Canadian Payroll Reporter

CPR_JUNE_2013v7.qxp:Canadian Employer.qxd 13-05-27 11:50 AM Page 1 CANADIAN PAYROLL REPORTER PUBLISHED BY CANADIAN HR REPORTER www.payroll-reporter.com THE COMPLIANCE AND STRATEGY SOURCE FOR PAYROLL AND HR PROFESSIONALS Payroll service provider introduces exclusive forum Forums foster community and branding, while providing service: Expert | BY ZACHARY PEDERSEN | payroll services provider ADP Canada introduced some of its cusSOCIAL MEDIA HAS given professiontomers to The Bridge, an online als new ways to connect and share forum where customers can post information, and the payroll field is questions and receive an answer no exception from fellow clients. Payroll practitioners can connect "Essentially, it will allow our with colleagues by joining payrollclients — regardless of their role, related groups on networking sites company or sector — to be more prolike LinkedIn or following Twitter ductive by giving them access to other feeds of other professionals. But social fellow practitioners who could help media isn't the them get their only opportunity to answers quickly," "People that are part share information says Cathy — at least one Backman, divisionof a community forum payroll vendor has have a certain affinity for it." al vice-president, set up a forum to service delivery, allow it customers ADP Canada. talk to each other about the issues In March, ADP opened it to the they're facing. vast majority of its clients and The When a company hosts an online Bridge now has more than 1,500 discussion forum for its customers, users. Comparing the platform to the forum becomes an extension of Facebook, Backman says the forum the company's brand and an easy-tocan be tailored by the user to make it facilitate form of customer service. a more user-friendly experience. Early online forums date back to "Quite frankly, it's sort of open the early 1990s, but are still relevant architecture and you can design it in today, says Ernest Barbaric, a whatever way you deem fit," she says. Calgary-based digital marketing "People are really excited about strategist. social media in general and it's just "You'll find that people that are another very cool way for them to get part of a community through a forum answers to their questions in a differhave a certain affinity for it," he says. ent way without having to call up "In a payroll kind of a role, being a their provider." part of that community gives you an If a company is looking to increase insight and gives you access to inforonline traffic to its website, Barbaric mation that other people may not encourages the use of open forums have." continued on page 8 Last November, Toronto-based JUNE 2013 INSIDE THIS ISSUE WHAT PAYROLL SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WORKER'S COMP Administering payments to the WCB an ongoing process................................3 NEWS IN BRIEF CHRPs in Alberta earning higher base salary • Ontario looking into implementation of PRPPs • Employment 'little changed' in April: StatsCan • Tax compliance costs businesses, taxpayers $25 billion: Report ................................7 ASK AN EXPERT What does each province outline in its legislation when it comes to workers waiving annual vacation? ......................11 Independent contractor or not? Misclassification can lead to charges, fines, safety liability | BY MELISSA MANCINI | RECENT COMPLAINTS BROUGHT forward by two Vancouver-based workers at Shaw Communications brought the issue of determining a worker's employment status to the forefront. Independent contractors don't automatically become full-time employees. But if the relationship looks like an employer-employee relationship, the worker may be considered an employee for the purposes of employment legislation, wrongful Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013 continued on page 2

• Cover