Contents:

• Welcome
• What's New
• GrandMaster Update

Welcome!

April 2007 - 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.

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:

April 11, 2007 - Canada Revenue Agency's Action Task Force on Small Business Issues - The Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Action Task Force on Small Business Issues was created at the request of the Honourable Carol Skelton, Minister of National Revenue. Its mandate was to identify which of the CRA's administrative practices imposed the greatest burden on small businesses, develop solutions to reduce the burden, and introduce a systemic approach to burden reduction across the CRA. (Full Story)

March 29, 2007 - Canada’s New Government Creates a Climate for Small Business Success - The Minister of Finance today highlighted the Government’s efforts to create an Entrepreneurial Advantage for Canadian small businesses. Changes include the improving of labour market programming to help Canadians develop the skills they need and employers want as well as improving the Temporary Foreign Worker Program with a $50.5-million investment over two years to helg employers meet immediate skills shortages. (Full Story)

March 6, 2007 - Canada's New Government Invests In Mining Industry's Workforce - The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced almost $2.5 million in funding to improve recruitment and retention rates of staff in the mining industry. The project will improve industry retention rates through the transfer of knowledge from experienced workers to new entrants, and it will improve the industry's ability to attract, recruit and retain new workers. (Full Story)

March 6, 2007 - Online tax services suspended by CRA - The CRA today instructed some computer applications related to personal income tax filing to be temporarily halted. These applications include online services like Efile, Netfile, and My Account. Mr. Dorais said that he instructed that this preventative measure be taken following indications that CRA computer systems have run into infrastructure problems. In order to safeguard existing systems and to maintain the integrity of CRA's taxpayer information holdings, Mr Dorais ordered tax filing processes halted. (Full Story)

March 2, 2007 - Canada Revenue Agency interest rates for the second calendar quarter - 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 April 1, 2007, to June 30, 2007. (Full Story)

Alberta:

April 18, 2007 - Workplace safety: an investment that pays - Alberta employers are proving that safety and growth can go hand in hand. While many are enjoying growth in every area of their businesses, committed employers are also showing that they have the tools to manage safety in their workplaces, and that partnerships work. This spring, more than 6,500 employers registered in the PIR program are sharing a record $73.4 million in rebates for their 2006 performance. (Full Story)

April 19, 2007 - Key investments in education, training and workforce development aim to address Alberta's labour force pressures - To increase access to learning opportunities and help students with costs, Budget 2007 boosts post-secondary operating funding by $117 million, to a total of $1.8 billion. "A post-secondary education is the best investment an individual can make," said Advanced Education and Technology Minister Doug Horner. "This funding will help increase the number of spaces in apprenticeship and other post-secondary programs and provide increased support for students." (Full Story)

British Columbia:

March 12, 2007 - Website Connects Persons With Disabilities To Jobs - The Province is launching an enhanced WorkAble Solutions website that will directly connect British Columbians with disabilities who are looking for work to employers that have jobs available, Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond announced today. "Many people with disabilities find it difficult to secure employment that matches their skills and abilities. At the same time the demand for skilled workers is great," said Richmond. "This site provides an excellent meeting place to bring together qualified job seekers with disabilities with employers who have positions that need to be filled." (Full Story)

March 12, 2007 - B.C. Measures Up To Challenge With $2-Million Grant - The Province is investing $2 million to support community projects aimed at increasing accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities, Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond announced today. "British Columbians with disabilities want to become more active and independent in their communities and the government is committed to providing the right supports to meet this goal," said Richmond." (Full Story)

Manitoba:

April 2007 - Changes To Employment Standards Code Come Into Effect April 30 - After the first major review of employment standards legislation in over 30 years, the Labour Management Review Committee presented the provincial government with a consensus report recommending changes to The Employment Standards Code. In December 2006, the province passed The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act. The changes to the code and regulations go into effect on April 30, 2007. (Full Story)

April 10, 2007 - New Initiative To Help Low-Income Working Families - Filling thousands of job vacancies and increasing family prosperity are the objectives of a ground-breaking, four-year action plan to move Manitobans from welfare to work, Family Services and Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today. "Manitobans should always be better off working than on welfare. Yet in getting a job, too often you lose. Benefits are reduced for child allowances, child care, drug, dental and optical coverage, which makes work less attractive," said Mackintosh. (Full Story)

March 26, 2007 - Manitoba Organization First to Receive International Disability Management Standards Council Certification - The Parkland Regional Health Authority (PRHA) has been awarded the International Disability Management Standards Council Certification after achieving higher than 80 percent in an audit that assesses how workplaces treat injured and ill employees. The audit identifies strengths or gaps and provides employers with a report that helps them lower injury rates, return workers to employment and health, and reduce overall expenditures. (Full Story)

New Brunswick:

February 20, 2007- Record number of New Brunswickers working as unemployment rate drops to 6.9 per cent - A record number of New Brunswickers were working last month as the unemployment rate dropped to a new low, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty reported today. There were 359,800 people working in New Brunswick last month, the highest number recorded since 1976, when Statistics Canada began taking this survey. The unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent also stood as the lowest rate recorded during the same period. (Full Story)

April 5, 2007- Record number of New Brunswickers employed in March - The province set another record as 360,000 New Brunswickers were working last month, while the unemployment rate stood at 7.4 per cent, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty reported today. A record 360,000 people were working in New Brunswick last month, which was the highest recorded since 1976 under this monthly survey taken by Statistics Canada. (Full Story)

Newfoundland and Labrador:

March 26, 2007 - Client Service Office going well at the Commission - The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (the Commission) is encouraged by the number of people who have contacted its Client Service Office with concerns and commendations, since opening in November 2006. To date, the office has responded to over 300 calls from injured workers, employers and other stakeholders, on issues ranging from timeliness of service and accessibility, to reliability, courtesy and helpfulness. The Client Service Officer has on several occasions met with the Injured Workers’ Association and the Workers’ Advisors. (Full Story)

March 20, 2007 - Rural Labrador Symposium Sheds Light on Health and Safety in the Workplace - An occupational health and safety workshop and symposium taking place this week in Port Hope Simpson is the first of its kind to occur in rural Labrador. Shining a Light on Health and Safety in Southern Labrador is specifically tailored for residents of the Labrador coast to discuss such issues as strategies to promote access to workplace health and safety services and training. (Full Story)

Nova Scotia:

April 13, 2007 - WCB releases 2006 annual report - The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) today released its 2006 Annual Report. The combined efforts of employers, workers, health care providers, the WCB, system partners and many others led to positive results in 2006. Fewer Nova Scotians were injured on the job, and those who were injured returned to work more quickly. (Full Story)

April 4, 2007 - Workers to be Better Protected From Violence on the Job - New regulations approved today, April 4, will help employers and employees reduce the incidence of workplace violence. "The regulations strengthen employers' responsibility to protect workers from physical violence and threats of physical violence on the job," said Mark Parent, Minister of Environment and Labour. "They outline the process to be followed in addressing the risk of workplace violence in sectors where the problem is most acute." (Full Story)

March 28, 2007 - Employer Access to Injured Worker Claim File Information - Consultation - This issues identification paper is the kick-off to the first stage of the policy consultation process. It is intended to help readers understand the current legal and policy environment related to employer access to claim injured worker claim file information and the issues that have been raised with regard to this policy. This will help the WCB clarify areas of concern, understand the scope of the issue, and ensure all issues are considered. (Full Story)

Ontario:

April 2007 - MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario - The WSIB has released the guideline and resource manual for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The MSD Prevention Guideline and Resource Manual offer everyone in the workplace a roadmap for reducing the risk of MSDs. They provide important information and effective approaches for preventing MSDs in your workplace. (Full Story)

March 29, 2007 - McGuinty Government Introduces Reforms To Help Injured Workers - The McGuinty Government is committed to helping injured workers through benefit increases and other reforms to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA), introduced in the 2007 Ontario budget that will assure fairness, access, and flexibility, Labour Minister Steve Peters said today. "We are taking a significant step in creating a brighter future for some of Ontario's injured workers," said Peters, "Reforms to the compensation system introduced in our budget will provide these workers with the dignity and respect they so deserve." (Full Story)

March 2007 - Consultation on accreditation for Ontario workplaces - The WSIB is welcoming submissions on the topic of Accreditation for Ontario workplaces. Interested parties are invited to provide comment on the issues and options for the accreditation program design, as laid out in a provided consultation paper. Questions focused on program design are posed throughout the paper. (Full Story)

Prince Edward Island:

March 9, 2007 - Report Of Employment Standards Review Panel Will Lead To Legislative Amendments - In response to recommendations outlined in the recently completed report of the Employment Standards Review Panel, Government is planning to introduce legislative amendments to the Employment Standards Act and Regulations, and the Youth Employment Act, Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen announced today. (Full Story)

March 2007 - WCB Announces Appointments to the Legislative Review Advisory Committee - George MacDonald, Chair of the Workers Compensation Board today announced appointments to a Legislative Review Advisory Committee which will begin immediately to review the Workers Compensation Act. The Workers Compensation Board is required to appoint an Advisory Committee to review the Act every five years. (Full Story)

Saskatchewan:

April 17, 2007- Wage Increase Announced For Provincial Child Care Workers - Learning Minister Deb Higgins today announced a three per cent increase in wages for individuals working in licensed child care centres, bringing the total wage increase to 21 per cent since April 2005. In April 2005 wages were increased by three per cent. This was followed by a six per cent increase effective November 2005, and a nine per cent increase effective April 2006. In total the government has spent $11.7 million since 2005 to increase wages for child care employees. (Full Story)

April 5, 2007- Full Year Of Job Records; Lowest Unemployment Rate On Record For March - Mark it down as a full year for record job numbers in Saskatchewan, and the lowest unemployment rate on record for March. Statistics Canada figures out today show 494,700 people employed in the province in March (seasonally unadjusted figure). That's up 20,300 over the figure for March 2006 and tops by 15,100 the old record for March set two years ago. (Full Story)

March 28, 2007 - Increased Support For Labour Standards Awareness In The North - More information about provincial labour standards will be available to Northern Saskatchewan as a result of this year’s provincial budget. "It is important that both workers and their employers understand their rights and responsibilities under provincial labour standards legislation," Labour Minister David Forbes said. "We will use this new money to begin to address that need." (Full Story)

March 9, 2007 - Job Numbers Sizzle; Lowest Unemployment Rate On Record For February - Saskatchewan’s job numbers continue to sizzle with both the best February ever for employment and the lowest unemployment rate on record for that month. Statistics Canada figures out today show that 492,500 people were working in the province last month (seasonally unadjusted figure). That’s up 20,600 over the figure for February 2006 and beats by 16,200 the old record for February set two years ago. (Full Story)

March 1, 2007 - Increased Job Opportunities For First Nations People - The Government of Saskatchewan signed a partnership agreement today to increase job opportunities for First Nations people in the province. "Canada’s New Government is taking positive steps to increase employment and economic opportunities for Aboriginal people," Federal Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Jim Prentice said. "We will work together to create a winning and visionary workplace that will remove barriers and enhance the participation of the Aboriginal workforce." (Full Story)

The current release of GrandMaster Suite (5.33) incorporates a number of changes to make it even easier to use the program and perform your payroll tasks. Program changes since our last Payroll News issue include:

• Option to import employee Original Start and Last Termination dates added - The Import Employees import option did not allow you to import the employee Original Start date or the Last Termination date found on the Employee Information dialog box. With this release we have added the ability to include these two dates in your import process along with the Payroll Specific Information dates, Initial Hire Date, Start Date and Last Date Worked. This change became necessary because in some circumstances these dates could vary and to manually input these dates would be very time consuming.
• Supervisor designation added to Positions - We have added the position Supervisor to the position database. This change now allows you to assign an employee as the supervisor for a particular position. Additionally, in a future release we will be able to send automatic email notifications to the position supervisor relating to the employees under their authority.
• Position added to the Journal Entry processing - The Journal Entry processing has been modified to include a position that has been assigned to a transaction. This process is similar to a prior change where we added the Job to the Journal Entry process. This change enables you to produce a Journal Entry report that has a breakdown by employee position assignments.
• The Syspro journal export file format added - With this release we have added the option to produce a Journal Entry export file that conforms to the Syspro file layout. This change will allow users who use Syspro as their accounting package to import a journal file from their payroll into the Syspro program.
• The employee Base Rate has been added to the Transaction Report options - The Transaction Report has been enhanced to include the option display the employee Base Rate in a report or to include it in an export file. This change will allow you to include the employee base rate of pay in a report that displays other information where the inclusion of the base rate would be helpful to reconcile the amounts.
• Multi-level sort added to the Name and Address report - The Name and Address Report has been modified to utilize a three tiered sort. This change allows you to select the items to sort the report on based on the items you have selected to be included in the report. You also have the option to have the sort in ascending or descending order.
• Employee email address added as a conditional group option - With this release you may now define a Conditional Group to include employees with or without email addresses. This option is useful when you wish to forward employee pay statements via email and you have employees who do not have an email address. This will allow you to load a group of employees who have email addresses and send them their statement using the email option. Then load a group of employees who do not have email and print the statements.

• • •

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

GrandMaster Suite Licencing - To speed up the licencing process for GrandMaster Suite, CanPay would like your feedback on a proposed move to eliminate the use of 3.5" floppies for licencing purposes -- moving instead to an e-mail only distribution method. With many new computers being shipped without floppy disk support at all, the e-mail method would ensure that you receive your license faster and also help to avoid unneccesary delays that may result from the regular mail process. Please send us your comments and let us know if you wish to begin receiving your license via e-mail only -- send your requests/comments to admin@canpay.com.

People Skills
Best Managers Have Social Intelligence (Part 2 of 2)
Barbara Bowes

1. Maintain a positive life perspective -- People with a positive and optimistic outlook on life act as magnets. They attract people. People want to be with them, work with them, talk with them. So, keep that smile on your face. Walk tall, be appropriately assertive and be upbeat when you communicate.

2. Know thyself -- Learn to understand what you are really good and what you want to do. Understand your emotional strengths and weaknesses and the environment in which you best excel. Learn to understand what motivates you and others and respect the fact that others may be different from you. Learn to recognize your emotional challenges and effectively manage your emotions at all times.

3. Understand your environment -- Pay attention to what is going on around you. Listen, observe. Watch for body language that shows positive or negative responses. Learn to recognize signals and red flags in your environment that suggest how you should act or what you might do next. Build up your repertoire of signals and pay attention to them.

4. Build your listening skills -- Give 100 per cent of your attention to the person who is speaking and let them finish without interrupting. Be sure to have eye and face contact with your speaker, show them you're listening. Respond and ask questions to show you understand.

5. Demonstrate empathy -- Truly understanding someone's feelings helps you to see things from the other person's point of view. Being empathetic encourages communication and clear understanding. Before you respond to someone, put yourself in their shoes, think about their perspective.

6. Avoid the blame game -- When working with a team, never take any actions that will alienate people. Avoid directly blaming colleagues but rather direct your comments to the challenges and solutions. Take personal responsibility for your own actions. Deal with problems and conflicts sooner than later, don't let conflict fester.

7. Show respect -- Never talk down to people, making them feel inferior. Develop strong, objective and equal relationships with everyone no matter what role they play in your organization. Look for similarities between people rather than differences. Cultivate alliances at all levels of the organization. Be open and honest with your communications so that you can quickly build trust and rapport.

8. Be flexible -- Our work world is always changing, so be prepared to adapt by staying flexible and being open to opportunities. Volunteer to take on new challenges, take risks, invite others to join you in these initiatives.

9. Share success -- Whenever possible, share the credit for accomplishments with all who have been involved. Avoid focusing attention just on yourself. Make time to personally thank others, reward them if you can. Send a thank-you card or make a phone call.

10. Develop others -- Everyone wants a chance to shine. Explore the skills and capabilities in your organization and help your colleagues to harness and develop their talents. Coach and mentor others and transfer your skills as you continue to develop your own. Sharing your capability and inviting others to join you in learning helps to create a positive and motivating environment.

Social intelligence has always been important to career success but it will continue to become even more so in the future. Cognitive intellectual skills will simply not be enough. So take time now to develop an ongoing action plan for developing your social intelligence skills. Keep in mind that improving your social intelligence is not an event, it is a journey but one that will help you to understand and appreciate the people around you.

Source: Workplace Success often tied to Social Intelligence, Copley News Service, March 2006, Social Intelligence: A Varient of Emotional Intelligence?, www.team-inc.net.

Barbara J. Bowes, FCHRP, CMC, is president of BowesHR a leading, Manitoba human resource consulting firm. She can be reached at barb@bowesgroup.com or www.boweshr.com