Three tips for integrating HR & Payroll

There are many famous food ‘combos’ such as Tim Tams and tea, sausages and sauce, and burgers and beetroot. And let’s not forget the ultra-divisive pineapple and pizza combo. Regardless of where you sit in the pineapple debate (for the record we’re pro pineapple), most people will agree that one of the most well-known combos in business is HR & Payroll – where the functions of finance meet the administrative prowess of the human resources team.

Paying employees an accurate amount, on-time, is important for several reasons. One solution that many businesses use to reduce the risk of error is software integrations. These help streamline the conjunction of HR & payroll and minimise risks in a couple of areas.

Firstly, payroll mistakes where overtime is missed, or hours worked are paid at the wrong amount, can be costly for both employee and organisation and time consuming to correct. Secondly, incorrect payroll can result in a serious lapse in productivity, as well as negatively affecting company culture.

4 minutes

Posted 22/03/2022

1. Keep up-to-date employee records

The first tip for making sure your HR & Payroll work together seamlessly is to ensure your HR records are up-to-date and accurate. A lot of companies centralise their HR system, in order to integrate up-to-date, accurate employee data into the other systems that they utilise. This means having the correct employee contact details, and salary information, you can set reminders to check and update this information periodically.

2. Check that you can import and export the data you need

The second tip is to make sure your HR system can export the data your payroll system needs and that your payroll system is able to accept the file types the HR system can provide. Most payroll and HR providers will be able to import/export basic file types, such as .CSV

3. Have a process in place to check and validate data, and correct errors

The third and final tip for creating a harmonious HR & Payroll ecosystem, is to ensure you have a data validation process in place. Once your integration is set up properly, the majority of errors which occur will be human error.

You need to have a method of validation and a process for correcting any potential errors which occur. Being able to recognise and solve problems early, or even pre-empt issues, is a hallmark of a high performing payroll team.