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What's New?

August 2001 - Welcome to the latest edition of The Payroll News. As always, please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and associates who are interested in keeping up with the latest changes in the Payroll industry. Or better yet, subscribe them for free using the Tell Someone About Us link.

Upcoming Events:

August 2001 - Listed here are recent changes in legislation on Federal and Provincial levels that may impact your payroll calculations. Please view the following list for changes that affect your region.

FEDERAL:

July, 2001 - TeleReply for Payroll Deductions - The CCRA has announced that TeleReply, the new electronic reply service for payroll deductions is now available. Employers can report by phone if they have no payroll deductions remittance to make during a remittance period. (more)

July 1, 2001 - Payroll Deduction Formulas - Revisions have been posted for the Payroll Deduction Formulas for Computer Programs publication for Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan. These updates reflect the provincial budget changes effective for July 1, 2001. Since these proposals have not yet become law (as of July 1), we recommend that you follow the new formulas in this edition for withholding, starting with your first payroll in July 2001. (more)

Alberta:

July 5, 2001 - Changes to Workers’ Compensation System - Changes to Alberta's WCB system will improve the service by offering better clarity, consistency and accountability. The Appeals Commission will also improve as a result of the government’s response to two reviews of the WCB. Alberta's Human Resources and Employment (AHRE) Minister stated "These improvements focus on the early, collaborative resolution of disputes, and ensure that the process is not only fair and consistent, but is seen as such by both employers and workers." (more)

July 20, 2001 - Rules Protect Young Workers - Alberta's Human Resources and Employment Minister has issued a reminder that "The requirements for employing adolescents or young people should be known by all employers" There are more than 150,000 students across Alberta working this summer -- many at their first job. As such, there are specific requirements under the Employment Standards Code protect workers under 18 years of age. (more)

British Columbia:

July 1, 2001 - British Columbia Payroll Deduction Formulas - Revisions have been posted for the Payroll Deduction Formulas for Computer Programs publication for British Columbia. These updates reflect the provincial budget changes effective for July 1, 2001. Since these proposals have not yet become law (as of July 1), we recommend that you follow the new formulas in this edition for withholding, starting with your first payroll in July 2001. (more)

Yukon:

July 6, 2001 - Yukon Changes the Way Income Tax is Calculated - The Yukon government is making changes to the way personal income tax is calculated. The Yukon Finance Minister states "The change will not result in Yukoners paying any more tax; it is simply a different way of calculating income tax." In past years, territorial income tax has been calculated as a percentage of basic federal tax. For the 2001 tax year territorial income tax will be calculated as a percentage of a person’s taxable income. (more)

The latest release of GrandMaster Suite incorporates a number of changes that make it even easier to use the program and perform your payroll tasks. Some recent changes to the program include:

• The payroll location processing has been changed to allow users to have access to their payroll data regardless of the network drive mappings. This allows multiple user to access payroll data from a singular location, while maintaining different drive mappings.
• You can now specify a calendar work week of Monday through Sunday (previously only Sunday through Saturday was available). This option is used to determine the appropriate day of the week when defining a Standard or Employee work week.
• The Name and Address Report has been modified to allow additional sort options -- Start Date, End Date, Birth Date, City, and Province. The new methods will sort the user-defined data in ascending order. These new sort methods help to make the Name and Address report a more useful and convenient tool for reporting employee data.

JULY UPDATE NOTICE - Several users reported a problem with GrandMaster Suite's Override feature, which has now been corrected. Previously, if you overrode an earning and/or a deduction for an employee that had a position defined, the override would suppress subsequent override transactions for that employee (i.e. only the first override would take effect). To fix this problem, please download the latest GrandMaster Suite update from our website (or for a temporary solution until you download the new version, use the Adjustments feature instead of an Override if you wish to make such a change).

Stay tuned to CanPay's Product News page to receive the latest information about all GrandMaster products!

Do you ever feel like your workday has passed you by and your "to do" list has barely been touched? When it comes to your busy time of the month (payday), this problem can be amplified greatly.

In many cases, a simple change of habit can free up time that can be put towards more pressing tasks. Check out this common set of "time bandits" and the simple solutions that can help reclaim your lost minutes and hours.

Lack of Planning - Make a daily to-do list and rank each item in order of its importance. Try to schedule your day so that you are working on the most important tasks during Prime Time (the time of day when your energy level is the highest). This allows you to operate at your peak performance when your most important tasks are on deck.

Paper Shuffling - Make it a point to handle each piece of paper only once. Each time you pick up a piece of paper, do one of three things: throw it in the recycle bin, file it, or do something to move it on its way. Once you have committed a subject to memory (or your daily planner), there's no need to keep the note around any longer.

Cluttered Desk - Clear everything from the top of your desk, except the item on which you're working. If you have many tasks that can't be completed all at once, resolve to clear your desk at the end of each working day. Returning each morning to a fresh desk (or at least a desk with neat piles) will help you feel that you have some control over your situation.

Routine and Trivia - Save the simple and trivial tasks and do them in batches. That way, you can get a lot done, in a little time. Perform these simpler tasks in non-Prime Time, when your energy level is lower.

Trying to Do Too Much - Don't force yourself to perform unnecessary jobs that someone else can do for you. Whenever possible, allocate the task to someone else. Practice the art of saying no politely and firmly. If you're too nice to admit that you're busy, how is anyone else supposed to know?

Afternoon Drowsiness - Try proteins for breakfast and lunch instead of carbohydrates (which convert to sugar, giving a quick boost but ultimately set you up for a snooze). Skip the coffee break inside and move outside for sunlight and fresh air. Try a beverage with caffeine (green tea is better than coffee). Break your daily routine -- reorganize your workday so stimulating tasks occur in the afternoon. And the simplest solution of all (if you can do it), get eight hours of sleep each night.

Click Here to view Part 1 of this article.