Successful Staff Recruitment and Retention needs a Scientific Approach
01 March 2010

Recruitment and retention of the right employees is one of the most difficult and critical aspects of the HR function in companies and organisations both large and small. Fortunately there are new ways for agencies and companies to select the right employees and retain them.... | more

In his maiden budget speech Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan enhanced his popularity on Wednesday 17 February by announcing a practical Budget which provides tax relief for individuals totalling R6.5-billion and does away with SITE tax with effect from 1 March 2011... | more

It is time to change ingrained perceptions of Human Resource Management, such as the belief that (a) implementing HR software and (b) placing a strategic focus on HRM will result in a layer of red-tape and adversely affect a company’s operational success. ... | more

SARS gives SME companies and taxpayers a break on mandatory employee information
22 January 2010

National Payroll and HR software specialist Softline Pastel Payroll, which provides training for up to 30 000 learners a year at its four academies in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, is now formally accredited with the SETA for Finance, Accounting, Management Consulting and other financial services... | more

Fasset Seta Accreditation for Payroll Training Academy Enables SDL Payment Recovery
November 2009

National Payroll and HR software specialist Softline Pastel Payroll, which provides training for up to 30 000 learners a year at its four academies in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, is now formally accredited with the SETA for Finance, Accounting, Management Consulting and other financial services... | more

Automated Payroll Software Ensures Leave and Bonus Pay is a Breeze and Complies with BCEA ACT
November 2009

The end of the year is in sight and companies face the administrative burden of making the complex calculations related to determining the correct leave and bonus pay due to individual employees. The process is governed by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) which sets out the legal structure of all employment contracts and the rights of employees to ensure they are fairly treated in terms of annual leave, and severance or notice pay... | more

Formal Training a Most Important Component for Career Advancement
November 2009

Many of the business/management graduates majoring in Human Resources that emerge from South African Universities as well as school-leavers, enter the workplace without having undertaken any hands-on, formal training in business technology and HR and Payroll software... | more

Brace Yourself for Compulsory 2010 Electronic Tax Submissions
October 2009

Companies face a daunting task collecting, updating and collating information on their employees to ensure that their employee tax certificates are not rejected at the start of the 2009-2010 tax year employers’ filing season commencing in April next year... | more

Payroll Outsourcing Eases Burden for SME Companies
October 2009

Employment Equity Returns Loom for Companies Employing 150 or more
September 2009

The deadline of 1 October looms for companies with 150 or more employees who intend lodging manual returns and reports on their employment equity status with the Department of Labour... | more

Pastel My Paycheck Online Pays Employees Anywhere, Any Time
August 2009

Pastel Payroll launched a new online software application which enables employees to be paid at anytime from anywhere in the world... | more

Government trims down Employment Equity Compliance Reporting Requirement
August 2009

Companies with more than 50 employees will no doubt be pleased that the Department of Labour has significantly reduced the length and detail of compulsory Employment Equity planning and status reports... | more

Payroll is Business-Critical so take care when selecting a software solution
July 2009

In today’s increasingly legislated environment where company payrolls have to operate within the regulations laid down by no fewer than six Acts of Parliament, including the Income Tax Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Labour Relations Act, wise companies will take great care when selecting a payroll software solution... | more

Tax Season is Officially Here – How to Have a Pain-Free Tax Return Experience
July 2009

Mass market ERP demystifies concept of ERP
June 2009

I have a general dislike of acronyms like ERP (enterprise resource planning) because, for business people, they create an entirely undeserved mystique around technology. As a consequence, they create confusion and, therefore, additional resistance by business people to technology... | more

Pastel Evolution Payroll & HR’s ESS Module Enables on-Line Interaction with Staff
June 2009

An employee self-service (ESS) module developed by payroll software specialist Softline Pastel Payroll, is designed to provide companies, management, payroll administrators, the HR department and staff with significant benefits and advantages – even assisting with records such as business travel for tax deductions... | more

Pastel Payroll Online CRM assists Channel partners and customers
June 2009

Payroll and HR software developer Softline Pastel Payroll has introduced an online CRM system for customers and channel partners. The web-based system is accessible in two zones established on the web, a customer zone and a reseller zone... | more

Pastel Payroll Launches New HR Software Solution For Medium To Larger Businesses
June 2009

Pastel Evolution Payroll and HR software developed by Softline Pastel Payroll for medium to larger sized businesses is not only customisable but also offers an HR module called Pastel Evolution HR, a software solution focused on streamlining and improving the efficiency of day-to-day human resource management... | more

New Pastel Evolution Payroll & HR Software Presents Customisable Functionality
June 2009

A best-of-breed software solution that presents customisable, adaptable payroll and HR functionality on a highly secure Microsoft SQL database for medium to large sized businesses has been developed and launched by Softline Pastel Payroll... | more

HR Software: The Incremental Approach To A Giant Jigsaw Puzzle
June 2009

Companies have in the past thrown big money at all-encompassing HR software solutions. Two years later they invariably end up using just 20% of the functionality as they begin to discover the remainder is either not applicable or practical... | more

Small municipalities can be as efficient as larger ones, thanks to cost-effective software
June 2009

It’s now easier than ever for small municipalities to stabilise their revenue streams through efficient accounting and billing. According to Mohammed Mosam, divisional director at Softline Pastel, ordinary accounting systems are unsuitable for municipal use and often lead to financial difficulties in smaller municipalities... | more

Points To Remember When Selecting A Payroll & HR Software Solution
May 2009

Payroll has become a critical financial aspect of running a business whether it is a micro enterprise with just five employees, a small or medium sized-enterprise with up to 250 employees or a larger corporate operation... | more

Marketing in a Downturn Economy Means Getting Back to Basics
April 2009

In growth economies it is easy to allocate budget for full colour ‘glamorous’ adverts without too much focus on return on investment and actual sales generated from the campaign because sales are increasing anyway thanks to the... | more

Exciting Opportunities within Pastel Payroll
April 2009

One of the most, if not the most, important factor in any employment and career path is remuneration. Getting paid correctly, on time, every time and receiving a performance based increase and bonus is something that most... | more

Software Piracy on the Wane as Vendors Apply Smarter Tactics
April 2009

Pirating software is not as easy as it used to be. Vendors have got smarter and most packages today feature mechanisms that lock down the software to a specific PC or server requiring a specific authorisation code to open the software for use... | more

SME Market Shows Interest in SaaS for Payrolls
April 2009

Hefty Fines Loom for Companies that Miss Labour Department COID Returns Deadline
March 2009

The Department of Labour’s Compensation Fund is expecting all employers to submit their annual return of earnings before the end of this month... | more

Payroll Systems, Technology and Outsourcing for Business Success
March 2009

Making a success of business in normal circumstances is difficult enough, let alone under the shadow of the current international economic crisis with reduced spending power impacting adversely on sales... | more

New Business Travel Tax Claim System made Easy with Pastel Payroll’s Electronic Logbook
March 2009

The current tax year to 28 February 2010 is the last year in which SA Revenue Services will allow the “deeming provision” where the first 18000km is deemed to be private travel and the balance... | more

Payroll Systems Critical for Start-Ups and Micro-Enterprises
March 2009

Entrepreneurs involved in start-up companies need to pay particular attention to two administrative areas, accounting and payroll... | more

Boundaries Between HR and Payroll Disappear with New Software Functionality and Features
February 2009

The functions of human resources departments (HR) and payroll administrations in SME businesses are merging. Barriers between the two continue to fall away as payroll software undergoes radical development to cater for changing demands... | more

Budget Speech Good News on two Fronts for Taxpayers
February 2009

There is good news on two fronts for taxpayers in the tax and medical aid-related revisions in the 2009/2010 budget announced by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel this afternoon (Wednesday 11 February)... | more

New PAYE software from SARS replaces e-filing and must be used for the 2009 tax year
February 2009

Employers in the 2009 tax year are required to use the e@syFile PAYE system launched by SA Revenue Services. In 2009 the e@syFile PAYE system  will replace the online eFiling solution that many employers have successfully used during the Employer’s Filing Season 2008 for PAYE reconciliations... | more

Payroll Outsourcing Services the answer says National Paint Supplier
January 2009