Archive for April 23rd, 2009

Direct Deposit – a no brainer

April 23, 2009

He that leaveth nothing to chance will do few things ill, but he will do very few things. George Savile, Marquess of Halifax, 1633 – 1695

It’s springtime in the Rockies…again. Snow, sunshine, wind, rain, then repeat. We seem to get all four seasons packed into one day.

It’s also a Friday and Fridays make me think of payday. While our clients pay each day of the week, Fridays is payday for more than half of our clients. If you don’t offer direct deposit to your employees, you are costing yourself some inconvenience both for yourself and your employees.

As an employer, there is no check to reconcile with the bank with a direct deposit and no outstanding check to track down. Many employees expect direct deposit when they start a new job – it’s assumed and certainly not brought up in a job interview. They are very surprised when they find out their pay comes to them in a check – an unpleasant surprise. This means a trip to the bank (and a line if they wish to make that deposit on Friday). The bank will frequently put a one day hold on a paycheck versus no hold on a direct deposit. I know my wish list doesn’t include unnecessary travel to anywhere including the bank teller line.

Do yourself a favor – provide direct deposit as the default option for how your employees receive their paycheck. It’s easier for you and it’s easier for the employee.

Happy Fridays,

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz

Be of service

April 23, 2009

Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.   - Gillian Anderson

I love the start of the above quote: be of service. We have so many opportunities – especially under the above definition. It’s a call to listen and then respond. And it doesn’t matter what the circumstances.

My wife and I were riding to town on our bikes yesterday and we saw a father and child trying to move a vehicle out of the driveway onto the curb. I stopped and asked if they would like a hand to which the child (~ age nine) responded enthusiastically. “Absolutely. We’ve been trying to move this car and we can’t move it an inch.” It was fun to respond to such an energetic request and we were even able to get the car moved to the right place.

We think of volunteerism as a formalized role. We must “sign up” to volunteer. We must raise our hand and tell someone. Certainly that plays a role. But that’s not the key. The key is our willingness to help- to actually listen and then to respond. To help wherever you may be to whomever allows your help.

In our business, we serve so many different kinds of employers with different needs. I would hope we listen to you when you call. I would hope we responded appropriately and enthusiastically after we had listened to you. It’s just one other place to be of service.

Yours in service,

Bryan Dear

www.payrolldept.biz


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