Author: Jeff Feiertag

Conducting a Phone Call with a Contact from the Calls Section

Need to have a phone call with one of your contacts? Teams enables you to use your computer for voice-over-IP (VOIP) phone calls and a real advantage tot his approach is the ability to hare your desktop and show the other person your document while you work on it. The speakers and microphone on your computer must be enabled for this to work (and the same goes for the other contact’s computer).

Switch to the Calls section of Teams

Calls Button

 

 

Find and click the Make a call button in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Note the field that emerges, the Type a name field.

Make a Call

 

 

 

Type in the name of the individual you would like to call and press the Tab key, once the name is selected.

Add more people to the call as needed.

Note the row of buttons that appears when you click on the name.

Call Buttons

 

 

Click the icon resembling a phone.

Note: While Teams is making the call, most of the screen will be filled with the contact’s avatar or initials. Also, a floating navigation bar for the call will appear near the bottom of the screen:

Call Navigation

 

 

 

  • The camera button (with a slash through it) indicates this is not a video call and the web camera is not in use (if you have one).
  • The microphone hows your microphone is enabled. Click it to mute at any time.
  • The button resembling a monitor with an arrow (which would be enabled, once the call is answered) will enable you to share your desktop with the contact for the call.
  • The red phone button enables you to end the call.

Conducting a Phone Call with a Contact from the Chat Window

Need to have a phone call with one of your contacts? Teams enables you to use your computer for voice-over-IP (VOIP) phone calls and a real advantage tot his approach is the ability to hare your desktop and show the other person your document while you work on it. The speakers and microphone on your computer must be enabled for this to work (and the same goes for the other contact’s computer).

Switch to the Chat section of Teams

Chat button

 

 

Locate the person i your contacts list you would like to call.

Find and click the phone icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Teams will call the individual.

Phone Icon

 

 

Note: While Teams is making the call, most of the screen will be filled with the contact’s avatar or initials. Also, a floating navigation bar for the call will appear near the bottom of the screen:

Call Navigation

 

 

 

  • The camera button (with a slash through it) indicates this is not a video call and the web camera is not in use (if you have one).
  • The microphone hows your microphone is enabled. Click it to mute at any time.
  • The button resembling a monitor with an arrow (which would be enabled, once the call is answered) will enable you to share your desktop with the contact for the call.
  • The red phone button enables you to end the call.

Starting a Text Chat with a Contact

Teams offers a text chat/instant messaging feature and the process is simple:

Switch to the Chat section in the left-side navigation.

Chat button

 

 

Click once on the contact of your choice to select the correct person. Note the colored circle at the bottom-right of the person’s avatar (or initials), located to the left of his/her name.

Contact Name

 

 

  • Green: Available
  • Yellow: Be Right Back/Appear Away
  • Red: Busy/Do Not Disturb

Find and click in the chat text box at the bottom of the screen.

Chat Text Box

 

 

Type your message and press the Enter key on your keyboard. Wait for a reply and type in this same box. The text thread will appear in the main window.

 

Setting up Contacts in Teams

New to Teams? In adding contacts of people, you may want to consider grouping them. For example, maybe you want to lump all of the people in your section together, while you have another for a different section entirely.

Click the Chat icon in the left-side navigation.
Chat button

 

 

Find and click the Create a new contact group button at the bottom of the screen, on the left side of the window.
Teams Create New Group Button

 

Type in the name of the group (e.g., FRS HR) and click the Create button.

Find and click the group header you just created. Now, it’s time to find and add people to the group.

Click the ellipsis (three dots) to the right of the group name.

Choose Add a contact to this group.

Teams Add a Contact

 

 

Input the name of your colleague and click the Add button.Teams Add a Contact

 

 

 

 

 

Repeat the last few steps to add more people.

Setting Up New a New VPN Connection (Laptop or Desktop to Connect to a County Desktop)

Have you been granted VPN rights, but now you don’t know the first thing to do? Here is your next course of action.

(Note: This presumes you’ll be connecting to your office/cub desktop PC in your office/cube and you don’t have your county notebook or PC at home with you.)

Office PC: Find out the hostname of your MCG PC. You’ll need this if you’re going to connect to it.

  • Click the Windows Start button.
  • Right-click Computer.
  • Choose Properties.
  • Find Computer Name about 3/4 down the screen.

Personal Notebook or Desktop PC: Set up Pulse Secure

  • Open a web browser and go to secure.montgomerycountymd.gov (or secure2.montgomerycountymd.gov, if DTS told you that your server is secure2).
  • Let the software install.

County Notebook: Set up Pulse Secure

  • Find and double-click MCG Software Center on your desktop. (This is only on county computers and you will not find this on your home computer.)
    Software Center Icon

 

 

  • Find and click to install Pulse Secure Client from the list. Go through the installation.
    Pulse Secure SW Center Icon

 

 

 

 

 

  • Run Pulse Secure. We now need to establish a connection (something you’ll do only once, as you will just use that saved connection after this point). The screen should show an empty list of connections and we’ll add one.
  • Click the plus (+) button in the Pulse Secure window to add a connection.
    Pulse Select Connections Header

 

  • Add the necessary info:
    • Type: (use the default Policy Secure or Pulse Secure).
    • Name: Call this whatever you would like. I recommend MCG or VPN.
    • Server URL: https://secure.montgomerycountymd.gov (unless DTS told you your server is secure2, in which case it would be secure2.montgomerycountymd.gov)
  • Click the Add button.

Connect to the VPN

  • Launch Pulse Secure (if you have not already).
  • Find the saved item for the county VPN and click the Connect button.County VPN Connection

 

 

  • Input your county single sign-on username and password (i.e., what you use to log into Windows in the office) when prompted and click the Connect button.
  • Wait for the connection to be made successfully. You will know it was successful if you see the green check mark next to the name of the saved connection.VPN Connection Successful

 

 


Connect to Your Work Desktop

  • Click the Windows start button at the corner of the Windows taskbar.
    Windows Start Icon

 

  • Type Remote and click to launch Remote Desktop Connection.Remote Desktop

 

 

  • Key in the name of your hostcomputer (as you found in the very beginning of these instructions) and press the Connect button.
  • Enter your SSO login username and PW as though you were sitting at your office computer.

 

Requesting a Timecard Correction

Is something wrong on your timecard, as an employee?  Are you an officer or manager and one of your employees needs a change to his/her timecard from three weeks ago? There is a specific process to follow and you have come to the right place for the details. The actual paperwork has to be completed by the manager. For uniform personnel at the rank of captain and below, the battalion chief will also need to sign off on the paperwork before it goes to FRS HR.

First things first: FRS HR has an important message for you to read, located here as well as via Quicklinks (HR Division menu, HR & Labor Relations list, MCtime Timecard Correction Request Info link).

Step 1: Go to the MCtime Timecard Correction Request form, located in Quicklinks (same menu item as above but second link on the same bullet) or in MCtime (MCtime home page after you log in, go to the My Links section and the subsequent MCtime Info forms).

Step 2: Fill out the form on-screen as follows:

  • Date Requested: The current date
  • Employee Name: Last Name, First Name
  • Employee #: This is not the person’s fire ID — this is the HR ID, which the employee will find in MCtime in parentheses next to his/her name
  • Department Name: Fire and Rescue
  • Department #: 45
  • Manager Name: The employee’s direct supervisor
  • Phone #: The phone number by which the direct supervisor may be reached
  • Manager’s Signature: (Wait until you print the filled-out form and then sign the form for your employee)
  • Battalion Chief Name and Signature: (Print the BC’s name and then ask the BC to sign the printed copy)
  • Pay Period Begins: The beginning date of the pay period for which you are requesting a change
  • Pay Period Ends: The ending date of the pay period for which you are requesting a change
  • Describe Change Required: Type a generic overview of the change without specific dates or transfer codes (those details will be input in the table below the description)
  • Add or Delete Checkebox: Check the box

Scenario 1: Your employee took 24 hours of ANL three weeks ago and (oops) meant for the time to be comp leave.

  • Fill in the appropriate data from the bullet list above and then the specifics in the table:

 

 

  • Note that there are no transfer codes (Cost Center, Project Task, Expenditure or Reason) for changes that did not involve the transfer codes in MCtime.

Scenario 2: Your employee work 24 hours of overtime but neglected to add it to the timecard.

  • Fill in the appropriate data from the bullet list above and then the specifics in the table:MCtime Payroll Correction Example 2

 

 

Scenario 3: Your employee was paid for the holiday (HDP) but prefers comp leave (CLH).

  • Discuss the issue with the employee: Having already been paid for the holiday and received the money from the county, changing to comp leave at this point will result in Payroll telling the employee to pay the money back to the county. If the employee still wants to earn comp leave instead of pay for the holiday, proceed to the next step.
  • Fill in the appropriate data from the bullet list above and then the specifics in the table:MCtime Payroll Correction Example 3

 

 

 

One final note: Multiple correction requests you input on a form must fall within the same pay period and for the same employee. If you need to request changes that span across more than one pay period, use additional forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Completing an ALS to BLS Downgrade Checklist in Elite

Are you downgrading a call from ALS to BLS? While there has been a procedure in place for your documentation, the EMIHS group has added a new page (called Worksheet in Elite) for you to fill out, as well. Here are the basics:

Find and click the (new) black and gray Worksheets button, now located a few buttons below the Times button on the right side of the screen (above the Power Tools). This will toggle the Power Tools with the (new) Worksheets buttons.

Elite Worksheets button

 

 

Find and click the green Downgrade button, located on the right side of the screen where the Power Tools were a moment ago.

Elite Downgrade button

 

 

Note that a new screen has appeared. There is a menu on the left side with six headings. Clicking any of the headings takes you down the page to that particular section.

Elite downgrade page menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer the questions.

Elite - ALS to BLS Downgrade Form Graphic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elite - ALS to BLS Downgrade Form GraphicElite - ALS to BLS Downgrade Form GraphicElite - ALS to BLS Downgrade Form GraphicSign the bottom (both the ALS provider and BLS provider must sign).