[LINK] RIP Printed Evidence of Payments

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Paper slips are not necessarily the solution. As some of you may know, I
have been evaluating LED Lamps over the last couple of years. These pricey
divices come with lifetimes of a couple of years. Some fail after many
months, but well before the claimed lifetime.

A couple of days ago, one of these lamps failed, for a second time. I dug
out the payment record, only to discover the printing had faded and was
only partly and barely legible. However, as I had been logging my trials at
http://ramin.com.au/eco-sydney/LED-Lighting-guide.shtml I had the date of
purchase and installation, and found the transaction on an old credit card
bill.

After stretching my patience as they tried to find the record of the
transaction on their system, the store finally refunded the money....though
I suspect only after I happened to mention that I was evaluating the LED
Lamps.

By the way, the LED Lamps have dropped dramatically in price - though the
store still seemed to be selling the dud products at an out of date price.

Marghanita
PS Jan, Payslips contain private information you may not want anyone to see.

Roger Clarke wrote:
> [The story below is about the disappearance of printed payslips.
> 
> [The denial of hard-copy documents means that the public has got 
> Buckley's chance of:
> (a)  having access to documents that evidence what they've been paid
>       and what they've been charged
> (b)  complying with obligations to keep documents for 5-7 years
> 
> [Some of the reasons are 'the individual's fault', e.g.
> -   inability to design and manage a set of electronic directories,
>      including filename conventions, in which to file documents
> -   inability to discipline themselves to fetch documents
> -   inability to discipline themselves to file documents,
>      using the appropriate filename and in the right place
> -   inability to design controls (e.g. document counts, value totals)
> -   inability to discipline themselves to apply the controls
> 
> [Some of the reasons are the incompetence and venality of their 
> suppliers, who have no intention of creating a workable environment 
> even for SMEs, let alone for members of the public, e.g.
> -   the failure to design workable backup and recovery arrangements into
>      the systems sold to individuals and SMEs
> -   closed-down consumer appliances such as smartphones and tablets
> -   the unreliability and short half-lives of cloud services
> -   the lack of credibility of such few intermediaries as have emerged,
>      such as Australia Post and Digital Post services ]
> 
> 
> Health union loses legal fight to keep paper payslips
> Paris Cowan
> itNews
> Oct 31, 2013 12:02 PM (2 hours ago)
> http://www.itnews.com.au/News/362540,health-union-loses-legal-fight-to-keep-paper-payslips.aspx
> 
> Not everyone is ready for the electronic age.
> 
> The Health Services Union (HSU) has failed in its efforts to get 
> hard-copy payslips reinstated for staff working in the Sydney Local 
> Health District (SLHD).
> 
> The state health system's new payroll and HR solution, Stafflink, 
> went live across SLHD hospitals in Camperdown, Balmain, Canterbury 
> and Concord in April this year, giving the district the capability to 
> email electronic payslips to staff.
> 
> As of 1 January 2014 the SLHD plans to phase out paper payslips 
> altogether, but not all employees are happy about the modernisation.
> 
> On Monday the Industrial Relations Commission heard complaints from 
> the HSU on behalf of a number of workers who say they are not 
> confident receiving payslips electronically due to lack of computer 
> literacy.
> 
> The HSU said it is concerned that its members will no longer be able 
> to scutinise their pay and benefits as a result.
> 
> "This lack of information concerning their pay will result in many 
> health workers not knowing if they have been paid correctly," said a 
> spokesman for the union.
> 
> The Industrial Relations Act obliges employers to provide their staff 
> with "written particulars" outlining the details of their 
> remuneration - but does not specify the delivery format.
> 
> The HSU argued the legislation implies a paper-based approach, but 
> neither the IRC nor the SLHD agreed, claiming an email adequately 
> satisfied the requirements of the law.
> 
> Justice Conrad Staff rejected the HSU's request but ordered the SLHD 
> to offer computer training to up to 400 affected staff so they can 
> better adjust to the new process.
> 
> "We're disappointed with this decision, as this will inevitably 
> result in many health workers not receiving information about their 
> pay in a way they understand," a HSU spokesman told iTnews.
> 
> "We don't have confidence that the process established is going to 
> provide a lasting resolution."
> 
> The SLHD said it is more than happy to offer the training to those 
> who want it, and said it had taken every step possible to smooth the 
> transition for its employees.
> 
> "All staff have been provided with instructions and training on how 
> to use the new system... These instructions included a step-by-step 
> process to assist staff who may have difficulty in operating 
> computers. Further, when required, senior staff have assisted those 
> employees who have sought guidance in accessing their e-payslips," a 
> spokesperson said.
> 
> "The Industrial Relations Commission has recently requested the HSU 
> refer the names of its members who it alleges may require further 
> training. The District looks forward to receiving this information so 
> it can provide training as soon as possible."
> 
> The new payroll system will replace the legacy Supero solution and 
> offers staff online access to self-service HR capabilities.
> 
> 


-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
Ramin Communications Pty Ltd
http://ramin.com.au/
Phone:(+61)0414-869202