5 Sure Wins When You Come To PayrollHero Meetups

Posted on May 27, 2015 by

This meetup is all about HR and payroll management in the cloud for businesses of any size. Today, more companies are getting smarter and are transforming the way they manage their time, attendance, scheduling, payroll and HRIS to a systematized cloud based solution. To make sure your company does not fall behind on this trend, you need to discover why choosing a better management system helps increase your bottomline.

During the meetup, we will be focusing on tips and tools you can use to better optimize HR and payroll processes, while cutting costs on time and creating a happier work culture.

Let’s solve those problems! We want to share our expertise together with you at our next PayrollHero Meetup!

We will have Steve Jagger, co-founder of PayrollHero!

Hello there!

Sure Wins!

Know the tools that can increase productivity in your business by eliminating buddy punching and ghost employees.
Gain new tactics to effectively improve scheduling, time and attendance, HR and payroll management for your employees.
Business Intelligence tools to use for your business to make informed decisions on human resource.
Get to learn about new tools that can help you gain insights and better understand your customer segment.
Our event is free of charge with FREE wine and snacks!

10th June, 2015, 4pm- 5.30pm
Ocean Financial Centre

Scheduling Practices: Hallway Test!

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Pragya Gupta

Today marks two weeks of my internship at PayrollHero. To celebrate my two-week-erversary, I went out to do a little survey. The aim was to understand what systems businesses have set up to manage scheduling, measure attendance and calculate payrolls.

2015-05-21 16.04.44__1432268258_115.42.154.34

The Costa Coffee crew.

I surveyed 10 cafés in the Central Business District in Singapore to find out how they schedule workers in their outlets. Some of the outlets I visited were Cedele, Starbucks, Joe & Dough and Costa Coffee. They all had similar systems set up to schedule workers, with a few interesting anomalies:

With the exception of one cafe, everyone uses the punch card system or a regular excel sheet for workers to clock in and clock out. The exception in question has software set up to monitor attendance.
Scheduling is done on a weekly basis. The worst case scenario is when a worker notifies the admin that he or she can’t show up just a few hours before the shift begins.
Usually, the outlet manager calls another outlet to find a substitute. In the case of one cafe, Whatsapp groups are used to coordinate and find substitutes. Most outlet managers believe that the best way to reach someone is to call them. Texting or emailing is not a common communication channel.
The HR admin in every outlet takes around 2 to 3 days to calculate payrolls.

With that simple survey, it was evident that cafés in Singapore use conventional ways to schedule shifts. While workers rarely drop shifts, outlet managers need to be on standby to call nearby outlets for substitutes immediately.

Using Data Analytics to Improve Productivity

When the weather is bad, or there is an MRT breakdown, the situation is worse because all outlets in the same region are affected equally. While an outlet manager is calling multiple outlets for substitutes, customers are walking in and waiting for service before walking out, disappointed and unhappy. That directly affects the bottom line. Managers should be able to access an online database and use data analytics to see which outlet is on top of things in real time in order to call that outlet directly and ask for a substitute.

The top priority for every outlet manager is to make sure the day runs smoothly. It becomes much harder when the manager is not equipped with the right data to plan ahead of time. In a country like Singapore that has high internet penetration rates and high cell phone penetration rates, installing an application that stores this data in the cloud is easy and inevitable. If managers had access to this data, it would also be a way to motivate workers to be regular in order to move higher up in the rankings among outlets.

Calculating Payrolls

The systems put in place for measuring hours worked per employee in order to calculate payrolls should also be revamped. It should not take a manager 2 or 3 days to calculate payrolls when she has a million other things to look after. What’s more, the hassle of buddy punching, human errors and shifts in multiple locations add to complications for the manager. More errors equal higher costs. Higher costs equal lower profits. The bottom line is affected by inefficiencies that can be wiped out by a one-time change in the basic infrastructure.

Finally, the idea behind having an app that does all of the above is predicated on increasing productivity: be it that of your rank and file workers or your manager. Higher productivity leads to a better workplace environment and happier people, which further leads to higher productivity. That is a virtuous cycle, if ever I saw one. In effect: optimizing work productivity with happiness.

Now, where have I heard that before…

Restaurant Jobs and Salaries in Singapore

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Pragya Gupta

Life on the Line is a book written by Grant Achatz, owner and chef of the best restaurant in the world: Alinea. The book is about how Grant rose through the ranks to finally become an executive chef and a pioneer in molecular gastronomy. I loved the book. Not only was it a remarkable story about perseverance, it gave a glimpse of what it means to work in a restaurant.

While reading the book, you get an idea of what happens behind the scenes. Like every other restaurant, Alinea has the regular mix of members on the team: a general manager, restaurant manager, executive chef, sous chef, commis, sommelier, the captain waiter, regular waiters, bartender. The whole orchestra.

Most of this was new to me. My knowledge on restaurants went as far as:

Waiter;
Chef;
Food

And that’s about it.

So a breakdown on how restaurants work from a management perspective was an eye-opener to say the least. Naturally, restaurants around the world have the same structure. Singapore is no different. Given below is a little summary of the standard jobs in any restaurant. Not all restaurants have all the components. Most hiring admins in restaurants go by this convention:

General Manager: The CEO of the restaurant. She makes sure things run smoothly. She oversees operations, makes sure supplies arrive on time and hiring and firing activities run smoothly. She tries to cut costs and improve sales too.

Restaurant Manager: He makes sure that training of new employees runs smoothly. He deals with customers, allocates manpower and deals with the maintenance of the place.

Maître d’: She manages the front of house operations. By maintaining the customer database, the maître d’ makes bookings. She also welcomes customers as they enter the restaurant.

Executive chef: The executive chef creates new dishes and plans the menu for every outlet. He looks after the overall direction of the restaurant or outlet.

Head Chef (chef de cuisine): The head chef is the CEO of the kitchen. She allocates duties and ensures there are supplies. She manages daily operations in the kitchen.

Sous Chef: The second in command. He works under the head chef and makes sure things run smoothly in case the head chef is not around. He also ensures the quality of supplies coming in.

Chef de Partie: This is a chef who is in charge of a particular section: grill, pastry, whatever was allocated to her. She makes sure the cooks under him deliver what is required from the section.

Sommelier: Everyone loves the wine guy. He is an expert on wine and food pairing. He maintains the inventory, trains the staff on what wines to suggest and teaches them the convention on serving wine.

Head Waiter: A head waiter is in charge of other waiters/waitresses. She trains them. She also waits on tables and suggests dishes and wine pairings.

Waiter: He waits on tables. He also suggests dishes from the menu. Waiters are trained on how to serve the dishes and the wine that goes with them.

With that crash course on who is who in a restaurant, below we have a table on their average monthly salary in Singapore. This varies based on the location of the restaurant and the type of restaurant.

Title	Salary/Month (SGD)
General Manager	4,000
Restaurant Manager	3,200
Restaurant Assistant Manager	2,500
Executive Chef	7,400
Head Chef	4,000
Sous Chef	3,100
Chef De Partie	2,200
Sommelier	3,000
Captain Waiter/Waitress	1,800
Waiter/Waitress	1,500

We hope this gives you a better idea on the industry!

Restaurant Executive: Andrew Masigan, The Advent Manila Hospitality Group

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Stephen Jagger

As part of a new series on this blog [Retail / Restaurant Executive] we will be interviewing restaurant and retail executives from all over the world to gain insight and perspective into how they make their decisions, grow their businesses and deal with challenges.

Today is Andrew Masigan, owner of The Advent Manila Hospitality Group in the Philippines.

Q. When and why did you start Advent?
I guess you can say that Advent is a reincarnated company. Advent was the name of my first company, just after finishing my Masters program. Back then, it was a sole proprietorship that served as the company behind my first fast food chain, Dimsum ‘n Dumplings. Soon enough, the company grew to a point where it didn’t make sense to pay personal income tax rates for my business profits. I then decided to retire it. In its place, Prime Pacific Corp. was put together as the corporate entity of Dimsum ‘n Dumplings. Fast forward to 2010 and Prime Pacific Corp. was acquired by another firm. I was done with the food business…or so I thought.

The thing with the food business is that, difficult as it is, it is so damn gratifying. It is a business that feeds your mind, soul (through creativity) and stomach, all in one go. Its true what they say — once a foodie, always a foodie.

In 2011, we decided to venture into the restaurant business all over again, this time, making a strong push for Filipino cuisine. The idea was to come up with a Filipino restaurant that was high-end in very sense, debunking the notion that Filipino food was “pedestrian” or suited only for the home.

We launched XO46 Heritage Bistro later that year. It is an advocacy-driven brand whose purpose is to bring forward the best of Filipino cuisine while being an instrument to preserve our vanishing food heritage (no thanks to the influx of fusion cuisine).

XO46 was incorporated under the Advent Manila Hospitality Group. This is our company today. So in a sense, Advent has come full circle.

Q. What is your background? (restaurants? or you figured it out as you went?)
I am somewhat of a strange mutt. I am an economist by training…politics is my interest…the hospitality industry is where my expertise lie.

This strange mix is the reason why I am a restaurateur, a business and political columnist for the Manila Bulletin, a tv host (The Business Examiner) and a consultant to the Department of Science & Technology.

At the heart of it all is my passion to be an instrument to nation building, whether through business, politics or media. I guess you can say that this is what unifies everything that I’m into.

Q. How many locations do you have in the Philippines?
Dimsum ‘N Dumplings peaked at 88 stores, although most were kiosk outlets.

Our restaurant group today consist of 14 stores, with two more under construction and due to open before year-end.

Q. How do you choose a location?
Pretty much the same way most restaurateurs do.

We consider foot traffic, the profile of customers, the merchant mix and the competitive environment.

Q. Will you ever take a sub-par location, if it is in an area you want to be in? or will you wait for the right spot?
I would rather wait for the right spot. If there is anything I’ve learned being in this business for 2 decades — its that, “the bottom line” is the bottom line! In other words, if a site is not going to make money…lets not waste our time.

Q. How big is a standard location? What have you learned about location size?
XO46 works with spaces ranging from 120 sqm to 240 sqm.

Q. Does a corner location matter?
It’s a plus but not a deal breaker.

Q. Are malls better? or street level locations?
Good question. It really depends.

The value that the malls give is that it is a destination on its own; it has inherent foot traffic (assuming the mall is not a dud); security is more or less assured; and your brand gets to ride on the image of the mall and the surrounding merchants.

On the downside, mall spaces are relatively expensive to rent, they limit your operating hours and give you restrictions on your product offerings and store design.

The advantages of street locations are the disadvantage of malls, and vice versa.

Q. At what point did the number of locations change how the business is run? I have been told, 1 or 2 locations is ok, but 3+ requires a different management approach, systems, procedures, etc. What was the tipping point for you?

Fortunately, I know the business well enough that I can still manage our stores with relative personal involvement.

The trick is to put the important systems in place – I’m referring to systems relating to operations, HR and accounting & control.

Beyond 20 stores, the emphasis shifts from personal management & creativity to professionalization. In other words, the efficiency your company’s chain-of-command largely determines how well your stores operate. In addition, logistical issues migrate to the forefront of your business concerns.

Q. Anything you would like to add?
The integration of ASEAN come Jan 1, 2016 will change the industry.

Given the impending borderless trading conditions within the region, we will see the best restaurants groups from each of the 10 economies “invade” other territories, jockeying for a piece of their market.

I would like XO46 to be on the offensive, not on the defensive, in this new environment. After all, the time is right for Filipino cuisine to be exported, don’t you think?

eileen picture company
Want to read more from our executive contributors, check out Eileen Grey, owner of The Picture Company in the Philippines.

5 Things Restaurants Need to Do Attract Top Employees

Posted on May 20, 2015 by

Tips to Attract Top Talent to your Restaurant

Image by themuse.com

Drawing from my past stint working as a waitress back in 2013 in NYC, I have learned that in the service or restaurant business, not everyone works just for the money. Indeed money is one of the key motivators, but people are looking for so much more.

Thankfully, the owner of the restaurant I worked at paid attention to his employees in order to keep us happy and working at his restaurant. Hiring the right talent isn’t easy (not everybody is good at service based roles) and retaining the finest employees is even harder.

What can make it even more frustrating is the fact that the restaurant business has one of the highest turn over rates in the private sector- at 66.3% by 2014.

In this article, you will find tips for making your restaurant more appealing to better employees.

To attract the A-players to come work for you, you will need:

A Clear Path to Advancement
It’s important to remember that people are not working for you only because of the money. Most times it is much more than that. Employees want to know if there is a clear path to advancement in your restaurant. Whether it is moving up to a management position or to the next better paying position on the line, they want to know that the job rewards them based on growth and merit, not who they have to suck up to.
The Work Itself
It pays to be at a job that rewards and makes people happy. A great employee culture makes a great first impression where potential employees will think “Wow, what a great place to work in!”. It shows that you care about your employees and treat them like family. It also let’s your customers know that you run a quality restaurant with staff proudly working with you.
Offer a Fair Salary Package.
Restaurant owners should offer a competitive salary package to the employees. Keep in mind that while it does not have to be the highest, it definitely should not be at the bottom.
Well-trained management/ leadership team
Have great team leader or managers. Take the time to teach them to value each employee and guide them to succeed at their jobs. Great leaders also motivate your employees and create loyalty. When people know that your establishment has a superb leadership team and the ideal working environment, people will be waiting in line to come work for you.
Recognition and Take Care of Your Current Employees
It is good to feature your employees on your restaurant website and social media platforms. Focusing on your staff creates a positive environment, where they are happy to be at work. Giving praise for good work is also a good motivator. Sharing this information with the public will let potential employees know that you value good work.

Did you find this blog post useful? Give your comments below.

Find out how PayrollHero can create a great work place culture for your restaurant. We are happy to setup a time to speak further.

iPad Stands: Upgrading your IT infrastructure

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Pragya Gupta

As a tech company, we can’t help but be biased towards cool gadgets and handy apps to boost your productivity. I mean, who even uses paper to take orders at a restaurant anymore?! As a college going kid, I don’t remember the last time I split a bill with a friend using cash. There’s DBS PayLah! for things like that. Paper money?! No way.

You’ve heard it a billion times before: ramping up your IT infrastructure is imperative to taking your business to the next level. Which is why I think this post is essential among our daily PayrollHero blog bites. We won’t be talking about the obvious benefits of revamping your POS systems. What we want to talk about are supporting systems that enable you to do it while looking cool and classy, all at the same time.

The iPad stands for your POS systems require special designing, based on your customers’ ergonomic needs. The most beautiful designs are simple, customizable in order to attach a card reader and focus on the function taking place between the customer and the iPad. The iPad stand can be used for the following:

Restaurants: For customers to reserve tables and order from the menu while waiting in line for tables.

Retail: To facilitate the POS function of iPads. The stand also can be used at strategic locations to encourage customers to participate in promotions or to give more information about a certain product.

Hotels: For self-check in and check out procedures at the door.

heckler design ipad stand for restaurants Let’s go deeper into the designs that suit the above functionalities. Heckler Design’s WindFall Stand is perfect for retailers. With the minimalist design, the stand is sleek and manages to hide all those cumbersome wires, giving a classy and professional look. Depending on the functionality, the WindFall designs include long kiosk stands or frames that can be attached to the wall.

Armodilo_DTC Armodilo is an award winning company that manufactures iPad stands. The designs are simple and smart. They are versatile and can be used for a wide range of functions. The most interesting design is Armadilo’s Sphere. The stand is attached to a desktop surface and can swivel 90 degrees with an optional rotational base. The stand gives a quirky and fun element to the atmosphere, making it a great design for café’s and casual dining locations.

The Square line of iPad stands is clean and the most cost effective. While the customizable features of the stands are limited, the Square design has an inbuilt card reader. It is perfect for users that have already implemented the Square POS software.

The market for iPad stands is relatively new. As the market grows, the functionality of these stands will also expand, making the stand an indispensable part of daily business operations.

Our Top 5 Singapore Food Bloggers

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Pragya Gupta

pablo

Singaporeans are proud of the food scene in the city. And rightly so. With an array of vibrant and diverse options, Singapore blends Asian with Western flavours and goes beyond conventional rules of any cuisine. For restauranteurs without a well-known name on the sign board, it can be difficult to establish themselves as a unique option for customers.

The tech savvy culture in Singapore can be used as a tool for just that. Singaporeans trust food bloggers for their culinary adventures. There are plenty of accredited bloggers out there but we have got some solid advice on whom to follow. Subscribing to these bloggers will help you understand the Singapore culinary environment better so that you can position your restaurant and attract the right customers.

The bloggers mentioned here are in no particular order. We have picked these based on top hits on Google and based on what other bloggers say about them.

LadyIronChef: Personally, this blog has never failed me. LadyIronChef gets it right with its ‘Best Of…’ lists that give you many options for your particular craving: be it a casual Sunday brunch or a late night ice-cream indulgence. As a restauranteur, this is the perfect place to see what other restaurants in your cuisine are doing differently and how they are performing. This blog also gets the highest number of views.
ishootieatipost: This is an award winning blog about Singapore food. From hawker stalls to gourmet dining, this blog has it all. The unique feature in this blog is that you can find featured restaurants based on location. Dr. Leslie Tay, founder of ieatishootipost, has been writing this blog for nearly a decade now and is influential in critiquing food in Singapore. The stunning shots of the dishes taken by Dr. Tay add to the appeal of this blog.
Six&Seven: This blog leans towards fine dining. With a great interface and beautiful pictures, this is a site you want to be featured in if you are trying to get noticed as a restaurant that believes in art just as much as flavour.
DanielFoodDiary: This blog ranks second in terms of number of views per month which makes it a trusted site among foodies. This site is not restricted by fine dining or hawker stalls. It has a wide range of posts about every cuisine available in Singapore. DanielFoodDiary is a great resource for research on food in Singapore because of the sheer wealth of information on the site.
MissTamChiak: This site is very popular for the personal stories told by the blogger: Miss Maureen. It makes for a great read and is highly rated in terms of traffic. The blog explores all aspects of food. It has recipes and lessons on food photography, along with reviews on largely Asian cuisines.

Hope this helps!

Singapore Corporate Taxes101

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Pragya Gupta

Singapore Corporate Taxes101 Filing taxes can be a daunting task. Figuring out deductions and what your company is exempted from is complicated enough before you realise that it’s a new financial year, the rules have changed, and now you’re not under the same tax exemptions anymore. We looked around the interwebs for a while and we were stumped. So we decided this problem needs to be fixed.

Over the years, the Singapore government has tried to make the country a tax friendly one for corporates. With a bunch of nifty exemptions, retailers, restauranteurs and growing businesses can breathe a sigh of relief. The government’s got your back. Let’s get down to some important pointers for you to file taxes for your company.

Important Facts:

Rate: The current corporate tax rate is 17%.
Dates:
- Within 3 months of the company’s financial year end, the Estimated Chargeable Income document must be filed and submitted
- Every year in April, the IRAS sends Forms C-S or Form C filing package.
- 30 November: The Paper version of the Corporate Income Tax Form (Forms C-S or Form C) must be submitted. 15 December: The e-File Form of the same document must be submitted. Either the paper or the electronic version must be submitted.
- FormIR8A, which is a statement of an employee’s remuneration, must be issued for each employee by 1 March of every year.
- Your company needs to keep records of transactions for a minimum of 5 years. They must be submitted to IRAS upon request.
Use mytax.iras.gov.sg to file your company’s taxes, check or post objections to your tax assessment and apply for exemptions.
Taxes can be paid via internet banking, SAM, AXS station, Cash/NETS or GIRO.

Estimated Chargeable Income: Are you exempted?

The ECI is used to estimate your company’s taxable income. The IRAS notifies you before your ECI file is due. However, as a tax break, if your ECI is zero or your annual revenue is $1 million or less, then you do not have to submit the ECI, even if you have received a notification for it.

The ECI can be filed at mytax.iras.gov.sg. The government will then notify you on the exact tax amount which you have to pay within a month of the notice.

Corporate Income Tax Form

This is the big one. Here is where you declare your actual income in the financial year. It needs to be filed regardless of what your income looks like. There are two types: Form C-S and Form C. For a company with revenue not more than $1 million, Form C-S must be filed.

Exemptions

This is the part we have all been waiting for. With these exemptions, the government makes it easier on a start-up’s cashflows for a few years at least. Go through it because there is some good news for retailers as well.

Tax Exemptions for Start-ups: Start-up companies enjoy 100% tax exemption for the first $100,000 of chargeable income for 3 years. Another 50% exemption can be exercised on the next $200,000 which effectively means the tax rate is 8.5%.

Partial Tax Exemption: From the fourth year onwards, start-ups can exercise the Partial Tax Exemption. Here, 75% of the first $10,000 is exempted and another 50% on the next $290,000 is exempted.

Expenses before starting your business: The government also exempts taxes on expenses incurred the year before your company’s financial year in which you start your business. For example, if you financial year starts in Jan 1 2014 and your first earnings were on June 1 2014, then you will be exempted on paying taxes for expenses incurred between Jan 1 2013 and Dec 31 2013.

Capital Allowances: This one is great for retailers. You are given a capital allowance on fixed assets like electrical equipment, furniture and other fixtures for you company. This is in place of depreciation which is non-deductible.

E-Commerce

Retailers that create income through e-commerce websites have a set of rules that they need to follow. For a franchisee or a branch in Singapore with a franchisor based in a foreign country, the income generated by a website is not liable to taxation in Singapore. This is true even is the company’s customers are in Singapore or not. Check the links below for more details on taxation on e-commerce-centred business.

We hope this was helpful to you! We have put in some great links with guides to fill up your corporate tax forms. Do comment or drop in your email for more handy information!

Basic Corporate Tax Calculator: https://www.iras.gov.sg/irashome/page.aspx?id=6784

Disclaimer: As always, consult your lawyer or accountant for advice! We are here to help, but your specific situation should be reviewed by a professional with complete knowledge of your situation.

Draft Gastropub Philippines Launches PayrollHero

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Stephen Jagger

PayrollHero continues to grow. We are expanding rapidly in the Philippines, have soft launched into Singapore with our official launch only days way and are prepping for our next country.

It is exciting to announce that the FeastBev Group has joined PayrollHero. FeastBev includes the Draft Gastropubs, Black Olive Restaurant, Imperial Ice Bar, The Distillery, Beso and others.
draft pub philippines PayrollHero’s time, attendance, scheduling, HRIS, Philippine payroll and business intelligence platform helps restaurant owners manage their multi-location businesses. Not only does our platform reduce payroll processing time, but it is engaging for the employees, streamlines communication and helps bring transparency to the workplace.

(image from www.asia-bars.com)

Are you interested in learning more about how PayrollHero can help your restaurant, retail, bpo, office or business? Reach out and one of our team would be pleased to speak further.

Attention Singapore Restaurants | Singapore Payroll Software

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Stephen Jagger

Our next event is coming up. On April 14th at 1:30pm we are holding a free event in our Singapore office for restaurant owners and managers who want to learn more about how PayrollHero works within the restaurant industry.

Come learn about PayrollHero’s time, attendance, scheduling, HRIS, business intelligence and Singapore payroll platform and how it can work within your restaurant.

This free event is a perfect way to learn more about PayrollHero and see if there is a fit for your business!

Plus, PayrollHero qualifies for Spring’s Innovation & Capability Voucher (ICV) – Integrated Solutions (IS) – fill in your information here to see if your qualified.

Why should you attend?

1. Learn how PayrollHero’s time/attendance platform eliminates fraud
2. See the platform in action
3. Learn why Krispy Kreme, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and others use PayrollHero
4. Get your questions answered
5. Understand the costs of not having a proper platform in place
6. Plus much more…

Singapore Payroll Software by PayrollHero

Here is what Earl Chua has to say about PayrollHero for his restaurant chain: