As an employer would know, payroll processing is very time-consuming and can take you long hours or even days to get through. The fact that you need to spend hours processing your employees’ payroll is neither efficient nor helpful for you as an employer. Here are 6 ways that will make the payroll process run smoother and faster.
1. Keep a List
The way towards organizing anything is by forming lists that are understandable to you and to anyone who might need to see that list. The best way to form an understandable payroll list is by creating different lists for different needs instead of piling everything in one sheet. You need to have a list of tasks that are required to be done for an employee to receive their payroll.
Highlight the tasks that were done on time with one color, the ones that were done but handed in late with another color, and mark unfinished tasks. You then need to transfer to a different sheet or list the employees that are getting a bonus, which ones will only receive their salary, and which ones will get a deduction.
On the same sheet or a different one, calculate every one’s base salary and also their bonus or deduction. Whenever you send out someone’s salary, mark them or highlight them to know which employees received their payment and which ones didn’t.
2. Have Accurate Employee Info
Inaccurate information will always make the payroll process ten times harder and most probably longer which is very inefficient and exhausting. You must have your employees upgrade their information regularly, and you have to regularly upgrade their tasks info and their pay rate changes.
Failing to have precise and accurate information about your employees, like how to pay them and how much to pay them can result in you overpaying, or underpaying your employees, or elongating your payroll process.
3. Streamline Payment Methods
Many businesses in the US and all over the world have moved on from using checks as their only method of paying their employees. With the upgrade of technology and automated money transfer methods, delivering your employees’ salaries to them could never be quicker.
Pay cards and mobile wallets have shortened the period of time needed for money to transfer from your business’ bank account to your employees’. You might want to brush up on your state’s laws on employee payments to better understand the laws regarding different payment methods.
You can also allow each employee to choose the way they prefer to get paid, but it is advised to stick to one method of payment to erase any confusion on the topic.
4. Avoid Manual Calculations
Something that requires many calculations, such as payroll processing, can be very confusing and time-consuming to manually calculate. Avoiding manual calculations doesn’t mean using a calculator, this also does count as manual calculation. When typing a number into a calculator, you might miss out on a number or add an additional zero which will change your entire outcome.
You can avoid that by using the automated options provided by spreadsheet apps or check stub maker to help you get your payrolls in order. Payroll softwares is very recommended nowadays to help you avoid any issues regarding payroll processing. You can find different ways to quickly perform your calculations in seconds on different spreadsheet apps or websites.
5. Automate As Much As Possible
To cut down on your overall payroll processing time, consider automating every aspect related to your payroll process, not just calculations.
The world moves much faster with the use of technology, automating most of your business, including your payroll process, will definitely speed up your payroll processing time. You can also automate other processes, like attendance, which will definitely save you and your employees so much time.
6. Organize the Records
The last thing you want to do with your payroll records is to look like a needle in a haystack. Keeping your records organized is essential in order to help yourself keep track of these records and save time whenever you are looking for a specific folder.
You can choose to store your records in physical storage space by using folders and shelves in an organized and labeled environment. But the physical storage space is not the more efficient idea. A more efficient and faster way of storage is digital storage.
Working faster without having the right techniques, tools and software might result in inaccurate results. To encourage faster and more efficient work or payroll processing, you will have to adapt the entire process to be more efficient. The simple answer to all the previously mentioned tips is to refer to automated payroll process services.
Having an automated business is not enough if your business is not organized in a clear way. Keep in mind that you need to be able to access all the payroll information you need anytime you need it, so record organization is very important for your business.
