SHRM Article Promotes the Importance of Paid Time Off (PTO) Programs: WebApps’ Time and Labor Management Solutions Focus on PTO

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. —September 21, 2006— WebApps, Inc., a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), with a major push in Time and Labor Management, offers software solutions that take into account the importance of Paid Time Off (PTO) programs, which was the topic of a recent article released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in the 9/11/06 edition of HR Week. The article focuses on the importance of a PTO program to an organization and how these types of initiatives are beneficial.

Traditionally, employees are offered compensated time off in categorized segments such as vacation time, sick time, and personal time. A PTO program combines each of these segments into one block of paid time off that an employee can utilize at their discretion. Typically, the amount of time allotted in a PTO program is less than in a traditional program, which constitutes a savings on the organization’s end. According to SHRM, permitting an employee to maintain ownership of their time off to use as they see fit actually makes workers less likely to inappropriately use their paid time off. SHRM also found that a PTO program allows management to plan more appropriately and cut costs.

WebApps’ software features an extensive module in which employees are able to request time off and view their own benefit accrual balances. Through Employee Self-Service (ESS), users have access to their own block of PTO, which they are able to use when they deem it appropriate and can request a full day, partial day, or range of days off instantly. By giving employees the opportunity to request time off in these increments, the needs of a diverse workforce can be more easily met. Employees are also able to view the amount of time off they have remaining and how much they have used, as well as receive notifications if the risk of a negative balance is possible.

Managers are notified via email of Time Off Requests and can decide to approve or deny a request based on other tools available within the module, such as the Time Off Calendar, which allows managers to see if others have taken time off for the same day. This ensures that enough employees are scheduled to maintain adequate coverage.

“WebApps’ software offers a comprehensive benefit accruals module that includes the PTO tool. By offering this tool, organizations are allowing their employees to take ownership of the PTO they have accrued,” said WebApps Senior Application Specialist Alexandra Quintero. “In fact, several of our partners have reported that one of the most useful features of our application happens to be the Time Off Request tool. This tool is especially attractive to companies that employ a large number of salaried workers.”

The HR Week article concludes that a PTO program is the most effective way to control unscheduled absences within the workplace. Also according to the article, PTO programs are highly cost effective and give employees and employers alike the opportunity to strike a better balance between their work and home life. In fact, SHRM found that PTO ranks very high on employee preference in terms of rewards in the workplace.

About WebApps, Inc. -
WebApps is a leading developer of web-based business applications for improving human productivity and organizational processes in the workplace. Delivering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), client sensitive data is collected, processed, and stored remotely without the need for technical resources on site. Software features are easily expanded or scaled back, making it easier to support a variety of size and industry specific clients with a single platform. Under a pay-as-you-go model, clients gain access to software that is more intuitive, easier to deploy, and offers lower total cost of ownership than client-installed software - www.SaaS.com.
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