Hagel and Company Human Resources Blog - California, Idaho, Washington State HR News

The Benefit of Automating Time and Attendance Tracking

Time collection and payroll is a critically important part of any business since labor, for many companies, represents the single biggest expense. But for companies that track time and attendance manually, the process can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and costly. In fact, there are a multitude of errors that can occur when time and attendance data is collected manually, keyed into a spreadsheet, and re-entered into a payroll system. If this all sounds painfully familiar, then read on because in this article we’ll discuss some common and costly payroll mistakes and take a look at the benefit of automating your time and attendance tracking and payroll processing.

Humans Aren’t Perfect

Before we talk about the benefit of automation, it’s helpful to examine the pitfalls of a manual process. Take, for instance, the cost of purchasing and storing paper time cards and the labor involved in distributing and collecting those cards. If you’re using an old punch clock, it’s not uncommon to spend hours reconciling information from missed or duplicate punches and illegible cards. Then there’s “time creep” that can cost a business money … those are the bits and pieces of time lost from late arrivals, early departures, and extra long lunches that are rarely accounted for in a manual system.

And that’s just the beginning. Now it’s time for the payroll clerk to add up the time cards and manually calculate pay rates, taxes, and benefits which opens things up for calculation errors and mistyped data. In fact, managing payroll for 50 to 60 employees typically requires a full-time payroll clerk.

Technology to the Rescue

For a long time now, companies have embraced technology and automation in the warehouse, on the shop floor, and in the accounting department. But in many cases, time and attendance tracking and payroll is still a very manually-intensive, paper-based process. But to the pleasant surprise of companies that implement payroll technology, the benefits reach beyond just the payroll department. With access to real-time labor data, manufacturing companies can identify production issues and make necessary adjustments before a job is complete. Those benefits also spill over into Accounting who can now invoice more quickly (with real-time data), collect customer payments earlier, and significantly improve cash flow.

Automated Workforce Management

It’s time to put technology to work for you with an automated workforce management system that consists of a digital time clock and sophisticated time and attendance software. The digital time clock replaces time sheets and time cards with ID badges that employees simply swipe through the reader to record their in/out time automatically. The software connected to the digital clock is programmed with employee information and automatically performs payroll calculations, benefit accruals, tax liabilities, and much more. That information is then easily transferred to your payroll system or outside service provider. No more tedious calculations, numerous errors, and hours of reconciliation. In fact, employees that formerly spent much of their time manually calculating payroll are reallocated to other areas of the business … and in many cases, a full-time payroll clerk is no longer necessary. Studies have shown that automation can cut payroll preparation time by up to 80%.

It Makes Good Business “Cents”

A workforce management system provides a wealth of information and reports at your fingertips. As we mentioned earlier, that real-time data will not only help you make better payroll decisions, it will also help you make better overall operational decisions. For instance, you might use information from the time management system for job costing. By accurately capturing and analyzing the time it takes to complete a specific task, you’ll have a better picture of your true costs and can make better management decisions.

Contact us to learn more about controlling your payroll processing costs and improving your business through an automated workforce management system.

Human resources (employees) represent one of your organization’s most valuable assets. Maximizing your company’s productivity and profitability is largely dependent on making sure everyone in your organization is performing to their full potential. As such, implementing a solid performance review process is critical to the ongoing success of your business. It provides employees with a clear definition of what’s expected in their role and enables them to work toward the goals that contribute most to their personal and professional growth as well as the long-term success of your business.

The emerging popularity of Performance Management Software has introduced companies to new and innovative ways of automating the workflow of performance review tasks, reducing manually-intensive paperwork, improving the quality of feedback and collaboration, and reducing the stress associated with the entire process…which ultimately results in more satisfied and productive employees.

The Problem with “Manual” Performance Reviews

If your company is like most small and mid-sized businesses, your performance review process probably consists of a loose collection of tasks that include manually collecting annual evaluation forms and other labor-intensive, paper-based procedures. This inefficiency can be very time-consuming and often puts a heavy burden on human resource personnel, department managers and anyone else involved in the review. As a result, performance reviews are often delayed or, in an effort to just get through the process, less thorough and less useful to both the employee being reviewed and to your business.

A New Era of Automation

A growing number of companies are discovering the benefit of performance management software that offers a completely automated and totally paperless approach to performance reviews. By automating performance reviews using a software solution, companies discover that it’s easier to route forms to the appropriate personnel, streamline workflow with automated email reminders, provide managers with more complete information to reward individuals based on actual performance, and much more. In fact, here are some of the top benefits that performance management solutions offer:

• The paperless process improves efficiency, reduces duplicate data entry, and provides instant access to reviews from one centralized location (instead of digging for a review buried in a file cabinet!).
• Built-in workflow features provide for electronic routing of forms for review and approval.
• Automated email alerts remind personnel of open items, approvals and next steps.
• Gain powerful insight through reports and analytical dashboards that provide a visual snapshot of review progress as well as identify performance trends across all employees within a company or department.

Collectively, these features save a tremendous amount of time and effort as well as lead to better quality reviews. In addition, automating your performance review process can result in a return on investment in the form of increased productivity, optimized compensation based on actual performance and a reduction in hiring and training costs through better retention rates.

Performance Management Solutions

There are several performance management solutions available, both on-premise and web-based, that offer a range of features and price points to fit your needs. Contact us to learn more about automated performance appraisal software or to discuss your needs.

The Benefits of Electronic Payroll Paycards

In recent years, businesses have enjoyed tremendous savings in payroll costs by offering direct deposit programs and encouraging employees to participate. In fact, the employee adoption rate of direct deposit is very high. However one challenge remains – extending the convenience and cost savings of electronic payroll to employees who do not have a bank account (“unbanked”) and thus cannot accept direct deposits. In this article, we’ll discuss the value of Electronic Payroll Cards as an alternative to issuing paper paychecks to your “unbanked” employees.

What is a Payroll Card?

A payroll card holds a stored value and functions just like a debit card. An employee who receives payroll on a paycard is able to access cash at an ATM, pay bills, buy groceries, make online purchases, and use the card just about anywhere a debit card is accepted. In fact, they’re often branded with Visa or Mastercard and are widely accepted by merchants, banks, and other institutions.

For employers, payroll paycards work in exactly the same way that direct deposit does. A paycard program blends into your existing payroll process without additional hardware or software required.

The Benefit to Employers

The primary benefit of offering paycards is to eliminate the processing costs of issuing paper paychecks to unbanked employees. According to research, there are about 28 million people that are unbanked in the US with another 44 million that have very little access to financial services. The cost of issuing paper paychecks to these employees is estimated to be about $1 to $2 per employee per pay period including the cost of paper stock, security features, envelopes, check handling, and printing supplies. There is also a replacement cost and potential bank fees for lost or stolen paychecks.

The Benefit to Employees

Unbanked employees often use a check cashing service that charges a fee in the neighborhood of 5%. With a payroll paycard program, those fees are eliminated putting more money in your employees’ pockets. Plus, they’ll gain the convenience of using a debit card while eliminating the risk of carrying cash. In fact, the convenience of paycards also extends to employees currently using direct deposit who sometimes opt to receive a portion of their pay on a paycard as a means of providing funds to relatives or to track and budget spending on nonessential items.

Introducing Sage Payroll Paycards

Sage offers a Payroll Paycard program that will save you money while offering your employees the convenience of a safe and secure method of payment. It works the same way as direct deposit and requires no additional systems, hardware, or software.

Contact us if you’d like to learn more about the Sage Payroll Paycard program.

President Obama signed legislation on December 19, 2009, that extends the eligibility period for the COBRA subsidy. Originally, only those involuntarily terminated through December 31, 2009 were covered. The timeframe has been extended to individuals who are involuntarily terminated through February 28, 2010. Additionally, the legislation extends the length of time in which eligible employees will receive the subsidy, extending the period from nine months to fifteen months.

For up to date information on this legislation visit: https://www.hr411.com/legal-updates/?lu=6947992 

We wish you a warm holiday season and rewarding upcoming year!

Thank you for all the support you’ve shown us this past year – we look forward to working with you during the New Year!

The Staff of Hagel & Company

Frank Hagel, Aaron Simon, Angela Tutton, David Osmer, Jeff Moan, Kelly Jo Drllevich, Terri Gresham & Kerry Wolf

December and January are the months to end the year and start a new year with your HR and Payroll software.  There is no better time to make sure you are ready for the year ahead.

Hagel & Company has the expertise to help you accomplish your goals.

We have designed two discount packages that will give you flexibility to have one of our expert consultants assist you in the following areas: 

• Package A:  10% Discount on a Half Day (4 hours) of Consulting 
• Package B:  15% discount on a Full Day (8 hours) of Consulting  

Take advantage of these special discounts when booking your consulting days by January 22^nd 

Please call Aaron Simon at (253)572-2439 x 301 or click HERE to book your time now.

*Any additional time will be billed at our regular rate

**Travel expenses may be in addition to package rate

Benefits enrollment can be a rigorous, paper-intensive process for many HR departments.  With the ever-increasing cost of health insurance and other employee benefits, it’s important to identify effective cost-containment strategies.  One such strategy is to leverage technology and the efficiency that can result from Online Benefits Enrollment Software.

What is Online Benefits Enrollment Software?

Online benefits enrollment software allows employees to use the Internet (or their company network) to access information about benefit policies and prices.  Employees are guided through the process of selecting the benefits they wish to participate in and enter the necessary information into online enrollment forms.  This data is immediately available to HR for review & approval and can automatically update the HRMS system, thus eliminating duplicate data entry.

The system can also provide HR staff with online tracking and reporting features that allow them to easily monitor the progress of each employee through the open enrollment process.  Automatic email reminders can be delivered to employees who have not completed the enrollment process in a timely manner. In addition, newly hired employees can enroll in benefit plans and current employees can update information from life events that impact their benefits.

What is the Bottom Line Value it Can Bring to My Company?

• Reduced HR Call Volume – because employees have direct access to a tremendous amount of detail during the online enrollment process, they are able to quickly find answers to common questions on their own.
• Shorter Cycle Times – According to Sage Software, a paper-based open enrollment process can take 6 to 8 weeks (from assembly & distribution of forms to manual completion and return of those forms to the HR department).  Online benefits enrollment software can cut that process down to 3 weeks or less.
• Eliminate Duplicate Data Entry – you can completely eliminate duplicate data entry with an online benefits enrollment solution that integrates with your existing HRMS software.
• Reduce Material Costs – paper, printing and postage are all but eliminated by removing paper from the process and directing employees to electronic resources for forms and benefits explanation.

Benefits Enrollment for Sage Abra HRMS

Your Sage Abra system offers a Benefits Enrollment module that will save your company countless hours and piles of paperwork.  Sage Abra Benefits Enrollment takes the powerful benefits management solution of Abra HR to the next level by empowering employees to make their own benefits elections online through the Internet or intranet.  Easy, step-by-step wizards guide administrators through the benefit plan set-up process, and walk employees through open enrollment. It even includes year-round life events management that allows employees to update information such as marital status and dependents.  Perhaps best of all, it’s completely integrated with your Sage Abra HRMS system which eliminates duplicate data entry.

With Sage Abra Benefits Enrollment, your HR department will be less engaged in routine and time-consuming clerical tasks and more focused on improving strategic initiatives such as employee recruitment, compensation strategies and career development planning.  Save paper, time and money with Sage Abra Benefits Enrollment.

photo credit: Ludo29880

Human Resource technology adoption is often driven by small projects aimed at specific business problems that, when solved, provide a very clear return on investment.  As an example, Employee Self Service technology, or ESS, has evolved as a fantastic solution for an HR staff that is burdened by the repetitive administrative task of responding to routine employee requests.   In this article, we’ll take a look at ESS, explore the benefits it offers, and briefly introduce the ESS module for Sage Abra HRMS.

What is ESS?

ESS technology provides a central location for company personnel to view and update important personal data and company information. As the name suggests, ESS enables employees and managers to “self serve” (rather than contacting the HR department) for routine tasks or inquiries such as time-off requests, review of current benefits, updating dependents, review record of attendance, and more.  ESS access is typically delivered over the internet or company intranet.

The Benefits that ESS Offers

By automating employee activities such as time-off requests & approvals or dependent/beneficiary changes, companies can save considerable administrative time and expense associated with paper-based forms and manual processes.  Other benefits of ESS include:
Elimination of Duplicate Data Entry and Better Accuracy – By allowing employees to enter    routine record changes themselves, you eliminate the need to have HR staff re-enter the same information on a paper form or into an HR or payroll system.  This also helps to reduce errors.
Reduced Transaction Costs – Partially or completely replacing paper-based processes reduces (or completely eliminates) the time and costs associated with copying, routing, printing, mailing, filing, and storing paper.

Improved Focus – ESS technology allows HR staff to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as employee retention strategies or developing competitive benefits packages, rather than getting bogged down by routine administrative functions.

Introducing Sage Abra ESS

Sage Abra ESS will streamline your company’s HR processes and give employees ownership of their personal information.  Employees can request time-off, review benefits information, access performance reviews, update specific fields, and review payroll information.  Managers can view a direct reports’ personnel file, view and post employee notes, review attendance information, and approve time-off requests.  Companies can also post important documents and messages for employees to review.  Perhaps best of all, submitted and approved changes are automatically updated from ESS to the Sage Abra database which eliminates duplicate data entry and possible errors.

Contact Us to discuss whether Sage Abra ESS can save you money.

We are proud to announce that we’ve been named to the Sage America President’s Circle again!  This is awarded to the leading sales producers among SBS business partners representing a host of segment-leading brands, including Sage Accpac ERP, Sage Timberline, Sage MAS 90 ERP, Sage SalesLogix, Sage Abra HRMS (human resource management system), Sage FAS Fixed Assets and others.

I attribute the company’s success to the dedication and hard work of all the employees of the company and to the loyalty of its 500+ customers across the Western and Southern United States.

Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this goal!