Issue 10, July 2007   SECTIONS Articles & Insights Case Study EmpCenter Archived Webinars Upcoming Events by Roger A. Smith, CPP & Payroll Consultant Step up and Become Certified! If you’re working in the payroll field, and you’re not certified, why not? I’ve asked that question to many payroll people, and I think I’ve heard all the “excuses” but never a really good “reason” for not becoming FPC or CPP certified. For those of you who haven’t heard these designations, the American Payroll Association sponsors two levels of payroll certification. [more]   OTHER ISSUES June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 SUBSCRIBE   Welcome to The Workforce Chronicle! This month's issue of The Workforce Chronicle examines the importance of strategic planning in payroll. We'll also look at how one of the largest personal trust providers in the United States saved money by automating their time collection process. Congratulations to Christine O’Donnell from University of San Diego and Ruth Mealy from the State of Michigan for winning the BLR Special Report on FLSA Overtime: Making Your Way Through the Exempt/Nonexempt Minefield. Featured Article The Importance of Strategic Planning in Payroll “A three-sentence course in business: You read a book beginning to end. You run a business the opposite way. You start with the end, and then do everything you must to reach it.” – Harold Geneen, former CEO of IT&T And so it is with Strategic Planning: You determine where your organization or your department needs to be, and then you plan how to get to that future state. COMPLETE ARTICLE Articles & Insights Palm Beach County DCF violated overtime laws WEST PALM BEACH — The Department of Children and Families is paying $166,516.51 to current and former investigators in Palm Beach County after admitting the agency violated federal laws by pressuring workers not to bill for overtime. A total of 126 workers will get checks for overtime they worked between August 2004 and September 2005. Individual payments range from $176.05 to $2,032.87, with most workers due more than $1,000. [more] Sheffield (Alabama) adjusts how it calculates firefighters' pay SHEFFIELD -- City council members have agreed to change the way the city calculates firefighters' pay periods. They do not plan, however, to compensate firefighters who claim the city owes them 25 hours of back pay. City Attorney Vincent McAlister said he recommended the council pay firefighters according to the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act. He said council members were under the impression the city was in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets guidelines for certain workers, including firefighters and police officers. "We were averaging their hours over these pay periods so they have the same pay check," Mayor Billy Don Anderson said. "They wanted us to conform to the Fair Labor Standards Act. We instructed the city clerk to do it that way." [more] 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta Court: No pay for changing clothes Should workers be paid for the time it takes to change in and out of their work clothes? Not if they belong to a union or it's normal preparation for doing their job, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta says. Their recent decision stemmed from a 7-year-old dispute initially involving a dozen workers at six poultry facilities in Georgia and Alabama owned either by Atlanta-based Cagle's Inc. or an affiliate. The employees said they should be paid for the time it took to put on and take off their smocks, hair or beard nets, gloves, earplugs and other protective wear. The practice is known as "donning and doffing time." [more]   WorkForce News Denver Metro Wastewater District implements EmpCenter Workforce Management Project Focuses on Activity Based Costing and Employee Self-Service. [more] WorkForce Software In The News   Case Study Wilmington Trust Automating the Time Collection Process Saves Time and Money Customer Since: November 2003 No. of Employees: 2,500 Industry: Financial Services EmpCenter Solution:      -Time & Attendance Base      -Activity Based Costing      -Accruals & Absence Manager      -Employee Self-Service Platform: Windows Other ERP Solutions: Third-party Payroll System COMPLETE CASE STUDY   EmpCenter Activity Based Costing Cost control is critical in today’s competitive economic environment. Knowing where an organization’s costs are incurred is an important job for every CFO. The EmpCenter™ Activity Based Costing tracks the largest controllable expense—your employees—to give you better business information so you can make informed decisions and manage labor costs. Activity Based Costing tracks time worked against cost centers, projects, tasks, departments, work orders and more, helping employers determine the time and costs associated with different projects or areas of the organization. Contact WorkForce Software for more information at info@workforcesoftware.com.   Archived Webinars 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 the WorkForce Booth to receive your free gift and register for our drawings! APA Leadership Forum Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas August 15 – 16, 2007 Booth 14 HR Technology Navy Pier, Chicago October 10 – 12, 2007 Booth 1112 CUPA-HR National Conference & Expo Baltimore Marriott Waterfront November 8 – 11, 2007 Booth 614     Sponsored by: