Contents:

• Welcome
• Upcoming Events
• What's New
• GrandMaster Update

Welcome!

July 2005 - 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 Others About Us link.

Upcoming Events

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:

June 7, 2005 - Canada Revenue Agency interest rates for the third calendar quarter - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) today announced the prescribed annual interest rates that will apply to any amounts owed to the CRA and to any amounts the CRA owes to individuals and corporations. These rates are calculated quarterly in accordance with applicable legislation and will be in effect from July 1, 2005, to September 30, 2005. (Full Story)

June 8, 2005 - View and update personal CPP information - The CRA now provides an online service that allows employees to view and update thier Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) address, telephone number and payment destination. When employees move, they must be sure to also inform the Canada Revenue Agency of their new address using the online service. (Full Story)

June 2005 - CRA - Keeping Records Guide - The CRA has released the updated version of their "Keeping Records" guide - a useful tool for new businesses that uses plain language to explain the most common requirements for keeping books and records, including payroll-related items. (Full Story)

June 28, 2005 - Public Hearings on Review of Federal Labour Standards - The Federal Labour Standards Review Commission will be holding public hearings in the fall of 2005 in 14 cities across Canada and would like to hear from interested persons. The mandate of the Commission is to conduct a comprehensive review of federal labour standards and report back to the Minister of Labour with legislative and non legislative options to improve the workplace. Federal labour standards currently address such issues as hours of work, minimum wage, unjust dismissals and annual vacation. (Full Story)

Alberta:

June 16, 2005 - Safety performance heralds lower rates for 2006 - At today’s WCB Annual General Meeting, workers and employers heard from President and CEO, Guy Kerr that their continued focus on safety is paying dividends in lower costs to the workers’ compensation system. In fact, Alberta continues to drive down the injury rate, announcing its lowest point ever at 2.6 injuries per 100 workers covered by WCB – a significant improvement from 4.9 in 1990. (Full Story)

British Columbia:

June 20, 2005 - Tax changes to make the province an even more attractive - The Government of British Columbia is developing important tax changes to make the province an even more attractive centre for biotechnology innovation, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today. To encourage firms to keep their innovations in British Columbia, and attract new firms and investment, the government will expand the International Financial Activity Program that provides refunds of provincial corporate income taxes paid on certain international financial activities. (Full Story)

June 2005 - Request for proposals: Societal Change in Occupational Health and Safety - The Research Secretariat of the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia (WorkSafeBC) invites research proposals on the topic of societal change in occupational health and safety. This RFP is intended to attract individual researchers and/or small teams of investigators. (Full Story)

Manitoba:

June 21, 2005 - IBM and Manitoba Announce Grants, Training, Opportunities - IBM Canada Ltd. and the Province of Manitoba today announced important developments on several initiatives on the far-reaching agreement they announced last fall aimed at increasing the participation of Aboriginal people in Manitoba’s economy. That agreement was part of a broader national program IBM Canada unveiled at that time to work closely with Aboriginal communities, increase opportunities for Aboriginal-owned businesses and ensure greater participation of Aboriginal peoples in the Canadian economy. (Full Story)

June 6, 2005 - WCB and WSHD Rev Up Prevention Efforts and Count "Up" Injuries - The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) and the Government of Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Division (WSHD) are revving up their prevention efforts to help reduce workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths in Manitoba.The SAFE Work program launched today three new initiatives to support their public awareness campaign. (Full Story)

June 9, 2005 - The Workers Compensation Amendment Act - The recent amending of the Manitoba Workers Compensation Act includes a number of imprtant changes that may affect your employees. View the following link to learn More About Bill 25 - Amendments to The Workers Compensation Act as Assented to on June 9, 2005. (Full Story)

New Brunswick:

May 30, 2005 - New Employment Insurance (EI) Internet service - Effective May 30, 2005, residents of New Brunswick can access the service “My EI Information on-line”. This on-line service allows you to view your current and previous EI claim information, including payments and deduction details and more. (Full Story)

June 2, 2005- Legislation introduced on joint health and safety committees - Legislation on how joint health and safety committees are established, trained and work in New Brunswick workplaces was introduced today by Training and Employment Development Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney under An Act to Amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act. (Full Story)

June 10, 2005- Record employment level ties lowest rate since 1970s - There were more New Brunswickers working last month than ever before and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at a record low of 8.8 per cent in May, Training and Employment Development Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney reported today. "I am obviously extremely pleased there were more New Brunswickers working last month than ever recorded since this survey was redesigned in 1976. This translated into 31,400 more people working last month than in June of 1999," Blaney said. (Full Story)

Newfoundland and Labrador:

June 27, 2005 - New Employment Insurance (EI) Internet service - As of June 27, 2005, residents of Newfoundland will have access to the new service “My EI Information on-line”. This service allows you to view your current EI claim information, including payment and deduction details. You can also view and update your mailing address, telephone number and banking information for direct deposit. It is simple, fast, convenient and secure. (Full Story)

June 3, 2005 - WHSCC announces new interim Chief Executive Officer - Joan Cleary, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (the Commission) is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe O’Neill as Chief Executive Officer. The appointment is on an interim basis while the Commission undertakes a recruitment process for a permanent CEO. (Full Story)

Northwest Territories:

June 29, 2005 - WCB Reports Positive 2004 Statistics - The Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut has released its 2004 Annual Report. Success indicators in the report include a reduction in claims costs and accident rates, and a number of positive WCB initiatives heading into the 2005. (Full Story - PDF Format)

June 30, 2005 - Ministers Announce WCB Governance Council Chairperson - The Ministers responsible for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers' Compensation Board, the Honourable Charles Dent (NWT) and the Honourable Olayuk Akesuk (NU) today announced the appointment of Denny Rodgers of Inuvik as the new Chairperson of the WCB's Governance Council. (Full Story - PDF Format)

Nova Scotia:

June 27, 2005 - New Employment Insurance (EI) Internet service - As of June 27, 2005, residents of Nova Scotia will have access to the new service “My EI Information on-line”. This service allows you to view your current EI claim information, including payment and deduction details. You can also view and update your mailing address, telephone number and banking information for direct deposit. It is simple, fast, convenient and secure. (Full Story)

June 8, 2005 - Business Leaders Voice Opinions on Education - Leaders of some of Nova Scotia's major companies will have a role in shaping the education system to create the workforce of the future. Starting today, June 8, the Department of Education will hold a series of CEO round table discussions focusing on how business and government can work together to create a stronger workforce. (Full Story)

June 12, 2005 - Nova Scotia's Unemployment Rate Lowest Since 1976 - The unemployment rate in Nova Scotia has fallen to 7.7 per cent -- the lowest provincial rate in a generation, according to new figures from Statistics Canada. "All Nova Scotians should be encouraged to know that we've hit an almost 30-year low in unemployment," said Premier John Hamm. "I want to thank our employers and employees for their commitment and their continued confidence in the bright future of our province." (Full Story)

Ontario:

June 3, 2005 - Government of Canada provides funding to organization to offer employment assistance services - Ms. Beth Phinney, Member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain, on behalf of the Honourable Belinda Stronach, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, today announced funding of $174,786 for an Employment Assistance Services project targeted to help 180 unemployed individuals in Hamilton. The organization that will receive this funding is the Neighbour to Neighbour Centre. (Full Story)

June 3, 2005 - Government of Canada provides funding to organization to offer employment assistance services - The Honourable Jean Augustine, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke–Lakeshore, on behalf of the Honourable Belinda Stronach, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, today announced funding of $477,100 for an Employment Assistance Services project targeted to help 325 unemployed experienced workers, 45 years of age and older, in Toronto. The organization that will receive this funding is JobStart. (Full Story)

June 7, 2005 - Government Introduces Legislation to End Mandatory Retirement - The McGuinty government is introducing legislation that would end mandatory retirement and provide greater fairness and choice for workers aged 65 and older, Labour Minister Chris Bentley announced today. "People are healthier and living longer so it is unfair to insist that they stop working simply because they turn 65," said Bentley. (Full Story)

June 20, 2005 - WSIB: How Safe Is Your Job? - The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) launched its seventh Awareness Campaign targeted to young workers on June 20, 2005. As young people begin summer jobs, the WSIB is urging them to consider the importance of occupational health and safety by posing the question: "How safe is your job?". (Full Story)

Prince Edward Island:

June 27, 2005 - New Employment Insurance (EI) Internet service - As of June 27, 2005, residents of PEI will have access to the new service “My EI Information on-line”. This service allows you to view your current EI claim information, including payment and deduction details. You can also view and update your mailing address, telephone number and banking information for direct deposit. It is simple, fast, convenient and secure. (Full Story)

June 2005 - Employer Guide for New and Young Workers -The PEI WCB has provided a guide specifically designed for employers and supervisors to help keep new and young workers safe on the job and prevent painful and costly workplace injuries. This guide provides a basic framework for teaching new and young workers about workplace health and safety. (Full Story)

Saskatchewan:

June 22, 2005 - Minimum wage increase announced - Saskatchewan's minimum wage will increase on September 1st, 2005 by 40 cents to $7.05 an hour. The increase, subject to the enactment of the regulations, is the first stage in a three-stage increase that will see the minimum wage go up by 50 cents to $7.55 an hour on March 1st, 2006 and by 40 cents to $7.95 an hour on March 1st, 2007. (Full Story)

June 10, 2005 - Record job growth continues in May - Saskatchewan's stellar job growth continued in May, building on more than a year of record-setting employment performances. Statistics Canada figures out today show 494,200 people working in Saskatchewan last month (seasonally unadjusted figure). That's the best May on record, beating by 8,100 the old record for May set just last year. May's job numbers bring to 14 the number of consecutive months for record job numbers in Saskatchewan. (Full Story)

June 17, 2005 - Working to increase Aboriginal employment - The number of First Nations and Métis people employed in the health care sector in Saskatoon is getting a boost. The Department of First Nations and Métis Relations along with representatives of employers and unions in the Saskatoon health care sector are making an investment in the First Nations and Métis communities by signing an Aboriginal Employment Development Program (AEDP) partnership agreement. (Full Story)

June 9, 2005 - Prosecutions for late and non-reporting of workplace injuries - Effective July 1, 2005, employers who fail to report a workplace injury within the five days required under The Workers’ Compensation Act 1979 may be subject to prosecution. Under the terms of the Act, conviction may result in a fine to a maximum $1,000.00 for each instance of late or non-reporting of an injury and may mean the full cost of compensation and medical aid received by the injured worker is charged to the employer. (Full Story)

June 2, 2005 - WCB Public Forum 2005 - The 2005 Public Forum, presented by the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) of B.C. and the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), will bring together employers, workers, unions, researchers, and other key stakeholders to discuss approaches and practices for improving attitudes toward workplace safety and health, and to share ideas on how to make preventable workplace injury, illness, and disease socially unacceptable. (Full Story)

Yukon:

June 20, 2005 - Yukon government boosts student employment support - The Yukon government has increased funding for the summer Student Employment and Training Program (STEP) for the first time since 1989. Students hired in a variety of government and private sector jobs will now earn $14.40 an hour, $2.90 per hour higher than last year. (Full Story)

The current release of GrandMaster Suite (4.10.01) incorporates a number of changes to make it even easier to use the program and perform your payroll tasks. Recent program changes since our last Payroll News issue include.

• CPP prematurely sets employee to the yearly CPP maximum contribution - If an employee's CPP contribution is close the yearly maximum contribution and should reach the maximum on the next pay, the pay calculation was incorrectly deducting the amount required to reach the maximum contribution. This problem has been corrected with this release.
• Employees who have CPP and QPP exceeding the yearly maximum contribution - If you have employees who have CPP and QPP contributions during the year the calculation would not cease to deduct CPP/QPP when the combined year to date contributions had reached the yearly maximum contribution. This problem has been corrected with this release.
• CPP and EI incorrectly paid back to employee after reaching maximum contribution - In some cases when an employee had reached the maximum yearly contributions for CPP and EI the following pay calculation would pay back CPP or EI. This problem has been corrected.
• EFT Toolbar buttons overlapping or not visible - The toolbar buttons in the Electronic Funds Transfer module were incorrectly displayed and overlapping each other. This problem has been corrected.
• Pay frequency incorrect on pay calculation - In some cases the pay frequency was using the 52-period or "Weekly" pay frequency when calculating. This problem would occur if you had not selected the pay calculation type using the "Set Calculation Type" option immediately prior to calculating your payroll. This problem has been corrected.
• Employee accumulator rates incorrect - When you calculated a pay that included accumulators that use the Custom Parameter Table, the employee assigned table rate was incorrectly using the first rate of the table during the calculation. This problem has been corrected with this release.
• Pay Adjustment list does not advance - When you enter transactions using the Pay Adjustment or Override options the list does not advance to the next line at the end of your transaction entry. This could result in you overwriting an existing or previously entered transaction. This problem has been corrected with this release.
• July 2005 Federal tax changes - Version 4.10.00 included the changes based on the "Payroll Deductions Formulas for Computer Programs 81st Edition - T4127JUL(E) Rev. 05" document released by the CRA. Also included are the tax changes for Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia. The Federal rates and the rates of the other provinces and territories did not change with this release.
• Additional Internet site support added - With this release we have added the "Internet" menu option to the Payroll and Human Resource modules. Within this new menu option are links to several useful Internet sites that will allow you to access these sites if you have Internet access from your workstation.
• Standardization of the EFT Module - The Electronic Funds Transfer module has been re-developed to standardize it with the other modules. With this change you will notice that the payroll and bank profile selections will be saved as your default for the session. Further, the main EFT dialog box will display the most recent bank profile along with the file name and path. We have also included toolbar option to provide you access to the EFT Bank Profile and Generate EFT File dialog boxes along with a View EFT File option that will display the EFT File if the need to view your generated EFT file arises.
• Set Status to Final Pay option added to Hours Entry - The Hours Entry dialog has been modified to add the option "Set to Status Final Pay" to the Options menu. When you choose this option you will be prompted for the "Last Date Worked". After entering the employee's Last Date Worked the employee's status will change to Final Pay allowing any automatic processing related to the Final Pay status to occur during the calculation. This is useful when you have accumulators that are set to "Payout on Final Pay". While this change will add the convenience of the ability to change the employee status to Final Pay from the Hours Entry dialog, the onus will still be upon you to select this option when required. If you forget to change an employee's status to Final Pay, you may still take advantage of the automatic processing available on Final Pay by making the appropriate edits in the Payroll Specific Information and then re-calculate the employee prior to closing the pay period.
• Option to disable Auto Enter Time added to Hours Entry - The Hours Entry dialog box has been enhanced to include an option disable the availability of auto time entry. This new option is included in the Field's to Use options. With this change you may disable the Auto Enter Time option within the Hours Entry if it is not required thereby preventing the automatic entries that would occur should you accidentally press the F7 key during the data entry process.
• Calculate Payroll dialog box does not show correct pay periods - If your pay frequency setting was Weekly or Bi-weekly and the number of pay periods for the current year was automatically set to 53 or 27, in some cases the Calculate Payroll dialog would display the frequency as 52 or 26. When this occurred the calculation could evaluate the employee exemptions for tax and CPP/QPP incorrectly. This has been corrected with this release.
• Pay Statement modified to conform to the new CPA Standard - We have modified the Pay Statement report program to conform to the new CPA standard for cheques. The new CPA standard requires that a cheque display the cheque date in numerical form as MMDDYYYY. With this change those who have set their pay statement form to use alpha dates will find that the date fields on the stub will be in alpha form while the cheque will display the date as numeric complying with the CPA standard.
• Export Pay Hours ignoring earning selection - When you have selected specific earnings to be included in your export using the Export Pay Hours option, in some cases the resulting file would include all earnings ignoring your selection. This would occur if you had not selected the earnings to be included or excluded in the export during the current session. This problem was isolated to instances where you had a previously saved selection. The program has been modified to ensure that your selections are properly evaluated when gathering the export file data.
• Customized Payroll Report displays Provincial Health adjustment as a deduction - If you printed a Customized Payroll Report that included the Provincial Health Tax benefit amounts any adjustment to the Provincial Health Tax would display as a deduction. The amount was also correctly included in the benefit. This problem has been corrected with this release.
• Employee Accumulator Rate Report displays incorrect rates - The Employee Accumulator Rate Report would display incorrect rates when the employee had a table row assignment higher than 1. Further, in some cases data was overlapping other data. These issues have been corrected with this release.
  Earning descriptions not displayed on pay statement - If you enter hours to a Banked earning that is set to contra another earning, the Pay Statement Report did not display the description for the Banked earning. This problem has been corrected with this release.
• WCB province and Provincial Health province are always the same - The employee's Payroll Specific Information would force you to have your WCB and Provincial Health provinces the same. This could be a problem where a salaried employee reports to an office in one province, works in another. When this was the case you could not calculate the WCB for the province of work. This has been changed with this release. You may now set your default WCB and Provincial Health provinces as required.
  

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Visit CanPay's News page and view the latest Release Notes for a complete listing of program changes.

Link Opportunity! - If you are a CanPay customer wanting more exposure for your Website, please send us a 50-word description along with a copy of your logo. We'll add you to our Customer Links page and create a link directly to your website. It 's a great way to expose your goods and services to the community. Logos should be a maximum of 160 x 70 pixels and provided in the .gif or .jpg format. Send your e-mails to admin@canpay.com.

Organizational conflict spells trouble, but it can be avoided
By Barbara Bowes

I don't imagine many readers sit down and think much about the parallels between the workplace and family. But in fact, workplace dynamics are very much like those found in families.

We see healthy relationships, where each member can speak up freely, seek and give attention and expect to be treated with respect. That's not to say there are never disagreements. Certainly members of healthy families might get angry and act out, but the issues are usually resolved effectively.

On the other hand, dysfunctional families often experience issues of control, emotional chaos and a range of abusive behaviour. As one can expect, the long-term effects of this kind of turmoil have great social costs and create a substantial list of survivor behaviours.

As with families, conflict in organizations is inevitable and must be dealt with; you can't just wish it away. If conflict is allowed to fester, your organization faces the risk of substantial personal, social and economic costs. So, what are the organizational conditions that create potential conflict?

Dr. Art Bell, a professor of workplace conflict at the University of San Francisco, has created a "Hall of Flame" list of six organizational conditions that can lead to conflict. No matter what level in the organization, the following factors can act as springboards for conflict.

Conflicting needs
Organizations are hierarchical structures with assigned power distribution. Thus some departments and individuals are deemed more important and struggles can quickly arise over resources, time, office space and budgets. Each person has their own agenda and turf wars might break out.

Conflicting personality styles
Each worker has a unique personal style of communication and behaviour that guides work interactions. For instance, quiet unassuming folks might resent those who come out with both barrels blazing. Others are miffed with procrastinators while still others don't work well with details. All in all, personality can cause a lot of conflict on teams and projects.

Conflicting perceptions
Each of us perceives our world and interprets communication and behaviour according to our own values and beliefs. What is welcomed by one person is seen as a threat to another. These differing perceptions and values can lead to significant misunderstanding.

Conflicting goals
Conflict is often created by incompatible goals that are set by different bosses. This is often the case when employees report to more than one person. Or, there may be conflict between the goals of an individual and the work team itself. Sometimes when a company changes strategic direction, the corporate goals no longer match individual employee goals.

Conflicting pressures
As can be expected, each sub-department of a company typically has its own goals, objectives and time frames. And within this grouping, each team may have conflicting time frames. Conflict is easily created when the work of one group is dependent on another.

Conflicting roles
Organizations are moving to more team-based workplaces and this causes the roles and responsibilities of individuals to change as well. Those individuals who prefer to be "sole" contributors will face conflict in trying to get their needs met while others might simply be confused about what they must do in order to contribute.

But, what does organizational conflict look like? How will you know it when you see it?

Come back next month for the conclusion of this article!

Courtesy of Barbara J. Bowes and the Winnipeg Free Press.
Barbara can be reached at barb@bowesgroup.com