Ascentis Announces Release of HROffice 6.5
Ascentis announces the release of HROffice 6.5 with feature enhancements focusing on online leave management, improved employee communications, and compliance management tools.
Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) June 20, 2005 -- Ascentis announces the release of
HROffice 6.5 with feature enhancements focusing on online leave management,
improved employee communications, and compliance management
tools.
"HROffice 6.5 includes over 80 feature and functionality updates.
These changes were widely based on customer feedback as well as changes in
federal regulations," says Mike Hayes, VP of sales and marketing at Ascentis.
Hayes continues, "We take customer feedback very seriously and strive to
make automated HR and benefits management as easy as possible for small and
mid-sized businesses. For example, an HROffice customer recently went through a
Sarbanes-Oxley audit. Since HROffice contains compensation information, it was
also audited. After hearing the results we created the new Sarbanes-Oxley
Financial Audit Log for HROffice 6.5 along with new tools for ethics training
and compliance. This report and other feature enhancements will ensure our
customers easily remain in compliance."
Compliance features added to
HROffice 6.5 in the specific areas of OSHA, COBRA, and Sarbanes-Oxley
include:
1. Comprehensive OSHA incident tracking and reporting
capabilities provide organizations with tools to record work-related injuries or
illnesses. Reports can be run to produce the required OSHA forms 300, 300A, and
301.
2. Updated COBRA notices based on the latest COBRA regulations
provided by the Department of Labor ensure all COBRA notice requirements are
met.
3. A new "Sarbanes-Oxley Financial Audit Log" report lets a user
enter a specific date range and run a report on all compensation changes that
occurred during the specified time period. The log includes information on who
made the change, the date of the change, and the compensation prior to the
change.
Employee communications enhancements added to HROffice 6.5
include online leave requests and manager approval, additional automated
workflow processes, and improved email templates.
1. Through HROffice
Employee Self-Service, employees determine their vacation availability (from any
point-in-time) and request leave online. Employees can accurately schedule
vacations far in advance, knowing their manager has approved and noted the time
off.
2. Managers view and approve requests online. The "My Team" tab
displays all submitted requests from the manager's direct reports. A "leave
calendar view" allows a manager to see all acknowledged and pending leave
requests to see who will be in or out of work at any given time. Requests can
then be approved/rejected accordingly.
3. Automated workflow process
ensures no time off request goes unnoticed. If a request sits for too long, it
automatically gets passed to the next manager in charge. If the employee is
entitled to the time off and it's approved, HROffice and payroll systems will
automatically be updated to reflect the leave taken.
4. HTML
capabilities allow users to create more visually appealing employee
communications. Special formats, fonts, and images can be used to brand
correspondence.
5. New support for ESMTP authentication allows users to
utilize mail servers that require authentication such as Microsoft Exchange
Server.
Kathy Dayton, Human Resources Assistant at MHA Insurance Company
says, "All of my employees love the new time off piece in HROffice 6.5. It's so
easy for both them and me to use, and it makes all of us more accountable for
our leave. From an administrator perspective, this new feature saves me at least
two hours for every payroll cycle. And, I really appreciate the fact that I can
easily - and quickly - run a leave report on past, current, or future dates. It
really is just that easy and it takes the frustration out of leave management."
Other enhancements to HROffice 6.5 include multi-company support in
HROffice Applicant Manager, a new Employee Picture report, improved attachment
ability, and enhanced security related to employee social security
numbers.
About Ascentis Corporation:
In 1994 a benefits administration
expert and two former Microsoft employees founded Ascentis and created the
company's flagship HRMS software - HROffice. Today, the HROffice product line
automates HR and benefits processes for small and mid-sized organizations
nationwide. Connect, communicate, and control all aspects of HR with HROffice.
A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Ascentis was named by Workforce
Management to its 2005 hot list of the "Top HRMS Providers" for the second year
in a row. Additionally, Forbes.com included Ascentis in its "Best of the Web
Pick."
Media Evaluation: Please visit the Ascentis booth (#712) at the
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference & Exposition
June 19-21, 2005 for further information on HROffice 6.5 and the HROffice
product line.
This press release was distributed through eMediawire by
Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed
above.
Contact:
Courtney McKenzie
425-289-2359
e-mail protected
from spam bots
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb253046.htm