Chase Staffing makes wise infrastructure investments in lean economy

Longtime Directo customer Chase Staffing has made a number of changes in the past year, increasing efficiency and responding to the market.

They implemented a national Directo paycard program several years ago, then saw a way to cut paperwork and duplicate data entry even more. Last year we integrated paycard enrollment into their Tempworks utility. Cory at Tempworks blogged about it last week.

A wise investment has made an impact in efficiency at every branch, allowing busy branch personnel to spend more of their time placing employees - and making money.

Bad weather and business continuity - put paycards in your toolchest

Storm clouds roil overhead and with one call your foreman has the emergency generator ready to go, just in case. Or snow starts to pile up to the window ledges and you don't have to wonder how your workers will get to the office, because your business continuity plan has a skeletal crew of workers in the building while the rest work from home.

These two scenarios show how business continuity plans are essential to your peace of mind. Even something as simple as making sure that all management has a list of home numbers for all staff can make a difference.

Another simple solution? A Directo payroll card program with MyStub electronic paystubs. You can pay your workers no matter where they are, and because Directo accounts are FDIC insured, with funds held in an FDIC member bank, you know their funds are safe.

Start your plan today! Call Jim McCarthy at 770.810.6505, or email him at jmccarthy@directo.net.

Paycards are just one part of paperless payroll goal

Judging from yesterday's full MyStub webinar, interest in paperless payroll is strong and growing. We at Directo are excited to offer the MyStub electronic paystub, which added to our paycards make any payroll truly paperless. Besides the environmental benefits, the cost savings of electronic paystubs are huge, and with postage going up and service headed in the other direction, it's a no brainer.

If you couldn't log into the webinar or didn't hear about it until today, shoot an email to jmccarthy@directo.net (Jim McCarthy) for an invitation to the next one on July 15th. Guaranteed that your life will change in just twenty minutes.

PEO's and Staffing Companies Hit With Payroll Fraud

The American Staffing Association has issued a warning to its members to be on the alert for companies that create fictitious temporary employees that are paid out of the targeted staffing company's bank accounts. Although the victimized companies are in Georgia, all should be watchful.

Below is an excerpt from the email alert:

Firms Should be Vigilant According to a detective from the Fulton County, Ga., police department, at least three staffing firms have been targeted in an alleged scam by perpetrators in Georgia. The suspects, Nicholas Lee Thomas and Jakim Edward Pearson, allegedly operate Furniture Showroom Inc., Appliance Warehouse, Radiator Warehouse, and Weatherization Inc. According to the detective, they allegedly contact staffing firms to manage their companies' payrolls and then defraud the firms by submitting falsified timecards and names of fictitious employees. The suspects also allegedly remit payments to the staffing firms using checks that later bounce.

At Directo we conduct due diligence on new clients in order to avoid these situations, and monitor accounts to maintain security.

Turning the corner -- we're seeing it already

If you keep up with the news you've noticed that optimism is starting to bubble up from the usual grumbling about the economy. We've definitely seen signs of a turnaround here at Directo. Companies that had pulled back to conserve are hiring again, and many that were frozen into inaction by the downturn are now exploring new ways to save money as they grow once more.

At Directo, we know what it takes to successfully streamline payroll, cutting waste and freeing up valuable employee time through paperless pay technologies. More companies are taking advantage of our years of experience and our innovative solutions. To find out how you can grab some of that optimism for your company, check out www.directocard.com.

Award bonuses with gift cards - a growing trend

An article in today's Washington Post announced the new FDA chief's suspension of their gift card program to award informal bonuses. He wants to be sure that there is a clear criteria for receiving the cards, 160 of which were ordered at $250 apiece "to reward employees for their hard work." They'll start the program up as soon as the chief is assured that everything was done "by the book."

Using prepaid cards for incentive pay is a proven way to reward employees. Rather than run bonuses through payroll, the cards are stockpiled, to be handed to employees when goals are met, or superior performance is rewarded. Cards in small denominations can be used for spur of the moment "attaboys" that increase employee loyalty.

Paperless pay growing in popularity as a way to ease payroll pain.

If you Google "paperless pay" you'll find entries as far back as 2004. In the HR industry, that's practically the Middle Ages. There are many more entries from the last few months, as business diminished from a steady flow to a trickle in the difficult economy. Companies are now looking for a way to reduce expense, and paperless pay seems a clear answer.

Text messaging has grown too, hand in hand with direct deposit and electronic paystubs. In 2004, text messaging was a costly add-on to most phone plans. I recently caught my 82-year-old mother-in-law responding to a text. "Too much trouble to get up and check email," she grumbled. Without knowing it, she'd put her finger right on the source of the growth in popularity of paperless pay--pain and bother.

The early adopters have all been on direct deposit since the beginning. As soon as online check stubs are available, they'll sign up, knowing that they can print one out if and when they need one. Text notifications of account deposits find them where ever they might be, telling them that their payroll has hit their bank account.

For the rest of the employee population, adoption happens when events dictate a change. Several Directo clients adopted paycard programs because of robberies. Employees who would cash their paychecks were mugged and lost all of their cash. Direct deposit was the obvious solution, but because they couldn't open bank accounts, their managers looked for an alternative that would help workers stay safe. Directo paycards were introduced to the employees, and soon became part of their way of life. They were eager to step away from the role of "potential victim" and with Directo's help joined (or rejoined) the banking mainstream.

Meanwhile, payroll costs are rising, and fraud risk has grown. Employers are looking for any way to cut costs while keeping their data secure. Paperless pay becomes the clear answer. Just as texting is now enjoyed by people of all ages and walks of life, so too will electronic payroll delivery. Don't wait until it hurts.