The only thing better than a vacation is a paid vacation! It’s a precious resource to which many employees are entitled, and it’s one that employers have a legal obligation to track.

Tracking vacation is easier said than done though, especially if your employees are spread over multiple provinces, each with its own employment laws, minimum standards and record-keeping requirements for basic entitlements such as vacation time and vacation pay.

Read more to learn what should be tracked and how, plus details on how to avoid costly but all-too-common vacation-tracking pitfalls.

But how can you tell if conflict is good or not – and what can you do about it when it’s bad? And if you’re the kind of person who prefers not to engage in conflict (or even in disagreements), could this be as detrimental as an all-out battle?

Watch Cori’s video on conflict resolution and explore a different road, where you will learn that the secret to addressing conflict (or to discovering your reasons for avoiding it) is in knowing what triggers it.

Most effective conflict resolution strategies don’t involve a model, so put aside any rigid strategies while you learn how to get right to the root of the conflict and overcome it from the ground up.

Thinking of conflict in this way might encourage us to explore it rather than fear it.

Learn also the top five reasons why people stay; how to take your team or organization from dysfunction to function; the solid leadership and management that’s needed to help prevent conflict; and how to create an environment in which healthy conflict develops, and where dialogue is encouraged.

In this video you will learn:

• Conflict awareness skills
• Tried and tested techniques to deal with conflict
• Effective strategies to prevent conflict

Watch Cori’s video

If so, did you assign a “Prime Contractor” for the work? (An often misunderstood role.) If you didn’t, you may have become the prime contractor yourself (even though you had a General Contractor for the work) meaning you had a legal responsibility to coordinate and establish compliance with health and safety requirements for everyone working at your home.

Our former premier, Gordon Campbell, found out the hard way about this little-known piece of contract law when he was found by a WorkSafeBC report to the be the prime contractor for an accident in which a roofer was killed when he fell through the skylight of Campbell’s vacation home. Because he had failed to assign the written role of prime contractor to his general contractor, Mr. Campbell became responsible for coordinating WorkSafeBC coverage for the trades working on his property.

Fortunately for Mr. Campbell, the roofing company which employed the deceased worker carried WorkSafeBC coverage. But how many of us employ contractors, handymen, or cleaning staff, who we do not know for a fact to carry WorkSafeBC coverage?

If something were to happen to a worker at your property, and the worker did not carry WorkSafeBC coverage, you could be held legally liable, and financially responsible, for the worker’s injuries.

Before hiring someone, what should you do?

If you hire someone to work on your site (for example, a nanny, gardener, cleaner, window washer) you need to be absolutely sure they are registered with Worksafe BC, meaning that they are paying their insurance premiums and their account is up-to-date.

You can ask the contractor personally if they carry their own coverage, but Worksafe BC recommends you seek a clearance letter to be sure.

In the event that a worker is not registered and suffers an injury in your home/on your site while on the job, WorkSafeBC pays for the worker’s entire medical and wage-loss costs but may come back you to recover those costs. Under certain conditions, as the site owner, you may therefore need to register with Worksafe BC as an employer. (There are times when you do not need to register but it’s always work checking with Worksafe BC to be absolutely sure.)

A more controversial aspect is if you have two or more contractors on your site at the same time. This is when you must designate (in writing) a prime contractor (the issue that faced Gordon Campbell).

A prime contractor is someone who will coordinate all the contractors’ work to make sure they aren’t a hazard to one another. For example, a plumber could be a hazard to a painter or to an electrician. Someone must therefore take responsibility for coordinating everyone’s actions to make sure no accidents happen.

(Additional prime contractor responsibilities are covered in sections 118 and 119 of the Worker’s Compensation Act.)

If someone is not designated (in writing) as the prime contractor, the onus falls back on the home/site owner to be the prime contractor and, as such, they must take up the prime contractor responsibilities.

In addition to this, our friends at Jones Brown recommend you discuss with your insurance broker how your home insurance policy would respond in the event of something happening to an onsite worker. Some home insurance policies will respond to provide a defense for you, and some won’t, so discuss with your broker how yours would react in the event of a loss.

Thank you to Bill Semrau, Partner at Jones Brown, for providing the background and details for this article

Strictly speaking, when you outsource your payroll, you are giving a payroll company the permission to do the following:

1. Calculate your employees’ taxes, CPP, EI, other source deductions or contributions that are due to the government or other 3rd parties (e.g. RRSPs, child-support payments etc.)
2. Withdraw the appropriate funds from your account
3. Pay your employees via Direct Deposit or Cheque
4. Remit the appropriate amounts to the government and any 3rd parties
5. Take care of items like bonuses, commissions, expenses and other things related to paying your employees
6. Handle vacation pay either by paying it out in every paycheque or accruing it

In return, you typically get a few documents from the payroll company showing the details of the transactions:

• Payroll register: Details on what each employee was paid and all their deductions/ contributions etc.
• Direct deposit or cheque summary: The details and totals on all direct deposits made to employees
• Paystubs: This is either mailed to you for distribution or sent direct to your employees
• Journal Entry: Usually a journal entry posting for your accounting system in csv. or excel formats
• Invoice: Information on the amounts withdrawn from your account including how much was paid to your employees, all source deductions and the amount that was charged to your account as fees from the payroll company

This way you always have a clear picture of where you stand when it comes to your company’s payroll.

What should you pay for this service?

This is an area of some speculation because many payroll companies do not openly state their rates. The reason for this is often because each company requires a different amount of time and effort to transition their payroll to a payroll provider. Some companies however, like WagePoint, do have open pricing (at least for up to companies with 25 employees). Most payroll companies have pricing on a per employee per payroll basis i.e. weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly or monthly.

The charges below are a guideline:

• Set up Fees: $100 and above (depends on the number of employees)
• Payroll Processing Charge: $20 base fee per payroll + $1.50 per employee per payroll
• T4s and ROEs: Generally $2 each per employee per payroll
• Note: some companies charge extra for things like putting your logo on paystubs or even for paystubs themselves. So read the fine print!

Benefits of hiring a payroll services company

• Cost: If you consider the cost of the service relative to the time you spend doing your payroll, you may find that you’re able to allocate this time to other areas that benefit your business, such as HR or customer service
• Payroll expertise: Payroll companies have specialists who keep up-to-date with all the changing government regulations, thus ensuring you are always covered. They also occasionally give advice on the tax options available to treat a particular compensation plan
• Keep your employees happy: Think about what happens to your employee’s morale if they get paid inaccurately or if they end up owing money to the government at the end of the taxation year
• Government fines and penalties: Companies often pay thousands of dollars towards fines because they don’t remit the taxes on time. If you are one of these companies, consider the overall savings to be had

Almost 100,000 businesses across Canada, both large and small, outsource their payroll. Ultimately, outsourcing your payroll is a business decision that requires some cost vs. benefit analysis.

We would love to hear your outsourcing stories. Please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

About the Author: – Shrad Rao is the Chief Handshaker at WagePoint – a payroll company that is trying to bring transparency and fun into the payroll outsourcing industry!

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Canadians across three generations are expecting to retire before 65yrs, according to a report. But will they be financially prepared to achieve that goal?

Sixty-one is the average age of expected retirement for Canadians, though the average is lower for those in generation X (ages 31-46) who plan to retire at 60yrs, and those in generation Y (ages 25-30) who plan to retire at 59yrs.

However, 50% of boomers (ages 47-64) and 62% of gen-Xers say they have less than $100,000 in household financial assets, not including company pensions, life insurance policy and home equity.

And 44% of Canadians believe they will have debt once they retire.

The advice from TD? “An early retirement is only achievable if you take the steps needed to get there. Our research suggests that many Canadians feel they are behind when it comes to getting their finances in order for retirement, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Early retirement may be an option, as long as you take the time to do the proper planning, including a comprehensive financial plan, as well as disciplined investing over the long term.

“Investments can be made in a variety of different savings tools, including Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) or Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs). An in-depth conversation with an advisor is the best place to start.”

Retirement savings tools like RRSPs really work well if you start making contributions early in your working life.

Download the Age of Retirement factsheet for:

• BC
• Ontario
• Manitoba and Saskatchewan
• Alberta
• Atlantic Canada

For more details on the study

How hard is it for teams to collaborate? More difficult that it seems, according to a study.

While the majority of Canadian organizations value high-impact team collaboration, the study found that fewer than one-third actually provide a proper framework for it.

As a result, the skill gap widens while business performance suffers – almost 81% of the 895 survey respondents say poor communication lies at the heart of cross-team collaboration failure.

And while 56.5% of respondents believe their organization’s project performance would improve if their teams worked more collaboratively, only 27% actually do.

The study’s major findings determined that:

• The majority of organizations, in fact, do not work collaboratively, despite the value that they realise would come from better teamwork
• Rigid work structures exist within companies that keep people from working together
• Organizations are not investing in the right mix of skills training needed to improve collaboration on projects and initiatives

Critical business skills needed for better collaboration, according to study

Download the full report

Employers need to improve their pay and reward communications to help keep workers motivated, according to an HR association in the UK.

Two-fifths of employers fail to communicate the rationale behind their decision to raise, cut or freeze employees’ pay and, of those that do, less than one-fifth relate the decision to the individual’s performance, found its survey of 3,056 wording adults.

Other findings

The most common explanations for pay decisions are:

• The state of the economy (45%)
• How much money the organization has to spend (38%)
• The performance of the individual (15%)

Is money a taboo topic in your orgnaization?

Download the full survey

Being a team player isn’t about doing what you’re told, without question. It’s about attitude and, more often than not, common sense.

Here are some guidelines to help develop your team player skills.

Be respectful and supportive of everyone in the group

• Avoid interrupting (allow others to finish when speaking)
• Make eye contact when speaking (or listening)
• Consider others’ ideas, not just your own
• Consistently treat others with courtesy and consideration
• Show understanding
• Learn to value others and their differences – it’s what makes your team stronger
• Be friendly!
• Compliment other members of the team when they’ve worked hard or overcome a challenge
• Acknowledge the contributions of others and don’t take credit for work that’s not yours

Communicate constructively, respectfully and effectively, and don’t be afraid to be heard

• Share information freely among team members so everyone is on the same page
• Don’t shy away from making a point but be clear, honest and direct in your thoughts and opinions without showing disrespect
• Don’t be afraid to speak to those in authority (this may come with experience). You might be surprised by how much they want your input. Just remember to be tactful and respectful
• If you have a problem, talk things through before it becomes too big (it benefits both you and the team). Just be respectful of others’ feelings while doing so

Listen actively

• Listen first; speak second
• Absorb, understand, and consider the ideas and viewpoints of others without always debating and arguing
• Allow people to feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings. If not, they may not open up
• Receive constructive criticism openly. Don’t act defensively or take things personally
• Look at someone when they are speaking. Nod, ask probing questions and acknowledge your understanding by paraphrasing points made
• If you’re unclear about something, ask for more information to clear up any confusion before moving on
• Show people you value their ideas
• Be patient and respectful of what other team members have to say

Be active and involved

• Be an active participant and, at the very least, always do your fair share. You don’t have to become a martyr, just work with others to make things happen
• Be a leader when called upon but be supportive of others who lead
• Be cooperative, not competitive, with other team members
• Allow everyone to participate
• Always stay focused on the vision or goals and hold yourself and others accountable for them (this if often easier is you set SMART objectives)
• Be fully engaged: come prepared for team meetings; listen and speak up. Don’t sit there passively
• At the same time, don’t just throw ideas out for the sake of it. Think about what the team is trying to accomplish and contribute towards that
• What is it you can do to help make the team a success? Become a “can do” person and take the initiative to help make things happen
• Respond to requests for assistance and take the initiative to offer help (don’t place conditions on your assistance)

Be committed

• Show up each and every day with your priorities aligned
• Be motivated. Give everything your very best and encourage others to do so too
• Care about what the team is doing and contribute to its success – without needing a push
• Do not be concerned about your personal success but instead focus on that of your team, knowing that you contributed to it

Recognize your strengths…and those of others

• We’re all good at different things. Recognize your strengths and those of others
• By using your talents for the good of the team you can help create an effective team and amazing results
• Also, be willing to step back and explore other less obvious talents (some of which may be better suited to the progress of the team)

Don’t blame, boast or brag

• Don’t point or blame, it will lose you respect
• When you make a mistake, admit it
• Rejoice in your successes with the team but don’t brag (have faith that people will recognize when good work is being done and that they’ll let you know how well you’re doing)

Be prepared, punctual and reliable

• When attending meetings or discussions be organized and have a plan (for example, create an agenda before meetings and agree who will chair and take minutes)
• Being on time shows you value the time of others
• If you are asked to do something or if you say you’re going to do something, do it (whether it’s turning up for a meeting or event, meeting a deadline or just fulfilling an action item). Others may be relying on you
• Be consistent. Become the person others can count on/li>

Trust

• Be trusting and trustworthy
• Trusting others means having confidence in team members and in the project or vision
• Respect their abilities and skills, as well as your own
• Involve others rather than trying to do it all yourself
• When teams trust one another they are more willing and able to go through difficult processes and will ultimately achieve greater success

Share openly and willingly

• A team achieves more when it’s built on the knowledge and experience of others. Take the initiative to share or teach what you know
• Sharing needn’t be formal. It could just be about keeping others in the loop with information and expertise that helps get the job done and prevents surprises
• Build on the ideas of others
• Always be willing to learn new skills

Personal attitude

• Arrive with a positive attitude
• Treat others professionally
• Avoid group and team politics
• It’s about the team, not you
• Don’t be distracted by personal or petty disagreements – remain focused on the team’s goals
• Developing good diplomatic negotiating skills will enable you to effectively transform tense situations in to win-wins for all involved
• Show your sense of humor and have fun (but not at someone else’s expense)
• Show appreciation for others

Flexibility

• Whether you call it changing, adapting or just rolling with the punches, flexibility is an admirable characteristic in any team player
• By the very nature of being part of a group, you won’t always get your own way. Be willing to try the ways of others
• There will inevitably be tough times but flexible team members will help a group deal with changing conditions much more effectively
• Don’t get stressed out over new directions, structure or technology – just adapt
• Don’t hold rigidly to a view point. Be firm in your thoughts yet be open to what others have to offer
• Be willing to work with anyone

Work as a problem-solver

• Do not avoid issues, dwell on them too long or look for blame, instead seek ways in which they can be overcome
• Collaborate with others to find solutions and form action plans

The success of a team depends on its team members. As an individual, you really can make a difference.

In one situation, what started out as healthy competition between departments grew in to bitter hostility, to the point where the two teams were not even allowed to associate with one another. Eventually neither team knew what the other was doing, which is when a very costly mistake was made: both teams ordered the same expensive piece of software, unaware their order was actually a duplicate. This is when the company decided it was time to step in to resolve the issues.

In another example, one employee became so emotionally affected by conflict that, on the advice of her doctor, she took extended stress leave. It was almost two years until she felt able to return to work. During this time the company had to hire two new employees to cover her responsibilities in her absence. The cost to the company was huge. Not only the continued pay the employee received while on stress leave, but also the cost of two new employees.

Conflict also has hidden costs. According to a US study in 2008 commissioned by CPP Group, the average employee spends 2.1 hours per week dealing with conflict. This equates to lost productivity when little to no real work is done.

If not dealt with early enough, as conflict festers the company may need to take drastic measures including restructuring of reporting structures or even of the physical workspace.

The financial impact of excessive stress can include extended stress or sick leave, as well as associated health benefits such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and counselling. If employees choose to leave a workplace because of conflict, the cost of turnover can be significant. According to a 2005 study by Warren Shepell, the total value of lost work time due to stress in Canada is approximately $1.7billion per year.

Imagine also the loss of creative ideas, quality decision making and productive teamwork.

If left unchecked, conflict may also draw the attention of customers and clients who, in turn, may choose to take their business elsewhere.

The longer conflict continues, the greater the financial impact to all concerned — employees, teams and organizations. Resolving conflict as quickly as possible will therefore limit both the emotional and financial damage. Preventing it in the first place though is far less costly.

How can you help prevent conflict becoming damaging?

• Deal with conflict immediately: avoid the temptation to ignore it. However, if the situation escalates or you are upset, allow yourself a brief moment to collect your thoughts (take a short break, go for a walk or just count to ten). This will help you think more clearly, be more articulate and appear less emotional
• Be open: if people have issues, they need to be expressed immediately and not allowed to fester
• Practice clear communication: articulate thoughts and ideas clearly
• Practice active listening: focus on what people are saying, paraphrase, clarify and ask questions
• Focus on building positive relationships
• Focus also on yourself: think about how you can change your behaviour to eliminate conflict at work. Lead by example
• Separate people from issues: don’t allow conflict to become personal. Stick to facts and issues
• Focus on actionable solutions: don’t dwell on what can’t be changed
• Encourage different points of view: encourage honest dialogue and the expression of feelings
• Always look at things from both sides: ask people for their point of view
• Don’t look for blame: encourage ownership of the problem and seek solutions
• Be respectful: treat colleagues as you would like to be treated
• Be trustworthy: live up to your word, even when difficult. Once trust is broken it is almost impossible to regain
• Keep team issues within the team: talking outside allows conflict to build and fester, rather than being dealt with directly

You may also enjoy reading:

• Two top tips on how to be a better boss
• How to identify top performers
• The financial cost of workplace bullying