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

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.