When the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe in the spring of 2020, HR process automation and digital transformation were clearly not a top priority, attested to in our survey: The Future of Work and People in Europe 2020. It’s not surprising, given the unknown extent of the impact on employees’ health and wellbeing, in addition to the economic consequences. Organisations had far more pressing concerns; keeping employees healthy and economic survival naturally became the immediate and main priorities.

It’s fair to say that the transition can be a little daunting in itself, without worrying about something going wrong. Before you hand over your payroll responsibilities to an outsourced provider, here’s a quick guide to getting it right.

If you’re thinking of moving your payroll responsibilities away from your in-house staff and to an external provider, one of the first things you’ll need to consider is how outsourcing payroll costs will stack-up against your current outlay. Of course financial costs are the main consideration, but it’s also worth thinking about time-savings too. After all, in business, time is money.

During May, we hosted a series of virtual roundtables with a range of Heads of HR and Payroll. Supporting the roundtables were two experts in the field of payroll management and automation; Stephen Knapman – Global Sales Manager of SD Worx, and Audrey Wilson – UK Head of Reward and Benefits at Capgemini. Whilst the conversations were wide ranging, in this article we will summarise a few of the key topics discussed and the conclusions reached.

Automating your travel and expense (T&E) process is one of the best things you can do for your business.
 

If you’re reading this, you’re already thinking about future-proofing your payroll by switching to a managed payroll service. You’re already aware of the strong commercial justifications for outsourcing your payroll with immediate and long-term benefits, but now you need to persuade senior stakeholders and decisions makers in your business too.

The concept of outsourcing your payroll is highly appealing. Businesses effectively gain more expertise, experience and resources, and it costs them less.

Payroll is responsible for far more than the administration of salaries, time & attendance and tax. Modern payroll looks after your greatest asset - your people - and provides critical real-time data to the business for evidence-based decision-making.

Checking receipts and verifying compliance are time consuming tasks with very little direct return. And yet, they are essential to ensure that your business is running smoothly. 

In the era of automation and digitisation, expense management software is an important tool in your cost control arsenal. Find out how expense software can increase compliance within your company, and help ensure it going forwards.

The way we work has changed dramatically and continues to evolve. With increased workforce flexibility, mobilisation and focus on employee experience, HR must embrace digital transformation. Talent technology is ‘revolutionising the game’ by automating and optimising processes throughout the employee lifecycle. Cloud-hosted software reduces CapEx, overheads, human error and ensures compliance. Data is at the heart of strategic HR, enabling talent development aligned to business objectives, and helping employees be the best version of themselves. 

It’s always important to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to payroll. Since its creation in April 2020, SD Worx’s monthly live Q&A webinars – known as ‘Payroll Question Time’ – have helped thousands of Payroll, HR and finance professionals get the answers they need to help their business perform and keep Britain paid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency almost overnight for digital people solutions. HR professionals and business leaders have been forced to rethink their employee experience strategies according to new touchpoints in the ‘never normal’ workplace.