Company culture has long been a key focus for business leaders and HR, with over 80% of employers and employees believing that creating a sense of community at work is important. In fact, employees who are engaged and happy with their work culture are less likely to leave the organization.
There are various methods and tools that can optimize the company’s work culture, including payroll. While it may not be the obvious contributor, payroll plays a crucial role in engaging employees as part of the company culture. Accurate and timely compensation is particularly important when employees have personal commitments, such as bills, children’s education and healthcare needs. Delivering on payroll promises, along with how the organization manages payroll issues, reinforces the organization’s commitment in ensuring a positive employee experience. Here are some characteristics of payroll that contribute to a positive company culture.
Service
Payroll goes beyond just calculating wages and statutory filings. Majority of the time is spent minimizing errors, frequent checks on payroll and employee data, and addressing employees’ payroll queries. Given that any potential discrepancies with employees’ pay is usually time-sensitive, the manner in which the payroll team addresses these concerns is key. Providing timely and knowledgeable payroll management service ensures a good experience for the employees, which in turn drives a positive corporate culture.
Accessibility
With the rise of the gig economy and hybrid work arrangements, ease of accessibility to payroll systems is even more crucial. HR solutions that enable on-the-go payroll approvals or report generation ensures timely payroll processing and facilitates quick decision-making. In addition, HR leaders and employees are increasingly aware of how their personal data is accessed and used. Employee self-service tools and portals can empower employees to update and monitor their personal information accordingly, minimizing the risk of inaccurate employee records. Streamlined payroll processing and approval workflows, coupled with updated and accurate employee records, contributes to an overall positive work environment.
Technology
The level of technology used within the organization demonstrates the level of performance and productivity of its workforce. It can also be a powerful tool in attracting talents to the organization while retaining existing high potentials. By employing efficient and modern technology and systems across the payroll function, it showcases the organization’s commitment to stay relevant, productive and competitive. Moreover, the thoughtful adoption of technology offers the ability to provide reliable and efficient payroll services to employees.
On top of that, organizations need to be adaptable when it comes to technology. Bulky payroll software systems are now replaced with decentralized cloud-based payroll software, which enables the payroll team to perform better, manage complex payroll calculations, and facilitate data record management.
Options
Employees today are increasingly aware of their employment choices, be it compensation, benefits choices, tax status or employment classification. For employees, it is important to recognize that employees’ needs are constantly evolving. Previous one-size-fits-all payroll approaches are no longer relevant today. This provides plenty of opportunities for payroll to explore various ways of compensating employees, be it through direct deposits, cross-border salary payments, non-monetary perks or even programmes to apportion amounts for savings, bills and investment to support employees’ personal needs. Offering options for employees to choose how they want to be paid or providing tools for employees to optimize their income makes them feel appreciated, which in turn motivates the same level of reciprocation in their workplace contribution.
Without strong payroll processes and technology, as well as a committed payroll team, organizations potentially face bad reputation, employee disengagement and high turnover. In an organization with a healthy workplace culture, both employees and employers win. And the first step towards a culture where employees are appreciated and valued starts with consistently providing better service and support.