Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/135744
Payroll significant overtime this week, you can see that immediately and not schedule him again at the higher wage," Dunivan explains. "Additionally, payments that fall outside parameters or guidelines that would get audit attention for being out of compliance are evident right away." A good example of the type of "red flag," Dunivan notes, is a manager who repeatedly tries to get employees to waive their breaks. The cloud also makes it more efficient for providers to conduct Given companies' intricate and constantly altering compliance responsibilities, a cloud-based payroll system provider can become the de facto internal payroll department, focused on a single responsibility that is, in fact, its core competency. their specific business tasks. "In an on-premises environment, vendors would have to contact users to alert them to upgrades Many of today's cloud-based payroll systems also can and the need to install the software," says Klamm. This, in turn, effortlessly and seamlessly integrate with other enterprise costs money for expensive internal programmers to attend to technology platforms, Diassi asserts. "In the past, IT had to the task, not to mention reminders when needed work goes house [the system], build connections between one app and undone. another, and keep everything synchronized," he says. "We handle that for the client now." "I remember situations where a client in the past would be three versions behind the newest upgrade, and when they tried to install the new one they couldn't," she explains. "The reason Mobility is another positive technological trend changing the payroll landscape. "It certainly has become more important insofar as scheduling and time-and-attendance, where you was they hadn't installed the previous two releases. You really need flexibility to easily update the data," Busch says. "We don't have to have your own technical people in HR stay on top also see mobility as important to employees from a self- of this when you're in the cloud, which creates huge gains for service perspective, insofar as accessing their pay stubs and the employer, and providers as well." W-2 information, particularly at tax time. Finally, we see a few people making direct deposits of their paychecks with their Diassi shares these views, also pointing out the enticing cost benefit for buyers—paying monthly operating expenses rather than funding an expensive capital project— opex versus capex. "No matter how you slice it and dice it, HR payroll is a cost to a company, a necessary evil—all work and no reward," he says. "At least when it's handled in the cloud, the costs, logtics and mobile devices, which will grow in use. Really anything that reduces the need for paper, whether it's payroll checks or W-2 forms, is critical." Klamm from Paychex concurs. "We have users who are active with our mobile apps, checking balances and paystubs and things like that, or HR staff wanting to check and be sure that time-elements become predictable. Best, of all, someone else is there is enough funding for payroll checks going out," she says. taking on the reporting burdens." The plan is to unveil additional mobile apps in the coming year, "responding to what are clients our looking for," she adds. Busch from Valiant affirmed the value of cloud-based payroll for compliance purposes. "You keep up-to-the-minute with "The trend is definitely toward BYOD—bring your own device," regulatory changes when it comes to payroll," he says. "Even Diassi chimes in. "This is what employees want, and the fact at the simplest level, tax charts change every year. To not be in the cloud and stuck constantly updating your system—utilizing resources that can be better put to other things—makes absolutely no sense. At Valiant, we are making the updates in the middle of the night while users are sleeping; they don't you can provide so much in the way of interactions through a mobile smarphone packed with a variety of useful apps means you are effectively compelled to do so. You simply cannot not do this." He adds, "This is a trend with sturdy legs." have to worry about loading software or having people on staff to load it. We're specialists—better to offload it to us. Then, when you come in the next morning, everything is up to date." [14] HRO TODAY MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 Russ Banham can be reached at www.russbanham.com