The struggle is real: payroll pains (and how to tackle them)

If you ask HR owners about some of the most tedious and dreaded tasks in the HR world, most of them are likely to mention payroll processing and management. Why is that? Well, while it may seem like a straightforward task, there’s a lot of room for human error, and there are loads of specific compliance-related requirements that can quickly turn payroll into a nightmare if not managed correctly.

Payroll processing involves calculating employee salaries and wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, and paying a company’s employees. Sounds simple, right? Not quite. If you're not equipped with the right tools and knowledge, handling payroll is a sensitive duty and mistakes can be a total pain on the brain. For this reason, we always recommend investing in a reliable HR software platform or a payroll management system like alfii that can handle all the nitty-gritty details for you. But sometimes, even with a top-notch system, you’re still bound to run into payroll pains that are just a part of the process.

But worry not! We're here to shed some light on some common payroll pains and how to tackle them:

‍

Payroll pains and remedies
‍

Labor laws and other regulatory stuff

Compliance with labor laws has to be one of the most unappealing parts of payroll. It seems like every year, there's a new form to fill out or a new deduction to calculate. It can be overwhelming, but staying up-to-date is crucial to avoid penalties and fines.

Compliance includes ensuring that employees are properly classified, calculating overtime correctly, and complying with tax regulations. Failure to comply with regulations can result in costly fines and legal issues.

Solution: To tackle compliance challenges, it's important to stay up-to-date on the labor laws and regulations that are specific to the company HQ as well as the countries of any remote employees. Make sure you have a reliable source for updates, such as a tax specialist or an HR consultant, or you could consider attending workshops or webinars to stay informed and learn best practices. It's also important to maintain accurate records and documentation to support compliance efforts.

‍

Calculating time and attendance

Tracking employee time and attendance can be a major pain point for many employers. This can include tracking hours worked, calculating overtime, and managing employee time off. Inefficient time-tracking can lead to errors, inaccuracies, and disputes with employees.

Solution: While we think time-tracking isn’t so future-of-work, we do understand that some industries need it to function best. So, if your team works synchronously during set hours, consider implementing a time and attendance system. This can include using software or hardware solutions that allow employees to clock in and out electronically. This can streamline the time-tracking process, reduce errors, and provide accurate data for payroll processing.

‍

Everyone's favorite: taxes

Just kidding; no one enjoys taxes. It's time-consuming, tedious, and prone to errors. But it's a necessary evil if you want to keep things smooth sailing.

Solution: The key to successful payroll tax processing is accuracy and organization. Make sure you have all the necessary forms, and that they're filled out correctly. Keep track of deadlines and ensure that your payments are made on time. You can also consider outsourcing your payroll tax processing to a third-party provider to take the burden off your shoulders.

‍

Still doing things manually?

One of the biggest pain points when it comes to payroll is the use of manual processes. This can include manually entering data, calculating deductions, and processing payments. Not only is this time-consuming, but it can also increase the risk of errors and inconsistencies.

Solution: Start automating your payroll processing, ASAP! While there are many payroll software solutions available that can automate many of the tasks involved in payroll, you can get the best bang for your buck if you find a holistic HR software like alfii. A one-source-for-all HR platform can automate your payroll and most other administrative HR tasks. This not only saves you a lot of time, but it also significantly reduces errors and improves accuracy across the board.

‍

Conclusion
‍

Jokes aside, payroll doesn’t have to be such a pain all the time. We’re building alfii because we want you to say goodbye to spending hours on spreadsheets trying to calculate employee wages and deductions.

With alfii, you can forget about having to dig and crunch numbers to calculate hours clocked , or losing sleep every month  making sure your people are paid on time. We’ve got your back.

Sign up to try alfii for free in just a few clicks and give those payroll pains the boot once-and-for-all!

‍

Featured image sourced from canva.com