Ascentis Blog

Information to help HR and payroll managers, recruiters, and compliance officers become more effective.

Tag Archives: year-end

New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Continued

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!

12 New Year’s Resolutions for HR and Payroll

A resolution is a promise or commitment we make to increase behaviors that will support greater success and productivity, or stop those behaviors that limit our capabilities and hinder us from achieving our maximum potential. Even with the best of intentions, it is common for most of us to make resolutions … and then forget them.

Business resolutions make as much sense or more than personal ones.  In business there are always areas that could use improvement, but rarely do we have the time or resources to dedicate to them.  Even deciding where to start, or how many resolutions to have, can be a challenge.  So keep it simple. Pick one or two areas and try out a new business-focused resolution. With the tremendous success you experience this year, next year’s resolutions will be even more exciting.  Here are some resolutions you should have no problem sticking to!

  1. Streamline your W2 process for end-of-year

How long did it take you this year to get your W2s out to your employees?  Did your payroll provider do it for you?  Did you and your team spend days stuffing envelopes and sealing them?  Isn’t your time valuable?  Relying on outdated systems to get your end-of-year processes completed seems a bit silly with all the technology out there.  Maybe it is time to look at a new payroll system or provider, one that saves you and your team time and offers a streamlined process to make the end of the year less, rather than more, stressful.

This is the first of 12 New Year’s Resolutions…follow us on twitter or subscribe to our rss feed to get the other 11 as they are posted OR if you can’t wait, click here to get the full list today http://www.ascentis.com/download_new_years_resolution_2010.asp

The year-end is nigh!

Fear! Panic! Overwork!

Ok, maybe that was a little over the top. The end of the year is a generally busy time for payroll professionals. Year end payrolls, quarterlies,  and benefits maintenance are just some of the things that have to be done before you can celebrate on New Year’s Eve. To help with year-end tasks, we’ve created a couple of wizards in Ascentis Payroll that guide you through a lot of the routine tasks. There are some tasks that need to be done outside of payroll, so we’ve created this handy list below to check before you run your last payroll of the year:

  • Verify SSNs. There may be IRS penalties for mismatched names/SSNs so avoid the tax man by going through your employee SSNs.
  • Got employees who recently changed their filing status? Make sure they’ve filled out a new W-4 (not necessary if you have Ascentis Self-Service!).
  • Verify employee addresses so W-2s go where they are supposed to.
  • Offering new benefits? Make sure deductions are setup for new offerings.
  • Got tax exempt employees? Make sure to get their W-4s in by February 15th so they can continue their exempt status through 2010.
  • Employees getting the Advanced Earned Income Credit (AEIC) for 2009 need to complete a new W-5 before the first payroll in 2010 in order to continue receiving AEIC.

There are other reconciliations (e.g. wage & tax, GL, Bank) that need to be performed as well. If you have any questions about year end with Ascentis Payroll, give your CSR a call today!

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