Have you ever come across Double Dipping? It sounds like it might be something delightful. Like dipping marshmallows twice into gourmet chocolate. Well, prepare to be disappointed. “Double Dipping” is something you need to beware of; it’s where staff can be overpaid while on leave due to you paying them their average rate of pay and then paying an additional allowance on top of their leave. Truly joyful.
Multiple lockdowns certainly haven’t helped. During Christmas 2020, teams found that finalising payroll was near to impossible. With a remote and home-working workforce, payroll had to be done manually and it was incredibly hard to gather all the required information, including timesheets, checking for errors, and addressing urgent employment changes. For those with cloud-based payroll systems, things were probably a lot easier. For those with creaking on-premises systems, they deserve a medal if they managed to get everyone paid on time.
Some businesses rely on a single person who navigates a legacy payroll system. If they experience sickness (or take a holiday themselves), it’s often very difficult for other people to take on that payroll responsibility. The level of extensive user training needed means it difficult for others to step up to the plate. The good news is, the latest generation of cloud-based payroll software is way simpler to learn, to setup and to deploy.
Spreadsheets have also tended to be a source of payroll stress leading up to the busy Christmas period. If you’re having to do manual calculations in spreadsheets (to then manually re-enter data into your payroll software), you could be putting an extra layer of potential error and risk into your workflow.
If you are going to gift your business a new payroll system this Christmas, here’s some of the must-have features that you’ll want to tick-off on your wish list…
- Demand cloud-based payroll software (aka online payroll software), that you and anyone in your team can access anytime, anywhere, with secure round-the-clock access (if you’re spending Christmas in Bali - you want to know you can securely access for any last-minute payroll changes).
- You’ll want to be sure that you can customise your payroll solution to the way that you work (and not the other way around).
- Flexibility — ensure your payroll solution can accommodate part-timers, contractors, and other flexible types of employment such as ‘gig work’
- A biggie for your Payroll wish list — seamless integration with your HR management and time and attendance
- Something that is completely non-negotiable - complete local compliance regarding pay rates, PAYE, KiwiSaver, holiday pay and tax credits
- A locally supported system, so you get the on-demand support necessary exactly when you need it
- Support for Electronic payday filing
- The icing on the Christmas cake — a self-service portal, so your people can securely access their payslips, pay records and even make their holiday requests
So there we have it. We’re running into one of the busiest (and most exciting times) of the year. It’s time to gear-up, plan for even the most unexpected of eventualities and most importantly, enjoy. There’s no need to fret about payroll this Christmas — take a closer look at Jemini and spread some festive cheer. Everyone deserves some this year.
