Our partners at KeyPay have rolled out a new feature today that may be of great benefit to users of Readysell Payroll – automated pay runs. Here’s how KeyPay’s Dimitra Karas explains the feature:
You know how there are times at work when you’re about to start a task but deep down wish there was some fairy godmother that would do it for you instead? #askingforafriend That’s definitely not me… I love everything I do… especially writing blogs. For everyone else however, and especially those lucky enough to process pay runs, you’d be happy to know that fairy godmothers do exist! I know that because you can now utilise automated pay runs to remove some or all manual handling when processing pays. This latest feature basically takes our existing smarts and ramps up the sexiness one hundred fold.
How can automating our pay runs actually reduce the existing processing times?
Let’s go through all the steps required to process and finalise a pay run (that doesn’t require manual pay adjustments):
- Create the pay run;
- Import timesheets;
- Apply leave requests;
- Finalise pay run;
- Create pay event (for businesses having to report STP);
- Publish pay slips;
- Post payroll journal;
- Send report packs.
All of the above are usually done with a click of a button but imagine not even having to do that anymore? Imagine not having to sit and wait, staring at your screen until one action is complete to then perform another action?
Rather, all of the above pay run actions – from start to finish – would be performed in the background whilst you focussed on performing other work. All that is required for this magic to happen is a one-off configuration to set the level of automation to your pay runs. Let me step you through the configuration process.
How do I set up automated pay runs?
From your Pay Schedule screen, select the pay run you want to automate and then complete the setup wizard.
Step 1: Here you set the dates for the pay runs and the timesheet import options.
Monthly pays can sometimes get tricky as the normal processing day in a month may fall on a weekend or public holiday. As such, we have put safeguards in place allowing users to select the appropriate actions if that situation arises:
Step 2: Here you set the warnings that, when triggered, will stop the pay run. Manual intervention will then be required to finalise the pay run. Add the users on this screen that should be notified of such errors but also when the pay run has successfully finalised.
Step 3: Here you can determine what components of finalising the pay run you want automated. For example, with the first option, you can choose to finalise the pay run manually. If you do so, the latter options will disappear as all pay run finalisation will be done the traditional way. If you choose to lodge the pay run with the ATO immediately, this will automatically create the pay event but a user will still be required to lodge the event itself. The option for sending report packs will only appear if the business has report packs set up. Additionally, if you are connected to an online journal service, the option to export journals immediately will be available.
Step 4: This screen provides you with a summary of all your selections. You can choose to go back and make any changes needed prior to completing the setup.
Why would I even consider automating our pay runs?
There are many reasons.
- Save time: The reduction in pay run processing time allows you to reallocate that time and focus on other strategic work.
- Retain control: You determine what components of the pay run to automate, thereby keeping overall control.
- Quality assurance: Configured warnings will stop an automated pay run where required prior to the pay run being finalised. This ensures anything that needs to be addressed or fixed is done so without compromising the correctness of employee pays.
People hear ‘automation’ and think ‘here we go, the robots are coming for our jobs’. We can’t speak on behalf of everyone but what makes this feature so exciting for us is that it actually affords payroll staff the time to focus on strategy, compliance, processes, etc. You know all those times you have said ‘I’ll get to this once I finish the three pay runs I have to process today’ and somehow you never get to it because those 3 pay runs became 4 pay runs or the pay runs took longer than expected or.. well there any many reasons why you never get to it…
How beneficial is it to an individual and a business that time spent at work can now be reallocated to tasks people just never get around to doing. Let’s not kid ourselves, processing pays are crucially important. But if there is a mechanism that automates the process, why not go for it?
If you’re not already using Readysell Payroll in your business, see https://readysell.com.au/product/payroll/ to learn more