How to build a business case for

integrated HR and

Payroll software

5 tips for calculating return on investment

Summary

You know that having integrated Payroll and HR Software would make life a lot easier, but in order to secure the budget you will need to put together a very clear argument for how the investment will benefit the business.

Here we look at the things that you should consider when constructing your business case.

5 tips for calculating return on investment

Here’s what we’re going

to cover:

Managing change

Reducing costs

Increasing productivity or reducing headcount

Improving data accuracy & availability

Reducing risk

The stomach for

change

Successfully implementing a new Human Resource or Payroll system requires not only money but a great deal of planning, time and commitment.

Before undertaking this process it is important that you are very clear about your objectives.

Software can drive efficiencies and also provide some very valuable analytical data.

However you need to be realistic about what you are going to do with the information once you have it.

Be clear why you are doing this.

This process is about cultural change not just about purchasing software.

Are you ready? If so, then let’s take a closer look at the areas to examine when building your business case.

If your company has policies in place and, as a result of having better metrics available, you discover that they are not being adhered to, who will be responsible for ensuring that they are actively enforced? It is very likely that not just the people within your team, but across the wider organisation, will have to make changes to the way in which they work.

The stomach for

change

Reducing costs

Whether your motivations for new HR software are driven by a desire to improve service, reduce risks or drive efficiencies, calculating how it could impact the bottom line is going to be fundamental to your argument.

The frustrating thing is that if you had decent Human Resources software this process would be rather simple, if you do not then it will require some investigation and possibly extrapolation to get the figures together.

Calculating the impact on the bottom line is fundamental.

Reducing costs

Calculate the impact of employees not adhering to policies or managers not enforcing them.

It is quite possible that you already have some inkling as to where the profit leaks are in your business. Use this knowledge as a starting point.

We would suggest investigating things like:

• Expenses

• Absence

• Lateness

• Overtime

• Breaks

???

Reducing costs

Calculate the man-hours that could be saved across the business entering, reconciling and searching for data.

Ask key people to keep records and extrapolate. You could include things like:

• Entering timesheet data

• Reconciling timesheet data for payroll

• Entering expenses

• Duplicating data entry across HR, Payroll, H&S and Finance

• Chasing authorisations

• Putting together reports

Increasing productivity

Once you have a clearer picture of where time could be saved, you will then need to consider what value-added activities employees could be completing in the time they would have spent entering, reconciling and searching for data.

Depending on their role this could be, for example:

• Strategic HR activities

• Team management activities

• Role-specific activities

…or reducing headcount.

Increasing

productivity It is highly possible that you will be quite shocked by exactly how much time is spent each pay period collating timesheet data and reconciling it.

Payroll software with an integrated Time and Attendance system will simplify this process to such an extent that, in an enterprise sized business at least, a reduction in headcount is almost inevitable.

Real life example “With our previous Time and Attendance and Payroll systems it was taking us an average of 10 days a month to complete a timesheet and shift pattern register. With Carval this process has been slashed to around 2 days as there is a direct transfer of data and no need for manual calculation of shift allowances.” (R-TEK)

Real life example “The introduction and use of the system has meant a reduction in staff employed in payroll and given the facility to produce much more meaningful management information…. we now only need one part time employee to do the payroll, whereas we used to have a staff of eight….” (Charles Letts & Co Ltd)

Again, have you got the stomach for change? Tip: Download our free e-book “7 Top Tips for Streamlining Your Payroll Processes”.

Improving data

accuracy & availability

Informed decision making in all areas of the business requires accurate data. How reliable is the data that you hold on your employees?

• Is it up-to-date?

• Has it been entered multiple times increasing the chances of error?

• Is it auditable?

How accessible is the information that you hold to key stakeholders? That is not just to the HR and Payroll teams, but to employees, to managers and crucially to directors?

The tools for informed decision-making.

HR technology can deliver insightful reporting opportunities and automate the sharing of this with the individuals that it is of value to.

Reducing risk

The fields of Human Resources and Payroll are a minefield of constantly changing legislation.

Non-compliance can lead you to fall foul of the law, risking fines and even imprisonment.

Mistakes can also endanger employees’ and clients’ well-being and damage an organisation’s reputation.

Because non-compliance can cost dearly.

Reducing risk The risks most likely to affect your business will depend on what you do , but consider the potential impact of overlooking things like:

CRB checks

Right-to-work checks

Pensions auto-enrolment responsibilities

Risk assessments

Health checks & vaccinations

Disciplinary and grievance

Working Time Directive laws

Minimum wage laws

An integrated HR, Payroll and T&A system will provide you with the tools to ensure these things do not get overlooked and will significantly reduce the risks to which your company, your employees and the wider public are exposed.

Next steps We hope you’ve found this e-book useful

If you’d like to find out more about integrated HR and Payroll technology then why not:

• Visit our website

• Request an information pack

• Join a webinar

• Book a demonstration

• Or call us for a chat on 01908 787700