October 2008
This is a printer-friendly version of the October 2008 edition of Empower News
Bendigo rolls out Empower to Adelaide Bank
Bendigo Bank has extended its successful implementation of Empower-HR to the 1200 employees of Adelaide Bank, with which it merged in November last year.
Since July 1, Empower-HR has replaced an outsourced CHRIS payroll system that was previously used by Adelaide Bank. Bendigo Bank has used Empower-HR to pay its 4300 staff members since April 2006. The in-house system, which operates from the bank’s head office at Bendigo, now pays its staff of 5500 people at more than 500 retail outlets including bank branches, agencies and community banks.
Empower-HR equips Bendigo and Adelaide Bank to pay its direct employees one week and then, on alternate weeks, to pay the employees of community banks and agencies, who are independently employed on a wide range of workplace arrangements and certified agreements.
Bendigo Bank EMS Administrator People and Performance Geoffrey True said there was no consideration of another payroll system after the merger with Adelaide Bank. “We have been very happy with the Empower system,” he said. “Although we have our Payroll office in Bendigo, Empower-HR’s Employee Self-Service capability means that it doesn’t really matter, physically, where the payroll office is.
“In terms of benefits, first and foremost, Empower-HR allows us to have all of our timesheets and leave details online. This is invaluable because of the branch network we have. As well as branches in major cities, we have a large number of branches in regional and remote areas, which would make a paper-based payroll and leave system both cumbersome and expensive.
“Empower brought us the online capability of timesheets and leave processing, so we could decentralise information to our managers through the service. Manager Self-Service is widely used by our managers and every employee is online, making it a widely accepted and used service.”
For more information about Empower-HR, call Daryl Rasheed on 08 8332 6988 or email daryl.rasheed@empower.com.au.
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Empower releases new suite of Self-Service reports
Empower has released a suite of Self-Service reports that give line managers quick and easy access to workforce demographics data needed for decision-making at the branch level.
Developed in conjunction with the Department of Education in Tasmania, the reports are now available to all clients using Empower-HR Version 9. As well as centralising data from local databases into a central Empower-HR system, Empower Masterpay undertook a project to replace existing school reports with Empower-HR Self-Service reports.
These reports include Personal Reports; Address Contacts; Address & Phone Numbers; Email Addresses; Emergency Contacts; First Aid Certificates; Languages; License Details; Medical Details; Leave Details and Leave Balances.
Empower Masterpay Director Customer Services Daryl Rasheed said the new reports empowered line managers by giving them immediate access to information. “It complements our vision of proactively helping managers to manage,” he said.
“The availability of these new Self-Service reports demonstrates the benefits of the Empower methodology: By solving the problem for one client, we are often able to pass on the benefit of that initiative to all of our customers. This is part of Empower’s ongoing investment in our HR Business Intelligence initiative, a broad suite of Web-based reports that will provide managers with distributed access to enterprise HR data.”
Empower will provide more information about the HR Business Intelligence initiative in coming months.
For more information about Empower-HR’s new range of Manager Self-Service reports, contact Daryl Rasheed on 08 8332 6988 or email daryl.rasheed@empower.com.au.
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Kerry beats the sun to shine light on problems
Empower’s Kerry Bomford is up before the sun to answer questions for the company’s clients nationally.
From 5am in her Perth office – equivalent to 8am in Sydney and Melbourne – Kerry is available to provide telephone support for Empower clients throughout the country. The Help Desk is available until 6pm EST and later for WA clients.
Kerry joined Empower in 2002 when the company acquired the Masterpay payroll bureau where she had worked since 1983. “Moving from CSC to Empower was good for Masterpay because HR & Payroll is Empower’s core business,” she reflects.
“Empower provides Australia-wide support for its clients from Sydney to Subiaco. It’s important for the company to have someone locally when a national client wants to roll out Empower-HR at all of its offices. We have a lot of national clients who want training as they go live, so having a Perth presence is part of Empower’s commitment to delivering a national service.”
As well as its West Australian presence, Empower has offices in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
As an Empower Payroll Product Consultant, Kerry is the first point of call on the phone for the national help desk. She is also responsible for managing a number of outsourced pay office clients, ranging from retailers to professional service firms.
Kerry said the advances in communication technology provided her with “all the tools of the trade”. “The introduction of the new Empower Helpdesk System in December 2007 and improved access to knowledge bases has allowed Empower to spread skills across the country.
“Now Empower makes sure everyone has the knowledge to back each other up. Support is Australia-wide, so you get access to the specialist skills when you need them.”
When she’s not working, Kerry likes to visit Hillary’s Beach, 5km from her home, where she and her husband enjoy the sun, sand and surf.
Empower CEO Alan Greig said Kerry’s deep knowledge of HR and payroll issues was a valuable resource for clients. “Kerry has a great understanding and a very positive attitude to helping clients work through any issues they have,” he said. “She is a terrific asset for Empower on the ground in Perth.”
You can contact Kerry Bomford by telephone on 08 9409 5823 or email kerry.bomford@empower.com.au
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