A form for this, a form for that, endless filing and hours are spent trying to find that vital piece of paper. Managing payroll and HR procedures has always been a paper-intensive job with all the attendant risks that go with paper records. There has to be a better way.
Overcoming infrastructure challenges
Smith & Ouzman’s secure multi-channel web portal Epayslipsecure is the straightforward solution to improving employer/employee communications without the need to spend a lot of time and money overhauling current systems. It ticks all the boxes because it has been designed by payroll professionals for payroll professionals and it works with all established payroll software, so there’s no need to scrap what you already have and start again. As a bespoke web portal, you can’t spot Epayslipsecure in operation – like a chameleon, it simply works as an extension of your company’s existing systems, with an identical appearance.
Staff acceptance
Epayslips are not new of course, they have been around for years, but introducing them to a workforce that may be reluctant to embrace new technology for such a crucially personal item is not plain sailing.
The ideal solution would be to offer both – a switch to epayslips for those employees that are happy with the idea and the option to stick with paper for those who aren’t. This is what Epayslipsecure is designed to do; it can even produce Braille payslips so no-one needs to be excluded by your digital upgrade. Of course, it’s not just non-computer literate staff who will benefit from a new digital system; those who work off-site and cannot be handed a paper payslip can receive all the same communication as on-site staff by using this flexible multi-channel solution.
Payslips are often the primary reason why companies decide to make the switch but there are many more smart features available that deliver considerable savings on time and resources, including the sharing of employee-related information such as P60 and P11d forms, holiday and sickness records and health & safety information. Epayslipsecure is so flexible that it can be used to send messages to all staff or selected groups or individuals. This kind of regular, professional communication between employer and employee is vital to creating a happy, productive working environment but is something that can be undervalued by employers.
GDPR and Security
A secure web portal also deals with the very topical issue of data security. The question ‘can you email payslips under the new GDPR rules?’ is something that has been concerning many businesses in recent months. But even if you can, should you? The answer must surely be no because of the security risk involved. Whilst it is permissible to send this kind of information via email, the potential for a breach in security just isn’t worth the risk.
The new data protection regulations have put companies under pressure to find a secure and compliant form of communication, but to achieve progress it’s important that change is viewed as an opportunity and not an obstacle. Putting in place measures to comply with GDPR is an ideal time to look at your working practices – do you need to modernise and evolve? Probably. If you don’t do it now, when will you? We should embrace change, it’s good for us.
