Author: Site Staff

Myth #5:

HRMS Software requires lengthy and costly training
HRMS software merely automates tasks that you already perform (or need to be performing). Well-conceived and well-designed software should take into account the typical ways in which HR tasks are already performed. The wheel does not need to be reinvented.

Granted, you will need to learn how the software does things that you used to do manually, but we are dealing with the capture, storage, and retrieval of information. Any software that cannot simply automate the process of putting information into computer files instead of putting paper into filing cabinets, or that cannot replace an Excel spreadsheet, is probably not well conceived or well designed.

There is an old saying in the software business. “If software is hard to use, it won’t get used.” An indication of how hard software is to use is how hard it is to learn. If you need weeks and weeks of training to learn how to do what you already know how to do, there is probably something wrong with the software, not you.

Yes, you may need some training with your HRMS software, but if it is more than just a few days, you may be paying for badly designed software, not quality training.

Myth #6:

Customizing HRMS Software Requires Very Expensive Consultants
The normal reason software needs to be customized is because you wish to change the software to more precisely meet your needs. If you know what you wish to change, the hard work is already done. Most quality HRMS software provides some type of user customization capability. A well-designed customization feature will allow you to make most, if not all, of your desired changes in just a few hours or less.

It is very important that you purchase a product as close to your needs as possible. Determine if using the inherent user customization features will allow you to make the final adjustments yourself. You would not purchase a sports car and request the dealer to customize it into a van. Likewise, you would not purchase an HRMS product designed one way and then try to make it work another way. Wise research will assist you in getting a product close to your needs and in getting a product that you can easily and inexpensively customize to precisely meet your needs.

SOURCE: Jim Witschger, “HRMS Software—Myths and Reality,” March 1999. http://www.people-trak.com

Want more information on HR Technology? Search the Workforce Online Research Center, or click here to find out about the June IHRIM conference in Salt Lake City.

The following applies to all Workforce Online advertising.

Rates

Rates are subject to change upon notice from the publisher. Should a change in rates be made, space reserved may be canceled by the advertiser or its agency at the time the change becomes effective without incurring short-rate charges, provided the advertisements published up to the date of cancellation are consistent with the appropriate rate.

Cancellation of space reservations for any other reason in whole or part by the advertiser will result in adjustment of the rate based on past and subsequent insertions to reflects actual space used.

Cancellations or failure to produce artwork before the live date will result in a full charge of the space to the advertiser.

An order may be canceled by the online publisher if the advertiser or agent fails to pay the account when due. The difference between rates billed and rates earned on advertising shall become due and payable immediately.

Commissions and Billing Procedures

All rates are gross. Commissions to recognized agencies: 15% if the invoice is paid within 30 days. No commission allowable after 30-day period. Cash discount not available. Invoices are rendered when ads go live on the site are mailed. No commission on production charges. No commissions are allowed on billings turned over for collections. New advertisers must complete credit application and prepay the first insertion.

Placement

Placement of advertisements on the Web page is at the discretion of the publisher except where a request for a specific preferred position is acknowledged by the publisher in writing. Placement of advertisements in a section of the Web site is at the discretion of the publisher unless otherwise specified as part of the advertising program.

Materials

Advertising artwork and/or materials must be received by material closing date or the position may be lost. Publisher may use prior ad material if new material is not received on time. Cancellations or changes in orders must be made in writing and be received by the publisher on or before the closing date.

Contracts

Advertising contracts are for the period specified. Advertising must run through the duration of the contract to earn the quoted rate. Cancellations of any portion of a contract nullify all quoted rates.

Terms and Conditions

a) Online advertisements are accepted upon the representation that advertiser and its agency have the right to publish and display the contents thereof. In consideration of such online publication and display, advertiser and its agency agree to indemnify and hold online publisher harmless against any expense or loss by reason of any claims arising out of online publication and display.

b) All contents of advertisements are subject advertisements are subject to online publisher’s approval. Online publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement, insertion order, space reservation or position commitment at any time.

c) All insertion orders are accepted subject to provisions of the current rates.

d) Online publisher shall not be liable for any costs or damages if for any reason it or it agents fail to electronically publish and display an advertisement. In no event shall the online publisher be liable for any damages, consequential or otherwise, in excess of the amount paid for the advertisement, as a result of any mistake in the advertisement, omission from or error in any index, or for any other reason.

e) Online publisher shall have the right to hold advertiser and/or its advertising agency jointly and severally liable for such monies as are due and payable to online publisher for advertising which advertiser or its agent ordered and which advertising was published and displayed.

f) No conditions other than those set forth in the rate card shall be binding on the online publisher unless specifically agreed to in writing by the online publisher. Online publisher will not be bound by conditions printed or appearing on order blanks or copy instructions which conflict with the provisions of the rate card.

g) Online publisher is not liable for delays in delivery and/or non-delivery in the event of an Act-of-God, action by any government or quasi-governmental entity, fire, flood, insurrection, riot, explosion, embargo, strikes whether legal or illegal, labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down or any condition beyond the control of the electronic publisher affecting production or delivery in any manner.

If content is king and context is everything, then where you place your ads online is the key to success.

Get maximum ad impact in the right editorial environment.

When HR professionals go online to get answers to their questions – make sure your product or service is one of the solutions available to them.

There’s no more opportune time to reach a potential customer than when they’re researching a specific topic at Workforce Online.

Your ad is delivered with every article on that HR topic.

The Internet is a killer source of information – and that includes the “Research Center” at Workforce Online. Exactly 60% of the users surveyed said Workforce Online had the best HR feature articles of substance on the Internet.

That’s why HR decision makers repeatedly turn to Workforce Online when looking for information and answers.

With your topic sponsorship, you reach them when they are most interested in your product or service.

The Topic Sponsorship Package

RATES:

HR Topics	1x	3x	6x	9x	12x
Benefits	385	365	350	325	300
Business Issues	385	365	350	325	300
Compensation	385	365	350	325	300
Global HR	385	365	350	325	300
HR Management	385	365	350	325	300
Legal Issues	385	365	350	325	300
Management Fundamentals	385	365	350	325	300
Staffing	385	365	350	325	300
Relocation	385	365	350	325	300
Technology	385	365	350	325	300
Training & Development	385	365	350	325	300

FEATURES:

Frequency:	Your ad is displayed with every article on the selected topic.(See the list below for each topic.)
Reporting:	A monthly DoubleClick® report tracking page views and total clicks on your ad.
Leads:	Your product or service listing in Workforce Tools with the electronic reader service program.
Exclusivity:	Only two sponsorships per month, per topic, for all articles on that topic.

TOPICS:

Benefits

Benefit Design & Communication

Employee Assistance

Health & Wellness

Retirement/Pension

Work/Life Balance

Business Issues

Change Management

Corporate Culture

Diversity

Downsizing

Ethics

Future Workplace

Growth

Mergers & Acquisitions

Outsourcing

Reengineering

Strategic Planning

Teams

Total Quality Management

Workforce Trends

Compensation

Compensation Design & Communications

Variable Pay

Global HR

Expatriate Management

Global Business Issues

Managing Int’l Operations

HR Management

The HR Profession

HR Services & Administration

Your HR Career

Legal Issues

Disabilities

Discrimination & EEOC Compliance

Employee Leave

Finance/Taxes

Global Employment Law

Harassment

Immigration

Labor Relations

Medical Benefits Law

Miscellaneous Legal Issues

Safety & Workplace Violence

Staffing & the Law

Substance Abuse

Technology and the Law

Wages & Hours

Workers’ Compensation

Wrongful Discharge

Management Fundamentals

Attendance

Communication

Ergonomics & Facilities

Management Skills

Motivating Employees

Performance Appraisals

Policies & Procedures

Recognition & Incentives

Scheduling

Stress Management

Time Management

Relocation

Relocation Management

Relocation Services

Staffing

Assessment & Testing

Background Checks

Candidate Sourcing

Contingent Staffing

Job Design

Retention

Telecommuting

Termination

Workforce Planning

Technology

HRMS

Internet

Intranets/Extranets

Knowledge Management

Training & Development

Basic Skills Training

Behavioral Training

Employee Career Development

Training Technology

Workforce Online has thousands of pages of content. Put them to use. Sponsor an editorial topic and see your ads everywhere.

You might not be a strategic HR leader if …

… managers in your firm have been conditioned to use the phrase “that sounds like an HR issue” whenever they have a situation they don’t want to deal with.

… your only role at Corporate Leadership Team meetings is to serve donuts and write on the flipchart.

… you think all the important information you need can be found on the HRMS system.

… you believe that being “politically correct” is more important than using common sense.

… you can’t accept the fact that some things just can’t be measured.

… you describe your organization’s goal as “Uh … well … duh … to make money … right?”

… your personal battle cry each morning is “paper, paper, bring on more paper!”

… the top management committee asks to leave the room because they want to discuss “people issues”

… your only copy of the business plan is the one you found in a conference room in 1995.

SOURCE: Excerpted from a list compiled by Dr. Paul M. Swiercz, Director, HR Strategic Partnership Project, Department of Management Science, The George Washington University (Washington, DC) from responses on HRNet.

Workforce, September 1998, Vol. 77, No. 9, p. 21.

Myth #3:

HRMS Software is complex and thus very expensive
HRMS software is not complex at all when compared to accounting software, which can be very inexpensive. The key factor in HRMS software is width. HRMS software tracks a vast array of data for employees, applicants, jobs, positions, etc. However, that vast array of data is simply stored, reported on, and used for a few basic calculations. NASA would not use HRMS software to plan a mission to Mars.

Myth #4:

HR Software always takes a long time to implement
In general, a well run manual HR function within a small to mid-size business can be automated in a very short period of time, sometimes in just a week or two. Remember, automation merely causes existing functions to happen faster and more efficiently. If you have well-defined review procedures, salary grades, job codes and such, implementation is a matter of recording this information and then using it. If few or any of these are well-defined, the automation process may well force you to define them and implementation will likely be delayed.

The actual task of implementing HRMS software is composed of recording current and historical data and of adjusting procedures for the automated production of reports, letters, etc. There is no secret black hole into which you will pour hours of work and there is no mystery to the task. You just do it and it’s done.

SOURCE: Jim Witschger, “HRMS Software—Myths and Reality,” March 1999. http://www.people-trak.com

Want more information on HR Technology? Search the Workforce Online Research Center, or click here to find out about the June IHRIM conference in Salt Lake City.

As a result of President Clinton’s recent authorization for over 33,000 military reservists to be called to active duty in the Kosovo conflict, many companies may face a number of employee benefits issues involving employees called to active military duty. All civilian employers, whether private or public and regardless of size, are covered by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). Along with job-protected military leave and reinstatement rights, the law provides a variety of benefits protections for employees on military leave. Because USERRA was not enacted until well after the end of the Persian Gulf War of 1991, company policies might need updating in order to comply with USERRA.

COBRA rights.
When an employee enters military service, an employer may choose to voluntarily continue health coverage for the employee. In this situation, the employer does not need to offer COBRA coverage. However, if the employer chooses not to voluntarily maintain health insurance when an employee is called to active military duty, the employee, spouse, and any dependents must be given the option to elect up to 18 months of COBRA health continuation coverage. The standard COBRA notice must be given in this instance. Premium charges are similar to usual COBRA premiums but if the affected employee serves in the military for fewer than 31 days, no more than the employee’s share of the premium may be charged.

An employer cannot cut off COBRA health coverage for employees, or their spouses and dependents, merely because activated military personnel receive health coverage as members of the armed forces or because the family members receive coverage through CHAMPUS. Also, persons covered under a plan by reason of an employee’s reinstatement after military service are not subject to waiting periods or exclusions.

Benefit entitlement.
Employees on military leave are entitled to participate in any rights and benefits not based on seniority that are available to employees having similar seniority, status, or pay who are on nonmilitary leaves of absence. Such rights and benefits might include year-end bonuses, insurance, accrual of sick or vacation days or any other benefit not based on length of employment that is available to other employees on leaves of absence.

Qualified pension benefits.
Under USERRA, veterans returning to employment from military service are entitled to the restoration of pension and profit-sharing benefits that would have accrued but for the employee’s military service. The reemployed veteran’s military service is also considered service with the employer for purposes of benefit accrual for vesting purposes.

Qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) plans, may allow veterans returning to employment from military service to make up employee contributions and elective deferrals that were not made during the employee’s period of military service without risking the disqualification of the plan for violating the limits on contributions and benefits applicable to qualified plans.

Qualified plans may also allow employers to make matching contributions at the rate that would have applied had the employee’s employment not been interrupted by military service.

 

Source: CCH Incorporated is a leading provider of information and software for human resources, legal, accounting, health care and small business professionals. CCH offers human resource management, payroll, employment, benefits, and worker safety products and publications in print, CD, online, and via the Internet.

Myth #1:

HRMS Software will solve all my problems
HRMS software automates processes that already exist. If you have a well-tuned HR function, software will simply make that well-tuned operation work much faster. If you have a poorly organized HR function, software will simply expose any problems or issues very rapidly.

The speed with which HRMS software operates has the direct result of allowing more work to get done and for it to be done more efficiently. This enables the HR function to be more vital, more visible, and more timely. If timeliness is a problem (and it can be with reporting), HRMS software will solve the problem. However, if reports are a problem due to missing or incorrect data, you will simply have the ability to create bad reports quickly.

Myth #2:

HRMS Software will eliminate jobs in the HR Department
Very seldom does anyone actually lose a job when HRMS software is implemented. Staff members who slave over the filing cabinet retrieving and restoring files will lose those mundane duties and gain time for proactive tasks such as reporting and planning. Staff members will no longer serve the dreaded filing cabinet, but will serve the management staff as is appropriate.

In larger HR staffs in a manual environment, there may be an overstaff situation to compensate for the lack of automation. In this instance staff members are often reassigned from the filing job to a role that was not getting done before. For example, many former file clerks who have quit the filing habit have become employment specialists and focus their talents on recruiting, taking advantage of the applicant tracking capabilities of the recently implemented HRMS software.

SOURCE: Jim Witschger, “HRMS Software—Myths and Reality,” March 1999. http://www.people-trak.com

Want more information on HR Technology? Search the Workforce Online Research Center, or click here to find out about the June IHRIM conference in Salt Lake City.

The Workforce Optimas Awards are a celebration of the power of human resources management. Annually, Workforce recognizes HR programs that have made their businesses better. The winners are selected in 10 categories: General Excellence, Competitive Advantage, Financial Impact, Global Outlook, Innovation, Managing Change, Partnership, Quality of Life, Service, and Vision. The winning programs are profiled in the March issue of Workforce magazine with additional information provided at Workforce online.

It is with great pleasure that Workforce celebrates the winners of Optimas Awards 2001:

GeneralExcellence: The Container Store HR is at the heartof a thriving business with great retention, strong training, and highpay.

CompetitiveAdvantage: Quebecor World A training programat the world’s largest printing company might include cooking and climbing.

FinancialImpact: Bal Seal Engineering Company At Bal Seal Engineering,HR tracks trends, cuts costs, and turns HR into a profit center.

GlobalOutlook: General Semiconductor, Inc. General Semiconductorbonds a global, diverse staff with “culture points” and counseling.

Innovation: Fleishman-Hillard InternationalCommunications New initiative atFleishman-Hillard stresses innovative thinking and a long-term strategicview.

ManagingChange: The Men’s Wearhouse Employees come firstat a company with a decidedly different sales point of view.

Partnership: Daimler-Chrysler Corporation DaimlerChrysler andthe United Auto Workers have a wellness program that pays for itself.

Qualityof Life: First USA Bank The Opportunity Knocksprogram helps employees zero in on career dreams and achieve them.

Service: New York State Department ofCivil Service The New York StateDepartment of Civil Service used private-sector best practices to remakeitself.

Vision: Synygy Synygy’s unique quarterlyevaluations encourage open communication and growth.

How does HR drive business results?

It can improve customer service, institute diversity initiatives and rethink compensation plans with unparalleled creativity and success. Astute workforce management can lead organizations into battle against overregulation and crushing bureaucracy—and win.

It can help ensure that mergers succeed and that new global markets are opened. Workforce management can reinvent health care delivery, forge new opportunities for women and reach out to employees with life-threatening illnesses.

Optimas Award winners prove that workforce management is key to every business issue in today’s organizations. The winners also show that these practices can be applied anywhere: in family businesses and the public sector, in the Fortune 500 and in small organizations, in big cities and on the farm, in industries of every sort.

The only common denominator is that they all have faced real business challenges and have used their initiatives to drive business results.

Find out more about the Optimas Awards, presented by Workforce Management.

• Selection Process
• Nomination Form
• Categories

The application deadline for the 2011 Optimas Awards is Aug. 31, 2011.

Let the Workforce Magazine Active Subscriber List make your next campaign a winner.

The 27,952 human resources/personnel decision makers will give you a virtual “who’s who” of human resources management. Reach the top professionals making buying decisions about benefits, compensation, employee relations, relocation, recruitment, training and HR information systems.

The list is unique. Each customer is a current paid subscriber to Workforce, the recognized authority in HR management for more than 75 years. This means you’re working with current names and a qualified audience for your message.

Reach the right people.

Marketing your specific products or services will be more effective when your message is targeted correctly. Workforce makes this simple by customizing your selection to the titles and functions you want most. Choose presidents, VPs, directors, managers in compensation, HR management, recruitment, and much more.

You’ll be in good company.

The HR field’s most respected product and service providers return time and time again:

Alexander Hamilton Institute
Dun & Bradstreet
Institute for International Research
Padgett-Thompson
American Management Association
Warren, Gorham & Lamont
Center for Management Research
The Conference Board
M. Lee Smith Publishers & Printers
G. Neil
Business & Legal Reports

Workforce Active Subscriber List:

27,952 Names $120/M

Addressing:
4-up Cheshire labels – $5/M
4-up P/S Labels – $15/M

Magnetic tape, 9-track,1600BPI
Non-refundable deposit $35

Selections:
Title – $6/M
Function – $6/M
Gender – $3/M
SCF, State or ZIP – $3/M
Previous order omit – $20
Hotline – $6/M
Need something else – just ask!

Key Coding: $2/M

Shipping: UPS Blue unless specified

Min. Order: 5,000

Commission:
Broker – 20%
Advertising Agency – 15%

Source: Direct Response Mail Buyers

Unit of Sale: $55/$99

Updated: Weekly

Sample Mailing Piece Required

Policies:

• Pre-payment required for new brokers/mailers.
• Please allow 5 working days to process your order.
• Mail date reservations required to protect against competing offers.
• If mailing is canceled before mail date, running charges will be applicable. Mailings canceled after mail date will incur full list charges.
• Lists are rented for one-time use only and shall not be duplicated, reproduced or transferred without written permission from list owner.

Contact:

Workforce Lists
245 Fischer Avenue B-2
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Telephone:714-751-1883
Fax: 714-751-4106
E-mail: mailroom@workforcemag.com