Domain Driven Design Workshop by Mr. Kiro Harada

[Update] Here is the full recap from the event.

Next week is an eventful one for PayrollHero. All of our team is flying in from Whistler and Manila to learn more about Domain Driven Design (DDD). The workshop will be conducted by Agile expert Mr Kiro Harada.

What is DDD, you say? Well, let me have a go at it. DDD is an approach to software development where domain experts collaborate in order to place their primary focus on the core domain. Often, keeping up a unified, single model becomes progressively harder, leading to subtle differences between different groups of people. In simple terms: we’re trying to get everyone on the team to speak the same language.

If that sounds cryptic, that’s because I haven’t been to the workshop yet! (not for lack of trying to scour through Wikipedia pages to figure this out, I promise)

The workshop will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday (16th and 17th June). Mr. Harada will be flying in from Japan. After helping us Improving Scrum with Kaizen back in April, we decided to go a step further and do a 2 day workshop on DDD.

Stay tuned with our blog because we will be giving you a post-event breakdown soon!

PayrollHero | Canada B2B Networking Marketplace

We are excited to be part of this networking event!

Proudly hosted by the High Commission of Canada- This networking event is all about getting to know Canadian companies in Singapore varying from hardware, software or service in Next Generation Connected Services, Telecommunications, Power Solutions, Mobile Broadband and many others.

If you interested in being part of this excellent networking opportunity, please register via this link: http://www.mbdesign.com.sg/Canada_CommunicAsia2015/

Stay tuned to read our after-event post next week!


 

How We Keep Young Star Talents from Leaving

Every employee is valuable. Repeating this old tired phrase really doesn’t mean much anymore. Sure, we know we are of value, but how valuable? Can we measure that? How do we know if our bosses are with us as much as we are with them in this company? Studies have revealed that the millennial generation is the population in the workforce that really values these questions, and use it to determine if they have join the right company to work for.

The PayrollHero Team has millennials as the majority. Just to be honest, our young talents in our team are being headhunted daily because they are doing such a stellar job and other companies are starting to take notice. However, the thought of leaving never occurred. Here’s how we keep our young rock stars with us!

We communicate all the time
There are no walls between management and the employees. We function as a team, always working towards the bigger picture. Our team is constantly on the move, functioning from different offices in Singapore, Canada and the Philippines, which is made easy using productivity apps like Slack. (Read on how we use Slack)

Having great communication means we are clear on the tasks each team has to complete and eliminate any grey areas and speculation. There can never be enough clarity when working with Millennials. Each team gathers for a huddle every morning to discuss completed tasks, give feedback- good or bad, in the moment. This way also we keep accountability crystal clear within the team.

Morning Huddles

Suggested reading: 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Being flexible enough to meet halfway
PayrollHero is incredibly blessed with many gifted and talented millennials like Vince, and Maita. And we are more than happy to participate in out of office events as often as possible. We are with each other 10 hours in a day, every weekday and some weekends too and happy to do so. We work hard and play hard together.

Smiles at breakfast

Recognizing each employee’s lifestyle needs is important too. Millennials appreciate when a company acknowledges life outside of work. PayrollHero knows that mixing life and work as harmoniously as possible is one of the secret to making millennials happy to be at work. Fundamentally, we believe in getting things done. So, you can feel free to do activities you love, so long as you complete tasks that is required of you during the week.

Empowering each employee with ownership 
For a millennial, ownership means a lot. At PayrollHero, many members of the company have a stake in the company which ensures that everyone commits. As a millennial myself, I can see that having that kind of ownership is empowering because I can be a part of something bigger. The days of working for a company just for the paycheck are gone. Owning a part of the company is a great incentive for an individual. But more importantly, it pulls the team together to focus towards a common goal: to see the company succeed.

To know exactly how we work, you’ll just need to join us. We are hiring for many positions across all offices and even for home based roles.

Giving credit to the ‘little guy’ in your company

The PayrollHero Way
Giving credit where credit is due is an important task for managers to keep the morale of their employees up. Employees like to be noticed and praised for a job well done.

Why are managers not giving enough praise? Besides the fact that you are busy running around, taking care of daily operations; making sure everything is running as it should, finding out which employee did well for the last 4 weeks will take more effort. Most of the time, this task is not on the top of the priority list and so easily overlooked.

PayrollHero can help you look good to your employees!

Surely there are times where you wish you would have remembered to at least say ‘Good Job’ to Bob the cashier for working 8 hours and being the most helpful. Human errors like this can be avoided by using a simple app, where you can monitor your employees day to day work and track how they are performing accurately.

By using the employee feedback app, Daily Pulse, employees are able to ‘like’ their colleagues that was the most helpful at the end of the shift. Another plus, your customer can give their feedback using the Customer Feedback app too- by voting for the employee that was the most helpful to them.

You, the manager, will receive the data in real time via Xray Insights app. The app will show a clearer view of each employee performance and tracks the employee who is getting the most ‘likes’ on that particular shift. Information is readily available for you at a touch of a button. This makes your job so much easier! It also eliminate subjectivity in your decision as it is based on figures- not hearsay.

Work Place Transparency

At PayrollHero, we want to break the conventional workplace hierarchy by making information more transparent within the company. Using mobile or web apps, all managers can readily access whatever information required anytime, anywhere. We recognize that being on the ball is important when running a business- so time should not be wasted on you waiting for information from other managers.

The Data Might Even Surprise You! 

You may be glad to find out that the employee that is actually doing great is the person you least expect. It could very well be the person who is clearing the dishes- that is the most helpful employee among the rest and the most ‘likeable’ to your customers.

The app works by making sure every employee is acknowledged, from the chef to the janitor. You can be the best manager who knows exactly the deserving employees to give credit to at the end of the day.

Read our post on Scheduling Best Practices for Managers.


Want to learn how to be a better manager?

Join our next Meetup on 10th Jun 2015 @ 4pm in Singapore.

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.

To register >>> Capture

 

 

 

What is the future of POS for retail?

POS System

Image by squareup.com

The mobile point of sale system seems to be the buzzword circling around today’s retail industry. But the real question is if the mobile POS system is going to take over the traditional hardware?

We have notice recently that there is a movement towards the mobile POS option, however most retailers still find comfort with the traditional hardwired POS system for their business. Probably for this simple reason- business owners find the traditional machine more familiar to manage, secure and it comes with all the bells and whistles (eg, bar code scanner, receipt printer) at one price.

But do small businesses need to invest a large sum of money to get an all-in-one POS system from the get go? Or would it be wiser to have software that grows with your business, and add to the hardware as they need it?

Let’s think about the concerns of a business owner when choosing the right POS system.

The most common concern shared by most owners is that the traditional hardware gives them the sense of security and familiarity. The POS machine itself is built to withstand the daily grind of business. The POS is plug-in to a power point and does not require charging. The mobile POS system option can only last up to 3-4 hours on the phone or tablet, after which an hour downtime to charge. For a restaurant, this arrangement might not be suitable because POS system must be up and running from start to finish.

Next, a report by the Federal Reserve reveals that security concerns is another main reason why traditional POS system triumphs over mobile systems. Identity theft has been the top complaint on the Federal Trade Commission’s list of complaints for 13 years in a row. This shows that when it comes to credit card transactions, owners have more trust in POS systems than the mobile systems.

Additionally, the mobile system depends completely on the signal strength from wireless provider or a Wi-Fi connection which isn’t as reliable and secure compared to a hardwired connection. While some owners are skeptical about mobile POS not having security to protect cardholders data, business owners can be assured that mobile apps like Square adhere to the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). 

Another worry with mobile devices being small, it can be easily misplaced or stolen. Comparable to the bulky POS system- it is definitely harder to run out the door with that.

But, owners might not need to choose after all.

Although POS systems might be the better option for retail businesses, it doesn’t mean that the mobile software should be disregarded. The smart business owner would see these 2 systems as mutually exclusive and use both methods to provide better service and enhance customer experience. One does not need to replace the other.

Take for example, a restaurant having their waitresses carry personal tablets to ring up food orders at the table within seconds, that information is also automatically reflected on the main POS system. By cancelling out the time they would usually take to key every order at the machine- this saves time on service and improves workflow. The customer can then physically pay for their meal using the traditional POS system at the cashier once they are done.

Retail outlets in Singapore are doing just that! Taking customer experience to another level through an integrated POS system. Restaurants like Sakae Sushi improves efficiency and flow by installing iPad Minis at the table for customers to ring up orders on their own, without waiting for a waitress. The central POS system at the cashiers handles all the payments after customers are ready to pay for their meal.

iPad Mini for food orders at Sakae Sushi

Central POS system at Sakae Sushi

Saving costs with technology. The integrated POS system at your restaurant or retail outlet, would mean that business will need less employees to wait on customers. Service has become self-sufficient.

Last words. It makes sense for business owners to combine the familiarity and security of traditional POS system with the added features from the mobile system to enhance efficiency and customer experience. Although it is important to consider when integrating software into your service; and depending on the nature of the business, reducing the number of staff in place of machines could also mean you will lose the human touch in your service.


Was this post useful? Comment on our blog, let us hear your thoughts.


 

5 Things Restaurants Need to Do Attract Top Employees

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:

  1.  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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

The Employer’s Guide to Singapore Work Visas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjkXCsMXY-0&feature=youtu.be&rel=0

This video provides an introduction to hiring foreign workers in Singapore- types of visas available to the employee according to skill level, application criteria and levies due to the employer. More information is available on the Ministry of Manpower website

After you have incorporated your business in Singapore, you will need to hire employees, both local or foreign to work for your company. If you are employing non-resident employees in Singapore, as an employer you have to make sure that they hold a valid work pass (also known as work visa).

Professional Work Visa

Pass type

Who is it for

Employment Pass

For foreign professionals, managers and executives. Candidates need to earn at least S$3,300 a month and have acceptable qualifications.

EntrePass

For eligible foreign entrepreneurs wanting to start and operate a new business in Singapore.

Personalised Employment Pass

For high-earning existing Employment Pass holders or overseas foreign professionals. The PEP offers greater flexibility than an Employment Pass.
 Skilled or Semi- Skilled Workers
Pass type Who is it for

S Pass

For mid-level skilled staff. Candidates need to earn at least S$2,200 a month and meet the assessment criteria.

Work Permit for foreign worker

For semi-skilled foreign workers in the construction, manufacturing, marine, process or services sector.

The Foreign Worker Levy

singapore work passesIt is important to note that Singapore companies are required to pay Foreign Worker Levy (FWL) for the Work Pass and S Pass holders. This levy is imposed by the Singapore Government to regulate foreign workers numbers in the country.

The amount of levy due to the employer is determined by the sector the company belongs to and the educational level and skills of the employees. Employing workers with relevant qualifications and skill-based test certificates will count towards your skilled workers, which will entitle you to a concession in the worker’s levy.

Look at this example on the FWL scheme for manufacturing and service sectors. 


Was this post helpful? Comment on this post to let us know!


PayrollHero is live in Singapore. We are completely localized to Singapore’s itemized payroll requirement. We are able to effectively compute the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) taxes on employee remuneration, CPF employer contributions and deductions, bonuses, contributions to community funds (MDMF, SINDA, CDAC), Foreign Worker Levy and others- for your business in 5 Minutes!

Find out how PayrollHero can provide you the solution you need to optimise your payroll process. Write to us!

Ukrainian Adventure Engineer in PayrollHero Singapore

Announcing Our Latest Import
Capture MYKOLA KYRYK

Our #AdventureEngineering message has reached far and wide! Software developers who have heard about PayrollHero’s Adventure Engineering have written to us, aspiring to be part of the team.

“I felt like it was a perfect match
from the moment I saw this video”
Mykola Kyryk

Here’s what Mykola did to catch our attention from his point of view:

Mykola: We had a couple sessions of remote pairing/discussion sessions. All people I talked to were very interesting interlocutors and I felt like I could bring a lot of value into the team.

Mykola spills the beans about his home country and moving to Singapore.

Tell me about your hometown. How many people are there?
Mykola: I’m from Lviv, Ukraine. It is a nice ancient city (founded in 1256). This city was part of Poland, Hungary, Austria and Russia for many years. So the country side has mixed architecture and culture with a population of around 850,000.

What kind of things you like to do back at home?
Mykola: Besides IT? Well a lot actually. I play basketball and travel a lot. In the last 2 years I’ve been to 8 different countries. I like different extreme activities. I’ve already tried scuba diving, skydiving and caving. I also like to ride my bike and go skiing.

What did the people closest to you say about your plan to move to Singapore to be a PayrollHero Adventure Engineer?
Mykola: That I was mad 😉  Some were surprised that I’m going that far away from my homeland. Most knew nothing about Singapore at all.

What were your first thoughts on Singapore after you’ve arrived?
Mykola: It is hot here! I went from +12 to +32 in 20 hours. Now I don’t find it hot anymore. I was also amazed with how structured and well organized everything is. Really convenient place to be.

What you think about the food and the hawker centers?
Mykola: Like nothing like I’m used to. Ton of options, any cuisine, for any taste. I’m still far from saying I’m used to all of this, but I love the adventure of it all. Hawker centers are great and also cheap!

Do you like the beaches in Singapore?
Mykola: That was the first thing I did when I arrived. I didn’t know how to get to the beaches so I spent almost 2 hours walking there. Night swimming is prohibited here, but I got what I came for. Beaches are really nice, especially at Sentosa island.

Was it easy for your to get your Singapore Employment Pass (EP)?
Mykola: I got mine while I was still in Ukraine. It was really a really quick and straightforward process. Once I arrived I had to go to the Ministry of Manpower to finalize the paperwork and got my EP card in 5 days. Amazingly quick and efficient.

What do you miss about home?
Mykola: I don’t really have time to miss about anything. Singapore is an amazing place. And there is still so many places I want to go and things I want to try. Of course, miss my family, but Skype helps to stay in touch. Hope to see them soon.


Did you know,… We’re Hiring! 

Wanna be an Adventure Engineer with PayrollHero? Check out our job openings and get in touch!

Getting a Liquor Licence in Singapore

drinks_0

Speaking with a few entrepreneurs who are setting up a new F&B outlet here in Singapore, I found that a few shared similar problems- mostly about the liquor licence for their restaurant and how to go about getting it.

We though it will be helpful to provide a guide to getting the liquor licence for your new establishment.

Before Sending your Application

It’s good to have the required paper work in order before applying for the liquor licence. You will need to be in compliance with laws & regulations from the relevant authorities and get approval for your establishment. Find out if your premises are approved for F&B here. 

Liquor Licence Fast Facts:

  • License agency: Liquors Licensing Unit
  • Cost Of Licence: S$220 – S$1,760 (2-year licence)
  • Minimum Licence Processing Time: 14 working days

Got it? Great! Let’s get into the necessary details. 

There are 2 types of liquor licences available in Singapore. If you are carrying out any of these activities:

  • To retail intoxicating liquor which is consumed on your premises (e.g. pubs, clubs, discos and hawker stalls)
  • To retail and/or wholesale intoxicating liquor that is consumed off your premises (e.g. wine specialty shops, alcohol importers and food caterers)

For more than 30 consecutive days, you will need to obtain liquor licence for your establishment.

If your activities is shorter than 30 consecutive days (1-30 days), you can apply for a temporary liquor licence instead.

Should your activities do not run on consecutive days, you will need to obtain more than one liquor licence for operation.

The Licence Fees

Types Of Liquor Licences
Licences for liquor sold and consumed on your premises
Name Of Licence Permitted Hours Licence Fees
(2-Year Licence)
Public House Licence 1st Class
(6am-12am)
S$1,760
2nd Class
(6am-10pm)
S$1,320
Beer House Licence 6am-12am S$920
Outdoor Beer Stall Licence 6am-3am
(Permitted hours to be decided based on the location)
S$570
Licences for liquor sold and consumed off your premises
Retail Liquor Shop Licence 6am-12am S$220
Wholesale Liquor Shop Licence 6am-12am S$220
Retail Beer Shop Licence 6am-12am S$220
Wholesale Beer Shop Licence 6am-12am S$220

Note that the licences only permits you to sell liquor within the stipulated hours. If your establishment requires sale of alcohol past these hours, you will need to get the Liquor License (Extension of Operating Hours).

Application, Processing Time and Payment Method 

All applications for liquor licence are to be submitted through electronic filing (e-filing) via the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) at http://business.gov.sg.

The processing time for these licences takes up to 12 working days.

There are three online payment modes available-
Credit card (Visa or Mastercard), Direct Debit through your internet banking account. Payment modes available at our counter are NETS or cheque.
If the amount payable is more than S$2000/-, payment by cheque is preferable.


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Be in touch with us. Find out how you PayrollHero can improve productivity for your business with our time, attendance, scheduling and payroll management system in the cloud.

5 Reasons Why Smiling Increases Productivity

Quote

At PayrollHero, we help cultivate a happy working culture by having employees start and end each day with a SMILE!

How?

Our selfie TeamClock captures your amazing smiley faces as you clock in and out of your office or work station. Gone are the mundane punch cards! We can uplift your mood by having you coming to and leaving work feeling much more invigorated, motivated and Happier!

Smile Every Mile…

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Did you know smiling from real emotions or even faking it has been scientifically proven to lower heart rate levels and decrease stress? (Source)

 

 

 

Here’s 5 reasons why smiling contributes to higher productivity:

  1. Happy people work better with others. People who have happy energy are a lot more fun to be around and consequently have better working relationships with others. In fact, researchers have found that happiness is contagious. Nicholas Christakis, a professor at Harvard Medical School explains that “Everyday interactions we have with other people are definitely contagious, in terms of happiness”. He says that when one person is happy, the social network effect can increase up to 3 degrees- meaning friends of friends.
  2. Happy people are more creative. Productivity means being able to come up with new ideas. If your job depends on developing new ideas, then you have to be happy at work. Check out this study by Teresa Amabile for proof. She says that:“If people are in a good mood on a given day, they’re more likely to have creative ideas that day, as well as the next day, even if we take into account their mood that next day.
    There seems to be a cognitive process that gets set up when people are feeling good that leads to more flexible, fluent, and original thinking, and there’s actually a carryover, an incubation effect, to the next day.”At PayrollHero we keep customers on their toes as we keep coming up with fresh features to optimize time, attendance, scheduling and payroll for businesses.
  3. Happy people fix problems better. No problem is a mountain too high for the engineering team at PayrollHero. We will gear up and fix any problems. A recent study has proved that “a way to improve software developers’ productivity and software quality is to focus on people and provide incentives to make developers satisfied and happy”. Happy programmers are better problem- solvers. Science says so!

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    Adventure Engineers in Danang, Vietnam

  4. Happy people get sick less often. Getting sick is a productivity killer. If you don’t like your job, you’re more susceptible to have major diseases including ulcers, cancers and diabetes. This is especially so for women, where one study has assessed the impact of job strain on the health of 21,290 female nurses in US and found that those who are at health-risk are those who didn’t like their job (source). So, being happy with your job prevents you from being sick and burning out.
  5. Happy people make better decisions. People who are happier make better, informed and consistent decisions. An article in the Journal of Consumer Research determined that mood influences the very basic element of decision making- whether we like something or not.

Curious about how PayrollHero can create happier work environment and improve productivity for your business. Come to our FREE in-house event! 

PayrollHero In-House Event: Retail Hero, 14 May 2015

Click me! Get tickets on Eventbrite