open the Human Resources System login page again from your browser.
    • At the login page, enter your User ID (W must be in caps) and your temporary password (case sensitive).  You will immediately see a message that your password has expired.
    • Click Click here to change your password.
    • Enter the new password you just received (case sensitive) as the Current Password.
    • Enter a New Password and Confirm Password.  Your password is case sensitive and must be a minimum of 8 alphanumeric characters in length.  At least one password character must be a numeric digit.  Click Change Password.
    • Click OK.  (Use the password you set for all future logins.)
    • Click on the Classic Home tile to enter the system.

Change Your Password or Reminder Question/Response

  • From within the Student Academic Records System, click My System Profile on the bottom of the Main menu at top.
  • Click Change or set up forgotten password help to change your reminder question and response.
  • Click Change password to change your password whenever desired.

Log In and Password Tips

  • If you forget your password, click the Reset My Password link and walk through the steps above.
  • After 10 consecutive unsuccessful login attempts, you will be locked out, at which point you must contact Human Resources to have the account unlocked. This may take some time and you will then need to go through the Forgot My Password routine. Tip: Stop trying at 9 and just click Reset My Password.
  • All passwords expire after 180 days. Countdown warning messages will begin appearing 30 days prior to the expiration date. If your password has already expired, you will be redirected to a page where you must create a new password as described above.
  • Changing your password/reminder question in either the Human Resources or Student systems will update it in the other.

Last updated 5/3/21