The 5 Payroll Pests: Searching For Payroll Documents

Have you ever needed to pull a file, but everything is so unorganized that you can’t find it? It’s frustrating, plus a complete waste of time and resources. However, having an organized system that has forms like W-2s or 1099s all in one place can make your life a whole lot easier. In our five-part series, we’re going to discuss the five payroll pests that are eating up your time, while showing you some ways to streamline payroll processing. If you missed part two, we discussed how distributing paychecks through direct deposit can save you hours of tedious, manual labor. Next up: searching for payroll documents.

Stuck on Paperwork Mountain

Let’s talk more about the unorganized paperwork mountain you’re stuck on. You’re probably juggling several filing cabinets worth of confidential data on a daily basis. With paperwork for everything from benefits administration and performance reviews, to I-9s and medical records, it can be super overwhelming. So what happens if you are audited?
Did the mere mention of an audit cause your heart to skip a beat? Rightfully so, as audits can be very nerve wracking. And if you don’t a have a good document management system in place, you could be at risk for potential fines. Think about this: the fine for failing to comply with Form I-9 employment verification requirements can cost as much as $2,156 for each form. Ouch!

Stop Wasting Time on Searching for Payroll Documents

Today’s payroll solutions utilize a cloud-based platform, so personnel tracking, employee record maintenance, and document management are typically built into the system. Bridget Miller at HR Daily Advisor put it best when she said, “There’s little question that moving away from a paper-based filing system can result in greater convenience and efficiency.” Not only is cloud-based document storage convenient and efficient, it frees up precious office space and helps ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws.

With all of that data securely stored online in employee records, there is valuable analytics and reporting you can access and leverage for more informed decision making. Depending on what types of solutions you’re currently using or looking to use, you should be able to access reports such as:

– Employee Headcount
– Worker’s Compensation
– Payroll Summary
– EEO-1
– OSHA
– VETS-100A
– Labor Expense
– Turnover
– Missed Punches

Choose the Right Payroll Provider

When looking for the right payroll provider to use for document and compliance management, ask the following questions:
– Do you have a good document management system?
– Are there security controls in place to manage employee record and document access?
– Do you have a backup system in place to ensure data is not lost?
– Do you have a secondary backup system in the event both the software and its backup are destroyed?
– What types of reports and dashboards can be created using employee record information?
– Is everything stored in a unified database?

How APS Can Help

APS provides personnel tracking, employee record maintenance, and document management to businesses all over the nation. Our Payroll solution has been recognized by G2 Crowd as a High Performer since 2014, and was recently recognized as the 2017 Best Solution for HR and Administrative Teams. With consistent top rankings for Ease of Use, Support, and User Adoption, you can be assured that the APS Payroll solution experts are dedicated to making sure that your payroll tasks and processes are as organized and easy to use as possible.