Increased demand placed on payroll professionals
Fueled by the increasing demands of privacy laws, globalization issues, demographic shifts, management expectations and technology trends, the role of the payroll professional is growing in complexity.
Payroll practitioners require greater business and technology savvy than in the past. They also need to possess a deeper understanding of their industry. They should be more involved with leveraging data, instead of simply performing data entry and processing-related activities. They need to provide insightful workforce information to business leaders for strategic decision making.
In this changed environment, cross-departmental, web-based HR information systems with employee and manager self-service are continuing to grow in demand, particularly among medium- and large-sized organizations.
Through this technology, employees can enter and maintain their personal information, make queries and submit online requests such as vacations or training. Similarly, managers can access information and reports about employees, including the processing of online approvals for employee requests. As well, electronic documentation such as records of employment, pay statements, tax forms and payroll reports will increase in uptake. Highly configurable workflow engines and sophisticated security are available to control these functions.
Multinational payroll, HR and benefits administration solutions are also gaining importance as more businesses deploy employees to other countries. There is a move toward a “shared services” platform in HR and payroll, which would support both web applications and multinational solutions irrespective of country, to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
HR and payroll teams should be prepared to explore outsourcing as a viable option. Comprehensive, multi-process deals still make up the minority (about 15 to 20 per cent) of HR outsourcing deals in the marketplace, according to HRO Today magazine’s 2007 predictions in the United States. However, interest in comprehensive, single-source suppliers is growing because of a greater choice of vendors in the market. The desire for a single-source expert partner will ring even truer among mid-sized and small businesses in the years ahead.
Finally, the next big thing is here now — the integration of payroll with key business systems including HR management systems, workforce management and succession planning solutions — into a single data warehouse or business intelligence solution.
Cande Dandele is executive vice-president of marketing and product management at Ceridian Canada, a provider of HR, payroll and EAP solutions, in Markham, Ont. She can be reached at (905) 947-7214 or [email protected].
Payroll practitioners require greater business and technology savvy than in the past. They also need to possess a deeper understanding of their industry. They should be more involved with leveraging data, instead of simply performing data entry and processing-related activities. They need to provide insightful workforce information to business leaders for strategic decision making.
In this changed environment, cross-departmental, web-based HR information systems with employee and manager self-service are continuing to grow in demand, particularly among medium- and large-sized organizations.
Through this technology, employees can enter and maintain their personal information, make queries and submit online requests such as vacations or training. Similarly, managers can access information and reports about employees, including the processing of online approvals for employee requests. As well, electronic documentation such as records of employment, pay statements, tax forms and payroll reports will increase in uptake. Highly configurable workflow engines and sophisticated security are available to control these functions.
Multinational payroll, HR and benefits administration solutions are also gaining importance as more businesses deploy employees to other countries. There is a move toward a “shared services” platform in HR and payroll, which would support both web applications and multinational solutions irrespective of country, to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
HR and payroll teams should be prepared to explore outsourcing as a viable option. Comprehensive, multi-process deals still make up the minority (about 15 to 20 per cent) of HR outsourcing deals in the marketplace, according to HRO Today magazine’s 2007 predictions in the United States. However, interest in comprehensive, single-source suppliers is growing because of a greater choice of vendors in the market. The desire for a single-source expert partner will ring even truer among mid-sized and small businesses in the years ahead.
Finally, the next big thing is here now — the integration of payroll with key business systems including HR management systems, workforce management and succession planning solutions — into a single data warehouse or business intelligence solution.
Cande Dandele is executive vice-president of marketing and product management at Ceridian Canada, a provider of HR, payroll and EAP solutions, in Markham, Ont. She can be reached at (905) 947-7214 or [email protected].
