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 September 2007 In this edition
Employee Record keeping - Changes in the Work Choices Act legislation - Kevin Sturgiss AM-Win Software Development Director
I have asked our webmaster to make a copy of the legislation document accessible in this month's newsletter, so that all clients are aware of the new requirements. Please seek advice if you have trouble understanding the document as the penalties for non compliance with the new rules are very substantial and can be enforced under law. The document can be downloaded in either PDF or MS Word format at the end of this section of this article. Now would also be a good time to look closely at the AM-Win timesheet module as it offers complete compliance with the new legislation and will make your task a great deal easier when it comes to employee record keeping and with meeting the requirements of the legislation. Please contact your supporting consultant for more information about the timesheet module.
AM-Win Software Development Director. |
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. Complete versions of Workplace Relations Regulations 2006 and Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 compiled on 27 September 2007 in MS Word and PDF formats can be downloaded here. Note: To download please select and right click on an icon below and select save target as from the menu.
From the National Technical Manager From Ted Steward, our National Technical Manager Despite being told a million times to back-up their data every night some clients are still not doing daily back-ups. In addition some clients are rolling the end of the month multiple times. When I dial in AM-Win's reporting several months ahead. To top it off the clients haven't done a backup prior to rolling the month and I'm unable to help them" If you don't back-up and your computer crashes there is not much we can do to help you - you're going to have to re-key a great deal of data. And if you roll the end of month more than once at the end of a month and you don't do a backup beforehand you're going to have an expensive problem. Please backup your data on a daily basis and ensure that you roll the end of the month once only and ensure that you back-up your data before you do it. AM-Win operator available for on site data entry assistance. National support are getting calls from customers who would like someone to give them hand 1/2 day a week or so , or to fill in while someone is on annual leave. An ex AM-Win user is now available to provide on site data entry assistance for our clients. He lives in Brisbane but is willing to travel to Gold and Sunshine coast if required. Please Call Maryanne on 1300 766 231 for more information. Survey Please note that there is no new survey this month Feed back Want to say something or submit a good article or joke. The e-mail address is webmaster@am-win.com.au We'd love to hear from you and you'll win a mention in the newsletter. E-Mail your newsletters The experts tell us that it costs seven times more to get new customers than to keep the ones you have. They also tell us that one of the ways to keep our clients is to keep in touch and to keep them informed. E-Mail technology has gradually been replacing snail mail in small businesses over the last couple of years and most of your customers are now receptive to you sending them information that's relevant to them by e-mail. So how can we use AM-Win to take advantage of these two changes to market our products to and keep in touch with our existing clients. Use the AM-Win marketing module [formerly known as entities] - a standard option that is available in all level 3 Am-win software and available as an option in levels one and two, AM-Win is a great way to generate your mailing lists and to take control of the data in your mailing lists. In this article we are going to show you how to generate a list of e-mails from your client database in AM-Win ready to import into Microsoft Excel, Outlook and Outlook Express and other programs that conform to international data transfer standards. We will also explain how to locate the generated file on your computer. Firstly we are going to assume that you have been collecting your client's e-mail information and entering them into the customer master files in AM-Win. If you have not been doing this it's a worth while exercise, as a solid database of client names, contact details and e-mail addresses is the stuff that adds value to any business when the time comes to sell. Let's open the marketing module. It can be found in the start menu / AM-Win submenu - the same place as statements and history.
You will notice a box open - refer image above. Tap the escape key and this will disappear from the screen. Now click on the "Entities" in the top menu. The following screen will open.
At the bottom left you will see the words "Load from" and three buttons underneath labelled "Customers" , "Suppliers" and "Clear List" These buttons are used to determine whether you are going to use data from your customer's or supplier's master files. In this case we are going to select customers. If you wanted to mail your suppliers to let them know that you've changed address etc you would select suppliers. Select the Customers button and the centre window will now be populated with your customer information.
You can now filter your list by selecting the clients in your main list that are to be included in your mailing list You will note that there is a drop down selection box at the bottom of the screen that is set to "select" as the default. We will call this the select box.
The select box allows you to set the select buttons on the left hand side. Choices are select, deselect or toggle. We will look at these choices as we go through this tutorial. Make sure that the select box is set to the default "select" setting. You will notice that all of the buttons on the left are now showing "select: Selecting all clients. If you want all of your clients to be in your mailing list click on the "All" select button. You will notice that all of the names in your list are marked with a "yes" indicating that they will be included. However you may want to filter them by postcode - i.e. just mail those customers who live in particular areas. Selecting clients by postcode
Click the drop arrow at the end of the postcode box and a field containing postcodes will appear. Click on a postcode and that postcode will now appear in the postcode box. Now click the select button. All of the clients who's postcodes are the same as your selection will now be marked with a yes. If you want to select multiple postcode areas repeat the postcode selection and the selected clients will be marked as yes in your main list box. Selecting clients by group You may wish to mail only those clients in a particular group. This works exactly the same as selecting by postcode. Click the drop arrow at the end of the group box and a field containing your groups will appear. Click on a group and that group will now appear in the group box. Now click the select button. All of the clients who's groups are the same as your selection will now be marked with a yes. If you want to select multiple groups repeat the group selection and the selected clients will be marked as yes in your main list box. Mail and Territory Groups These selection boxes work the same as postcodes and groups. Entity Status
These selections allow you to filter your list as per the check box labels. Deselecting clients in the main list - Blanket De-selections Return to the select box at the bottom of your screen
Click the drop down arrow and select "deselect" You will notice that all of the "select" buttons are now marked "deselect" This function now allows you to deselect any selections that you have made previously. We will use postcodes as an example. Click on the postcode box drop down arrow and select a postcode from the list. Now click the "deselect" button. The "yes" has now been cleared from all clients in the main list that use that postcode. Groups, mail group and territories all work in the same way. Toggle Button - Fine Tuning Once again return to the select box at the bottom of your screen and select "Toggle" You will notice that all of the "deselect" buttons are now showing "Toggle". By selecting the toggle button you are now able to go through your main list and manually select or deselect entries. Heres how: Select an entry in your list that is marked as "yes". Click the "Toggle" button on the left hand side next to the word "selected". You will notice that the "Yes" is removed from the selected item in the main list. Click the same button again and the "Yes will reappear. By using your toggle button you can "fine tune" your list by adding or removing entries as you see fit. Note that you can also use the toggle button for postcodes, groups, mail lists and territory. Exporting your selected data. Once you are happy that the list contains only the clients that you want to target with your e-mailing it's time to export the data from AM-Win so that it can be imported into other programs like Excel or Outlook / Express.
Select the button labelled to file at the bottom of the screen. This will create the file in a format that conforms to international data transfer standards and is universally recognised by other programs that meet these standards. For the technically minded it's known as a CSV file - Comma Separated Values. Once you have clicked the "to file" button a popup screen will show you the contents of the file. For interest you will notice that each block of data is separated by a comma. Hence Comma Separated Values. Close the file view box. A word of warning. At this stage leave your marketing module open in case you want to make changes to your exported list. If you leave the marketing module open and you're not happy with the list you can go back and fine tune your selections rather than starting the whole process again. The data exported by the marketing module is contained in a file named "output.dat". It is automatically exported to your AM-Win data directory called data1 which normally resides under your AM-Win directory called amwin. So if your amwin directory is on your "C" drive it will appear as follows.
Most of you who have networks will now know where your AM-Win program is installed. If you don't contact your supporting consultant and request the information. While the data file has a three letter "DAT" extension it is a CSV file that conforms to international data transfer standards. Important Note Under the Spam laws it is necessary to provide a method of allowing your mail recipients [clients in this case] with a method to unsubscribe - i.e. asking you to stop sending e-mails to them. Under the law you must obey this request and cease to e-mail them. We have included an unsubscribe message for you below to use in your e-mails. It's very close to the message that we use when sending out newsletter update notifications. Feel free to use it as it is or modify it in any way you wish. Unsubscribe Information This newsletter has been mailed to you as a valued Client of [put your company name here] in the hope that it will be useful and informative to you. However should you not wish to receive our e-mails please reply to this e-mail with unsubscribe in the subject line and we will remove you from our mailing list. Specialised e-mail marketing software. Sending e-mails in bulk requires a specialised e-mailing program set up to take data fields and to merge them into your e-mails, to send only so many mails a minute so that your sending will not interfere with the operation of your ISP's mail server and a whole lot more. For those who are serious about mailing their clients on a regular basis purchasing a bulk mailing program may be the way to go. Some of them are very inexpensive and return great results. If you search Google using the keywords "e-mail marketing software" you'll get plenty of results. Business InformationThe Negotiation Wheel Negotiation is a part of our everyday lives, whether we're dealing with our suppliers, our kids or even buying a new car. Here's something that brings the process into perspective. It's called the negotiation wheel.
Here's how it works The wheel is divided into 4 parts: Why - Why am I here - obviously I want something out of this meeting What - What do I want or what do I have that someone else wants. This is the main part of the wheel. You must know what you want to achieve from the negotiation at this point. How - How am I going to achieve my expectations or goals - What are you prepared to do [change supplier ] or offer [buy more] in return to get what you want. What If - What if I can't get what I want - am I prepared to give more or accept less if I can't achieve my expectations or goals. [am I prepared to accept less or give more] It's called a wheel because you can go round and round. If you come to the "what if" part of the wheel and haven't achieved your expectations start again. Why am I here - What do I want etc. LEARNING when to say no is an extremely important customer communication skill. If you don't do it you'll be overworked and risk looking like a pushover. Most clients respect our boundaries, but there are always some who try to push their luck. Rather than just agreeing to put yourself out for your customer when they ask you to go the extra mile, take a minute to decide the impact of taking it on. Ask how agreeing to this short-notice job will affect me/my business/my other customers, as opposed to automatically being empathetic with your customer's predicament. Yet it's common to acquiesce to unreasonable requests, as we worry our customers will think badly of us if we turn them down. But saying no shows you've taken control of your firm, so your customer's reaction is more likely to be "they've really got their act together" than "it's unprofessional to turn down work". If the thought of saying a harsh-sounding no distresses you, surround it with a comforting phrase, such as "I'm going to have to say no, but thanks for asking me". By taking a tougher line, your customers will learn to respect your limits. Bending over backwards to please not only sends signals that you're a pushover, it ultimately saps your energy. Having effective customer communication skills and the confidence to say no is a real asset, so take control, be clear-headed about your policies, know your limits and when to just say no. This article first
appeared on www.flyingsolo.com.au,
Windows Tips
Data Security - Disposing of obsolete computers. At some point in the life cycle of a computer its owner will decide to dispose of the equipment. When this occurs, it is important to take action to ensure that confidential or sensitive information is not revealed to the eventual recipient of the equipment. The same issues apply to storage media such as optical disks, backup tapes, etc. Information that may be revealed to the eventual recipient of the equipment may include: Data that identifies your business Anyone of the above could cause considerable damage to your business should the information fall into the wrong hands. And the legal costs would be too much for most small businesses if a client or employee sues under the privacy act should you were to be found responsible for not ensuring the security of their personal information. When disposing of a computer simply deleting the data on the hard drive is not enough. This is because data is never deleted simply by deleting - the only thing that gets changed during a deletion is the pointer to the data that enables your computer to locate the information. The data is only deleted once the hard drive area that contains the data is overwritten with new data. Sophisticated tools are available cheaply on the internet however, that allow even overwritten data to be recovered and you can be sure that the unscrupulous operators among us who make a living out of purchasing second hand computers from auctions etc and recovering and on selling the data to equally unscrupulous buyers have access to these recovery tools. So what do we do to protect our data from being recovered once we have disposed of our computer.
Trade it in or ask your supplier to dispose of it. It may not be worth anything but some computer professionals can provide you with certification that they have destroyed your data guaranteed. Make sure that you obtain the certificate. Donate it to a school or charity organisation. Before you do this satisfy yourself that the organisation has the means to destroy any data that may exist on your computer. If they can't satisfy you with their answer DON'T Donate. If you're technically savvy there are many software programs on the web that advertise that they will destroy data on a computer if installed correctly. Note that none that we know of offer a guarantee to pay your legal bills if the process doesn't work. This doesn't mean that their software doesn't work - it means that it will work to a certain level but above that level someone with a very sophisticated data recovery tool could possibly recover data from the drive. If you are looking at buying a data erasure tool ensure that it meets The US Department of Defence (USDOD) standard for erasure of hard drives which is stated as "Overwrite all addressable locations with a character, its complement, then a random character and verify" p58, (Defense 1997). This standard is referred to as DoD 5220.22-M and is used as a defacto standard by manufacturers of hard disk erasure software. This level of erasure is recommended for all devices except those containing materials classified top secret (due to the possibility of recovery using magnetic remanence techniques). Remember also that CDRoms, Zip and floppy discs and portable USB flash drives are all data storage devices and as such will also contain your data. When they're past their use by date destroy them because even if you can't access the data they contain someone else might be able to. Note: If you have run out of ideas phone your local council for advice. Disposal of computer equipment is also an environmental problem and as such they may be able to assist you. Scam E-mail Alert National Support have reported that many clients have been receiving the following scam e-mail. The e-mail suggests that a new security download is available from Microsoft and users should download the update immediately. Note that Microsoft does not send update notifications by e-mail. Please do not download the update This e-mail is possibly a phishing attempt or possibly an attempt to install software on your system that may cause damage or collect information from you. Following is a copy of the e-mail. - Note it is for your reference only Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-1460 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (0756627690) - Note: May use other Microsoft references. Published: September 9, 2007 Version: 2.0 Summary Who should read this document: Customers who use Microsoft Windows Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution Maximum Severity Rating: Critical Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately. Security Update Replacement: This bulletin replaces several prior security updates. See the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of this bulletin for the complete list. Internet Explorer for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 – Download the update Revisions: V1.0 (September 9, 2007): Bulletin published A tip for the boaties from Dennis I'm a boating tragic and have just bought myself a [nearly] new Cruise-craft Explorer 5 metre. Trouble was the rubber bump strip around the hull was marked and scratched and no matter what I used to clean it up nothing worked. So I rang my favourite boat place [Hodge Marine] and they told me to use Acetone and it would clean up nicely. Hmm Acetone - that's nail polish remover. Anyway I bought some from a Repco store and tried it - the bump strip looks like new, Cleaned up all the rubber grab handles as well. [Doesn't affect fibreglass] The secret is to use a soft cloth and dip it in the acetone and the wipe only one way - don't rub. Proves that ya never too old to learn.
We look after our own A policeman sends his wife and kid to a resort for a vacation.
After a week he joined them in the hotel. As soon as he came to the hotel room he wanted to make love to his wife and gave her "the look". Whispering under her breath, the wife says "No darling, we can’t do it here,
the kids are here. Husband replies, "You're right, lets go to the beach." I just HATE drawing welfare A guy walks into the local welfare office, marches straight up to the counter and says, "Hi...You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job." This is a tree He selects a tall young native and takes him for a walk in the jungle. He points to a tree and says, "This is a tree." The native looks at the tree and grunts, "Tree." The missionary is pleased with the response. They walk a little farther and the missionary points to a rock and says, "This is a rock." The anser comes back with a grunt - "Rock." The missionary is really getting enthusiastic about the results when he hears a rustling
behind some bushes. The Native looks at the preoccupied couple briefly, pulls out his blowgun and kills them. The missionary goes ballistic and yells at the native that he has spent years teaching the tribe how to be civilized and kind to each other. "How could you kill these people in cold blood that way?" he demands. "My bike," the native replied. Until next month
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C
During
the last meeting of the ATO Software Developer's Consultancy Group [SDCG]
I was informed that a new piece of legislation was now in force regarding
Work Choices, and, specifically that there have been major changes made to
employee record keeping requirements for any business with
employees. 
Assuming
that you don't want to donate it to a school or trade it in destroy
the hard drive. Remove it from the computer and put a half inch
drill thru it several times or hit it hard with the oxyacetylene and
melt it. Just beating it to death with a hammer isn't guaranteed to
destroy it as the flexible discs inside the drive can be installed in
another drive and the data recovered.
