It is wonderful to see the recognition bestowed recently by the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, of the tireless work, strenuous efforts and endurance of Payroll Specialists. 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 as DSP's, we provide the tools to facilitate the functional ability for employees to be paid, it's payroll people that do the heavy lifting. No matter how good the Software is, Payroll Solutions, Time and Attendance, etc., either onshore, offshore (or unsure), it's the people sitting in the driving seat that produce the results.
I wrote a post, Payroll is no longer languishing in the wilderness. in 2017 about payroll finally being front and centre as a result of the introduction of real-time reporting with Single Touch Payroll. Payroll and the Specialists have finally come out of the shadows cast by Accounting.
I often see the term, Accounting Software mentioned when discussing payroll. The difference between Accounting Software and Payroll Solutions is like chalk and cheese. Some Accounting Software contains a payroll function, but it's payroll being discussed as Accounting and Payroll are worlds apart and do not sit under the same umbrella. The same can be said for the people that process pays.
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 outstanding effort and that 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 in some cases, it is the four U's when you add, underpaid.
Please don't underestimate the payroll person within your organisation and provide them with the recognition and support they so rightly deserve. As DSP's, we will continue working on the design with the next phase of the Single Touch Payroll journey. There will be many time-saving improvements and benefits provided as a result of the upcoming changes; so stay tuned, more news to come.
Happy PayDays!
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