Expert view by Caroline Gammon
Over the past few years, there’s been an enormous increase in businesses adopting technology. But as a consequence, it’s resulted in an overwhelming number of disparate systems.
This disconnect needs to change because, if HR and payroll aren’t integrated, the subsequent slack procedures will expose businesses to unnecessary risks while also hindering day-to-day processes.
In short, HR and payroll software must integrate, and here’s why. It will:
Improve productivity
By integrating your HR and payroll software, you can utilise workflows within the systems to streamline tiresome admin tasks.
These workflows can include automated reminders that chase managers to input pay amendments such as overtime or expenses, ensuring deadlines aren’t missed.
Separate HR and payroll software requires you to maintain two databases, resulting in extensive manual inputting and transferring
Ultimately, by removing human intervention from manually intensive tasks, you have more time to focus on what’s truly important: your people.
Improve data security
It’s common for HR professionals to use spreadsheets and emails when transferring data and sending updates – especially when working from home.
This way of working is incredibly unsafe and can easily result in data falling into the wrong hands, as well as breaching GDPR legislation.
But by connecting your HR and payroll, you can safeguard sensitive data, handling all interactions directly within the secure software.
Reduce data errors
Separate HR and payroll software requires you to maintain two databases, resulting in extensive manual inputting and transferring.
The problem with manually managing data is not only the enormous time commitment required, but the fact that it’s also incredibly prone to human error.
Software integration enables you to remove single points of failure, ensuring your business has built-in resilience against such situations
The sort of thing you can’t allow in your payroll are errors. The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) found that 21 per cent of employees would change jobs after being paid incorrectly or late.
With software integration, whenever an employee updates information such as their home address or bank details, the change is automatically reflected in both systems, significantly reducing any risk of mistakes.
Ensure business resilience
If the person managing your payroll is either off sick or quits, how would you process payroll in the short term?
Software integration enables you to remove single points of failure, ensuring your business has built-in resilience against such situations.
For example, with IRIS’ HR and payroll integration, you can temporarily move to our world-class payroll outsourcing service during emergencies, guaranteeing you never miss a payday.
Keep payroll documents in one place
How do your employees access their payroll documents? During my time as an HR professional, every payday, we had an influx of employees requesting their payslips.
I also had numerous requests for historic payslips when employees were looking to submit their mortgage applications.
These requests become a thing of the past with software integration because you can utilise automated monthly payslip emails in addition to offering self-service that enables people to access their historic payroll documents.
Caroline Gammon is HCM Market Specialist of the software provider IRIS, the company behind Staffology HR which offers a variety of streamlined packages for business.
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