MMAC & Qqest Software Systems: Teaming up to help Milwaukee employers comply with new sick leave ordinance

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 14, 2009—On February 10th 2009, the Milwaukee Sick Leave Mandate (City of Milwaukee Ordinance # 080420) will go into effect, placing a new set of record keeping requirements on many Milwaukee employers.

To help local employers comply with the ordinance, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) has partnered with Qqest Software Systems to offer free access to TimeForce™, an employee timekeeping software application.

The new ordinance states that organizations that have employees working within the geographic boundaries of the City of Milwaukee will be required to provide those employees one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with 10 or more employees will be required to provide the benefit to employees up to a maximum of 72 hours/employee/year. Employers with fewer than 10 employees will be required to provide the benefit to employees up to a maximum of 40 hours/employee/year.

For employers whose current leave policy meets or exceeds the mandatory minimums of the ordinance, little, if anything, will change; but for others, the ordinance imposes an entirely new layer of process management and record keeping for the employer to manage.

As this ordinance takes effect, Milwaukee employers will be required by law to perform the following:

1. Accurately track employees’ hours.

2. Ensure that sick leave ratios are applied correctly to hours worked.

3. Track & Manage the usage of Employee’s available leave balances.

4. Maintain historical records of all leave data to stay compliant with the ordinance

“While we are doing our best to fight this issue in the legal arenas,” Steve Baas, MMAC’s Director of Governmental Affairs stated, “companies do need to be prepared in the event that our legal efforts are unsuccessful. Qqest’s willingness to offer the TimeForce service free of charge for 90 days is a tremendous opportunity for MMAC members to stay compliant with the new ordinance while a legal decision plays out.”

TimeForce is designed specifically to address work time accrual, and will enable companies to track employee sick time with 100 percent accuracy, and more importantly, in full compliance with the new ordinance.

“Qqest is honored to partner with MMAC to help alleviate the burden this new ordinance will place on employers,” said Robert Hansen, Director of Strategic Alliances for Qqest Software, “TimeForce efficiently manages the tracking and reporting of employee time, allowing employers stay focused on core business activities.”

In addition to tracking employee sick time, the TimeForce application can track vacation, holiday, overtime, jobs worked and shift differentials. TimeForce also has the ability to interface with over 150 payroll applications & processors.

MMAC and Qqest Software are offering TimeForce to all MMAC members free of charge for 90 days. Information on this offer can be obtained at: http://www.milwaukeesickleave.com, or by calling Qqest Software at 414-545-8463.

About MMAC

The MMAC is the largest private business association of its kind in Wisconsin. It represents nearly 2,000 member businesses with more than 480,000 employees in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties.

About Qqest

Qqest Software Systems provides real solutions to today’s complex employee management issues. Qqest offers a broad spectrum of products for better employee management — no matter what type of business you run. We provide solutions for time and attendance (TimeForce), payroll (Qqest Payroll Services), and asset maintenance and management (ManagerPlus).