How to improve payroll process: A single HR & Payroll software solution

Posted on 21 June 2024
(Updated 12 August 2024)
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Seamless payroll processes are a non-negotiable when it comes to maintaining employee satisfaction. Often, organisations have a separate payroll software from their HR software, dependent on robust checking processes and system integration to prevent errors occurring. However, separate systems often come with a host of challenges for HR and payroll teams alike. When manually transferring data from one platform to the other, the cost of time is high, and complexities can cause rife confusion and frustration. This is why a single people solution that includes all of your payroll can significantly improve accuracy and efficiency, saving valuable time and taking care of employee satisfaction with regard to foundational and crucial process of pay. 

Data Accuracy 

A single HR and payroll solution provides a level of accuracy which is otherwise unachievable. With a single solution, any updates made within HR flows directly through to Payroll, allowing the two departments to work in harmonious unison and for employees to enjoy a more consistent experience with less errors. Because all of your organisation’s data is stored on one platform, this also allows reporting to reflect a more accurate and holistic image of your business and its people, from linking compensation with performance, retention, and other key HR metrics. 

Seamless Employee Journey 

Having a single HR and payroll solution also removes common bottlenecks from the employee lifecycle. For example, throughout the recruitment and onboarding process everything is made far simpler. All your new hire’s information is automatically transferred into their new employee profile within the system and all relevant payment information is accessible for payroll immediately. This is because a single solution creates one central hub for all employee information, making life easier for everyone involved and ensuring ease within the employee experience from the get-go.  

 Similarly, as your employee progresses through their career journey in your organisation, a single HR and payroll solution will also have a positive impact on their performance management. Within a single system, whenever a member of your workforce achieves a performance-related pay rise or bonus, payroll will be immediately notified and can immediately ensure necessary changes are in place. 

 You may be interested to read about why employee experience is just as important as customer experience. 

 Holistic HR 

With a single HR and Payroll solution, key functions including performance management, reward, sickness and time-tracking are kept in the same platform as the payroll processes. This means all the information you could need for in-depth reporting is simple to access and draw on. HR teams will find it significantly easier to consolidate data from both departments. In practice, this can benefit your people and your business in almost every area. For example, HR’s DE&I metrics can be drawn into the same report as payroll data, allowing for easier analysis around fair compensation, such as with regards to gender pay gap.  

GDPR 

A single solution HR and Payroll platform is often regarded as the more secure alternative to separate systems. When handling sensitive workforce data, such as when transferring data between systems, risk of a data leak is increased. Additionally, further complexities can occur when dealing with different solution providers which also increase risks towards your data. This is why the xcd single solution automates GDPR compliance responsibilities, automatically seeking data processing consent from new and existing employees, as well as notifying HR teams when employee records need to be deleted to ensure compliancy. 

HMRC legislation is also regularly updated. Compliance with HMRC legislation is significantly simpler in a single cloud-based HR and Payroll software,. The xcd people platform is an HMRC-recognised single HR and Payroll software, allowing us to make compliance simple by automating the administration of accounting, tax, and compliance. Not to mention, as the xcd platform is built on Salesforce, a technology known for its stringent cloud security, the protections put in place on your valuable people data are even better. 

 Check out: Why Salesforce is the answer to HR data security 

 Overall, a single HR and payroll solution proves to improve efficiency and accuracy not just for the HR and payroll departments, but also the organisation as a whole. When people processes are streamlined, the workforce is more likely to be engaged and satisfied. With the right technology, HR and payroll also free up time for themselves to focus on strategic work rather than heavy, never-ending admin. 

 Learn more about xcd’s Payroll & Reward capabilities.

Download our payroll guide to find out more