During your search and evaluations of HRIS systems or HRMS software applications, you will hear a great deal about interfaces. The purpose of this article is to explain in detail how they are typically used. If you are looking at purchasing an HRIS system, HRMS system or HR software application and plan to tie it to an existing payroll application, this article will prove very helpful. The vast majority of HRIS systems and Payroll applications will offer some type of capability for transferring data from one system to another.

First, it's important to point out the difference between integration and an interface. With an integrated system, you have two products sharing the same data or you have an automatic real time transfer and update of data from one system to another. With HR and Payroll software applications, this is rare unless you are working with the same company for both systems. If that's not the case, then you are going to be dealing with interfaces.

With an interface you will have to either manually, or via an automated process, transfer data from either payroll to hr or vice versa. In many cases, this is a fairly manual process to setup but easy to maintain. If you want to transfer data from Payroll to HR, you will create a file from the payroll system and import this into the HR product using some type of software. The problems with this type of process are that if it's not automated, you will have to frequently perform the transfer of data because, in this example, your data in HR is only as up to date as the last transfer of information from your payroll application. There is no reason to not accept using interfaces since it's still the standard for getting two unique products to share data.

How a Payroll HRIS Interface works

If you are using a well known payroll product, such as ADP, almost all, if not all, HRIS systems will provide some type of interfacing capability between your HRIS system and your payroll product. If not, your HRIS system and payroll system will offer some type of import and export program.

System interfaces are also defined as data mapping. Once you determine which system will push the data, a report will be run from that system containing the data needed to import into your import application. Once the report is run, it is typically converted to either Excel or a text file for importing. Now you need to make sure both systems are speaking the same language. This is called data mapping. If in one system the field name for first name is "fnam", and in the system you are mapping to the field name is "first name," you simply direct the "fnam" data in product to populate the "first name" field.

The same process is repeated for each and every field contained in both systems. The good news is that after you set up the data mapping, you won't have to repeat this process. The next time you need to transfer data, you will spend only a few minutes to do so.

The challenge with the setup occurs when the fields are in different formats or lengths. In these cases, the data can be brought into Excel and any needed modifications can be made there before importing the data. In some cases, the actual interface software will provide the ability to alter the information.

Populating your HRIS system database

Let's say you have just purchased a new HRIS system. By some means or another you are going to want to easily pull as much information from other sources as possible into your new system. If you have another HR product, you may create a file from that system and transfer this data over to your new HRIS system. If you don't, then most likely you will be pulling data from your payroll system to HR. It's important to note that your payroll system will not contain all the information of your HRIS system. So there are only so many fields you will be able to update. Typically, this information is going to include demographic data and data related to pay that will be tracked in your HRIS system. I have seen what rarely transfers from one system to another are benefits data and history. Make sure to ask about the transfer of this data while you are reviewing systems.

Payroll to HRIS or HRIS to Payroll

Going forward, you will have to determine which direction you want to push data and in what system your core input for new hires, terminations, and employee changes will happen. Whichever direction you decide to go, payroll to HR or HR to payroll, it's important to realize that whichever system is accepting the data will have the interface for that import of data. This is not always the case but in most circumstances it will be.

Remember the data in the system being updated is only as up to date as when the last interface data transfer was performed. This can create problems. Let's say, for example, that you are pushing data from your payroll system to your HRIS product and the last time you performed an update was two weeks ago. If you run a termination or new hire log from your HRIS system, the data you are relying on is two weeks old. You may have to go through the process of updating your data before running the report. As you have seen, interfaces are not a perfect world but they are a necessity.

I have vivid memories of being bullied when I was in the fourth grade. Darrell would line me and other class mates up each morning and extort our lunch money under threat of beating us to a pulp! Darrell had already missed about two grades and towered over everyone. We were thoroughly intimidated. Growing tired of watching other kids enjoying their lunches I came up with an idea. I'll tell my mom about it and she will get him off my back!

Wrong! She gave me one of the worst thrashings of my life and said, "Don't you let that boy take your lunch money. I'm going to call your teacher tomorrow to make sure you eat lunch." Now I was really in a jam, I had to decide who I was more afraid of Mom or Darrell! I didn't get an inch of sleep that night and the next morning went off to school hoping to hide from Darrell. Unfortunately, he caught me before the homeroom bell and proceeded to pound me for refusing to cough up my lunch money.

During the course of the fight I remember being cheered on by other victims of Darrell's tyranny. Mercifully, the teachers arrived and saved me from further punishment. I looked at Darrell and to my amazement; I had actually bloodied his nose! As we were being marched to the principals office, I was cheered and patted on the back by my classmates. I also got a lot of attention from the girls in my class. I explained to the principal about Darrell's extortion racket and moms response. He sent me back to class and Darrell was suspended for a week. After that, I never had any more problems with Darrell. We in fact became good friends.

Unfortunately there are a lot of "Darrells and Darrellettes" in the workplace who are just as intimidating to fellow employees. Standing up to workplace bullies can be just as frightening for the victims. Workplace bullying can take on different forms such as:

-psychological abuse
-physical abuse
-emotional abuse
-verbal and non verbal abuse
-sabotage of the victims work product
-Bullies in the workplace often take advantage of their power by...
-humiliating
-insulting
-affronting and confronting
-intimidating

...the "target" of their abuse. Many times this behavior is played out in front of witnesses to destroy the victims self esteem. When management allows bullying, trust in the workplace is nonexistent. Studies show that when there is an environment of distrust, employees tend to perform poorly. So bullying is bad for business. When employers are aware of bullying from employees and managers and do nothing to correct it, they share in the negative consequences. Workplace bullies come in all shapes, genders, races and sizes and have a great need for control. Here are the four basic types of workplace bullies.
Yellers They always have to talk over the target(s).

Blockers This type likes to undermine the reputation of the target and destroy work product.
Backstabbers Self explanatory, they work in the shadows spreading ugly rumors and gossip aimed at the target.
Nitpickers This bully lives to find fault with everything the victim does no matter how trivial. The bully will trash any suggestions by the target for improving workplace performance and efficiency as well.
A national poll conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute says 37 percent or 54 million American employees have been or are bullied at work. Gary Namie, director of the Institute says, "It's a silent epidemic". Workplace bullying is also called "mobbing" when two or more managers or employees gang up on a victim. Co-workers who witness bullying have increased levels of low morale and stress. Employees who are the targets exhibit...

-insomnia
-stroke
-depression
-migraine headaches
-low self esteem
-high levels of stress disorder
-suicidal tendencies
-greater risk of heart disease

Because there are no laws protecting employees from bullying there is no clear definition for it. That makes it hard to distinguish from other behaviors such as sexual and racial harassment. To this point, the federal government has -no workplace bully laws. Businesses and organizations by and large don't have policies to prevent it. However, several states have proposed legislation to provide employees some protection. There are some things employees can do to protect themselves.

-learn more about it
-stay calm
-promote your good work
-inform management of the problem(if the bully is the manager go over his/her head)
-understand the bully is the problem not you

Keep good records detailing the bully's behavior over a period on time. This includes names, dates, times, places, witnesses, etc. Try to get the bully to create a paper trail for you. You would be amazed at how easy it is to get people behaving badly in the workplace to email their negative intent toward you. I have successfully used email that required a response to accomplish this. Keep all the documentation you receive from the bully that helps you prove his/her accusations against you are false. Finally, if possible always try to have one or more witnesses who aren't intimidated or a part of the bullies "mob" around as witnesses to what is said and done.

Raising awareness and making a stand like the one I did against Darrell are the most effective ways to discourage and prevent workplace bullying. Seeking legal guidance is always an option as well until specific laws are passed to protect employees.

With today's technology, web-based payroll service providers make it easy for businesses of all sizes to get the payroll services they need at a price they can afford. The benefits of web-based payroll solutions are numerous. Two important service features to evaluate include reporting capability and regulatory compliance.

Keys to Web-based Payroll Services Success

Reporting Capability: Because one of the major costs of running a business is employee salary, the reporting capability of the web-based payroll software your company chooses is extremely important.

Some providers of web-based payroll services offer minimal data, while others offer more robust packages. The best ones offer a full spectrum of easy to use and easy to access standard reports that business owners and managers can use to make key decisions. For example, if management is trying to assess overall employee costs, they will want to analyze the relationship between key employee indicators such as overtime, turnover and vacation time.

A key advantage of online payroll services is anytime access to payroll data and the ability to access information from any time period. There is no need to sort through reams of paper, stacks of reports or a multitude of CDs. Simply log on, key in the time period you choose and the information is at your fingertips. This simplifies the decision-making process because you can forward essential information to key parties and arrive at decisions sooner.

Regulatory Compliance: Employment laws and payroll taxes are constantly changing and are increasingly complex. Running a business and staying on top of official regulations can be overwhelming for even the most progressive business. Because of this, many business owners outsourced their payroll services to payroll service providers who are experts in the field of payroll and payroll tax and specialize in this complex practice.

Web-based payroll services can keep businesses in payroll tax regulatory compliance with all federal, state and local employment laws. And, it can cost less than doing it in-house or using an old fashion service. Some of the necessities you should require from providers of web-based payroll services include:

Tax Law Changes: Payroll tax laws change every year at federal, state and local levels. Reputable web-based payroll providers ensure that all of the tax tables in their systems are up to date and compliant and that all payroll tax law amendments are fully communicated. Using a web-based payroll system means you don't need to watch for tax updates, upload the updates yourself and manage a payroll processing software yourself.

IRS Reporting: The right web-based payroll services provider will handle all of your payroll-related IRS obligations, such as calculate, deduct, pay and file all federal, state and local taxes. If you elect the right service, all you'll have to do is enter your payroll data. The software will then automatically calculate, deduct and file all appropriate forms and deposit them into the appropriate government accounts.

End-of-Year Paperwork: In addition to annual and quarterly filings of payroll taxes, a highly-regarded web-based payroll services supplier will prepare and distribute W-2 and 1099Mis forms at the end of the year to your workforce-full-time and part-time employees and independent contractors.

So much more rides on choosing the right web-based payroll services provider than just processing payroll. Business owners must also be concerned about reporting capabilities and regulatory compliance. Now, with today's online payroll and web-based technology, it's easier than ever to access both convenient and accurate payroll services at an affordable price.