A missing hour on payday was usually already missing when the employee finished the shift. An unclear project assignment was already unclear when the work was performed. An unexplained correction may have happened weeks before somebody noticed it.
Payroll simply becomes the moment when all of those small information problems finally have to be resolved.
Better payroll starts with better workforce data
Working time should be registered as close as possible to the actual work. Projects should remain connected to the hours spent on them. Planning and presence information should provide context. Rules should be applied consistently instead of being interpreted differently every time an exception appears.
The value of a workforce platform is not simply that it produces a report at the end. The real value is that it creates a better information trail from the beginning.
When employees and managers use the same system throughout the month, payroll no longer receives a disconnected collection of numbers. It receives information that already has structure and context.
Payroll day should not be the first time somebody asks what happened. Ideally, it should be one of the least exciting days of the month. And that is a very good thing.