Nigeria Newspapers Online

Nobody can predict the fu­ture; However, modernis­ing payroll gives the space to contemplate a compa­ny’s unique workplace evolution.

We are overwhelmed by predic­tions of the future workplace.

Workforces will be more flex­ible. Employees will assert their independence. Hybrid and remote working will become the norm.

The 9-to-5 grind is coming to an end—or not. There is evidence pointing towards and away from these predictions.

Some companies are trialling 4-day work weeks while others try to lure employees back to the office.

Some business models work very well remotely, while others struggle when they don’t have peo­ple present.

The more we try to unpack the potential futures of the workplace, the more scenarios appear.

“The only thing we can say with confidence is that nobody has the answers,” says Sandra Crous, Man­aging Director of PaySpace by Deel.

“What works for one business doesn’t work for another, which is not what business leaders want to hear. One day, we’ll have the an­swers. But we’re the ones who need to come up with those answers and put them to the test.”

The Certainty Of Flexibility

With so many contradictions, what is the best way forward? There is a clear answer—automate the tasks that stop HR departments from applying their minds to these crucial questions.

Consider when you go shopping. Which approach is more effective: making a shopping list beforehand or trying to figure it out while you shop? A shopping list is much more efficient and gives you the space to consider other options, such as price differences or taking advan­tage of a special.

“Our brains can only handle so many things at a given point. If you try to do everything at once, you don’t do anything well. So, are there things that occupy your mind that don’t need to be there? I think this is the real definition of flexibility: it’s not just about choice but removing unnecessary choice,” says Crous.

HR staff are like a busy shopper floundering between necessary and unnecessary choices.

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They wear many hats, interact with employees and owners, juggle policies and culture, and manage the workforce’s demands.

They are also expected to help inform and cultivate a workplace’s future. In order for them to focus on those questions, they need more flexibility and space. How can we create that space?

Flexibility Through Payroll

The answer lies in automating and streamlining routine yet cru­cial employee and business touch­points, and payroll modernisation is the most obvious place to start, says Crous:

“Payroll encompasses a lot: the main examples are remuneration, benefits calculation, leave alloca­tion, budgeting for salaries, and employee loans. Indirectly, payroll relates to talent management and employee wellbeing.

On a strategic level, payroll is a big cost to business and a nerve centre between employees and employers. Some payroll tasks are simple yet important, such as providing payslip information so an employee can do things like open bank accounts. Other things become very complicated, like changes to employment laws or managing staff across multiple regions.”

Can payroll help HR prepare for the future workplace? Just like shopping without a list, payroll tasks can overwhelm HR and other departments with routine yet cru­cial tasks pulling their attention in different directions. However, when payroll services start re­moving the clutter and demands of payroll through automation, self-service, and enriched integra­tion, it gives HR professionals the flexibility to apply their skills to the changing workplace.

“Nobody can predict what the fu­ture of offices will look like. Every business must figure that out for their circumstances. But, if your HR people are constantly dealing with payroll issues, they don’t have the scope to envision long-term sce­narios and feel the pulse of com­pany workforces”, Crous explains.

Nobody has conclusive answers on what tomorrow’s workplace looks like. But we can empower the right people to apply their minds to those questions by removing things that shouldn’t consume their bandwidth. Payroll is an ob­vious place to start.

Architected in the cloud, Pay­Space’s proprietary payroll tech­nology is scalable, configurable, highly secure, and easy-to-use al­lowing anytime, anywhere access to empower payroll and HR teams.

It is highly secure and drives operational efficiency, offering self-serve payroll or payroll outsourced to a team of in-house PaySpace pay­roll experts.

PaySpace was specifically de­signed to provide multi-country payroll and HR functionality with built-in compliance for organi­zations of all sizes and industry sectors. It provides a single truth for payroll and HR data – and the tools to make strategic decisions at every level.

PaySpace has expanded into 40+ African countries as well as the United Kingdom and the Middle East, with an imminent launch in Brazil.

PaySpace, acquired by Deel in their largest acquisition to date in 2024, will be integrated as Deel’s ex­clusive payroll calculation engine. This represents an enormous step toward their goal of being the one-stop-shop for all things global pay­roll & HR.

Source: PaySpace