[White paper] Payroll and HR in SA: Rising to the challenges of change

A business’s monthly pay run means different things to different people. Employees value the certainty that their money will appear in their bank accounts on time, every time. Employers must honour their contractual obligations to their employees while also adhering to a slew of constantly changing legislation.

Throw in COVID-19 and the global shift to remote and hybrid working, and you get payroll and HR challenges with a level of complexity that many businesses have never faced before – and it’s knocking professionals’ confidence. What’s more, with the enactment of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), payroll and HR professionals must also think about security risks like cyber-attacks and data theft. For some, it’s completely new territory.

As such, we interviewed 600 small businesses (under 99 employees) and 400 medium-sized businesses (100 to 1,999 employees) during August 2021 to find out how they’re navigating increasing complexity in payroll and while also dealing with new challenges around remote working and data security – often for the first time. 

All respondents who completed the quantitative online survey hold some responsibility for their businesses’ payroll and/or HR function. 

With access to some of a business’s most sensitive and valuable information, our research confirmed that payroll and human resources (HR) professionals are sitting on a goldmine of insights that can enhance business strategy, streamline compliance, and attract and retain the best talent. But, without a specialist system, those insights remain buried under an ever-growing pile of admin. 

Download the latest Sage research report for more insights.