Summer 2010 Newsletter

I wonder how we would have made it if we tried to start a Payroll Services Company in today’s environment. At the time we began, the internet was in infancy and computer makers were touting a 125MB hard drive. Disaster recovery involved having a printer and a backup floppy (remember those?). Direct deposit was unusual and payroll taxes were paid by check.

Today we spend north of $600 a month for our disaster recovery backups. We are instituting a data security plan to ensure all confidential information is managed appropriately. We deal with an onslaught of legislation from the federal government and state governments (we process payroll for employees in 22 states), and we are experiencing big changes in the software and technology arenas. We live in the electronic world - direct deposit is the way to pay; we submit practically all of our tax payments and file most of our payroll tax returns this way.

In the face of the constantly changing payroll services environment, I would like to think one thing hasn’t changed over the last 17 years – our commitment to providing you the best possible service we can. From each one of us when we answer the phone, to how we send or respond to an email, or resolve a tax notice, we strive for excellence – it’s why we are still in this business. If that’s not your experience, then please let me know.

If you have hourly employees, check out our time and attendance (for FREE)

We have more clients using our time and attendance than ever before. If you have hourly employees, ask us about this. It is such a time saver for processing payroll and very possibly a money saver for your payroll dollars though a constant monitoring of your payroll hours. Clients range from one employee to more than two hundred employees. It’s a reasonable fee and you can try it for FREE for 30 days. If you would like a demonstration of how this could work for your business, please contact us.

Whoops – There was a rate increase

At a 1% to 3% increase, I hope you didn’t notice much, but I do hope you’ll notice our continuing investment in our service, our employees and our community. The increase was effective June 1.

Manage your Human Resources with a little sharper knowledge

Log in to HR Support directly from our website. There is so much here from check lists on hiring and termination of employees to templates for evaluations. If you can’t recall your login and password, please contact us.

Software Transition

We are completing our first year of converting to our new software (a two year project for us). We have moved about 270 companies to our new system. It’s a more secure environment for your data, direct deposit vouchers can be directly emailed to your employees, backing up our data offsite is almost instantaneous and we have increased flexibility to help you with time off, retirement plan tracking and general ledgers – all at the cost of adjusting to similar, but slightly different reports.

Helpful hints to help protect you from vulnerability of hackers:

* Monitor your checking and savings account for suspicious activity. * Keep your security software current. Update your firewalls and security patches frequently.* Be smart about your password. Change passwords often and use unique passwords that include letters, numbers, symbols as well as upper and lower case text. You can download a password tool at http://www.pctools.com/guides/password.

It's worth repeating…

Independent Contractors vs. Employees (1099 vs. W2)

The states are hungry. If they think there is the remotest chance that your independent contractor is misclassified and should be classified as an employee, there’s a good chance they’ll come knocking at your door. Make sure you’re classifying that worker correctly – there are checklists available through our HR Support link..

Got payroll blog? …

Recent Posts: The empty nest; How do you measure your savings?; Growth – the good, the bad and the measured; Ways to keep employees during slow times. Most blogs are around 300 words – about half as long as this newsletter.

Screen’em Dano…

One positive side effect of this economy is there are many high quality job applicants available. And yet, if your employees work in other peoples’ homes, work with money, drive your company vehicle, work with children, or engage in other activities in which trust is a major component, it is prudent for your organization to run a background check on your new hires. We offer an easy to use verification process at a reasonable price. You can find out more at: http://www.payrolldept.biz/background.html.

Debra Caldwell is the newest member of the Payroll Department Team. She comes to us with an Accounting Degree from Mesa State College and is ready, willing, and able to help you with your payroll needs! We are losing Melinda Shishim (and it’s a loss) at the end of July to law school (she provided us with a 15 month notice).

We appreciate your business and your willingness to continue to place your trust in us…and thank you for your referrals.

Sincerely,
Bryan Dear
with Eric Malone, Tanya Campbell, Melinda Shishim, Mary Wagner, Kyla Zufelt, Monica Rodriguez, and Scott Southworth.