WEA is pleased to announce the release of sharedHR 6.2 which includes the 2004 Compliance updates for the Federal and California state platforms. This new release incorporates the following new content and features:

• Critical model document and handbook language changes to address important state and federal compliance requirements of 2004;
• New features such as Injury and illness incident tracking and exchanging of data with a third-party payroll service provider; and
• System upgrades that continue to make sharedHR the most comprehensive, easy-to-use Human Resource Management System available.

All new model documents, compliance updates and new features in 6.2 were released in early January and the finishing touches were implemented February 11, 2004. As is our practice, these new features and upgrades will result in no service interruptions on the site. You are encouraged to log into your sharedHR site and check out what's new about sharedHR 6.2.

To take advantage of the compliance updates and new features offered in 6.2, please review the details and recommended next steps outlined below. Members of our Client Services department will be contacting you over the next few weeks to offer support of your efforts to update and rollout your Employee Handbooks (including model email to all employees), implement the new model documents, and introduce new features.

What's New About sharedHR 6.2

1. New Model Documents— Given some important changes in California law, we have posted several new model documents that should be added to all client libraries as soon as possible. You are encouraged to review and add the following model documents to your library as soon as possible to ensure compliance:

+	California Paid Family Leave Notice (in Compliance / Laws section)
+	California PFL Fact Sheet (in Leaves section)
+	California PFL Pamphlet (in Recruiting and Hiring section)
+	OSHA Record Keeping Guidelines (in Compliance / Laws section)

2. Employee Handbook Compliance Updates — As indicated in our December 2003 Management Bulletin, there have been many new California laws introduced for 2004 that should be reflected in company policy. We have updated the Employee Handbook platform in sharedHR 6.2 to incorporate the recommended policy language changes. Clients are encouraged to update their current handbooks as soon as possible to ensure compliance with the new laws.

Updating the handbook is made simple with sharedHR. From the Home page, click on the Admin link and go to Update Company Information and Handbooks, then select Update Handbook(s). Unless you've already started a draft version of your currently released handbook, you will be prompted to do so. Once in draft mode, you can review the new questions, verify the answers to the others and make any necessary changes to reflect your current policy and procedures. Be sure to "Save" your changes at the end of each page. Lastly, be sure to review the updated language and familiarize yourself with the new sections prior to releasing the updated employee handbook to your employees.

The following sections have been updated to ensure on-going compliance with 2004 California state and federal laws, court cases and regulatory guidelines:

3. Expanded Offering of "Optional" Policies — In addition to compliance updates, sharedHR 6.2 offers an expanded selection of optional policies that clients may consider adding to their employee handbooks. As you review the various sections of the Update Handbook(s) wizard, you will find new questions about these optional policies on most pages. The following new optional policies can now be incorporated into your Employee Handbooks for 2004:

+	Payroll Time Records	+	Personal Leaves of Absences
+	Payroll Deductions	+	Leave Request Procedure
+	Expenses	+	Return to Work
+	Payroll Information	+	Modified Work
+	Make-Up Time	+	Protecting Personal Information
+	Cellular/Wireless Telephones	+	Employee Referral Bonus Program
+	Telecommuting	+	Smoking
+	Exit Interviews	+	Employment Verifications
+	Vehicular Operational Safety	+	Personal Conduct
+	Benefit Waiting Period	+	Domestic Partner

Of course, you can always add Custom policies at any time. You may contact our offices if you wish to have your policies reviewed by one of our Client Services team.

1. Injury and Illness Incident Tracking — To simplify the burden of tracking and reporting occupational injuries each year, sharedHR 6.2 offers the ability to log all employee workplace injuries and illnesses that need be reported on the EEO-1 report each year. This new feature is the first step towards ensuring full compliance with OSHA recordkeeping requirements. Once work-related injuries and illnesses are recorded for employees, clients can run the necessary summary reports. For more information about OSHA and to determine if your organization is subject to the recordkeeping requirements, please review our new model document on this topic in the Compliance and Laws section of your document library.

2. Payroll Data Exchange — Through the sharedHR system, we continually strive to create efficiencies in the way HR is performed. One way to create such efficiencies is to reduce duplicate data entry. In release 6.2, we have developed a payroll interface technology that allows sharedHR to receive data from payroll vendors that will update sharedHR data fields automatically after each payroll cycle. At the present time, we have completed an interface with one San Francisco payroll company, the Payroll Resource Group (PRG). In the future, we will be expanding the list of vendors to which we will interface. If you are interested in signing up with PRG and/or taking advantage of this new feature, please contact Toni Forsberg, VP Client Services. In addition, if you have a preferred payroll vendor you would like us to consider for a future interface, please let us know.

1. Document Library — You may notice that we have upgraded the way in which Administrators can view the Document Libraries. We hope you will find the new layout more easy to read and understand. This is just one of the many "user-friendly refinements" sharedHR 6.2 has in store for our clients.

2. Forget Your Password? — If your employees forget their password to sharedHR, they can ask the system to send them a reminder e-mail right from the login page. We expect this new feature to cut down on the need for Administrators to get involved when passwords are forgotten.

3. General & Management Report Enhancements — Many of the reports in the system have been enhanced based on feedback from our clients. Most of these changes are minor and will likely go unnoticed. However, we believe your reporting needs will be better met while balancing the importance of employee privacy concerns. As most of you know, privacy is a hot new compliance issue (particularly in California). WEA designs reports with a philosophy of limiting access to confidential information to a "need to know" basis. Please contact Client Services if you have any questions or concerns about the contents of our General Reports and Management Reports.