Eliminating errors in the payroll and personnel administration process is consistently rated as a top goal among employers that we talk to. Unfortunately errors are often categorized as “so-and-so’s mistake” and efforts are made to double check the results next time or to just be more careful.
In an interesting and illuminating study by The Hackett Group called “Workforce Management and Payroll Performance Studies” and published in the APA magazine PayTech, February, 2010, points out that Top Performers (the top statistical group with respect to efficiency and effectiveness in the payroll process) focus on root cause of errors rather than temporary fixes. And the top three root causes for payroll adjustments that occur