Curated by Lezé
1 April 2023
Overview
- A look into Employee Working Hours
- Breaking news
- Streamline Your Hospitality Business
- Helpdesk Tips
- Staff Bio -Keano Soule
- New product features
- Partnerships
- Updates
- Paymaster Announcement
Maximizing Productivity: A look into Employee Working Hours
Work hours regulations…who are they for?
According to the BCEA , work hour stipulations apply to employees who;
- earn less than R241 110, 59 a year.
- If you earn more, you are not covered by the work hour clauses.
- If you work less than 24 hours per month, you are also not included in these clauses.
Setting work hours
Consider your employee’s health and safety when setting their work hours.
Also, respect their family responsibilities.
The BCEA says a day is 24 hours (from the time the employee starts working).
- they may not work more than 45 hours per week (excluding lunch break).
- they may not work more than 9 hours a day(in 5 days or less).
- and no more than 8 hours a day if working more than 5 days per week.
This may be extended – by mutual agreement – by
- 15 minutes a day
- not more than 60 minutes a week
Exceptions
- the employee must agree to hours in writing.
- they may not work more than 12 hours any day, up to 12 hours a day(including meal break) without overtime pay.
- may not work more than 45 hours a week.
- or more than 6 days a week.
Lunch breaks
This must be included in the contract of employment. (The meal break is usually not included as a work hour.)
- lunch break must be taken after 5 hours of work.
- it must last at least an hour.
- they may not work at all during this break (unless duties can’t be left unattended, or done by someone else).
- they must be paid if required to work during their lunch break.
* it may be agreed -in writing- to reduce the lunch break to 30 minutes.
Rest periods
All employees must be allowed to rest, therefore…
- there must be at least 12 hours between work periods (can be reduced to 10 hours if they live on the work premises – but then lunch break must be at least 3 hours)
- weekend rest must be at least 36 hours…and include a Sunday
- OR they have 60 hours of rest every 2 week period
- the employer may reduce the rest period by up to 8 hours BUT must then extend next week’s rest period by the same amount of time.
Work at night
Night work – after 6pm and before 6am
- employees must agree to night work.
- shift allowance must be paid, or reduced working hours
- transport must be provided between their home and place of work.
BUT if they work regularly (5x a month or 50x a year) after 23:00 and before 6:00am, then:
- workers must be informed of any safety hazards that may be faced during work hours
- they have a right to a medical exam (at employer’s expense) before starting duties AND may have follow-up checkups if they continue those night duties
- if the night shift results in health problems, they must be moved to a day shift as soon as possible.
If you need more information around the regulations linked to work hours , please contact the Paymaster Helpdesk. We also offer comprehensive payroll services, that will keep your business compliant.
– Provided by Ian Hurst –
News
Annual Reconciliation Declaration (EMP501) submission period 2022/2023
We want to remind you that the Annual EMP501 Reconciliation Submission period will run from 1 April 2023 to 31 May 2023.
Worried about your tax-year end submissions? Subscribe to Paymaster’s submission support service. For a small fee we will make sure you submit accurately and on time.
Contact Ian on 082 898 5006 or ian@paymaster.co.za for more info or a quote.
In preparation for your submission:
- Check your payments and reconciliations processed at the end of each month.
- Post correction runs if any adjustments are needed to correct your employee financials.
- Navigate to Payroll Cycle > Payslip Pay Dates
- Check your Company demographic information and Employee personal information on the system.
Return of Earnings Submission 2023 – due date is 31 May 2023.
Skills Development Submission 2023 – due date is 30 April 2023.
In addition, the COIDA earnings threshold has increased to R563 520 per annum, effective 01 March 2023. We are pleased to confirm that this new limit has already been implemented in the system, effective March 2023.
Streamline Your Hospitality Business with
Paymaster’s Payroll Software –
Improve Efficiency, Reduce Costs, and Enhance the Guest Experience
Paymaster’s payroll software can help hotels and guest houses…
Using our online payroll system means employees of hotels can view and access their PAYSLIPS online eliminating the need to print payslips.
Other hospitality businesses using online payroll software are reducing their paper consumption with online tracking, reporting, and centralized document storage capabilities. The hotel and hospitality industry operates in a more efficient manner with online payroll software.
What are some major benefits of Paymaster’s payroll solution to the hospitality industry?
- Cloud data storage
- Better employee experience
- Easy data access
- Easy time tracking
- Remote payroll
- Flexible working, etc.
In addition, hotels and other multi-location businesses in the hospitality industry can provide real-time access to employee information with an excellent employee self-service portal, which also allows employees to view, access, and update their personal details wherever, whenever. This saves HR personnel a great deal of time and effort and increases productivity.
Employers are able to process payroll, run reports, and make changes from anywhere with an internet connection, which helps automate processes and improve efficiency across the HR department. This software means your staff are paid accurately and on time. Resulting in a happier, more productive workforce, and a fabulous guest experience.
– Provided by Ian Hurst –
Helpdesk Tips
How to add Additional Leave Application Overflow
The Company Workflow Setup Screen allows you to create rules for workflow items to move through a defined number of approval steps. Examples of workflow items are Claim Components, Employee Requests and Leave Applications. These workflow items need to be set-up before the workflow path can be created. Once the workflow path has been created, the workflow item is submitted via the Employee Self Service Portal.
Workflow roles may be created and used to accommodate exceptions in workflow paths. Click below for directions on how to add Additional Leave Application Overflow
How to add Additional Leave Application Overflow
Please call our Helpdesk for your queries –
021 712 7333 help@paymaster.co.za or
WhatsApp us – 081 711 1276
Why is the “Directly reports to” person on an employee’s Position screen reflecting as “Not Active”, when their employee record is active?
The Employee Position Screen stores information pertaining to the employee’s position. This includes the employee’s organisation unit, the person they report to directly and occupational level, to name a few. Sometimes the employee’s position effective date is earlier than the manager’s position effective date, which leaves the manager reflecting as ‘Not Active’ on the employee position screen. Click on below instructions to see if it’s possible to report to someone before they have started working for the compnay.
Why is the “Directly reports to” person on an employee’s Position screen reflecting as “Not Active”, when their employee record is active?
Staff Bio
Meet Keano Soule
This month we get to know the one and only Keano Soule! Keano has worked at Paymaster for nearly 2 years, and reports to Nafeesa, the office manager. He is a payroll administrator and quite the entertainer in the office.
Keano grew up in Steenberg, Cape Town with his adoptive parents and two older siblings. He matriculated from Steenberg High School in 2016 and went on to do a Financial Management diploma course at False Bay College. He majored in Financial Accounting, Computerised Financial Systems and Cost and Management Accounting. Because he enjoys working with numbers, he revelled in the responsibility of being the campus treasurer, working out budgets, planning and working with money. He graduated in 2018 and worked for a forex and current exchanges company for nearly 2 years.
Keano jumped at the opportunity to work for Paymaster with his usual optimistic attitude, since it was in his field of interest. Other than his payroll processing responsibilities, he is also a help desk agent at Paymaster. He says this task helps broaden his payroll knowledge, although it can be challenging at times. He needs to break things down in detail for clients, which helps him understand things better overall, and not just stick with his division of payroll processing.
He describes himself as ‘flamboyant’. And this is exactly what the Paymaster staff enjoy about this Gen-z ball of energy. He keeps the environment young and fun with his infectious enthusiasm. A real asset to the Paymaster office.
New Product Features
New enhancements
Consolidate Tax Certificate Run
After several customer engagements, a new enhancement was made to allow customers with multiple frequencies and the same tax number to generate a consolidated tax file for import into e@syFile rather than to extract individual files for each frequency.
A new company setting has been added under General settings. Once activated, the tax file will be a consolidated file located on the current frequency you generate the file from.
An information message will also display when you run the file informing the user that the file will be stored on the currently selected frequency.
Any issues can be directed to help@paymaster.co.za
Pacey – Message Templates
Want to communicate important updates to your employees, but short on time? Check out our latest Pacey update.
Pre-defined message templates will allow users to initiate certain WhatsApp messages to selected employees…
Partnerships
Our partnership with Biosyn and Floatpays is another way that Paymaster endeavors to deliver greater value to our clients.
Tracking Hours, Leave and other HR Requests via the app
The solution to constant employee requests about leave availability etc is…go high tech. Paymaster’s Time and Attendance biometric clocks scan an employee’s
fingerprints, facial & palm features, and registers when they start or leave work. That information is directly relayed to cloud-based payroll servers, eliminating the need for manual data entries. Paymaster’s integrated Time & Attendance software allows employees to submit leave requests and access other details….so, less time answering routine questions, and getting on with essential HR sevices.
Once your access points are setup, either fixed or mobile,
we collect the data into our cloud API and allow this to seamlessly flow into your employees’ payroll software.
So basically, they can apply for leave on the biometric clock or via the app.
If you are interested in learning more about Paymaster Time and Attendance system, be sure to visit our website for more information. There you can find detailed articles, product reviews etc to help you make an informed decision about your time and attendance system. For more information on
services
and
prices,
simply click here.
Discover the benefits of Paymaster Time and Attendance!
or contact Glen Coburn at glen@paymaster.co.za, or call +27 836791311.
Partnerships
continue…
Manage your Expenses this Season with Floatpays
Is your business gearing up for a busy holiday season in the tourism and hospitality industry?
With long hours and shift schedules, it can be tough to juggle your payroll demands and manage expenses during this time.
This is where Floatpays can assist!
With Floatpays, employees can access their earned wages ahead of payday, giving them the financial flexibility they need to cover unexpected expenses and make the most of their time off.
And for employers, Floatpays can help streamline the payroll process and reduce the administrative burden of managing a large, seasonal workforce.
So why not make this holiday season a little less stressful for your team? Get in touch with us if you want to ease your employees’ financial stress and boost their enjoyment of the holiday season.
As a Paymaster partner, Floatpays is already integrated into the Paymaster payroll system, so set-up is quick and easy! Get in touch with Glen Coburn at glen@paymaster.co.za, +27836791311, to book a free DEMO.
Paymaster Updates
Welcome to the payroll news updates! Here, you will find the latest updates and information on all things payroll. We’ve got you covered from employee payroll and payroll tax to payroll management and payroll software.
You’ll find the weekly and Africa updates and resources to help you stay informed and on top of your payroll responsibilities and legislative changes you should know.
April
- Leave Balance Screen | View balances in hours
- New Bulk Upload | Update Employee
- Kenya | Body Type dropdown (Company Car Fringe Benefit)
- South Africa | COIDA Reports Enhancements
- South Africa | Updated COIDA Income Adjustment
April
- Burkina Faso – CNSS Employer Rates
Paymaster Announcement
Welcome to our “Free Payroll Knowledge” webinar series! We understand that payroll can be a complex and challenging task for small businesses, which is why we want to help. We’re excited to announce that our webinars will take place twice a month, on a Wednesday at 10:00-10:30. The series will be an open discussion format,
you ask any payroll question, we have the answer.
We will be announcing the details of each webinar on our social media channels, so be sure to follow us to stay updated. You can join the webinar using the link we will provide.
Closed
- Wednesday
- 29 MarchÂ
- 10:00
Schedule the next webinar
Register here
- Wednesday
- 12 April
- 10:00
Who is this webinar for?
For payroll professionals increasing their skill base, or those new to this function. Or maybe you’re exploring Paymaster as a payroll option….this Webinar is aimed at all of you.
Click here to go to the previous Newsletter
– Monthly newsletter curated by Lezé Felton –
