Technological advances are continuous, and the role of payroll professionals is constantly evolving for this reason. The functionality of software and the introduction of new ways of working shape what the payroll profession looks like.
Information Technology (IT) has made it possible for all payroll processes to be completed without paper. Only 8% of respondents had departments that weren’t actively working to remove paper from their department. 38% of respondents said their respective departments are fully online and paperless, while a further 54% said they’re working towards that goal.
Is your department or organisation working towards becoming fully online and paperless?
37.80% Already paperless
54.07% Working towards paperless
8.13% No
Such changes are being recognised at a government level too. The Queen’s speech earlier this year introduced the Electronic Trade Documents Bill which equates the value of electronic trade documents with paper ones. In April, we saw the roll out of digital fit notes that employees can now attain from healthcare professionals and give to their employer as proof of their sickness. Chatbots are an interesting development, which remove some of the administrative burden from simple payroll queries. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic conversation, trying to understand what the questioner asks and responding accordingly. They work using resource libraries, and learned responses, much like the concept of ‘virtual assistants’ on mobile phones. When asked if respondents use a chatbot in their organisation, 12% said yes, and 24% confirmed they will be introducing it in the future. Findings from the Future of Payroll Survey 2020 were different. At the time, only 2% confirmed they used chatbots. The increased acceptance of AI and technology highlights how the profession is adapting and accepting processes that can create efficiencies, freeing up time for more complex tasks. In the first section of the report, the effects of the increase in remote working and flexible working were discussed. 69% of respondents predicted a further increase in process digitisation due to the increase in remote working. 65% said that in the next 12 months they have plans in place to automate more processes. As automation increases, the role of the payroll professional will also evolve. The tasks that AI adopts will tend to be the more repetitive, administrative tasks, which means payroll professionals will have more time to take their work in different directions. As extra time is created, it will allow payroll professionals to focus on the more challenging tasks and long-term plans for their departments and careers. 63% of respondents support this claim by saying they’ve seen an increase in different duties in the department as manual aspects of payroll become automated. The role of technology extends beyond the scope of payroll administration. Since remote working has increased, communication channels have become more reliant on technology. Communication between team members is one of the most important requirements for a smooth and efficient payroll team. When asked about the effects of increased home working, 31% of respondents said communication will improve, but 31% said communication will be made worse. Although the effect of communication seems to be a divisive issue, the thing to note is that, as the mediums of communication change, managers and employers need to be aware of the sentiments within their respective teams and respond accordingly. As the payroll industry shifts towards a virtual workspace, the management of technology and security are becoming increasingly important. Numerous respondents indicated that the disruption to payroll processes caused by IT issues has increased in recent years. Technical issues aren’t the only threat we must be mindful of when approaching systems; security is an extremely important consideration whenever technology is changing around us. Technological devices facilitate the storage of, and access to, a wealth of data.
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