Simply put, open enrollment is a period of time your employees enroll in benefits or change from one plan to another.  After open enrollment is closed, the employee coverage is locked until the next open enrollment period begins.  To ensure employees choose the healthcare plan that fits them best, companies dedicate countless hours, additional resources and lots of time ensuring that employees are informed.  After all, we want our employees to be happy and healthy, because a happy worker is a productive worker.

Some of the major responsibilities for HR during open enrollment include choosing a benefits package, selecting and preparing communications for employees, setting the stage to make it easy for employees to complete open enrollment and keying updates and changes into additional systems.  In each of these responsibilities comes an element of change management.  Through the use of today’s available HRIS/HRMS tools, companies are finding it easier to manage the open enrollment process.  A great example of such a tool is AscentisHR which is a fully integrated solution connecting open enrollment, self-service and HR administration together as one.  The truth is that open enrollment need no longer be a pain point.  It doesn’t have to be so arduous or time consuming for HR or for the employee. Employee Self-Service is the answer.

What Self-Service Looks Like. Literally.

Click on this image to see the full screenshot

 The self-service open enrollment wizard provides a straightforward and intuitive approach to guide and inform employees on benefit selection.  The system allows the employees to compare benefits side-by-side, elect alternative plans, submit benefits electronically to the carrier, and much more.  Outside of open enrollment, the onus is placed on the employee to update their personal information throughout the year, taking the burden off of HR.  Click here learn more about self-service and other Ascentis solutions.

For more information, or to request a product demonstration, fill out this short form and we’ll show you how we can help your Human Resources department be more accelerated, efficient and compliant.  Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, the Ascentis HR, Benefits and Payroll News, and stay on top of industry news, best practices and always-evolving legislation.  Follow Ascentis on Twitter and “Like us” on Facebook to receive great HR, payroll and business tips.  Feel free to share this post using the built-in share buttons below this post.

If your business has been audited by the IRS, you’re not alone.  According to IRS statistics, anywhere from .38% to 14.55% of businesses are audited annually (see data grid below). The government’s exact method for choosing who is audited remains a well-kept secret. However, the IRS boldly warned in a 2007 report that some business types are more likely to be audited than others. The IRS report states that “While large corporate audits are down slightly, we have increased our focus on mid-market those with assets between $10 million and $50 million dollars.”  See specific IRS service and enforcement tables here. Into what category does your business fall, and how likely are you to be audited?  What’s your worst fear in an audit? Are you prepared for it?

The burden of proof during an audit lies with you, the business owner, and the depth of records required by the IRS can be time-consuming and onerous at best.  AllBusiness.com posted an aptly titled article, “To Hell and Back: Different Types of Tax Audits”, which documents the extensive information that the IRS requires during a business audit. The IRS provides their auditors with specific guidelines to follow during a business audit that is industry specific. Do you know what your potential future auditor may ask of you? Become more prepared and look for your guide here.

Don’t be another IRS statistic

Audits are costly. The expense to your business will be massive, and the strain on your valuable employees even more so. Regardless of the kind of audit you may experience, it’s always helpful to have the information you need at your fingertips. Ascentis online payroll and HR software (HRIS) offers robust core functionality that supports the electronic documentation of most, if not all, employment and payroll related data you will need during an audit. Ascentis integrated systems include standard and customized reporting engines so HR and payroll teams can provide the specific and detailed data that audits often require.

Learn more

For more information, or to request a product demo, fill out this short form and let’s talk about how we can help your HR and payroll teams be more accelerated, efficient and compliant. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, the Ascentis HR, Benefits and Payroll News, and stay on top of industry news, best practices and always-evolving legislation. Follow Ascentis on Twitter and “Like us” on Facebook to receive great HR, payroll and business tips.

What does the SSA do when they cannot identify to whom the earnings belong?

The SSA notifies every worker whose name and SSN could not be matched to SSA’s records. This letter is sent to the address on the worker’s Form W-2. If there is no address or an address is not found in the Postal Service database of valid addresses, this letter is sent to the employer.

The SSA will also send employer no-match letters. Currently, these are sent to any employer who reported more than 10 no-matches that represented more than 0.5% of the W-2s submitted by that employer.

Responding to a No-Match Letter

The Employer notice advises of the discrepancies and asks the employers to prepare Form W-2c (Corrected Wage and Tax Statement).

In addition, one step recommended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is to ask the employee to contact Social Security if there is a discrepancy with an SSA record. To ensure that an employee’s record is correct, the SSA recommends following:

• If an employee’s Social Security card does not show the correct name or SSN, or if the employee has lost his or her Social Security card, it is prudent for the employee to contact the local Social Security Office.
• The employee should provide the employer with the correct information as shown on the Social Security card or the corrected card.

How can employers avoid reporting discrepancies?

There are a number of reasons why reported information may not match records including:

• Typographical errors
• Unreported name changes
• Inaccurate or incomplete employer records
• Misuse of a SSN

Employers who offer self-service systems give employees access to their personal HR, benefits, and payroll information via the Web. Ascentis employee self-service (ESS) allows the human resources manager the ability to securely display selected HRIS data to the employee for verification. If information is updated, the employee’s changes are submitted for approval. Even name changes can be processed through Ascentis ESS.

For More Information

• Employer No-Match Letters Process
• Consent-Based Social Security Number Verification - fee and consent-based Social Security Number verification providing instant, automated verification.
• Learn more about the Ascentis line of products

Reducing paper-based processes is another factor that drives the need for automation. More companies are moving toward paperless workflow as a way to support “green” business practices. While helping the environment, these companies also help themselves: sharing information electronically saves time – and money.

According to a study conducted by Boston, MA-based Aberdeen Group, the top pressures that drive HR and payroll technology initiatives are the need to adapt to market changes, better management of complex employee relationships, rising costs associated with workforce management and employee retention amid a shrinking labor pool.

The study indicates that the actions required to meet these pressures include:

• Increasing the efficiency of HR and payroll management by adding strategic functionality to core processes
• Improving data accuracy and security
• Integrating business systems to consolidate functions
• Educating HR and payroll staff, and the end-users of self-service systems, on how to optimally utilize the programs that are put in place

Yet, while the need to automate workforce management isn’t argued, the challenges related to evaluating and selecting a solution often keep companies from breaking free of the burden created by their current processes and moving toward full automation utilizing an integrated system to manage HR and payroll.

With so many products on the market, and an HR and payroll team that is already over-loaded with work, who has time to sort through the myriad of choices and make an informed decision? For small to mid-sized businesses, Ascentis offers fully integrated, easy-to-use solutions that will get your HR and payroll process automation initiative up and running fast. To find out quickly how automation will make your team more efficient and accelerated, take a 6-minute tour of Ascentis HR or an 8-minute tour of Ascentis Payroll.

So you’re tired of the paper mess around open enrollment and you’re thinking in the age of the Web there must be a better way, right? There is definitely a better way, but actually doing it on your own is not for the faint of heart. Many people don’t know the process and complexities involved, and many vendors have little experience in this area. That’s why it’s so important to partner with an HRIS or HR software vendor that has years of experience in this process. If you choose to do it yourself, you’ll have greatest success if you follow these critical steps:

Step 1: Negotiate - Will your carrier be interested in allowing connectivity from your company to their systems? How are your skills in negotiating with an insurance carrier? If your company is in the 100-1,000 employee range, will carriers be interested in dealing with you or will they only want to deal with larger groups where there is a greater return for them?

Step 2: Review the Carrier’s Companion Guide - What’s a companion guide? Isn’t there a federally mandated standard format? Well, yes … but carriers generally have a long list of enhancements, interpretations, and additions to the standard, and so they put those into a Companion Guide. Here’s a few examples from EyeMed, Independence Blue Cross, and AmeriHealth. These are all fun documents you can read in your spare time.

Step 3: Get the right technology - Get the right technology to securely communicate with the carrier. The carrier will let you know what’s required, and, by the way, each carrier is different. Be prepared to learn about encryption, secure transfer methods and other fun topics. And don’t forget to make sure you comply with the federal privacy and security regulations.

Step 4: Get to know 834 and start coding – Be prepared to write some code to get your enrollment data into the federally mandated ANSI X12N 834 file format. Make sure to follow the federal regulations (check out page 50,358… it’s my favorite). You can purchase the documentation on the 834 file format from WPC (only a few hundred pages of fun reading).

Step 5: Testing, testing, 123 - If you’ve made it through steps 1-4, you’re ready to test with your carrier. Could be a slight problem here… many carriers don’t do testing in November or December, and can only test for a couple of clients at a time, so be prepared to wait your turn. We’ve seen anywhere between five and 40 steps in a carrier’s testing processes, so be prepared to be actively involved in the process. You will have to arrange to respond to any errors in your data or programming, fix the errors, and get the new, improved file back to the carrier and then re-test (after getting back into line!). Oh, and did you think about your open enrollment date prior to this?

Step 6: Deploy! - Having passed steps 1-5, you’re ready to start the electronic feeds, and then you’re ready to do this again with your other five carriers!

Step 7: The “Are you kidding me?” step - Your CFO decides that it’s time to change carriers. Have a few margaritas, tell your family you’ll see them next year, and start over at Step 1!

Step 8: There’s a better way! - Ascentis specializes in connecting small to mid-sized companies to their carriers electronically through their flagship HRIS product, Ascentis HR. Using the Ascentis Carrier Connect Service, you can transmit data directly to your carriers, and eliminate billing errors and overpayments. If your company also deploys Ascentis Employee Self-Service, Carrier Connect virtually eliminates data errors and offers a truly paperless open enrollment environment. Download the free white paper: Web-based Online Enrollment: How a Paperless Process Saves Time, Eliminates Errors, and Increases Employee Satisfaction. Visit Ascentis for more details, or call 1.800.229.2713.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!