4 ways the cloud is transforming HR and payroll management

Cloud computing and mobility bring a range of powerful benefits for HR and payroll managers, enabling them to become more efficient while offering their employees and the business a better quality of service. With software solutions like Sage Business Cloud Accounting, there are no annual licence fees or upfront costs. This means that you don’t need to dip into your capital to afford a powerful, modern payroll solution.

Here are four ways that mobile solutions and the cloud make a difference in payroll and HR environments.

1. Employee self-service for all

Employees today live on their smartphones, so it makes sense to deliver company information and services on their handsets. You should select an HR package that includes employee self-service functionality, enabling your employees to apply for leave, file business travel expenses, and update their personal information from their computers, smartphones, or tablets. This is convenient for the employee, and also saves managers and the HR department a great deal of paperwork.

Another useful feature is a mobile app that allows your employees to access payslips and leave balances from a secure online environment. Each employee will have access to an online profile where they can access copies of payslips in PDF format as well as detailed information about their leave records.

2. E-learning everywhere

Electronic learning has gained massive traction in workplaces around the world, though some South African companies have been slow to embrace its potential. Today’s cloud and mobile e-learning solutions give companies even more flexibility to deliver training and education to their workforces, wherever they are.

3. Service mash-ups

Cloud-based payroll and HR solutions can easily integrate with a range of online services that extend their functionality – for example, bank account validations and ID verifications. This allows you to easily ensure that the ID number and banking details you have for an employee are valid and correct from within the payroll application. These services are especially valuable when using electronic services to pay salaries, ensuring that you pay salaries into the correct accounts and to the correct recipients.

4. Value-added apps for employees

Once you’re interacting online and on mobile devices with your employees through employee self-service, you can build a range of value-added services into your apps and internal websites. For example, a salary tax calculator could allow employees to perform comparative calculations using this year’s and last year’s income tax rates. This will allow employees to answer many questions for themselves instead of asking your payroll and HR department for help. It can also improve employee satisfaction.