Payroll Specialists finally receive the recognition they deserve.
- Brett Reed
- Jun 15, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 28, 2025
It is pleasing to see the recognition of the tireless work, strenuous efforts, and endurance of payroll specialists bestowed recently by the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison. This statement is relevant not just now as a result of JobKeeper, but all the time.
Payroll professionals often suffer from the three U's, underappreciated, undervalued and underfunded.
While we, as DSPs, provide the tools to facilitate the functional ability of employees to be paid, it's payroll people who do the heavy lifting. No matter how good the Software, Payroll Solutions, Time and Attendance, etc., is, whether onshore, offshore (or unsure), it's the people sitting in the driving seat who produce the results.
I wrote a post in 2017 titled, "Payroll is no longer languishing in the wilderness." The post discussed payroll finally being front and centre due to the introduction of real-time reporting with Single Touch Payroll. Payroll has finally come out of the shadows cast by Accounting.
I often hear the term "Accounting Software" mentioned when discussing payroll. The difference between Accounting Software and Payroll Solutions is like chalk and cheese. Some accounting software includes a payroll function, but accounting and payroll are distinct areas that do not fall under the same category. The same can be said for the people who process payroll.
Employees are completely reliant on being paid, correctly and on time, and all of the responsibility is with the payroll person. Payroll is not a data entry role; pays are processed by qualified people who also meet the compliance requirements of the various regulators, which creates significant additional pressure.
I have been developing payroll solutions and working with Payroll Specialists for over 35 years, and this is the first time this level of recognition has ever been openly communicated. So, the outstanding effort came directly from the man at the top (in Australia). I started this post with the comment that Payroll Professionals often suffer from the three U's, but sometimes, it is the four U's when you add underpaid.
Please don't underestimate the payroll person within your organisation, and give them the recognition and support they deserve. As DSPs, we will continue working on the design with the next phase of the Single Touch Payroll journey. Many time-saving improvements and benefits will be provided as a result of the upcoming changes, so stay tuned; more news to come.
Happy PayDays!
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