5 ways an HRIS with native payroll software ensures accuracy in summary:
- Using an HRIS platform with native payroll software ensures accuracy as it centralises both payroll and employee data.
- In addition, users can benefit from real-time compliance updates, automatic calculation and deductions, as well as employee self-service.
- An HRIS with native payroll software is also a far more secure option compared to using separate systems or manual processes.
Let’s face it: life can often be stressful. Most of us have to juggle work, family, our own wellbeing and multiple financial commitments. And the latter, especially, can take up a lot of mental space: bills, mortgage or rent, shopping and other costs. It all adds up – and not just in a monetary sense.
Unfortunately, many employers aren’t exactly helping their employees with this load.
According to one recent UK study, nearly half of UK employees have missed a bill payment as a result of inaccurate payroll. The most high-profile cases of this being when Next and Asda mistakenly underpaid their workforce in an ongoing manner. This not only resulted in some employees having to turn to payday lenders and food banks but landed the employers with a massive loss of brand reputation.
Also, our own research into the state of payroll also discovered some concerning statistics: including only 32% of UK & Irish-based employees had experienced perfect payroll… not to mention over a quarter of respondents confirming they often had to reach out to payroll teams as they didn’t understand the information on their payslips!
Yet payroll needn’t be a stressor for staff and something that can damage the reputation of the business.
With accurate and timely payroll, you can signal to staff that they’re a central part of your thinking. This makes it more likely that pay becomes a key driver of retention of your best performers and a key factor in both engagement and productivity. Indeed, multiple studies have found clear links between business performance and remuneration which works in the right way.
But being accurate with payroll means getting the right system – and understanding how it drives that accuracy.
To find out more about the role that the right payroll system can play in accurate pay, read on below.
1. Centralised and current data
If payroll is part of wider HRIS, then HR can benefit from centralised data management. What does this mean? Well, in practice it results in no double entry of data with information instead shared between all areas of your system i.e. any data on employees uploaded is immediately shared with the payroll function as well. Perfect for moments when job roles and tax codes change and not having to remember to copy this information across.
Not only does this preclude inaccurate uploads (from multiple stages of entry), but it also frees up time for HR and payroll teams to oversee remuneration audits before pay runs are completed.
And, with Cezanne’s native payroll software also allowing HR to see pay data in real-time before pay runs, with recourse to a central support team if needed, it ensures that data becomes an accuracy guarantee rather than a risk. Good for employees – and good for the business, too.
2. Real-time compliance updates
While some may consider pay to be a merely administrative area, those close to it know it’s fast-changing. Last year there was a debate about pensions, this year national insurance contribution changes made headlines, and there have also been changes to sick pay, the real living wage, as well as various statutory leaves.
It’s a lot to contend with and the changes can often be complex – especially if they impact individual employees in different ways. However, having payroll software that automatically calculates statutory payments and deductions ensures this is done accurately (without the need for manual working out or fallible spreadsheet formulas) and ensures compliance with the latest pay frameworks and regulations.
Indeed, payroll software that takes on processing for the business means adhering to everything payroll-related: such as the latest national living and minimum wage raises being automated. This means payroll practitioners don’t have to keep abreast of every law change, and can spend time on more value-adding activities.
3. Automated calculations
Similarly to not having to keep up with every regulatory or legislative change – which can be time consuming and finickity – payroll software which does automatic calculations can ensure complete payroll accuracy.
For example, payroll software that’s part of a broader HRIS – which can calculate hours worked, pay level, bonuses and overtime, and then deduct necessary pension contributions, sick and parental leave (as well as checking important information like employee bank details) – not only speeds up pay processing by sharing information, but makes processing more seamless and more likely to be error-free.
Not only that, software which does automatic deductions and payments – but still allows practitioners to retain oversight of the process (via the chance to check pay before it goes out) – doubly ensures that payroll processing is less likely to cause issues for employees down the line.
4. Employee self-service
Many issues in the workplace can often be circumvented by giving staff autonomy. Sometimes that might be flexibility in how work takes place. Sometimes that means giving employees autonomy over how they control their data and pay.
HRIS software with native payroll, like Cezanne’s, does the latter by enabling employees access to digital payslips and core data anytime anywhere. This means via a single sign-on they can access, check and change their pay or details (such as address or bank) that might impact it – preventing or mitigating any payroll issues before they spiral.
However, this access shouldn’t come at the expense of security. The best HRIS software should allow configurations of permission to access specific data – such as giving employees access only to their own data but HR, payroll or line managers a helicopter view – meaning that employee autonomy (and ability to keep their own details up-to-date and accurate) doesn’t come at the expense of the security of others. This means that no one should be able to accidentally, or otherwise, cause errors with the data.
5. Enhanced security
Not only does security come from the ability to configure access levels, which is one way of ensuring data accuracy (by giving only the needed systems administrators and practitioners oversight), but another is by ensuring payroll software comes with adequate security from external threats.
Cezanne’s native payroll option ensures that data key to payroll processing (bank account details, national insurance numbers, personal information) is kept safe from criminal or external manipulation by multiple levels of security.
Not only are Cezanne’s payroll solutions GDPR compliant, data is also encrypted, securely password protected, and regular penetration testing is conducted by an independent third party. ISO27001 certification also showcases the policies and procedures Cezanne adheres to ensure data protection is taken seriously.
On the flip side, this ensures you don’t have to undertake such time-intensive security processes during payroll processing; again, a boost for data accuracy and speed of processing (allowing you to focus on this area).
Dan Cave
Dan Cave is an award-winning HR journalist and editor. He’s been reporting in the HR space for over five years and works across the national business press.
