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A new system for printing and sealing CWRU paychecks and direct-deposit information will debut with the July 15 or July 30 pay dates. The new system and equipment will allow faster processing of payroll documents. Later this year, employees will have the option to receive information on direct deposits through secure e-mail messages.
"This is a much faster and more secure system," said Jack George, manager of the information systems group in the controller's office.
Payroll staff will use new software and two new printers to prepare and print paychecks and direct-deposit summaries. Data will be encrypted as it travels from the mainframe to the server to the printer.
Instead of stuffing checks and deposit receipts into envelopes, these documents will be printed on new paper which folds into a self-mailing document that is sealed shut with a pressure-sealing machine. Employees open the package by folding and tearing away strips of paper along three edges of the paper.
Payroll staff will be able to reprint lost or destroyed checks directly from the new system, rather than manually typing them.
Sorting of payroll envelopes also will be easier. The pressure-sealing machine uses slip sheets of a different color to indicate new departments, to provide a helpful visual cue when sorting envelopes. Currently payroll envelopes are manually bundled and labeled with a delivery address.
The layout of payroll data will be similar to the current format. In the new layout, additional room will be available for announcements, George noted.
Among additional features to enhance security are a more prominent display of the return-address information for the controller's office, plus a backdrop section on the back that blocks the view of paycheck information.
MHC Associates, a Minnesota firm, produces the Document Express package which will produce the new checks.
An e-pay module in document express will allow employees to receive e-mail with direct-deposit information, rather than the current printed summaries of earnings and deductions. The software generates an individual e-mail message with an encrypted attachment which requires a personalized password to open.
"We're excited about Document Express because it offers a lot of benefits," George said.
"The e-pay module may help encourage people to go to direct deposit," he added. If most people on the payroll decide to request direct-deposit information by e-mail, "you're virtually eliminating paper."
The controller's office will announce details on how to request and use the e-pay service when this module is available, George said.
In addition to reducing paperwork, offering payroll information electronically also will make it available faster and more conveniently. For example, faculty and staff who are not on campus on pay day can access their e-mail summaries from any Internet-connected computer.
Additional add-on modules provide the ability to expand into offering new services, such as production of W-2s and other tax forms, George said.
More information on the new payroll documents and processes will be available on the Web at http://www.cwru.edu/finadmin/controller/mailer.htm.
A comparison of the old and new checks is at https://www.cwru.edu/finadmin/controller/payroll/restricted/new_paycheck.htm.
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