--- sourceDocument: australia Combined Product Files sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/delta-zurich-australia Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - australia Combined Product Files ft:clusterId : - delta3az bundleId : - delta3az --- # Combined Employee Center release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia # Combined Employee Center release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated October 8, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 8 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Combined Employee Center release notes for upgrades from Zurich to Australia This consolidated release note overview guides ServiceNow customers through the key updates, new features, changes, and upgrade considerations relevant to Employee Center from the Zurich to Australia releases. It highlights enhancements that improve employee self-service, portal performance, navigation, security, and accessibility while ensuring compatibility and ease of upgrade. Show full answer Show less ## Important Upgrade Information * The Australia release enhances security for read-only fields in the ServiceNow AI Platform® by introducing a new **"readonlyoption"** with granular control levels (e.g., *strictreadonly* and *clientscriptmodifiable*), strengthening instance security while maintaining backward compatibility. * Customers should review and complete the recommended pre- and post-upgrade tasks to ensure a smooth transition. ## Key Features Introduced * **Zurich release highlights:** * Company News and Events AI Agent: Employees can check company news and upcoming events via Now Assist in Virtual Agent. * ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience: Summarization skill for approval tasks and chat-based task resolution via Virtual Agent. * Browser Extension for Employee Center: Manage content and resources conveniently through a browser pop-up or dedicated page. * Enhanced Requests Experience: Improved request filtering, segmentation, and keyword search for a dynamic, scalable portal experience. * Portal Performance Optimizations: New deferred and lazy loading options reduce load times and improve page responsiveness. * High-traffic Experience: Notifications inform users of heavy usage or network slowdowns during major events. * Taxonomy and Connected Content Management: Streamlines cleanup and syncing of outdated content, reducing admin effort. * Mega Menu Load Optimization: Loads menu in the background for faster homepage interactivity on first visits. * Quick Start Tests: Available to verify proper Employee Center functionality post-upgrade or deployment, with customization support. * **Australia release highlights:** * Simplified Navigation: Modern left-aligned, single-level navigation that reduces cognitive load and adapts across devices. * AI Agent for Approvals: Accelerates request approvals by aggregating details, validating policies, and recommending decisions to managers. * Configurable Widget Heading Levels: Admins can set heading levels (H1--H6) to improve accessibility and comply with organizational standards. * Enhanced Requests Experience: Supports tab-specific filters for better request management and customization by admins and experience owners. * ServiceNow Otto Chat Integration: Integrates Moveworks AI assistant for conversational support, enabling employees to ask questions and complete tasks end-to-end. * Continued Support for Quick Start Tests with customization options. ## Changes and Theme Updates * The Zurich release made **Coral** the default portal theme, offering a fresh, brand-neutral look with dark mode options. No theme updates were introduced in Australia. ## Removed and Deprecated Features * No Employee Center features were removed or deprecated between Zurich and Australia releases. ## Activation and Installation * Employee Center is available through the ServiceNow Store for both Zurich and Australia releases. * Customers should request the application via the ServiceNow Store and refer to cumulative release notes for all app versions. ## Additional Requirements and Browser Support * Browser Extension for Employee Center requires Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers. * No new additional requirements or browser changes were introduced in Australia. ## Accessibility Improvements * Australia release introduced the ability for admins to configure widget heading levels (H1--H6), enhancing navigation for screen reader and keyboard users by establishing clear heading hierarchies. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * Improved employee self-service experiences with AI-driven news, approvals, and chat support streamline workflows and reduce manual effort. * Security enhancements protect sensitive fields without disrupting existing configurations. * Performance optimizations and navigation improvements enhance portal responsiveness and usability across devices. * Accessibility configurations help meet organizational standards and support diverse user needs. * Quick start tests facilitate validating upgrades and customizations, ensuring consistent Employee Center functionality. Consolidated page of all release notes for Employee Center from Zurich to Australia. ## How to use this page To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Employee Center release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Zurich to Australia. Tip: If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release." ## Important information for upgrading Employee Center to Australia Before you upgrade to Australia, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__2} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | No updates for this release. | | Australia | Upgrade information : The Australia release introduces enhanced protections for read‑only fields across the ServiceNow AI Platform®. These changes include a new "read_only_option" field with granular control levels, including "strict_read_only" and "client_script_modifiable". The changes occur in the back end and maintain backward‑compatible behavior. This update helps strengthen your instance security while preserving the flexibility you need. Refer to [KB2718122](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB2718122) for additional technical details on how to identify affected fields and adjust their settings. For more information about granular read-only security options, see [Configuring read-only security options](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=read-only-option&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US). | [ ] ## New features Between your current release family and Australia, new features were introduced for Employee Center. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__8} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | [Check latest company news and events](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=check-company-newsevent-ai-agent-for-emp-exp&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Use the Company News and Events AI Agent to enable employees to check their company-related news and any upcoming events using the Now Assist in Virtual Agent. [ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience Summarization skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=activate-now-assist-skills-uex&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Enable a summary of the request, requested item, or case for approval task using ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience. The skill provides a summary of the selected item from the available list that you want to work on. [ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience plugin](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assisit-employee-exp&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Enable employees to resolve and approve tasks easily through chat conversation using the ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience plugin with Now Assist in Virtual Agent. [Browser Extension for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ecbe-intro&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : View and manage content and other company resources through the Browser Extension for Employee Center. Access the extension as a pop-up window, or select the Browser Extension for Employee Center icon on the portal to open it in a new page. [Enhanced Requests Experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=my-requests-update-intro&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Enhance the My Requests experience with features like easy segmentation, filtering, and keyword search. These features create a dynamic and scalable experience on the Employee Center portal for your admins, service, process, and experience owners. [Portal performance optimization](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-load-experience-optimization&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Control how your portal pages load, such as all at once or as needed, by using the new deferred and lazy load preferences. Lazy loading is enabled by default and displays content dynamically, reducing page load time. [High-traffic experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-load-high-traffic&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Communicate the information about heavy usage and slower network conditions during high usage scenarios, such as live events and major announcements. [Taxonomy and connected content](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=track-new-content&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Streamline the cleanup and syncing of outdated or invalid content, helping admins maintain a high-quality, well-performing portal with less manual effort. [Mega menu load](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=config-mega-menu-async-load&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Load the Mega Menu in the background to speed up home page interactivity and enable your users to engage with visible content faster during first-time visits. [Notifications for Employee Center enhancements](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=notifications-ec&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Get Notifications for Employee Center in Content engagement that is available with Employee Center Pro. For more information, see [Employee Center Pro release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-pro-rn&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). [Quick start tests for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quick-start-tests-employee-center&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : After upgrades and deployments of new applications or integrations, run quick start tests to verify that Employee Center works as expected. If you customized Employee Center, copy the quick start tests and configure them for your customizations. | | Australia | [Simplified Navigation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=simple-portal-navigation-ec&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) : Simplify how employees move through Employee Center by providing a modern, left‑aligned, one‑level navigation that reduces cognitive load and adapts seamlessly across desktop and mobile. [Approve your requests with AI Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=manage-approvals-with-approvals-agent&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) : Accelerate request approvals by automatically aggregating relevant details, validating requests against policies, and recommending approval decisions to managers. [Configure widget heading levels for accessibility](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=config-heading-widget-instance&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) : Improve accessibility by allowing admins to configure widget heading levels (H1--H6) to meet organizational standards and support technologies. [Enhanced Requests Experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=my-requests-update-intro&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) : Improve the Enhanced Requests Experience functionality by enabling specific tabs created for specific filters. Help employees find relevant requests faster while giving admins, experience owners, and service owners greater control over curating page design for specific purposes. [ServiceNow Otto Chat Integration](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=moveworks-for-employeecenter&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) : Empower employees with Moveworks for Employee Center and its AI-powered conversational support. Using the Moveworks embedded AI assistant plugin, your employees can ask questions, get instant answers, and complete tasks end-to-end from Employee Center and Employee Center Pro. [Quick start tests for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quick-start-tests-employee-center&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) : After upgrades and deployments of new applications or integrations, run quick start tests to verify that Employee Center works as expected. If you customized Employee Center, copy the quick start tests and configure them for your customizations. | [ ] ## Changes Between your current release family and Australia, some changes were made to existing Employee Center features. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__14} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | Coral theme : Coral is now the default theme for new portal, web, and mobile experiences with Next Experience or Core UI enabled. This theme provides a fresh look and feel, featuring brand-neutral illustrations to enhance your user experience. A dark theme option is available for web and mobile experiences. | | Australia | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Removed Between your current release family and Australia, some Employee Center features or functionality were removed. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__20} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | No updates for this release. | | Australia | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Deprecations Between your current release family and Australia, some Employee Center features or functionality were deprecated. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__26} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | No updates for this release. | | Australia | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Activation information Review information on how to activate Employee Center. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__32} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | Activation information : Install Employee Center by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the [ServiceNow Store version history release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-store-release-notes&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). Important: Employee Center is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | | Australia | Activation information : Install Employee Center by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the [ServiceNow Store version history release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-store-release-notes&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US). Important: Employee Center is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | [ ] ## Additional requirements If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__38} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | No updates for this release. | | Australia | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Browser requirements If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__44} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | Browser requirements : The Browser Extension for Employee Center is only available with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers. | | Australia | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Accessibility information Review details on accessibility information for Employee Center, such as specific requirements or compliance levels. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__50} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | No updates for this release. | | Australia | Accessibility information : Improve accessibility by allowing admins to configure widget heading levels (H1--H6) to meet organizational standards and support technologies. Clear heading hierarchies improve navigation for screen reader and keyboard users. | [ ] ## Localization information If there are specific localization considerations for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__56} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | No updates for this release. | | Australia | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Highlight information If there are specific highlight considerations for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__62} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Zurich | [Zurich Patch 1](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=zurich-patch-1&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) * Enable employees to check their latest company news and upcoming events using Now Assist in Virtual Agent with the Company News \& Events AI Agent in the ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience. The AI Agent displays a list of all the latest news and planned events in the company. For more information, see [Check latest company news and events](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=check-company-newsevent-ai-agent-for-emp-exp&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). * Employees can check all their to-do tasks and pending approvals using Now Assist in Virtual Agent for Microsoft Teams. * Enable a summary of the request, requested item, or case for approval task using ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience. The skill provides a summary of the selected item from the available list that you want to work on. For more information, see [ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience Summarization skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=activate-now-assist-skills-uex&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). Zurich Early Availability * Use the ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience application so that your employees can have a seamless conversational interaction with Now Assist in Virtual Agent. * View and manage content and other company resources through the Browser Extension for Employee Center. * Improve the My Requests experience with adoptive and scalable enhancements. See [Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-landing-page&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | | Australia | * Add editable, tab-specific filters to the Enhanced Requests Experience functionality on the Employee Center portal to make searching and managing requests more streamlined. * Enable employees to check their latest company news and upcoming events using Now Assist in Virtual Agent with the Company News \& Events AI Agent in the Now Assist for Employee Experience. The AI Agent displays a list of all the latest news and planned events in the company. * Employees can check all their to-do tasks and pending approvals using Now Assist in Virtual Agent for Microsoft Teams. * Add granular admin roles to create an Employee profile. * Simplify how employees move through by providing a modern, left‑aligned, one‑level navigation that reduces cognitive load and adapts seamlessly across desktop and mobile. * Improve accessibility by allowing admins to configure widget heading levels (H1--H6) to meet organizational standards and support technologies. See [Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-landing-page&family=australia&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | [ ]