Canadian Payroll Reporter

THE COMPLIANCE AND STRATEGY SOURCE FOR PAYROLL AND HR PROFESSIONALS Small, tech-savvy firm finds payroll bliss – in the cloud Ariad Communications, and its 1-person HR department, wanted tech-savvy option for its tech-savvy employees PM #40065782 | BY ZACHARY PEDERSEN | with a staff of 50 or more. Workforce Now launched about one year ago and WHEN ARIAD COMMUNICATIONS decided currently has 100 users. There are an it needed to implement a new payroll additional 100 organizations currently system, the Toronto-based marketing implementing the product, according to agency left the final choice with its huGreg Rowe, ADP division vice-president man resources manager, Kristen Agro. business engineering solutions and im"I said, 'Well, what's the budget?' And plementation. they said, 'I don't know. Just do what "Workforce Now enables employees you have to do. Go out there and find to be more productive through mobile out what some of the costs are," she says. applications that provide them access Agro conducted a formal request for to things like pay statements, company proposal with a number of vendors. She news, company directories and tracking compared the responses to a wish list time and attendance," Rowe says. she created. The convenience of Workforce Now is "I had a list of how all of those something that really appealed to Agro. vendors measured up "It was easily acagainst that ultimate cessible and it was a wish list," she says. "I cloud-based system — was able to go out and that was really import"It was a cloud-based pick and choose what ant for me because I'm system — I wanted, so it was the only HR person in that was really great." a 100-person organizaThe system Ariad tion," she says. "There's important to me had been using until only so much that I'm because I'm the only this point was strictly able to do... (unless HR person." for administering payI'm) in the physical ofroll duties, so Agro fice. So, if I'm sick for wanted to implement a day, there's no one something that would there to take my place." incorporate both human resources and Workforce Now also brings many difpayroll functions. ferent functions together, she says. "We did have a payroll system, but "The fact that it connected all in one the offering for another piece of perplace was great," she says. "With some sonnel management wasn't available of the other vendors that we were lookthrough that vendor, so ultimately we ing at, it was all separate — there was were in the market for an HR system and no offering for one system that had paythat evolved into getting a new payroll roll and HR in one place." system, as well," she says. Implementation Agro decided on Toronto-based ADP's ADP provides new users with a preparalatest offering, Workforce Now, a cloudbased human capital resource manageContinued on page 6 ment system designed for organizations DECEMBER 2013 IN THIS ISSUE PREPARING PAYROLL FOR TAX SEASON Carswell's payroll consulting group provides a 2013 tax checklist. . . . . . . . .3 LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP CRA announces maximum pensionable earnings for 2014; Tax rate changes for many provinces announced; HST rate going down in Nova Scotia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 ASK AN EXPERT How does an organization properly report compensation for relocation costs? . . . . .7 Bonus cheques mean bonus work for payroll Payroll professionals play key role in administering employee bonuses | BY ZACHARY PEDERSEN | AS THE YEAR comes to an end, employers may choose to compensate employees beyond their regular pay for any accomplishments they achieved during the year. The extra cash may be a welcome sight for employees, but it means extra attention is needed by the payroll department. "A lot of the bonuses that are paid out have to do with the employee's hours of work, their productivity or efficiency, and how well — and how profitable — the organization (did) this year," says Annie Chong, manager of the payroll consulting group at Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business. "It's very common for organizations continued on page 2

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