Due Diligence Is Not Red Tape. It’s Your Insurance Against Chaos.
When payroll failures make headlines, it is rarely a single big mistake. It is many small ones ignored. The Phoenix payroll disaster shows what happens when due diligence is treated as red tape instead of essential insurance against chaos. Learn why asking the hard questions early can save millions and protect your team from needless pain and frustration.
Global Payroll: The Compliance Headache That Awaits
Global Payroll compliance is a serious business risk that many companies underestimate, until fines, disruptions, or reputational damage strike. This starter guide will walk you through the core risks, real-life examples, and country-specific penalties, and offer foundational principles for building a compliant payroll operation across borders.
Building a Resilient Payroll Calendar: A Practical Guide
A reliable payroll calendar is not just helpful, it is non-negotiable. It is the structure behind every smooth payroll cycle and the shield against costly delays. In this guide, learn how to design a payroll calendar that delivers accuracy, accountability, and control, whether you are running one country or twenty.
The Case for the 4-Eye Review
One overlooked payroll error can trigger a chain reaction: frustrated employees, lost time, and damaged credibility. The 4-eye review offers a simple yet powerful way to prevent mistakes before they escalate. Whether applied to input or output, it strengthens accuracy, accountability, and trust across the payroll process.
SOC 1 vs SOC 2: What Payroll and HR Teams Actually Need to Know
When outsourcing payroll or using cloud-based HR systems, trust isn’t enough, you need proof. That’s where SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports come in. This article breaks down what they mean, how they differ, and why understanding them is essential for payroll, HR, and compliance teams managing sensitive data.
SOX Compliance and Payroll: What Every Payroll Professional Needs to Know
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) reshaped corporate accountability, and payroll is more affected than you might think. From financial reporting to internal controls, payroll professionals play a vital role in SOX compliance. This guide explains what matters, where the risks lie, and how to stay audit-ready without losing your sanity.
13 Essential Free Resources for Taking Over a New Country Payroll
Struggling to decode payroll regulations in a new country? Discover 13 free resources that simplify compliance, boost vendor conversations, and help you navigate global payroll with confidence — no matter where business takes you!
Document Your Payroll in These 5 Key Steps
Just been told to take over another country’s payroll and have no clue how to do it? Don’t panic, we’ve got you covered.
Managing a new country’s payroll can feel overwhelming, but with the right approach, you can get up to speed quickly. Here’s a structured five-step method to document payroll effectively, ensuring compliance and efficiency.
Capture 99% of Payroll Errors With These 3 Key Controls
Capture 99% of payroll errors with three key controls: Master Data vs Payroll to ensure accurate data alignment, Input vs Output to validate payroll changes, and Variance Analysis to identify unexpected anomalies. Regular implementation, automation, and team training make payroll processes reliable, efficient, and error-free, building trust and confidence.
Heroic Payroll Fails — # 6 — Phoenix: A Textbook Case of Payroll Disaster
The Phoenix payroll project aimed to modernise Canada's federal payroll system but quickly became a disaster. Launched in 2016, it resulted in incorrect pay, no pay, and tax issues for thousands of employees. Mismanagement, complexity, and cost-cutting led to escalating costs, totaling 3.6 billion CAD by 2024.
Put Your Payroll Back On Track in 90 Days or Less
Turn your payroll operations around in 90 days with this structured guide. From assessing current practices to building strong stakeholder relationships, optimising team management, and executing critical improvements, each phase prepares you for sustainable success.
Download the free guide for a step-by-step plan with no strings attached!
Heroic Payroll Fails - # 5 - Payroll Riots
"If there are payroll errors, employees will riot." Which payroll professional has not heard this sentence from a panicked stakeholder before?
Heroic Payroll Fails - # 4 – Storming City Offices
Teacher protesting over poor salaries is not unheard of. However, rarely do these protests lead to the storm of city offices… unless poor pay is due to a payroll fail.
Resistance Is Futile: Your Payroll Will Be Assimilated
Centralising payroll offers significant benefits, including cost efficiency, improved compliance, accuracy, scalability, and streamlined reporting. Despite initial resistance due to concerns about disruptions and loss of control, careful planning, phased implementation, and leveraging technology can ease the transition. Ultimately, centralisation is a critical strategic move for businesses.
What Is Payroll? Part 2
A clear definition of payroll is essential to distinguish its core responsibilities from adjacent tasks, avoid misunderstandings with stakeholders, and ensure accurate allocation of duties. How to approach payroll if its boundaries are so fuzzy?
What Is Payroll? Part 1
Like many concepts, payroll is often a case of “I know it when I see it”. However, a clear definition of payroll is essential to distinguish its core responsibilities from adjacent tasks, avoid misunderstandings with stakeholders, and ensure accurate allocation of duties. It helps clarify payroll's role in the broader business context, improving efficiency, compliance, and communication within organisations.
Heroic Payroll Fails - # 3 - Pedal To The Metal
As incredible as it sounds, Britain's 3rd largest supermarket and petrol station chain went live with a new payroll software knowing it was not ready.
Just How Many Challenges Is Global Payroll Facing?
The growing complexity of global payroll, combined with shrinking resources due to cost-cutting, leaves minimal time for optimizing payroll processes. It’s time for the payroll industry to establish its own standards. These standards would offer essential guidance and greatly enhance the ability of payroll teams worldwide to reach best-in-class performance.
Heroic Payroll Fails – # 2 – Diplomatic Incident in Payroll
For nearly a year, US State Department staffers were stuck in a payroll nightmare. In 2021, a glitch in the new payroll system turned payday into a headache for employees worldwide.
Unlocking Payroll Excellence: How Data Analytics Drives Continuous Improvement
In today's fast-paced business environment, continuous improvement is key to maintaining efficiency, especially in payroll management. Data analytics transforms payroll into a strategic asset, enabling real-time performance assessment, reporting, and predictive analytics.