TECHNOLOGY
How to use technological change to your advantage
Daniel Nwume, Global Delivery Director, Browline Consulting, discusses the skills, understanding and learnings pay professionals can take away from being involved in a payroll technology change project
N ot again! Not another article talking about how to manage payroll technology changes! Don’t worry. This isn’t another article talking about organisational change management and how payroll will be transformed due to new technology. This article is fully focussed on you, the pay professional, and how you can achieve your personal goals through technological change. You may wish to gain new skills or experience, use technology in a different way or perhaps just improve the way things are done. Change – be it pay rates, local employment and tax laws or internal processes – is the norm for pay professionals. Your ability to keep calm under pressure and adapt to any given situation is critical, along with the need to always deliver to deadlines. Although you may be accommodating to change, it doesn’t mean that it’s always welcome. Any talk of payroll technology change can cause a level of unease, and the slightest hint it could impact accurately paying staff can increase that apprehension. The questions that typically come to mind are, ‘“What’s the impact on me?” And “How much additional work is going to be
involved?” And in all honesty, there’ll always be a level of additional work. Equally, given the highly skilled role of a pay professional, it will require additional inputs and subject matter expertise from those already managing the payrolls. Indicative of the importance of your role in the payroll process, you’ll almost certainly be involved in a payroll technology change project. But although your organisation may be looking to improve aspects such as the accuracy and efficiency of the payroll process, or the ability to share (confidential) information more effectively, there’ll be other outcomes you may personally wish to achieve because of a technology change. And those can really differ from person to person. Let’s explore the types of new skills, experiences and capabilities that can be anticipated and also what individual benefits you may achieve as a result of being part of a payroll technology change project. The ability to keep the lights on while also spinning plates and juggling balls Getting your organisation’s staff paid accurately and on time is fundamental to running a successful business. When payroll
goes wrong, the negative impact can be enormous. So, it isn’t surprising that many pay professionals are keen to ensure this is their top priority, as it’s not something that can be paused while a new technology is being introduced. This commitment is paramount, but you’ll also need to: l provide expert insights to the project team l gain an understanding of how the new technology will work l be involved in testing and training. It may be a case of spinning plates while also keeping the juggling balls in the air, but not only will you be assured your organisation’s staff are being paid as expected, but also that you’re gaining new skills and knowledge in parallel. One thing to bear in mind is the importance of your role in ensuring the new technology performs accurately and consistently. This cannot be understated. So, communication is key here – don’t be afraid to speak up if you don’t think something is correct and ensure you feel comfortable once the new technology is live. Developing new payroll skills and project experience Given the critical nature of payroll,
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | December 2025 - January 2026 | Issue 116 50
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