HRM Software Documentation

THE GHANAIAN WORKER

A COMPLETE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SUITE

Documentation and User Manual

Designed And Developed By

Theodore J. Quist

May 2007

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to Bill

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APPRECIATION

No one can embark upon a major project such as an HRM unaided. I wish to thank the many people who have supported me throughout the process of bringing this software suite to this stage. First, my thanks go to Almighty God for giving me the vision for this project and sustaining me throughout the feasibility study, analysis and design of this software. There were times when I almost gave up the system failed to deliver what I expected, but His assurances gave me courage and hope.

I also wish to thank Mr. Noble Y. Adonoo, CEO of NOBADO, an Audit firm. This man is a good brain when it comes to taxation and auditing. He explained and guided me in the tax computations in the system, having worked with the Internal Revenue Service several years.

Finally my thanks also go to the Personnel Department of FABI-BRM Wood Processing Company for helping with the information that pertains generally to Human Resource Management.

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Table of Content

DEDICATION --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

APPRECIATION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

SYSTEM REQUIREMENT----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5PROGRAM FEATURES-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE PROGRAM-------------------------------------------------------------------------6

GENERAL DESCRIPTION --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

SOURCE DOCUMENTS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7APPLICATION FORM--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7LOAN APPLICATION FORM--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7EMPLOYEE CLOCK SHEETS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7WELFARE CONTRIBUTION LIST--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND REPORTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

SCREEN OUTPUTS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8PRINTER OUTPUTS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8

HOW TO USE THE SOFTWARE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

LOGGING INTO THE SYSTEM----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9

SETTING UP THE DATABASE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11

BANKS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11COST CENTRES-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11DEPARTMENTS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12INSURANCE------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

DATA ENTRY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13

NEW RECRUITMENT ENTRY---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13LOAN AND REPAYMENT--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16SALARY INPUT------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16LOG OF EMPLOYEE EVENTS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18ABSENTEEISM---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18ANNUAL LEAVE------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18EDUCATION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18FAMILY-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18INCIDENT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18LETTERS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19MEDICAL---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19

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PROMOTIONS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19

QUERYING THE DATABASE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20

PAY SLIP-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20EMPLOYEE STANDING----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------21BANK ADVICE SUMMARY------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22LIST OF ALL EMPLOYEES------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22EMPLOYEE BASIC DETAIL-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22PERMANENT EMPLOYEES------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22

UPDATES AND MODIFICATIONS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23

SALARY ARCHIVING------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23MARKING AN EMPLOYEE AS DISMISSED------------------------------------------------------------------------23DISCIPLINARY CORRESPONDENCE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------24

REPORTS FOR PRINTING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

LIST OF BANKS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25EMPLOYEE REPORTS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25MONTHLY DEDUCTIONS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25LIST OF DEPARTMENTS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------26BANK ADVICE SUMMARY------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------26SALARY SUMMARY SHEETS---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------26SALARIES, SSNIT AND IRS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------28

TROUBLESHOOTING PAYROLL PROBLEMS ---------------------------------------------------------- 29

PAY SLIP MISSING--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29INSURANCE FIGURE MISSING--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------29TAX RELIEF MISSING-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------29Loan not deducted----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------29

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INTRODUCTION

System RequirementFor complete database security it is recommended that the software is installed on a

network server running Windows 2003 server operating system. This can be provided at

extra cost. However, for a standalone PC, the program conveniently runs on a Pentium III

or higher system, with a disk space of not less than 1GB, and memory of 256MB or above.

The operating system should be Windows 2000 or higher and must have Microsoft Access

XP or higher version installed. A Scanner or Digital Camera is necessary for the insertion of

photographs into records. The software that comes with the scanner or camera should

enable saving in bitmap format. A laser or colour printer is needed for the printing of

various reports.

Program featuresThe software is ideally for the management of Human Resource of any organization. It

features the IRS tax system and Social Security policies peculiar to Ghana. It functions

perfectly in a networked environment – where various departments require access to some

of the functions of the program. It allows multiple users. The following are the main

features:

1. Employee Management: -

a. The program captures recruitment details of all employees of the institution

or organization according to the various classifications.

b. It also updates personnel records as and when necessary.

c. Captures the photograph of employee and displays as part of the

employee’s details.

d. Keeps track of employee status (Probation or confirmation status) and

allows changes when due.

e. Keeps track of all employees and prints reports alphabetically arranged in

order of Department

f. Keeps records of HRM correspondence with employees (i.e. Query, Warning

and Dismissal).

2. Loan Management

a. At a glance the HR Department can see how loans are repaid. The system

automatically calculates how much should be deducted per payment period

based on the terms agreed both by Management and Employee.

b. Total payments are matched against the loan until it diminishes to zero.

Once the loan is fully paid, the system allows discontinuation of loan

deductions.

c. About two different loans can be contracted.

3. Salary Management

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a. Captures each month’s salary variants

b. Automatically generates Pay slips for each employee with all the details in a

neatly designed form for printing

c. An individual’s pay slip can also be printed

d. Automatically generates Bank Advice for each bank that employees save

with

e. Automatically extracts and generates IRS tax deductions for each salary

period

f. Automatically extracts and generates SSF deduction for SSNIT

g. Archives each month’s pay master for future reference.

h. Classifies each cost centre for salary analysis.

i. Automatically extracts and generates Salary Summary report for

management. Here management knows exactly how much to part with for

the month in respect of Salaries, Tax deductions and SSF contributions.

What to expect from the ProgramThe HR Management software is very easy to install and use. It has a very friendly outlook and is devoid of jargon or loose ends. Anyone who knows to read and write and a little knowledge of payroll accounting should be familiar with the program within a few hours of use.

1. The Main Menu which helps the user throughout has a consistent outlook. It

provides access to all the features of the system.

2. There is always an Exit option that takes the user out of a menu, and a Close

button that closes any form used.

3. The menus and forms are well designed and make viewing interesting and provide

a convenient work environment.

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The HR Management Software was designed using Ms-Access. It mainly uses buttons for

menus and commands. The fonts are clear and easy to read. HR Managers will find this

software very helpful. The program is made up of input and output Forms, pop-up

dialogues which pose simple questions and relay information or cautions, and beautifully

designed Report templates.

The HR Management system is ready for the revaluation of the cedi. The programmer is

aware that not all salary paying companies and organizations have the same monetary

conditions of service and so has made room for modification to suit any organization.

Source Documents

The forms that are used to capture data into the system are the source documents. These

must be filled out completely. The forms are as follow:

Application Form

This form is filled by a successful job applicant and is filed at the HR office. It contains the

applicant’s personal data, Contact Details, Educational Details, Family details and Financial

details.

Loan Application FormThis form is used to apply for loan.

Employee Clock SheetsThey contain the daily reporting schedule for employees including overtime and

night hours. This is needed for the salary input.

Welfare Contribution ListIn organizations that employees contribute welfare funds, this sheet is used to enter the

details of the monthly salary input.

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EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND REPORTSIn addition to screen outputs there are also formatted reports that can be conveniently

printed out.

Screen Outputs

Pay Slips

Dismissed Employees

Staff on Probation

List of All Employees

Individual Details of any Employee

List of Confirmed (Permanent) Employees

Retrieval of Previous Salaries

Printer Outputs

List of contract based Employees (Pensioners)

List of Permanent Employees

List of Dismissed Staff

HR Master List

Staff on Probation

Loans Deducted for the month

Salary Summary Sheets

Bank Advice

Master List of Salaries (for departmental distribution)

Individual Pay Slip

IRS Tax Returns report

SSF Contribution Report

All Pay Slips (Batch/Bulk)

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HOW TO USE THE SOFTWARE

To use the HR Management software, it must first be installed on a hard drive. To use it in

a server based network environment, the software must be installed on the server and

referenced by the authorized workstations. Each user must have a password and is limited

to their functions only.

Logging into the System

To activate the program, double-click its icon and expect the following screen which

performs log on operations. You must supply the user name and password assigned to you

before the system will allow you to use the program. If the software is not legally acquired

the system will not grant permission to use it.

Or if you enter either a wrong User Name or password, the following error information will

pop-up. In this case

A successful login will present the main menu:

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At the top is displayed “Main Menu.” This is the main menu that leads to all the other

functions of the system.

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SETTING UP THE DATABASEIn order to smoothly run the program you need to capture some important data. These are

displayed in the menu

You will need the foregoing information during data entry.

Banks The Bank option records all the banks that employees operate accounts with. This is where their salaries will be paid to. When the Banks button is clicked a dialogue will pop-up where only the bank name is entered:

Cost CentresThis option is entered if the accounts department would want to classify costs. When the Cost Centres button is clicked a dialogue will pop-up where only the Cost Centre name is entered:

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DepartmentsWhere there is more than one department in the organization, this option can be used to classify human resource into departments for easy management. When the Departments button is clicked a dialogue will pop-up where only the bank name is entered:

InsuranceSome employees may have insurance policy with insurance companies. This option allows creation of the insurance companies in the system.

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DATA ENTRY

The components of Data Entry in the diagram above are the three major data capturing points for the system. Here data is entered once and the system uses it for further data processing. Let us take a closer look at the New Recruitment entry form.

New Recruitment Entry

It is divided into seven sections namely:

Personal Detail

Contact Detail

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Job Detail

Financial Detail

Employment History

Educational History and

Dependants

These are all included in the Job Application Form. If it is not properly filled, data capture

may be difficult or the system may reject the record altogether. Care needs to be taken to

ensure that the right information is keyed in to the system for accurate and valid data

processing.

Inserting an employee’s photograph

First of all scan all the photographs and save them in .bmp format. Save all the

photographs in a folder you can easily locate.

Right – click the photograph box in the recruitment form. In the shortcut menu that pops

up, click Insert Object… as in the diagram below:

This option takes you to the following dialogue:

Click Create from File. The dialogue changes to the diagram displayed below. Click the

Browse… button to locate the photograph folder and files.

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Select the photograph file and click OK

This will send you back to the previous dialogue. Now that you have selected the picture,

click ok to return to the recruitment form. The photograph appears on the form now. You

have successfully inserted the photograph.

The recruitment form with the inserted photograph.

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Loan and Repayment

It is important to note that before each employee’s pay slip can be viewed or printed out,

a loan file must be opened for every employee. Even if the employee has not taken

any loan just fill the fields with zeros. Every month you must enter zero as loan repaid.

Without this you cannot get the pay slip of the employee. You cannot make any entry in

the Loan Summary portion of the Loan form. The system automatically fills it when you

make entries in the appropriate fields, especially the loan amount, the payment term, the

month, year and amount paid.

Salary InputYou need to have the Employee ID at hand in order to locate the record you want to input.

Use the Search ID combo box to locate the employee’s record. As you type the ID the

system suggests the rest of the ID. If suggested ID is what you want, pressing the return

(enter) key will invoke the record. All the fields in grebe portion of the form are displayed

for identification of employee so cannot be changed. Go on to the Work Details section

below and complete the required fields as they appear on the source documents.

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The Salary input form.

The Update Loan button has been provided to enable you go directly to the Loan Update

of the employee whose salary variants you are inputting. Ensure to update the loan

repayment for the month. At this stage you can verify if you have successfully entered the

variables that make up the payroll by going back to the main menu and selecting E for

Enquiry or clicking its button. Next, click the pay slip button or type “s” to retrieve the pay

record.

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Log of Employee EventsThis option presents a form with a sub form of 8 tabs as in the diagram below:

Absenteeism Records instances of absenteeism on the part of the employee. If any reason is

given for the act, it must be written against the date absenteeism was committed.

Annual Leave Each year, an employee is entitled to a leave. This form can be used to manage

employees’ annual leave. However if the employee did not proceed on leave the

checkmark blank to indicate it.

Education This form can be used to keep record of employees’ further training and education

Family This can be used to modify the size of employees’ dependants

Incident Any incident involving an employee can be recorded here

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Letters Here any correspondence given to an employee can be recorded. These are the

categories of letters sent to employees: Query, Suspension, Warning, Dismissal,

General and Special. However a brief detail of the contents of the letter must be

written against each entry to explain the reason for the letter.

Medical This is useful when there is the need to track employees who frequently fall sick

and also to record the amounts refunded as medical bills each time they visit

medical facilities.

Promotions Here promotions can be recorded for each employee who is considered for a rank

raise. However any salary increment should be entered using the Updates and

Modification menu

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QUERYING THE DATABASE

The Enquiry menu allows you to check the entries that have been entered previously.

Though a printout of results of queries can be printed from here, it is not recommended.

In the Reports for Printing menu the same details can be found, which are conveniently

formatted for printouts. Also note that you cannot make any changes to the displays.

You can only view them.

Pay Slip In order to get the pay slip details you will have to enter the month of the pay slip

and the year in these dialog boxes as they appear one after the other:

In this case Apr is entered for the month of April. Also 2007 is entered for the year.

All the entries that were successful will appear. But you have to use the search

button to locate the employee’s record.

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Click the button with the inscription Click to find a Pay slip and enter the Employee ID in

the following dialog box:

In the Find What combo box type the Employee ID and click Find Next. The

program quickly locates the record and displays it in the background, or return an

error to show that the record does not exist. Close the dialog in either case.

If the system reports that the record does not exist, check if you have entered the

loan for that record. Also check in the Employee data and make sure that even if

they don’t subscribe to any insurance, the Insurance Amount is set to zero. Try

checking the pay record again.

Employee Standing The Employee Standing itself is a menu:

Clicking any of the options will display the information it depicts

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Bank Advice Summary This lists all the banks that checks will be sent to. This helps to know how much

should be sent to each bank as per the employees who will receive their salaries from the bank.

List of All Employees Lists all the employees of the company.

Employee Basic Detail Displays the details of an employee as it was entered as at the recruitment stage,

including any update to their records in the updates form. You must have the employee’s ID number in order to access his/her details.

Permanent Employees Displays all those whose appointments have been confirmed after the probation

period.

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UPDATES AND MODIFICATIONSThis function allows the modification and update of any data captured into the system. The diagram shows all the options that provide forms to perform this task.

Salary ArchivingThe Salary Archiving form looks like the following diagram:

Clicking to archive pay slips for a period will present you with request for the month and

the year of the payroll.

Marking an Employee as Dismissed

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Here check the Staff Dismissed check box. Next, enter the date of dismissal and in the

memo box provided, enter the specific reasons as detailed in the dismissal letter. To locate

the employee to be dismissed, click the “Search with Staff ID.”

Disciplinary CorrespondenceIn course of performing their duties, employees make some mistakes or take decisions

that are questionable. Under normal circumstances the employee is queried by means of

a letter demanding explanation of the employee’s action. If the explanation is not

convincing a warning letter follows. Both of these correspondences are recorded in the

Queries and Warnings form. It is an option in the Updates and Modifications menu as

displayed below and followed by the input form.

In order to make an entry, first search for the employee using the ID. Enter the date of the

query or warning letter and the content.

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REPORTS FOR PRINTING

List of Banks This option prints out all the bank names entered at the Database Setup

Employee Reports This is a menu of the following detail:

All the options on this menu do not require further information. Clicking each one displays the list automatically.

Monthly Deductions

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Since all the items are deducted monthly, to print them out you must specify the month and the year of the deduction. To print out the Insurance Contribution Report, in addition to the month and year you need to enter the insurance company.

List of DepartmentsThis displays the list of department names entered during the Database Setup.

Bank Advice SummaryThis creates a report of how much should be sent to each bank as salary advice. You will be required to enter the month and year of the payroll.

Salary Summary SheetsThis option generates the summaries of all the pay details. . You will be required to enter the month and year of the payroll. The following are samples of the summary sheets:

Page 1 of the Salary Summary

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Page 2 of the Salary Summary

Page 3 of the Salary Summary

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Salaries, SSNIT and IRSThe option displays the following menu:

Bank Advice o Is the list that is printed and distributed to the various banks for the

payment of salaries. You will be required to enter the month and year of the payroll and the bank name.

Master Pay Slips o Is automatically generated with this button. Once you are satisfied with the

pay displays and are certain that all records exist, you can proceed with the printing of the pay slips. The pay slips of all the workers are generated here. You will be required to enter the month and year of the payroll.

Salary Master List o Generates a list of all employees with their net salaries arranged

departmentally. You will be required to enter the month and year of the payroll. Individual Pay Slips

o Can be generated if for some reason an individual’s pay slip must be replaced. You will be required in addition to the month and year to enter the employee’s ID

Internal Revenue Service o Option automatically generates the IRS tax report list. You will be required

to provide the month and date for this report. SSNIT Contribution Reports

o Option also requires the month and date to automatically generate the report listing all the Social Security contributions of staff on the scheme.

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TROUBLESHOOTING PAYROLL PROBLEMS

You may face some challenges while using the program, especially when it comes to the generation of pay slips. If you can’t find an employee’s pay slip then it means the overall totals in the salary summary sheets will also be wrong. Before printing the pay slips you must ensure that all the figures are correct. This will prevent the wasting of paper and printer cartridge.

Pay slip missing Check if you have entered the Month and Year in the Salary Input form Check if you have entered the Month and Year in the Loan Update form Check if the Daily Rate in the Staff Update form is not 0 or blank. Please ensure that it

contains a figure since this is the principal figure that is used in all the computations.

Insurance figure missing This means that it has not been entered in the recruitment form. Use Staff Record

Update to insert the figure. You can find this within the Financial Detail section of the form.

Tax Relief missing This means that it has not been entered in the recruitment form. Use Staff Record

Update to insert the figure. You can find this within the Financial Detail section of the form.

Loan not deducted Check the entry in the Loan Repayment form to update it.

If after all these have been checked and there still are problems, then call Mr. Quist on 0244 661148 for emergency assistance.

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