Issue 18, March 2008   SECTIONS Articles & Insights WorkForce in the News Case Study EmpCenter Webinars Upcoming Events by Roger A. Smith, CPP & Payroll Consultant "Education, Networking, Technology, and Fun” If you’re a payroll professional, you owe it to yourself to invest in continuing education to stay current with laws, best practices, and technology. One great way to do that, and have a lot of fun too, is to attend the American Payroll Association’s Annual Congress. These events are the world’s largest gatherings of payroll professionals. The learning and networking opportunities are unsurpassed. [more]   OTHER ISSUES February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 SUBSCRIBE   Welcome to The Workforce Chronicle In this issue of The Workforce Chronicle we'll examine the importance of work/life balance and why an increasing number of employers are making it a priority. Also, the Payroll Prof discusses the benefits of attending the American Payroll Association's Annual Congress. Congratulations to Tammi Keller from Mosaic and Toni Austinson from Noridian for winning a copy of the BLR Special Report on FLSA Overtime: Making Your Way Through the Exempt/Nonexempt Minefield. Featured Article Work/Life Balance - Is it Important? “No one ever looks back on their life and thinks I should have spent more time at work,” Roger Smith stated in this month’s Learning Series webinar, “Flexible Scheduling, Alternative Work Schedules, and Telecommuting.” This quote is the reason more and more employers offer a work/life balance. Over the past ten years, plus or minus a few, work/life balance has been a priority for employees and has been recognized by employers. Employees have increasingly been able to take advantage of flextime, flexible scheduling, and telecommuting, all of which allow employees to vary arrival and/or departure times to meet individual needs. Employees may not be working the traditional 9 to 5, 40-hour workweek, but they are still working their required hours and meeting objectives. COMPLETE ARTICLE   Articles & Insights FMLA Changes for 2008 - the Facts On February 11, 2008, The US Department of labor issued an insert for the current FMLA poster and also issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to Amend the FMLA. Read more to to see the details of the new qualifying events. [more] Daylight saving wage and hour issues arise this month Daylight saving time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 9, when clocks will be set forward one hour. Shift workers on duty at that time will work one hour less, and paying them for a full shift may raise questions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. [more] HCMC Pays 927 Workers $127K in Back Wages Hennepin County Medical Center has agreed to pay 974 workers $127,935 in back wages after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division determination that the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. [more]   WorkForce Software in the News More WorkForce Software In The News   Case Study Arch Coal, Inc. Customer Since: 2003 Industry: Energy Employees: 4,000 Time, attendance, and labor information is collected and processed with the Workforce Software system for 4,000 employees at coalmines across the United States. The Workforce Software rules engine automates the complex pay rules present in their workforce. The system interfaces with Oracle's E-Business suite for HR and payroll and Mincom's Ellipse work order and asset tracking system.   EmpCenter Online Our comprehensive time and attendance solution is available as a fully hosted service, which runs on equipment hosted and managed by WorkForce Software’s experienced team. EmpCenter Online provides organizations with numerous financial and technical advantages: Low monthly fee Simple financial planning Implementation costs rolled into monthly fee Quicker implementation Service level agreements to ensure high uptime Conversion path to a customer hosted system is available WorkForce applies all updates and patches to the system System reliability through a redundant system architecture Privacy and security through the use of multiple layers of firewalls, SSL encryption, and VPN configurations Continuously monitor the system and fine-tune it for optimal performance Contact WorkForce Software for more information at info@workforcesoftware.com.   Webinars Flexible Scheduling, Alternative Work Schedules, and Telecommuting Implementing Payroll Best Practices What are Payroll Best Practices? Change Management for the Payroll Professionals Time Collection for your Mobile, Field, Remote Workforce Process Modeling in the Payroll Department Strategic Planning in the Payroll Department Payroll Technologies: Past, Present and Emerging Top 5 Essential Practices for Payroll Professionals Controlling Overtime Pay with Scheduling Automation Trends and Myths of Workforce Management The Fair Labor Standards Act - A Review   Events Stop by to see WorkForce Software at the following 2008 Conferences. South Carolina of School Board Officials – SCASBO Myrtle Beach Hilton March 4 – 6, 2008 Texas Association of School Board Officials - TASBO Austin Convention Center March 4 – 6, 2008 Booth #950 CUPA-HR Midwest Region Conference Hyatt Regency Chicago March 16 – 19, 2008 Booth #110 HR Technology in Hospitality March 17 – 18, 2008 Wynn Las Vegas Booth #313 Colorado Association of School Board Officials - CASBO Omni Interlocken Resort April 9 – 10, 2008 Southeast & Florida Association of School Board Officials - SASBO Rosen Plaza Orlando April 27 – 30, 2008 Michigan School Board Officials - MSBO DeVos Place Grand Rapids, Michigan April 30 – May 1, 2008 APA’s 26th Annual Congress Austin Convention Center May 13 – 17, 2008 Booth #412 IHRIM 2008 Disney’s Contemporary Resort Lake Buena Vista, Florida June 1 – 4, 2008 Booth #231 New York Association of School Board Officials - NYASBO Saratoga Springs, NY June 1 – 4, 2008 APA’s Leadership Forum Austin, Texas August 2008 6th Annual Midwest Regional Payroll Conference September 10 – 12, 2008 20th Annual Northwest Regional Payroll Conference Lynnwood Convention Center Lynnwood, Washington September 18, 2008 Wisconsin Regional Payroll Conference September 18 & 19, 2008 CUPA-HR National Conference & Expo 2008 Adam’s Mark Hotel St. Louis, Missouri October 12 – 15, 2008 Booth #303 HR Technology 2008 Conference McCormick Place Chicago October 15 – 16, 2008 Booth #646     Sponsored by: