How to Implement Automated Payroll

Automated payroll is no exception. So, how does a business owner or HR department set up an automated payroll management system? In this article, we’ll break down payroll automation implementation into four easy steps.

Step 1: Find the Perfect Payroll Management System

Before you can implement the perfect system, you have to find the perfect tool—the automated payroll solutions that meet all of your needs when learning how to do payroll. 

Different service providers offer different tools, so you should thoroughly evaluate your global HR needs at large before signing on the dotted line. You may need one or more of the following:

• Basic payroll –  Want to know what payroll is? It is a simple calculation of the money owed to each employee
• Direct deposit – Automated digital payments to your employees 
• Benefits calculation – Data on PTO, retirement contributions and other benefits
• Tax functions – Reporting, filing or paying relevant taxes to employees’ home countries
• Compliance monitoring – Expert advice for maintaining regulatory compliance

Your business may only need one of these—but you may also need them all.

Ideally, one provider can deliver all the services you need to centralize and streamline your automated payroll efforts. 

However, don’t forget to give your business room to grow. Even if you’re not currently hiring international workers, companies that plan to expand throughout the globe should pick the automated payroll or employer of record services provider that can meet their future needs as seamlessly as possible.

Step 2: Train Key Staff

After choosing the perfect automated payroll tool, it’s time to spread the word to primary users—key staff who will use the tool to automate their tasks. Relevant training targets could include:

• The HR department – HR staff will in all likelihood be the primary users of an automated payroll service, and primary users should receive the most comprehensive training.

• The finance department – Depending on the size of your company, you may have separate finance and HR departments that work together to complete payroll tasks. If this is the case, train financial staff to incorporate the tool into their everyday duties.

• Department heads or managers – Most department heads aren’t involved in HR processes. Nonetheless, they should be equipped to answer basic employee questions about the automated payroll procedure.

• Company chiefs – While your C-level team may not be engaged in everyday HR operations, they should understand the basic elements of your new tool.

Step 3: Input User Data

One of the benefits of automated payroll services is the centralized, secure and systematic collection and storage of employee data. To complete basic payroll functions, companies need access to confidential information, and their payroll service of choice should make it easy to collect or enter the following:

• Tax information found on US forms like
• W-2s
• I-9s
• 1099s

• Direct deposit information
• Bank account and routing numbers
• Primary account holder names, addresses and contact info

• Hire dates for tracking benefits that change based on employee tenure

• Opt-in paycheck deductions for company-sponsored programs like:
• Insurance premiums
• Health savings accounts
• Retirement or investment accounts
• Third-party budgeting tools

Digital user data collection and storage solves some major problems affecting HR departments of the past, including:

• Paper file storage needs
• Data security and confidentiality
• Human errors in digital transcription

Step 4: Onboard and Train Employees

Efficiently onboarding and training employees to use the new system will require streamlined, systematic methods.

For large companies, this may be the most daunting task of payroll automation—training and professional development measures at scale require time and resource investments. 

However, onboarding doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth. Consider the following training methods to get everyone on board with the new payroll process:

• Differentiated instruction – Using comprehension tests between training sessions can help HR departments identify which users need the most help learning the software, while instant experts can “test out.”

• Manager-led training – HR departments may opt to provide in-depth training to department heads or managers only, giving them the power to train their teams. 

• Piecemeal implementation – Slowly introduce software functions to employees, adding a new procedure or skill each week until every employee is proficient. 

When you choose Playroll, we take control of the training puzzle, automating employee education in addition to payroll needs—all with a human touch.

Streamline Operations with Automated Payroll

Automated payroll is the future. Regulations are constantly changing, and keeping up with these updates can constitute a full-time job for staff manually processing payroll—especially for companies that hire internationally.

Playroll is a payroll company but it doesn’t just answer the call of automated payroll. Our cutting-edge software and seasoned HR experts make it easier than ever to financially plan staffing initiatives, efficiently onboard employees, securely collect user data, manage global regulatory compliance and more.

In a world of constantly-changing technological and regulatory landscapes, your business needs an all-in-one platform that can automate even the most complex or minute HR tasks. Playroll is the perfect tool for the job.