04:05 GLOBAL
The Laptop in the Hospital: The Ultimate Payroll Dedication Payroll professionals will tell you that deadlines don’t care about personal circumstances. One woman shared her experience of being in hospital with what turned out to be a minor heart attack, but did she rest? No. She brought her laptop with her to ensure payroll was completed on time. “I knew if I didn’t do it, there’d be chaos. People rely on that money, and I wasn’t going to be the reason they didn’t get paid.”
drama? The ones where the Clooney- esque (showing my age I know!) doctor or surgeon swoops in for the final, dramatic moment but it’s the nurses, theatre staff, and ambulance crews who’ve done the real work to ensure everything runs smoothly? That’s payroll. The wider organisation may see the final outcome - the payslip and the bank deposit - but the real work happens long before that moment, often in high- pressure situations, with little margin for error. One payroll professional told us: “I will never forget, and it is a good few years ago, but the lady that looked after the payroll had handed over the payroll to another colleague while she went on maternity leave. She had to come to the office en route to the hospital in early labour to deal with
We’ve heard similar stories from professionals who’ve processed payroll from hospital beds, during family emergencies, or while recovering from surgery. The pressure to ensure payroll runs smoothly is so ingrained that many payroll professionals don’t feel they have the option to stop. Has Anything Changed? Are We Still in Crisis Mode? The question is, have we moved past this extreme level of dedication? Are payroll professionals still expected to sacrifice their own wellbeing to ensure payday happens?
The wider organisation may see the final outcome - the payslip and the bank deposit - but the real work happens long before that moment, often in high-pressure situations, with little margin for error.
an issue. No joke!!!” That’s commitment. That’s payroll.
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GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 9
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