04:05 GLOBAL
How in this day and age are we still waking up to radio silence on payday?
would have known by Wednesday that payments were going to fail. The technology exists to flag these issues; systems don’t just surprise us anymore. The Human Cost of System Failures But let’s talk about the real impact. Don’s story isn’t unique, but the consequences vary wildly depending on who’s affected. A 19-year-old living at home might shrug off a delayed payday. Someone applying for a mortgage? That’s a different story entirely. “One failed payment can torpedo a mortgage application,” explains David, a financial adviser.
D on certainly didn’t expect to start his Thursday morning fielding frantic WhatsApp messages from his team: “Nothing in my account, what’s going on?” The irony wasn’t lost on him. As an £80k salaried manager in the private house and car loan. Really perfect timing for a payroll catastrophe. But here’s the thing, whilst Don and his partner Michelle were frantically checking bank balances and wondering if they’d dreamt up their salaries, somewhere in the building, the payroll team was probably having an even worse morning. The Domino Effect of Silence “The worst part wasn’t the missing money,” shares sector, Don had just committed to a new
Sarah, an operations manager who’s been through similar chaos. “It was the complete lack of communication. We’re adults, we can handle delays if we know what’s happening.” Don’s situation highlights a critical question: When payroll fails, who owns the conversation with staff? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Here’s what likely happened behind the scenes: bank files should have been processed three days before Thursday’s payday. Someone, somewhere,
Don’s situation highlights a critical question: When payroll fails, who owns the conversation with staff? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think.
22 I 04:05
GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 14
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online