What to look for in an HRIS
Mar 9th
To be a practical investment choice for a mid-tier organization, a satisfactory HRIS solution must have its HR and benefits functions highly integrated. It must be both agile and robust so it can easily be kept abreast of constant change, and it must be built on a tried and true foundation that is easy to use and maintain, such as a modern database like SQL Server or Access for smaller companies.
Ease of use is a vitally important feature for an HRIS. The learning curve on any new software is often a challenge for people whose primary function is non-technical, such as the average HR consultant. It is important that if the investment is made in a product, it is accepted to the extent that it becomes part of the fabric of the department. There are three things to look for that will make an HRIS easier to use and more accepted by staff:
• Wizards: Wizard-based technology makes it easy for staff to enter or import information and make changes and updates, by following through a set of simple instructional, fill-in the blanks forms on the screen, rather than their having to learn to program or call in the consultants.
• Strong HR facilities combined with flexible benefit capabilities: The system should be able to handle compensation, attendance and recruitment, and legal requirements such as FMLA and OSHA, while integrating them with benefits issues such as COBRA.
• Role-based operation: A good HRIS solution should be able to cater to the needs of a wide range of people and functions within the organization, and should appear seamlessly tailored to their requirements. Role based administration is becoming increasingly important in the HRIS marketplace. With this feature, HR administrators can define what an individual can see in the system, allowing managers access to the information they need about their particular team, while locking them out of information that is not pertinent to them. Role based administration can extend further into proactive alerting—a particular manager or management level can be automatically alerted by the system that it is time to conduct a review, for instance, with those alerts being based on the specific mangers role and needs within the organization.
Ascentis provides fully integrated HRIS, self-service and payroll solutions that are especially designed for small to mid-sized organizations. For more information, visit www.Ascentis.com.
Do You Know if Your Data is Really Secure?
Feb 24th
by Mike Cross
There’s a crook out there thinking of ways to make a quick buck, and identity theft is at the top of his list. The Internet has revolutionized the way your employees access their own information. They can see their last paycheck, make a change to their benefits or submit an updated W-4 form for withholdings.
Those who conceived the Internet assumed a Utopian culture where free-flowing information would only be used for good. Yet the real world is far more perilous. Today’s world requires a high level of security, and Internet security is no exception.
How secure is your approach to data protection? You’ve probably overheard the IT people talking in the hallway using terms like “patching the minimal server configuration” and “intrusion prevention systems.” And what you’re really hearing is something like Charlie Brown’s teacher speaking. Do you feel your employees’ information is safe and secure?
When evaluating an on-demand solution, look for these important points:
- Employee data is encrypted when it travels over the Internet
- The vendor uses multiple levels of network security to isolate potential threats
- All servers are “hardened” (i.e. have minimally installed) operating systems; regular updates (patching) is performed
- A SAS70 Type II independent audit report is available and performed by a reputable firm at least once a year
- Security-threat monitoring systems are implemented and have 24-by-7 coverage
- Backups are created; and backups of those backups are also created
While considering a solution for protecting your data, keep in mind that security starts at the desktop. Anti-virus software has become a standard program installed on every corporate computer. This program compares incoming email messages to a list of known “signatures” and attempts to block any known threat it matches. But there’s something else you have to watch: “social engineering” threats. These threats often arrive in the form of an email that attempts to trick you into clicking a link or opening an attachment, which can then avert the best security measures.
Cisco Systems provides a good whitepaper about this topic here . The best practice is to avoid opening any attachment or clicking any link without first knowing who it came from and that you were expecting to receive it.
Contact Ascentis today for more information about secure on-demand HRIS and payroll solutions.
Mike Cross is Director of IT and Operations at Ascentis. He has 15 years of experience with systems and security, and has also worked as a software engineer on the Ascentis Payroll product.
Ascentis Workshops – Learning From Your Peers
Feb 17th
“The best way to learn is to get in there and do it.” We’ve all heard that bit of advice at one time or another. The problem with that theory is it may take you awhile to figure it out on your own. In today’s world, time is valuable and the ‘trial and error’ method may be costly. Not to mention there are things you just don’t pick up on your own, or even worse, assume incorrectly.
Participation in a workshop is an excellent, inexpensive way to receive technical content, education and to meet with your peers. Whether you are a veteran who simply wants to supplement your knowledge or are a novice in a ‘sink or swim’ situation, research demonstrates that collaboration in small groups can facilitate learning and development.
What is a workshop?
Workshops are meetings where participants are involved in group discussions and are normally organized around one or more theme areas. Workshops allow participants with differing values and priorities to build a common understanding of the problems and opportunities confronting them.
The real value of workshop attendance:
• You can escape your workplace and your constant interruptions
• You learn the facts – no more wondering, “Is this right?”
• You hear how others do it and learn from their experiences
• You can provide input on future product enhancements
The Professional Services group at Ascentis works with clientele to deliver information to assist in the use and implementation of the entire line of Ascentis products. Twice a year the team provides a workshop venue across the country, usually coinciding with other HR and payroll industry related conferences.
The workshop leaders guide attendees through an agenda packed with useful tips and tricks. In addition to the group discussions and workbooks, a total “hands-on” experience is provided. The group is promised a 3-day breakout during which they can absorb, perform, interact and reflect. Sounds like the perfect combination of learning styles! The next Ascentis HR 3-Day Workshop will he held in San Diego, June 23-25, right before the SHRM Conference and Exposition. To find out more about the workshop, click here.
Model Employer Children’s Health Insurance Program Notice
Feb 12th
On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009. CHIPRA includes a requirement that the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services develop a model notice for employers to use to inform employees of potential opportunities currently available in the State in which the employee resides for group health plan premium assistance under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Department of Labor was required to provide the model notice to employers within one year of CHIPRA’s enactment.
Through a notice in the February 4, 2010 FEDERAL REGISTER, the Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announces the availability of the Model Employer CHIP Notice. The notice provides the “form and content of notice” as well as the “timing and delivery of the notice” while outlining the requirements for addition of state-specific information.
To quickly generate and send this (or any future) notices to your employees, use the Employee Correspondence Wizard (ECW) in Ascentis HR. Create your notice or use the template provided by the Department of Labor here for the Model Employer CHIP notice. Once your notice has been built, open ECW from Employee Manager and create a new correspondence batch. By walking through the ECW you can print or email the notice to all employees you select. Lastly, select to attach the notice to each employee’s record through the ECW as a note. Now your work with this notice is done!
For detailed instructions on using the ECW see the “Employee Correspondence Wizard” section of the Help documentation included in Ascentis HR.
Do you need a social media policy?
Feb 4th
The boundaries between personal and professional have become increasingly blurred due to the growing prevalence of internet-based social media, including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter. While social media outlets may be excellent platforms for employees to network and promote their employer’s business, a myriad of problems may result from an employee’s improper or unlawful use of a company’s name, reputation or confidential information while using such social media.
If an employee uses an employer’s name or a company e-mail address to communicate with or otherwise use social media, a third-party may be led to believe that the employee is speaking or writing on behalf of the company. A third-party may think that the employee is acting in an official capacity with authority to bind the employer, or that certain views espoused by the employee are also the views of the company.
For this reason and others, the FTC has implemented rules effective Dec. 1, 2009, regulating the use of testimonials in advertising. Under these rules an employer may be held responsible for employee maintained blogs or other employee postings about the employer’s products and services. In an effort to avoid these problems, a social media policy may direct employees in such situations to use a disclaimer explicitly stating that his or her views are not those of the employer. Read the rest of this entry »
12 New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Concluded
Feb 1st
11. Use proper and complete sentences in all business e-mails
We all get those emails from colleagues – the short, quick answers. They return half a sentence in response to our question from a month ago. Now you have to go back and read the full e-mail string to be able to decipher the meaning of the answer and figure out what that abbreviated sentence is supposed to indicate. If your goal is to save time this year, help those around you save some of their time when reading your e-mails. A short, precise answer is much easier to read then a cryptic, abbreviated response.
12. Find 10 ways to reduce your costs
“What a great idea … like we haven’t already done that.” In the current economy we have all been looking at ways to cut costs. Sometimes some fresh eyes can really help. Ask the receptionist if she has an idea or call on contracts that have been running with vendors for awhile. You might be due for a price reduction; most vendors are not going to alert you to that fact. Stop printing out documents for files; this could save substantial money overtime. Rather than printing e-mails from employees, attach them to their files in your HRIS/HRMS or payroll software. Don’t have the ability? Go back and read resolution #1, and make life easier for you and your team! Creating a paperless, or near paperless, office could save your company substantial money and time.
Remember to keep checking back, we are full of ideas!
Download the full list here
12 New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Continued
Jan 29th
9. Create daily work habits and stick to them
Start every day the same and end every day the same. Giving some predictability to a hectic day could be the difference between a great hair day and bald spots. Try to maintain these newly established routines, but don’t beat yourself up if you have to skip a part of your new routine. Flexibility in goal setting is important. A positive attitude and support will make it much easier to try again the next day.
10. Set aside one time slot for reading e-mails or news
How long has that magazine been on your desk? You know the one (or two or 10) that have kept that corner from gathering dust. You want to read it, you keep saying you will, but who has time to sit and read? Make the time! If you don’t do it now, you probably won’t do it tomorrow. Set aside a part of your day or week and reward yourself with downtime to read the articles, journals or Web sites. At the end of the week, before starting your weekend, read an article or two; at the beginning of the week over coffee read an article or two. Just make a space in your schedule. It is already there, but you will have to claim it.
Download the full list here!
12 New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Continued
Jan 28th
7. Do something nice for your team/employees/management
Do something nice and it will come back to you. Send a thank you card from your team to that department that always chips in to get notices ready for employees. Bring in potted plants for the dark IT department. Be creative, make them smile and they will share those smiles. A workplace should be somewhere that employees enjoy being, not dread.
8. Take a vacation
Who has time for a vacation? We all do! A vacation is supposed to be time for YOU, time to refresh and rest your mind, body and soul. Recharge and get yourself back. A vacation doesn’t have to be spent in Paris, but it can be! Spend some time at home, organize that back room that has been driving you crazy, explore the local farmers’ markets or just grab a book and curl up on the couch. Remember, time to do what you want to do is a vacation.
Download the full list here!
12 New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Continued
Jan 27th
5. Plan your week
Taking five or 10 minutes at the beginning and the end of the week to plan is a wonderful thing. Not only are you slowing down for a couple of minutes, but you are organizing! What are your goals for the upcoming week? What did you accomplish this week? (This is where you should stop and reflect, smile, and feel good about getting something down in the middle of the zoo.) What do you need and want to accomplish next week? Now at the beginning of the following week, go back over this list. Has anything changed? A lot of times priorities look different after a day or two. Update the list if need be and start your week. You have already accomplished something very important!
6. Create a wellness program
A wellness program sounds complicated and fancy, but it doesn’t have to be. If it is in the budget, then help employees get gym memberships. If it isn’t, then create other ways to support healthy living. A healthy, happy employee is much less likely to call in sick and much more fun to work with. Some ideas that can be implemented at very little cost include:
Create a weight loss group – employees weigh in each week, set goals, maybe give a reward at the end of a set amount of time;
Coordinate monthly hikes – on a weekend set up a hike, have employees invite family along or even take off early from the office on Friday and walk to a nearby park;
Stop filling the fridge or vending machines with sugar – look at healthier options, use sparkling waters or natural sodas, supply fruit and gum, rather than candy bars;
Call a local healthy restaurant – have a chef come in and talk to your employees about ordering healthier options when they go out. This will drive business to the restaurant and show the employees that you care about their well being.
Download the full list here!
New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Continued
Jan 26th
3. Decrease hours worked, increase productivity
Easier said than done, but start scrutinizing your daily, weekly and monthly tasks. Is there a way to be more efficient? Will a new HRIS/HRMS create less work and open up more time for more important things, such as strategic planning? The market has numerous different solutions, so start searching. SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) could help you get a new solution approved quicker by offering low monthly maintenance fees rather than a large budgetary commitment. How about using a task manager? There are many applications for your phone to remind you to get to work or stay organized. Be creative (and/or pushy)!
4. Delegate
Every company has someone that can do more, but won’t tell you that. Is it time for a job description inventory? Have all employees write up their job descriptions in detail. This is a great way to accomplish two tasks. 1, Get updated job descriptions, and 2, Finding those people that are spending their day shredding (a.k.a. web surfing). Great! Now you have someone that can do some filing or some additional data entry. If you have an HRIS/HRMS that uses role-based profiles, give them access to the areas that they need. You have just created an assistant!
Download the full list here!
