How Can Sage 100 Contractor Help the HR Function?

When one scans the Sage 100 Contractor menus and data screens, there is only one menu item that explicitly describes itself as pertaining to the Human Resources functions in a company – Menu 5-3-9 HR Forms.  While this menu item is potentially a great aid to generating the various forms and documents that may be needed to properly communicate between employer, applicants, employees and various government agencies, it is by no means the only part of the program that can aid in Human Resources functions.  With a little imagination, we can provide significant support for many of the requirements of a Human Resources department:

• The 5-2-1 Employee record should be the central repository for all employee data, from the obvious information like pay rates, address, social security number, phone numbers, email address and the like, to a separate table for an unlimited number of contact people for each employee.  Don’t overlook the ability to track the accrual and use of Sick Leave and Vacation hours.  There are also several fields that can be relabeled and repurposed to meet specific needs.
• The Employee Licenses table can be used to track Drivers Licenses and Trade Licenses that have expiration dates.  Consider what other licenses you might need to track – think of an expiring Resident Alien or Employment Authorization card as a License to Work….  Never lose track of the fact that an alien worker may no longer be eligible to be employed if they haven’t renewed their paperwork and given you proof of the extension. 
• The Employee Training table can be used to track various training opportunities, especially those safety trainings and certifications that need to be redone periodically.  Consider other “training” opportunities that should be revisited periodically – think of a regular performance review or a regular compensation review as training opportunities.  By properly configuring the training item, one can track when the last training occurred, when the next training should occur, and keep notes as to what occurred during the training.
• Attachments to the Employee record are often overlooked.  Scan the employee resume or application, tax forms, form I-9, other employment packet forms, an employee photo, and anything else that can be reduced to an electronic file and attach it to the employee record so that it is always instantly available for reference.
• Use Alerts Manager to create periodic automatic queries of Employee data to identify areas that need attention this week, or this month or next month.  If the data is maintained in the database, it is likely that we can configure Alerts Manager to notify the appropriate personnel that an important action is about to require attention.

If you would like help with implementing any of the functions, give us a call at 480-471-5305.

How to Avoid Giving Up

In another venue, someone asked for advice to several construction company clients that were considering giving up and closing shop in the face of a sustained downturn.  After some thought, I posted this response:

The downturn has been different in different parts of the country. Many areas perceive that the downturn is over and business is picking up, but that may not be the case in your region.
What makes a survivor? There are as many answers as there are listeners. My thoughts:

• Survivors sensed the downturn early and acted on it promptly. 

• Survivors trimmed staff quickly. Keeping on people for whom you have no work jeopardized the lives and livelihoods of those that you do keep on. Too many times, the people that you kept on during bad times were the first to go out on their own or jump to a competitor as soon as things get going again. 

• Survivors were acutely self-aware – they knew what they were good at; knew whether or not what they were good at would continue to be in demand during the downturn (buggy whip manufacturer scenario); and they had a good sense of their regional marketplace. 

• Survivors were acutely aware of their cost structure – they understood their direct and overhead costs and how those would be affected by volume. They knew how much they had to markup direct costs to cover their overhead and never, ever, dropped below that markup rate. They might take a job to cover overhead and forego profit, but they never, ever, knowingly take jobs at a loss. Just make sure that sufficient owners’ compensation is included in the overhead number! 

• The ability to accurately estimate costs and mark them up sufficiently, coupled with the ability to produce the work without cost slippage is the single greatest predictor of success. Don’t ever forget that! 

• Always take what used to be called a Zero-Based Budgeting approach. Always ask whether an overhead cost is necessary or can be done without. Always assess the returning value of expenditures – will they result in benefit to the company. Marketing is not an unnecessary expense! If you spend your marketing dollars effectively (there’s the rub), it will be a significant benefit to the company in the long run.

Some may suggest that I failed to really answer the question.  What would your suggestion have been?