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United We Stand
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In
this, the first newsletter since the tragic events of September
11th, Genesys would like to extend its sympathy and condolences
to the victims and their families. We would also like to express
our heartfelt appreciation to the heroic rescue workers and volunteers
for their tireless efforts. In these changing times, we take comfort
as our nation unites and stands strong against evil. |
Genesys Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
Among the highlights of this past year was the celebration of our 20th corporate anniversary in July. During a week of festivities beginning July 24th, Genesys felt it important to emphasize two key points that are near-and-dear to both Genesys as a corporation and its employees.
First and foremost, Genesys is proud to have offered outstanding human resource, payroll, and benefits software and services to the nations leading employers for the past two decades, and to have recently become a contender in the e-Learning arena as well.
Secondly, sharing our success with those less fortunate is not a goal, it's quite simply what we do. Our employees are the 'heart' of our corporation, and a big heart it is! Annually, Genesys and its employees contribute to many worthwhile local charitable organizations. And this year, while celebrating 20 successful years, we felt that it was essential to recognize our employees and give back to the community in a unique and rewarding way. With that in mind, every Genesys employee was given a "Certificate of Thanks" which they in turn then presented to a coworker as a way of saying thanks for being a great colleague. The 'receiving employee' then redeemed the certificates for a $10 company contribution to their choice of one of three local charities, selected for their contributions to the surrounding community:
- Lazarus House, which provides food and shelter to the homeless and needy.
- Lowell Adult Literacy Program, which assists adults in achieving GED, ESL and similar measures of literacy and is the largest program of its kind in Massachusetts.
- CASA of the Lower Merrimack Valley, the local chapter of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, which supports neglected and abused children.
The certificate program was inspired by the movie "Pay It Forward," based on a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde about the power of premeditated acts of kindness. The "Certificate of Thanks" program was a huge success, netting the charitable organizations $1500 in donations.
The Certificate
of Thanks program was an immediate way of recognizing and giving back
to the community, but the act of giving at Genesys is ongoing. Now
that we're in the holiday season, Genesys is once again actively assisting local
organizations through volunteer work and monetary contributions.
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Customers Making News
Once again, Genesys is pleased to welcome and introduce one of its new clients. Read on for details...
 GAB Robins North America, Inc.:
In an amazing turnaround for Genesys, this client originally selected
and implemented a system from a nationally known payroll vendor.
Before long, they realized that their newly purchased system didn't
have all the features, flexibility, and forward-thinking technology
they desired and that's where Genesys stepped in. Seeking a superior
way to process their payroll and to better track the movement of
employees nation wide within each pay cycle, GAB Robins contracted
with Genesys to outsource their HR, Payroll, and employee self-service.
GAB Robins is a leading loss adjusting company that provides adjusting,
investigation, claims administration and more to the property/casualty
insurance industry. They have offices in the US, Canada, Mexico,
and Puerto Rico. The GAB Robins North America division is located
in Parsippany, New Jersey, and it's this site that will utilize the
Genesys outsourcing services for their North American employees.
In fact, GAB Robins will be the first Genesys client to elevate
employee self-service to the level of actual payroll distribution.
GAB Robins has employees in all 50 states and until now, they incurred
the cost of producing and distributing paychecks in the traditional
manner - produce, print, stuff, stamp, and mail. With the ease-of-use
of employee self-service, and the fact that their employees can
access the system 24/7/365, GAB Robins will enable employees to retrieve
their paychecks via the employee self-service portal.
GAB Robins will go live in January, 2002. Welcome to Genesys! For more information on GAB Robins North America, Inc., visit their web site at http://www.gabrobinsna.com/.
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It's Year-end and Genesys is here to Help
Preparing for 2002 - it's not too early
By beginning your preparations now for 2002, you will greatly reduce the pressures at the end of the calendar year. Genesys is pleased to offer services designed to help you get ready for 2002. The 2002 Preparation Program will help make the transition to the new year a smooth one with the assistance of an expert Genesys consultant.
There are many ways in which our consultants can help you with special once-a-year activities. This service will free up your staff to concentrate on other areas of importance.
A Genesys consultant can assist you by reviewing any changes that need to be made and by executing those changes in any of the following areas:
- 401(k) and other defined contribution plan updates:
- Limit updates
- Accumulators
- Participation
- Reports
- Interfaces
- Tables
- Flexible Spending Accounts updates:
- Clear previous year
- Accumulators
- Reports
- Interfaces
- Tables
- Update Benefits parameters:
- New enrollments
- Changes in enrollments
- Tables
- Reports
- Group term life
- Table File Maintenance:
- New locations
- New rates
- New limits
- Date changes
- Special Reports and/or File extracts:
- Any special programs or reports
Special promotional rates are available for this valuable program for a limited time. Send e-mail to solutions@genesysHCM.com for more information and pricing.
Year-end Processing Assistance from Genesys Professional Services
Genesys Professional Services is pleased to offer the Year-end Processing Assistance Program - a program designed to help you alleviate end-of-year processing pressures. These services are of particular importance during that critical time period from November 2001 through February 2002 when you need to close out the old year and prepare for the new.
Our Genesys consultants can help you to produce your organization's W-2, 1099, and T4 forms, as well as assist with other year-end processing demands. In fact, we can take complete charge of producing your year-end forms and reports. This service will provide you with more time to focus on all those other year-end tasks that demand your attention. If you need assistance in applying releases, we can support you in this effort as well.
You can choose a 5, 10, 15 or 20 day package, depending upon how much assistance you need. Whichever package you select, a Genesys consultant will be available during the agreed upon schedule to assist with your year-end processing tasks. The Genesys consultant can:
- Apply year-end subsystem changes
- Prepare test runs for printing W-2, 1099, and T4 forms
- Compare last year's processing requirements to current year's requirements
- Review data and perform other site-specific requirements
- Complete year-end testing
- Organize final year-end processing and assist with first of the year tax releases and payroll runs
- Process W-2, 1099, and T4 forms
- Assist with file creation for individual states
- Apply tax releases for 2001 processing
Special promotional rates are available for this valuable program for a limited time. Send e-mail to solutions@genesysHCM.com for more information and pricing.
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Customer Services Quarterly Tips
Current
Tip: Ensuring that the quarterly sums equal the year to date sums
Often, the quarterly sums do not equal the year-to-date sums.
There are several factors that can cause this problem, including a
transferred employee, state/local codes being incorrectly updated,
or an employee erroneously being deleted from the master. Though
this problem can cause major headaches, it is amazingly simple to
avoid by following this bit of advice: Always balance to the quarter-to-date at each pay cycle. This way, if an out-of-balance situation does occur, it is detected
immediately and can be corrected. To balance, follow these steps:
- Each time a payroll is run, a Tax Filing Report is produced. This report includes the headings Current Wage Liability, QTD Wage Liability, and YTD Wage Liability. Always save this report.
- Following a payroll run, compare the newest Tax Filing Report
and the Tax Filing Report from the last payroll run. The Current
Wage Liability on the last report, added to the Current Wage Liability
on the newest report, should equal the QTD Wage Liability
on the newest report. If not, there is an out-of-balance situation.
- Hint: Many customers have developed spreadsheets to assist in
comparing the newest Tax Filing Report against the prior report.
These customers cut-n-paste the columns of information and have the spreadsheet formulas calculate the difference. For information on how to create and utilize the spreadsheet, contact your account manager.
Make
this comparison a regular procedure and you could save yourself hours,
even days of research at quarter and year-end.
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Short Topics
 Steve Munini Keynote Speaker at New England Chapter of IHRIM
On
October 16, 2001, Steve Munini presented an insightful look into e-Learning
and Learning Management to the N.E. IHRIM audience. The presentation
focused on three areas:
- The state of learning today
- The future of learning
- How to incorporate e-Learning
One
key point of the presentation was that learning is strategic. Steve
emphasized that organizations don't need to conduct training; instead,
they need to allow learning to occur by delivering personalized knowledge
at the point and moment of need.
Steve
also eliminated the confusion that often arises between the terms
Learning Management System and Learning Content Management System.
He defined the two as:
- Learning Management System: An LMS is the hub or "nerve center" of
an overall e-learning environment. LMSs are designed to provide
the infrastructure for instructors and program directors to manage
and track employee participating in online and offline training
classes.
- Learning Content Management Systems: An LCMS is a system
that is used to create, store, assemble and deliver personalized
e-Learning content in the form of learning objects.
In concluding
his presentation, Steve re-emphasized that...
- e-Learning is strategic
- e-Learning can increase competitive position
- e-Learning is expanding
- e-Learning can save money
- Web-technology enables e-Learning like never before
- HR plays a vital role
PeopleComeFirst Webinars Scheduled; Register to Attend the Session of Your Choice
E-learning is a hot topic; it's in the news and making headlines. Given the current interest in e-learning, Genesys would like to introduce you to its latest offering, PeopleComeFirst, a total e-learning solution.
You are cordially invited to attend one of two Webinars, devoted to PeopleComeFirst. Each 1/2 hour Webinar will include an introduction to e-learning, a PeopleComeFirst demonstration, and a question and answer session.
The
PeopleComeFirst Webinars will be held on:
* Wednesday, November 28th at 2:00 ET
* Tuesday, December 4th at 2:00 ET
The agenda includes:
- The e-learning market
- What is an LMS?
- What is an LCMS?
- What is a competency management system?
- The PeopleComeFirst complete learning solution
- Product demonstration
- Q&A
To
register for either session, or to request additional information,
please e-mail solutions@genesysHCM.com.
Genesys Continues to Build Alliances
Genesys is extremely pleased to welcome the following new members to its list of high-profile Business Partners.
- Mitchell Humphrey: Since 1977, Mitchell Humphrey has been delivering comprehensive accounting solutions. The company's flagship product, FMS II, is a suite of web-enabled, client/server accounting systems designed for Windows NT/2000 and HP e3000 platforms. Mitchell Humphrey systems are developed and supported by an experienced team of CPAs and IT professionals who understand the unique needs of their customers. Mitchell Humphrey customers are a diverse group of organizations including mid-sized businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, state and local governments, educational institutions, and not-for-profit entities.
- ProAct Technologies: ProAct Technologies is a leading provider of applications for employee benefits management. Using ProAct software, critical business processes for managing and delivering health and wealth benefits can be fully automated, resulting in reduced operating costs and increased productivity. ProAct solutions have become an integral part of employee relationship management (ERM) initiatives at leading companies in every industry, and are fully compatible with all major ERP and HRMS systems for managing employee information.
- James E. Van Ella Inc.: James E. Van Ella provides HR solutions, including
partnerships with recruiting companies to provide employment screening
that is fast and accurate. Combining Internet technology and more
than 31 years of experience, Van Ella offers clients speed, current
data and competitive pricing. Their experience is as solid as their
HR partnerships which offer the highest level of professional investigative
background checks, combining tradition and technology for the benefit
of their clients.
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Current Release
As
of October 1, 2001, the latest Genesys release is number 2001-11.
This legislative release includes:
- State Withholding (Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Vermont)
- Local Tax Service (New York City)
- Tax Filing Interface (State Gross and Taxable Wage Override Enhancement, New York and Hawaii - State Disability Insurance, State Code Missing - Warning Message
- US Quarterly Reporting (MMREF-1 Format, Louisiana)
Accessing Release Files and Documentation
Within the Customer Connection site is a list of all releases, as well as a list of the corresponding release documentation.
To view release-related information, follow these steps:
- Access the Customer Connection site
- Select the appropriate icon (Software Services, Outsourcing Services, GenExpress Services)
- Provide a User Name and Password
To access the latest release, or prior releases, select release files.
To view the corresponding documentation, select release documentation.
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Press Corner
- The August/September issue of IHRIM.link
included an item about the Genesys/BrassRing alliance. IHRIM.link noted that "the relationship will enable the companies to offer a more complete solution to today's HR challenges."
- The recently announced alliance between Genesys and TimeVision received
much attention in the press this past quarter. For starters, the August
19th issue of The Eagle-Tribune, a respected newspaper
in the Merrimack Valley, near Genesys headquarters, mentioned the
Genesys/TimeVision partnership in the Business/Stocks section of the
Sunday edition. Next, the October/November issue of IHRIM.link
elaborated on the alliance, stating that "the partnership will enable
Genesys customers to access and visually map company data using TimeVision's
Web-based software, OrgPulisher for Intranets™4." And finally, both the September issue of BreakTime and the October
issue of The Professional Journal touted the alliance.
- On September 4, 2001, The Devon Group issued a press release highlighting the product unveilings and vendors participating in the 4th Annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition. Genesys was among the major vendors mentioned in the press release with the statement "Genesys, a HRMS, payroll and benefits vendor, will launch a
new version of their product WEBServe. Among WEBServe's new features is the
ability to deliver payroll-statement data and direct-deposit information over
the Web."
- The September issue of the Interface Business News: Maine's Business Newspaper quoted Lisa Rowan, Genesys Director of Marketing, as saying, "More companies are looking to outsource, because of the 'war for talent.' Companies are finding that they need to apply their skilled IT resources to the systems that relate directly to the companies' core business. Outsourcing back-office applications like payroll helps companies achieve the focus they need to retain competitive advantage."
- Genesys featured prominently in the October/November issue of IHRIM.link.
In addition to mentioning the Genesys/TimeVision partnership, IHRIM.link
devoted quite a bit of space acknowledging Genesys' 20th anniversary
along with the highly successful "Certificate of Thanks" program.
For details on this program, see the related story "Genesys Celebrates
Its 20th Anniversary" in this newsletter.
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Training Schedule
Be sure to visit the Genesys Customer Connection site to view the Online Training Catalogue, which includes course titles and descriptions. (The Customer Connection site is a secure, customer-only area; a User ID and Password are required.) To receive a complete 2002 Training Schedule, call the Training Coordinator at (978) 685-5400 x3027, send an e-mail to classreg@genesysHCM.com, or send a FAX to (520) 833-1169.
Below is a list of upcoming courses. All courses are held at the Genesys Corporate Training Center, Methuen, Massachusetts.
Students are urged to register early. Genesys reserves the right to cancel or reschedule classes if required attendance is not met. Genesys Education Services will confirm each offering within 21 days of the scheduled start date.
| December 2001 |
| Basic GenTools |
4th - 6th |
| Introduction to Genesys |
10th |
| Basic Payroll System |
11th - 13th |
| U.S. Payroll Processing |
14th |
| January 2002 |
| HealthCare HRMS |
14th - 18th |
| Defined Benefits System |
23rd - 24th |
| February 2002 |
| Introduction to Genesys |
12th |
| Basic Payroll System |
13th - 15th |
| March 2002 |
| Technical Seminar: Client/Server |
5th |
| Technical Seminar: Mainframe |
6th |
| Basic GenTools |
12th - 14th |
| Writing OnLine Reports |
19th - 20th |
| Writing Deferred Reports |
21st - 22nd |
| April 2002 |
| Human Resource System |
9th |
| Human Resource
Planing System |
10th |
| Flexible Benefits |
11th |
| Advanced Payroll System |
16th - 17th |
| Benefit Payments System |
18th - 19th |
| ONESource |
22nd - 26th |
| May 2002 |
| Advanced GenTools |
1-2 |
| Basic Payroll System |
7-9 |
| U.S. Tax Processing |
10 |
| June 2002 |
| Basic GenTools |
4-6 |
| Writing Online
Reports |
11-12 |
| Writing Deferred Reports |
13-14 |
For information
about onsite classes, call your Account Manager at 978-685-5400. Please
keep in mind that classes can also be set up through your local User
Group chapter.
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Upcoming Events
Genesys is pleased to be participating at the following conferences and trade events. We welcome you to visit us at any of them.
| 2002 Dates |
Event |
Location |
| February 18-20 |
Learning 2002 Conference & Expo |
Atlanta, GA |
| May 14-18 |
APA's 20th Annual Congress |
San Antonio, TX |
| June 9-12 |
IHRIM's 2002 Spring Conference & Exposition |
TBA |
| June 23-26 |
SHRM's 54th Annual Conference & Exposition |
Philadelphia, PA |
| September 8-11 |
The Genesys 22nd Annual HRMS Conference |
Scottsdale, AZ |
To view additional information about all upcoming events, visit the Genesys Events Page. The event listing provides you with links to the various sponsoring organizations. You are encouraged to visit these sites to learn more.
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