Five reasons why we’re celebrating Canadian payroll pros this National Payroll Week

Every year, National Payroll Week reminds us to take time out of our busy schedules for proper recognition of the important folks within our organizations who ensure that we – and our colleagues – are paid accurately and on time. This long-time National Payroll Institute (NPI) initiative is one in which Payworks proudly partakes every year!

This year, NPI continues to raise awareness and celebrate Canadian payroll practitioners. What’s new is that they’re now “campaigning for Canadians from coast-to-coast to show their support for making the third Tuesday in September a ‘national day to celebrate payroll professionals!’” With that in mind, here are just a few of the reasons why we should all be thankful for the payroll professionals in our lives all year round:

Let’s start with what a payroll professional or administrator does.

We all wait and love to see that direct deposit hit our bank accounts right on schedule – but that only scratches the surface of a payroll administrator’s contributions. And their exact job description differs depending on the business: at a smaller organization, it might be the owner who’s processing and running payroll, while in a larger corporation the payroll pro could be a part of the accounting or human resources (HR) department.

How do payroll professionals align with the rest of the business?

Payroll admins often work in tandem with other departments to support all staff members and the organization as a whole (whoa – talk about being a big deal!). They’re behind the scenes collaborating with others, while also remaining on the front lines and delivering top-tier internal customer service by answering employee inquiries and questions. At one point or another in the employee lifecycle, every staff member intersects with the person who’s managing payroll – whether it’s getting set up on their first day, exploring a direct question about their pay, or dealing with the administration of a leave, pension plan, final pay, or bonus payment.

Here are our top five reasons why we think you should thank your payroll professionals this National Payroll Week:

1. If you’ve ever had a question about your pay answered, thank the person administering your company’s payroll. Payroll pros can often be the first point of contact for an employee who has questions – even before the employee approaches their own leader or HR department. Ranging from inquiries about TD1 forms and taxation to savings programs, T2200s, vacation, and much more, these conversations are an integral but often unseen part of the job!
   
   Whether they’re working with longtime employees, staff just entering the job market, newcomers to Canada, leaders at the c-suite level, or the folks approaching retirement, payroll professionals take seriously their responsibility in the education of employees and remain approachable, trustworthy, and ready to answer all types of questions.
2. If you’re paid accurately and on time, thank the person administering your company’s payroll. What this looks like in reality is calculating, entering, and administering hourly and salary wages, overtime, bonus payments, stat holiday and vacation pay… along with managing time and attendance systems, leaves, long term savings programs, and so much more. If you think the job is rinse and repeat from week-to-week, don’t forget that payroll professionals are also the ones setting up new employees in the system, processing shift premium hours and extra payroll runs, and executing salary and vacation accrual changes.
   
   Clearly, a lot goes into ensuring everyone at your workplace can do their payday happy dance!
3. If you access company benefits and programs, thank the person administering your company’s payroll. While every organization manages its benefits differently, there are many situations where it falls under the purview of the payroll admin. If it doesn’t, there’s still a strong likelihood your payroll professional is involved on the administration side – from calculating deductions and accruals to issuing reimbursements. They also can play a valuable role in working with those creating policies or programs to offer guidance about how to put those into place and how the day-to-day administration will function once they’re rolled out.
   
   Their teamwork really does make all of our dreams work!
4. If your business’ payroll is legislatively compliant and remittances are submitted on time, thank the person administering your company’s payroll. Payroll professionals need to have an excellent eye for detail to ensure data is entered (and submitted) correctly. They also have a deep understanding of legislation, remittance schedules, and employment standards – including how they apply within the business’ jurisdiction and/or industry. They’re often relied upon to be part of the process in managing more complex situations – such as pension files, audit control guidelines, T4 and RL1 tax slips, and even terminations – which aids in safeguarding the business.
   
   After all, no one wants to hear the words “payroll mistake” – they affect the lives of employees and can impact the organization with costly penalties!
5. If your business’ decision makers get the information they need from payroll reporting, thank the person administering your company’s payroll. An unseen responsibility of a payroll pro is the number of reports they run as a part of their role (internal audits, year-end, benefit premium, federal and provincial, quarterly statements and more!). It’s essential to the business’ success that these reports are completed and done so accurately. Payroll admins can also go above and beyond their standard reporting duties, providing extra value with insights into the use of benefits, the rate of turnover or otherwise.
   
   Every day, they’re leveraging all of the data at their fingertips to help drive key business decisions!

Isn’t that a reason to party?! We’re so inspired by all of the hardworking Canadian payroll professionals we serve nationwide, and are here to provide them with one-to-one support and top tech to make their work life more efficient. Ninety-eight percent of clients who choose Payworks choose to stay. Here’s why: https://www.payworks.ca/about-us/service-onboarding.