about
us

The 2009 Annual Growing Business Awards took place last night at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London. As the only company to have been shortlisted in two categories, we had awaited these awards with eager anticipation, so on the eve of 26th November the Patersons team donned their party attire and headed out to see what the night would bring.

On arrival all were greeted with a champagne reception and then ushered through to our appropriate table. The judges on the evening's awards were amongst others, Theo Paphitis, John Caudwell - CEO Phones4U and the previous winner of 'Company of the Year' Will King.

After everyone was settled and a brief welcome by the host, dinner was served. The dinner was a scrumptious concoction of a king prawn, smoked salmon & prawn parcel with salsa starter, followed by Roast chump of lamb, lyonnaise mash, honey roast parisian vegetables and a strawberry infused orange truffle for dessert.

As the wine flowed, the awards started, with winner after winner announced, the team held their breath as our first shortlisted category of Global Outlook and Expansion came round.  And the winner is... Patersons Global HR & Payroll Solutions! With much excitement the team embraced each other as Karen Paterson made her way to the stage and accepted our first award of the evening.

Flushed with success, celebratory wine was in order, and as it flowed Comedienne Jo Brand entertained the crowd with her witty repertoire of jokes and observations. Soon enough the second half of the awards evening started, our second shortlisted category was 'Entrepreneur of the Year' and was scheduled to be the last award of the evening.

As we waited for our category to come up we sat back and applauded the other winners as they collected their awards. Finally it was time for our category 'Entrepreneur of the Year', last year's winners Glen Manchester and Andrew Haigh from Coutts took to the stage and announced the three other contenders for the award. After what seemed like forever the winner was announced. Karen Paterson!

As the Patersons team celebrated this fantastic win a jubilant Karen took to the stage again to collect her award. After a brief acceptance speech, Karen exited the stage to the appropriate tune 'Simply the best' by Tina Turner, which signaled the start of the after party.

After winning two awards, we thought the evening couldn't get any better. At that point a rival candidate who shall remain unnamed, came over to congratulate Karen on her win. Acting very chilled out and complimentary towards Karen, to the great amusement of the team he then proceeded to pull up this shirt and display his 'Whatever' Tattoo on his back! Much hilarity ensued and further congratulations were offered from the 'mystery' candidate, topping off a fantastic evening.

With the party in full swing, the whole team made sure to celebrate our evening of success in style. After much celebrating and with dawn fast approaching, it was time to say goodbye to what had been a truly special evening filled with huge successes.

Congratulations to all the other winners, hopefully we'll see you all back here next year!

Have you ever found yourself wishing you knew more about the latest developments in HR & Payroll or perhaps you'd just like to know more about the basics?

Well, whatever you'd like to know we've got it covered with the latest release of webinar sessions hosted by Patersons. So, why not take advantage of our experts knowledge and make sure you get any burning questions answered in these indepth and engaging sessions!

These sessions are completely free, and you can register to attend here, or if you'd like to see our entire schedule you can download the pdf here.

In the meantime if there's any topic you'll like to see covered in future sessions we'd be more than happy to hear from you. So either drop us an email at webinars@patersons.net or post your suggestion in our forum on the community website.

On 29th October the walls of the Conrad Hong Kong Hotel were reverberating with the noise of anticipation and excitement. The Patersons team of Kim Loo, Bohlen Tong and Garren Edwards were in town to host an invitation only seminar on Global Payroll and the Patersons solution, to a group of HR & payroll professionals.

From the outset the event was sure to be a success, due to an overwhelming response to the invitation, resulting in the seminar being attended by 50% more delegates than originally anticipated! The seminar was set to be a lively two and a half hour, discussion and demonstration on the key areas affecting global payroll.

The Conrad Hong Kong Hotel was the perfect location with its plush, relaxing seating arrangement coupled with the first class surroundings, which made everyone feel right at home. All the delegates arrived early and started networking, with the first 10 lucky attendees receiving a complimentary 16GB USB flash drive. As everyone settled in, waiting for the seminar to start we got to take advantage of the American set breakfast on offer, which was eagerly anticipated by all and definitely didn't disappoint.

Satisfied from the sumptuous breakfast and copious cups of coffee, the event kicked off with a bang as our new Sales Director for Hong Kong and China, Bohlen Tong introduced the team and the topics for the seminar.

Over the next few hours, there were plenty of discussions as Garren Edwards, VP Global Consulting, presented an overview of Patersons and our global payroll solution. Bohlen undertook a live demo of the software and Kim reviewed the benefits available to members of our free community website. A well deserved break, allowed us a little time to relax and saw even more networking going on amongst the delegates, along with a wealth of questions directed at the sales team.

2 hours later, after the final session had finished, we entered the phase that everyone was waiting for...the prize giveaway! With the excitement palpable in the room, we finally announced the two lucky draw winners of our state-of-the-art Bluetooth Stereo Headsets. But don't worry, the remaining delegates all walked away with some complimentary gifts, ensuring everyone left happy.

After a lot of hard work, engaging discussions and plenty of fun thrown in for good measure it was all over. It was great to see everyone and the prize giveaway topped off a fantastic event. We can't wait to do another one soon; perhaps we'll see you there?

By Sophie Stephens

Time - 18.24. Temperature - 31°C. Location - New Orleans, Louisiana. I had arrived. All the way from Salisbury to New Orleans.

After travelling half way across the globe, admittedly in luxury as I had cheekily requested an upgrade and been bumped up from economy to business class on the flight. I finally got settled into my room which overlooked a huge marquee in the square behind my hotel - a live jazz band played and lots of people danced at this Thursday night event. As I looked down 12 floors to see the spectacle, I wondered if they were going to let me sleep that first night. What an exciting welcome to New Orleans!!

The SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition 2009 was taking place and I had flown out to New Orleans to attend the 3 day event. As first time exhibitors at SHRM it took me by complete surprise how big the event and the Ernst N. Memorial Conference Centre was; a full 15 walk just to get a coffee and back again!!!

Joining the Patersons team for the SHRM conference was Kephanie Landess, Patersons’ latest addition to the US sales team. The rest of the US team - Gerald, Fonda, Phil, Jamie and our Group VP of Global Business Development, Martin Stockton, settled in to meet as many of the 10,000 attendees as possible and show off our totally unique Patersons solution along with our Free HR offer.

Day two and a crowd had started to form a few stands away from ours. As we wondered what the commotion was about, I saw through the crowd and recognised the man from all the posters at SHRM had appeared. Jack Welch was signing autographs and he came to meet Kephanie at the Patersons stand, so we took the opportunity to shake hands with the highly regarded King of innovative management strategy and leadership styles.

Mr Welch is best known for his role as vice chairman at General Electrics, GE. His innovative strategies included firing the bottom 10% of his managers every year to encourage the managers to perform to their best ability. This led to Welch getting a reputation for being brutal to the workforce but the proof was in the pudding when the market value of GE as a company went from $14 billion to more than $410 billion, making it the largest and most valuable company in the world.

After the show, the team celebrated with a night on Bourbon Street, some good food, dancing, live music and plenty of Hurricane cocktails later it was time to bid New Orleans and the US team farewell.

By Jamie Craig

This year's 12th annual Technology Conference, hosted by Human Resource's Executives at the grand McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, gave attendees the chance to learn how innovative HR software solutions can assist their HR needs. However, there was one solution that created a real buzz at the show. Patersons comprehensive global HR and payroll solution, Logon2, led the way as the only true solution able to provide HR and payroll in over 160 countries with just one database, one contract, globally!

Visitors at the Patersons booth were not only prospects looking for assistance with their global HR & Payroll needs, but competing vendors were also wondering if Patersons solution was actually able to process payroll in over 160 countries. We gladly welcomed all to our booth to attend our 'Global Solutions' presentation in order to turn what many thought was a myth into a reality. Both attendees and exhibitors walked away from the booth with the belief that Patersons is the leading provider of global HR and payroll services.

Word spread, and many HR Tech attendees were on the lookout for Patersons. They were able to find our booth easily by following the exhibit hall floor stickers which read 'Patersons, leading the way in international Payroll'. In addition, a massive 7ft helium globe was flying above the stand to ensure we were not passed by unnoticed. Stylish reusable bags were also given away to booth visitors displaying the message 'Paperless payroll - be part of the solution!' Patersons provides electronic payslips to many of its clients who benefit from our 'greener service'. The bags also coincided with a recent article written in the September issue of the HR Executive magazine, featuring an interview with CEO Karen Paterson, discussing how solutions like ours can 'offer a variety of potential benefits that can extend beyond cost savings' ('Paperless Money' Human Resouce Executive 2 September 2009: 24-26).

Patersons presence at the 2009 HR Technology Conference and Exhibition resulted not only in a great deal of lead generation, but also proved that we can offer what we say we can through our 'software as a service' solution. It must be said, that Patersons certainly did 'steal the shoe' this year by spreading the word that our solution is second-to-none.

Listen to the Bill Kutik Radio Show on October 28th to hear from our CEO Karen Paterson. The webcast will be taking place at 4pm GMT/ 12am EDT/ 9am PDT.

For most people, payroll may not seem to be the most exciting topic, until you don’t get paid on time! Karen Paterson makes sure that doesn’t happen for clients in 160 countries around the world. During this webcast she will explain the three toughest challenges you’ll face when handling international payroll. Karen will also use her substantial experience to outline the best practices for going global.

This webcast is produced by the Knowledge Infusion Center of Excellence and hosted by independent industry analyst Bill Kutik. The bi-weekly interview show provides leading HR business content and insight into up-to-the-minute trends.

Click here to register for the webcast or here to find out more about the Bill Kutik Radio Show.

If you're like us and you've ever wished that you could have a one stop solution to your HR management then August must be as exciting for you as it is for us! Why I hear you ask? Well for those in the know, August heralded the arrival of our new software, Click4HR in Asia. Simple and secure whilst being cost effective - it truly is a leader in its field.

Whether you're a small or medium sized business with 50 employees in one country or 2000 across the world, Click4HR is sure to meet your needs, with its secure centralised database of HR information, wrapped up in an easy to use, cost and time effective package, available in 26 languages. But don't worry, that's not all, at Patersons we want to make HR and Payroll as easy as possible so there's no software license fee, no downloads required and no IT support necessary - and all at a minimum annual fee of $49 for our economy package.

So, you like the software but are thinking, why should I switch? Well, Click4HR is based upon our tried and tested LOGON2 software which is used by some of the world's biggest companies. Plus you can get telephone support and training sessions with our premium packages; so you're sure to be in good hands. What's more the 3 components of the software ensure all business requirements are covered:

• HR Suite: Allows easy management of your employees’ details.


• Document Manager: Securely stores your confidential documents online.


• HR Reports: Provides analysis of HR data plus downloadable reports to help you better understand your business.

Don't forget that Click4HR is currently only available in Asia, but keep your eyes peeled as it’s already getting rave reviews, so you can be sure that Click4HR will be coming to a country near you soon!

All Aboard! This year’s theme for the 27th annual APA congress was “Cruising into Compliance”, and Patersons was there, ready to board ship. The congress was held in the sunny state of California, at the Long Beach Convention center from May 19th to the 22nd. Members from APA chapters all over the country attended the convention to learn about payroll compliance, and of course, to snatch up some of the free give-a-ways.



Patersons’ attracted many attendees with the “FREE HR” branding on the new exhibition stand (and not to forget to mention the lovely Patersons girls carrying around the “FREE HR” signs).

Patersons also focused on driving traffic to the stands through product demonstrations and the chance to win a free Acer netbook.  Gerald Cobb showed off his “star like” qualities while giving presentations of the Logon2 solution and Patersons’ FREE HR offering. After the demos, many attendees were interested in learning more about Patersons’  “one system, one contract” solution.   Day 1 was quite a success.  APA members were seen throughout the convention center proudly wearing the FREE HR badges, and many were caught trying to sneak away with the “for display only” FREE HR umbrellas. After the exhibition hall closed, the APA hosted a dessert hour where exhibitors and APA members could enjoy a sweet treat while watching circus performers juggle on stilts or flip through hoops in mid-air. It was quite entertaining, but not as entertaining as watching the Patersons team perform a dance to the “hokie pokie” at the dueling piano bar.



Day 2 came quick, and it was filled with many new faces visiting the Patersons stand and the excitement of the laptop give-a-way. One lucky winner walked away with an ultra-portable and stylish Acer netbook after attending the FREE HR presentation. In addition to the laptop give-a-way, Patersons sponsored the APA cocktail hour, which gave everyone a chance to mingle with the attendees and offer them a refreshing beverage.



The last day of the convention consisted of another FREE HR demo, in which there was a sea of unfamiliar faces that came to watch the presentation. As a result, another fortunate person walked away the winner of a new Acer laptop. However, Patersons also walked away from the 2009 APA Congress a winner as well. The new stand design, along with presentations on our FREE HR offering, attracted a lot of attention. Next year’s annual APA congress will be held in Washington, D.C., and just like Uncle Sam requested, we “WANT YOU” to come visit Patersons in America’s capital city.

The awards season is well in swing and we are delighted to announce that we are a Global Business Excellence Award Winner!

On Patersons winning a prestigious Global Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Payroll Solution, the Chair of the Judges commented:

‘The vision and determination show by Patersons to develop and market such an outstanding payroll solution internationally is inspirational. The business model is clearly scalable and the company seems to have been built on strong foundations and a tenacious ability to attract funding for expansion at a time when such support is in short supply. We look forward to watching the company go from strength to strength.’

The Global Business Excellence Awards (GBEAs) are an independent awards programme, not affiliated to any magazine or newspaper, who aim to recognize and reward business excellence across all sectors, private and public.

The shortlist for 2009 HR & Payroll industry awards are coming hot off the press and we are delighted to have been selected as finalists for no less than 3 different awards!

Our CEO Karen Paterson is one of 4 nominees in the First Women Awards Science & Technology category, and Karen has also been recognised for her entrepreneurial spirit in the National Business Awards South of England Regional Programme 2009 in the Entrepreneur of the Year Award category.

Furthermore, the National Business Awards Regional Programme havs listed Patersons HR & Payroll Solutions as finalists for awards in Business Innovation and Growth Strategy as well as for Business of the Year.

Our innovative approach to managing HR & Payroll data in one simple solution with a single global contract has also been acknowledged by the HR Excellence Awards. Patersons HR & Payroll Solutions have been shortlisted in the ‘Most Innovative Use of Technology’ category alongside ASDA, Croydon Council and McDonalds Restaurants.

Winners will be announced over the coming months, so watch this space to find out how we fare!

First Women Awards - at the awards gala dinner on Wednesday June 11, 2009
HR Excellence Awards - at the awards night, on 30 June 2009 at the Hilton in Park Lane
National Business Awards South of England Regional Programme 2009 – Tuesday 14th July 2009

With innovation as our middle name, we are always looking for ways to break the mould and keep our fingers on the pulse of industry requirements.

And so, as unbelievable as it may sound, our global standard HR Software is now being offered FREE with the purchase of our International Payroll Management Solution.

Why? ..... Well having worked as Payroll and HR professionals ourselves, we have experienced and appreciate the magnitude of tasks such as entering and managing HR & Payroll data on separate systems.

As Martin Stockton our Group VP for Business Development explains “We wanted to provide new customers that haven’t tried our global solutions with the opportunity to get our HR software for free, so that they can experience the benefits of a consolidated global management system that can remove the vast administrative burden of HR and payroll processing. The depth and knowledge contained within our team of experts means that we are able to take full responsibility for our clients’ HR and payroll needs. With our solution, companies are presented with extremely clear information quickly and easily in real-time.”

Free HR >>

Friday 24 April 2009

12:15 - 1:00 PM ET
17.15 – 18.00 UK BST

In a similar vein to our own HR & Payroll webinars, HR.com is featuring a series of webcasts in April, including an interview with our Group Vice President of Business Development – Martin Stockton.

Martin is a very popular speaker at many international industry events, so why not take this opportunity to join HR.com online for a one-on-one interview with Martin and gather valuable insights as to where the market is going, what’s working and what’s not.

HR.com interview with Martin Stockton >>

Our offer of 12 months free subscription to the CCH Payroll Management Guide received such a welcome response, that we are now also offering a one month free trial to any new US customers who sign up for a Logon2 Demo.

Whether it be for 1 or 12 months, your free online subscription will give you access to information, analysis and features that could save your business considerable expense from just one visit.

Written by CCH editors – specialists in US Federal and State Payroll rules, the Payroll Management Guide includes:

1. News Databases (daily & weekly updates)‏
2. Tools such as calculators and lookup charts
3. Comprehensive Analysis of Federal & State/Local rules
4. Source Material includes IRC, State withholding regs, etc.
5. Employment Forms
6. Tax Treaties

Contact our US Sales team for a Logon2 demo and to sign up for your one month free CCH subscription.

Further information on the content of the CCH Payroll Management Guide is also available in the CCH Payroll Management Guide ‘Getting Started’ Webinar.

* Free access is available to all US Payroll Services Clients for an introductory 12 month period ending November 2009. A one month free trial is available to new US customers who sign up for a demonstration of Patersons HR & Payroll Solution Logon2 before end October 2009.

Self-Hosted Breakfast Roundtable

Turning Myth into Reality: How Managing Regional HR and Payroll Challenges can be Effortless and Trouble-free!
Grand Hyatt Singapore, Wednesday - 25 February 2009

If you are an avid blog reader and have been following our recent postings, you will realise that this is the second self-hosted breakfast roundtable we have held in a fairly short period of time. In fact, this particular event was brought back by popular demand, thanks to the feedback from all our valued guests!

We have found self-hosted events to be very beneficial in the AsiaPac market. With seminars designed to bring together like-minded HR and payroll professionals from many industry sectors, we regularly achieve a 97% attendance rate. The relaxed forum environment gives speakers and attendees freedom to openly exchange opinions and experiences with their peers.

We were also delighted that our CEO, Karen Paterson and Group VP of Business Development, Martin Stockton travelled 10,849 kilometers from our UK head office to join the event too.

Topics on the floor included the significance of on-demand HR and Payroll solutions, the technology and intelligence behind it and finally to promote the launch of our new corporate website, Christopher von Mitschke-Collande, Regional Director for Asia demonstrated the latest features and the valuable HR and payroll resources available on our interactive Community Website.

Patersons would like to thank all the representatives who joined us at the Grand Hyatt and as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so please allow me to share with you these snapshots caught on camera that day, which will do the rest of the talking for me from this point on …

The Presentation

The Attendees

Karen Paterson CEO Presenting a Lucky Draw Prize to a Delegate

The Food!

.
Before a triumphant crowd on Tuesday 20th January 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the United State's first African-American President. Obama's speech was designed to give hope and strength to those in despair over America's economic instability.

.

"We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord"

President Barack Obama, 20 January 2009

Many Americans have questioned Obama's ability to help the nation arise from economic peril, and why shouldn't they? This year jobs have been lost, homes have been foreclosed, and companies have declared bankruptcy. In October 2008, the unemployment rate climbed to a 14-year high, with over 10 million people out of work. However, Obama vows to undo what has been done, but it will not be a 'quick fix'. It is going to take time, and effort, and it can only be done if the American people unite. His first priority as President is to get Congress to approve an economic plan which will extend health care to those uninsured, keep Medicare and Social Security solvent, and provide benefits to those without jobs. In an intereview, Obama stated, "Immediately after I become President, I will confront this economic challenge head-on by taking all necessary steps to ease the credit crisis, help hardworking families, and restore growth and prosperity."

One of the major issues that Obama is focusing his efforts on is to amend federal bankruptcy laws to keep companies from choosing bankruptcy to avoid private pension obligations. Many major companies in the US, like Circuit City, an electronic merchandise store, and Linens and Things, a home-goods store, declared bankruptcy this year due to the economic strife. While some companies, like Patersons, continue to grow in this time of fiscal hardship, other companies have not been so fortunate.

The year of 2009 is a year for change. It is a year to start over. It is a year to put differences aside. For a new man has become President and promised that "change has come to America".

.

Christine Daigre, Patersons Service Centres Manager (Americas)

Christine Daigre, the Americas Service Center Manager, was one of the hundreds of thousands of faces in the crowd during Obama's inauguration. When asked about the event, she proudly stated, "It was an awesome experience...I am so thankful I was there and actually being a part of the history being made!"

Well what a year it has been so far for Patersons.
Last week we travelled to New York for the 5th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business gala event at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel.
The 2008 Stevie Awards for Women in Business is an international competition recognizing the accomplishments of outstanding women executives, business owners and the organisations they run. The awards are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards^SM.

It was my first trip to New York and a real eye opener. Perched towards the top of the hotel - a skyscraper towering above Times Square, I arrived late in the evening, opened the curtain and WOW - immediate vertigo! What a view! My ears were even popping in the lift!

The event was a sell out with some extremely inspiring women with businesses across the globe, picking up these prestigious awards.
Our own inspiring Karen Paterson, founder and Chief Executive of Patersons was awarded Best Entrepreneur in EMEA. Karen was also an individual finalist in the Best Entrepreneur - Service Businesses award and Patersons HR & Payroll Solutions was a finalist in the Technology Innovator of the Year category.

It was a fantastic evening and we were glowing with pride, as we made our way to 'The View' at the very top of the building to celebrate. A glass of champagne later and I was convinced the room was moving. It actually was!! The whole top floor rotates a full 360 degrees. But what an impressive landscape - to see New York at night with all its towers, lights and vastness.

We came home reeling from our success, clutching the Stevie (which weighs a lot). This has been a great accolade for Patersons and we have our dedicated global team to thank for that.

Human Resource’s Executives hosted this year’s 10^th annual HR Technology Conference and Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, October 14 through the 16. With over 300 vendors, the tradeshow had to be held at the colossal McCormick convention center. The exposition allowed attendees, and other vendors, to network together and learn more about the aspects of technology for HR.

The HRTech Conference could have been a little overwhelming for a first time tradeshow attendee like myself. However, aside from the acrobatic stunts and 50 foot exhibits, I knew that these other companies had nothing on Patersons. Karen, Martin, Tracy, Gerald, Melanie, Fabricio and I made sure that we all had on our “game faces”.

At this show, we were fortunate enough to have a demonstration of the new US payroll solution on a 42” plasma television. This attracted many exhibitors and attendees. However they all seemed to ask the same question, “So, are you in competition with ‘so and so company’?” After we explained to them that we were not, because our solution is “one system, one contract, globally”, they, without hesitance, traded in their red bags for our much more stylish Patersons bag.

I would say that this year’s 2008 HRTech tradeshow was a great success! Even though I refused to put on a leotard and hula hoop around the arena, we still got a lot of great prospective clients and partners. Next year’s tradeshow is anticipated to be much larger, and Patersons will be there, ready to greet the competition and attendees.

We did!

On the 31^st of October, Patersons’ UK employees were dared to wear it pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign. Staff participated in this event with clothing varying from pink ties to scarves, shirts, skirts, shoes and even corduroy trousers, luminous pink wigs and dyed beards! Whilst others took it to the extreme by wearing pink head to toe! No matter how low the temperatures, all stops were taken to show off how much pink attire we own!

Christine Johnston, Martyn Smith, Alex Richardson and Melanie Barnett
took this event to heart and dared to wear it Pinker!

Pink buns and cookies were also freshly baked by Melanie Mort and Sian Wright to keep the day running at full steam!

Dare to eat Pink?

Even though the atmosphere was light hearted and not all staff had pink in their wardrobe, they saw the seriousness of this event and dug deep in their pockets to contribute to this worthy cause.

Breast Cancer Campaign’s mission is to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

Wear it Pink is the UK's original and biggest pink day during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who donated or wore it pink! And a very special thanks to Jane Paterson for organising this worthy event.

Mel, Christine and Martyn

Following hot on the heels of our recent success in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100, we are delighted to have been selected from over 1,200 entries and confirmed as finalists in no less than 3 categories in the prestigious 5th Annual Stevie Awards for Women.

The categories are:

• Technology Innovator of the Year


• Best Entrepreneur – Service Business up to 2,500 employees


• Best Entrepreneur – EMEA

Hailed as the world’s premier business awards, a gala event will be held in New York on the 14^th November 2008 to announce the winners.

And just in case you wondered too, its nicknamed the ‘Stevie’s from the Greek word for ‘crowned’.

Situated in the ceaselessly eventful country, Singapore, our Asia team has recently hosted a 2 hour “By Invitation Only” American Buffet Breakfast roundtable discussion “Turning Myth into Reality: How Managing Regional HR and Payroll Challenges can be Effortless and Trouble-free!” at the Grand Hyatt Singapore on 2 October 2008.

(Left to Right) John Hollis, Martin Stockton, Christopher von Mitschke-Collande

The roundtable was structured to confer the critical issues facing companies today when looking at global HR and payroll. For example: What to look for when choosing a global payroll provider or one that covers more than one country and how one system, one contract, globally is unique in this marketplace. Why regional consolidated real-time reporting is no longer an optional measure but a “must-have” (pre-requisite) and the Key Performance Indicators in today’s rapid growing business environment. How to be compliant with statutory regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley Act (S.O.X.) or SAS 70, whilst offering the flexibility to permit best practice on a country-by-country basis and thereof.

We intentionally flew in two industry experts all the way from our corporate office in the U.K., Martin Stockton, Group Vice President Business Development, and John Hollis, Group Chief Technology Officer, to share their views and knowledge in managing all the rising HR, payroll, and technology concerns mentioned. Martin’s topic was “Implementing & Leveraging HR & Payroll on Demand within Your Organization”, while John focused his discussion on “Designing New HR and Payroll Systems Using Advanced Technology”. They were also joined by Christopher von Mitschke-Collande, Regional Director of Patersons Asia, who shared an actual case study and demonstrated the interactive Patersons 24/7 online community, the “one stop shop” specifically designed for its customers, partners, and prospects before the wrap of the roundtable.

(Left to Right)
Doris Ng, Regional Payroll Manager Asia (Thomson Reuters)
Joyce Ng, HR Manager Singapore Operations (Monsanto Singapore Co Pte Ltd)
Raymond Shan, HR Specialist (Monsanto Singapore Co Pte Ltd)
Nina Tan, HR Manager (CapitaLand Ltd)

Based on the general feedback collected from the delegates, it was agreed that the presentations were well-delivered while topics were relevant and valuable to them. All in all, it was considered as a well-organized roundtable discussion all who attended were definitely pleased to have participated.

(Left to Right)
Aminah Muhammad, Group Admin & HR Manager (GWC Holdings Pte Ltd)
Johanne Leong, Senior HR Executive (GWC Holdings Pte Ltd)
Danielle Tasker, Group HR Director (Deal Group Media Ltd)
Florence Goh, Consulting Manager (JAF Consulting Pte Ltd)

Personally, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone that has remotely, morally, and physically helped me in putting the event altogether within the short notice and making it a success. This is to Victoria, Shaun, Susanne, Claire, Mel, Gareth, Christopher, Xing Hui, Lily, last but not least, John and Martin. Kudos for the great team efforts!

It’s a great time for Patersons. We’re riding high with exciting news!

Following closely on the heels of our success in coming 27th in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 annual league of the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK, we have also been shortlisted for the UK’s 2008 Growing Business Awards in the Company of the Year: Global Outlook and Expansion category. The results will be announced by the Rt Hon William Hague at a gala event on 27 November.

Moving to the US for more great news: Martin Stockton, our Global VP for Business Development, has been selected from a list of candidates to speak at the well respected IHRIM 2009 Conference, being held in San Diego next Spring, where we will also be exhibiting. IHRIM is acknowledged throughout the industry for educating HR information management professionals, and is a highly regarded conference – so congratulations Martin!

It takes a team effort to succeed, so well done to all those involved. These achievements are a further endorsement of how successfully we are executing our vision of managing global HR and payroll through a single contract and single technology platform in more than 160 countries.

Back in June, Patersons was joined online by Martin Vošahlík, of Elanor Europe. Elanor is a key payroll service provider partner for Patersons clients in Eastern Europe, and as such, provides excellent insight into the issues around CEE payroll.Martin's informative presentation included an overview of the current investment and economic status of CEE countries and outlined differences in payroll across countries. He also highlighted issues around payroll outsourcing across the region.

To hear the full report or to view the Powerpoint presentation, why not download it now from our Meeting Room Archive. Or join our online discussion online at our Webinar Forum

May is a good month of the year. While everyone in the UK enjoyed the hottest weekend so far this year, Karen had a short trip to China. If we cut off the travelling time, there were only 3 days, however during those 3 days, Karen visited 3 cities; set up Patersons China in Shanghai; had a very important and successful client meeting and met with 12 groups of people, including Lawyers, Accountants, Intellectual Property Professionals, Potential Partners, Clients, etc. It was an incredibly productive trip.

Shanghai is the commercial capital of China, similar to how New York is in the US. It combines two parts: the old city, called Puxi, and the new development area called Pudong. The original office that Martin Stockton and I viewed was in Pudong, and it is inside the second tallest building in Asia.

However, I heard people talking about the Feng Shui in Puxi, that it was much better than Pudong, so I started hunting for office locations in Puxi. Many people claim that Feng Shui is the practice of arranging objects (such as furniture) to help people achieve their goals. More traditionally, Feng Shui is important in choosing a place to live. Proponents claim that Feng Shui has an effect on health, wealth and personal relationships. The famous and central location is in Xin Tian Di which is not only a prestigious place for business, but also has a complex with trendy bars and restaurants. People believe it has the best Feng Shui for business in Shanghai, the Regus offices in this location are always fully occupied even though the renting price is sky high. When Karen and I arrived in Shanghai, I called the GM of Regus Shanghai asking if there was any office space available.

After Karen viewed the office, Patersons China was officially set up in Shanghai!

Earthquake!!

Karen and I were in Shanghai when the earthquake happened. On that day, we had flown from Shenzhen to Shanghai at noon and on arrival had a lunch meeting straight away. When we came out of hotel and got into a taxi for a client meeting, everywhere was packed. Then we realised that half of the people in Shanghai were flooding into the streets while we were busy discussing company registration! We didn’t feel the earthquake at all.

The Chinese name of Patersons China is 派帝盛 which means 'strong and prosperous empire'. With a name like that we are in a very good position to keep weathering the earthquakes and going from strength to strength in China in 2009!

Watch this space for more news from China very soon.

Grace Zhu