10 Tips for Setting up Your Remote Payroll Operations
Payroll can be a very daunting process. And yet if you have a sizable amount of employees you're going to have to navigate the world of work hours, salary, pay dates and pay stubs.
Outsourcing your payroll can be a great option if you're already feeling overwhelmed.
However if you have a small amount of employees and you would like a faster and more efficient way to implement remote payroll then here are some tips.
Or maybe you just hire a Payroll clerk locally and you want her to work from home so that you can save time and money on overhead costs. Here are some ideas on how to properly implement your remote payroll operations.
TOP 10 TIPS FOR REMOTE PAYROLL OUTSOURCING
Get specific about your payroll needs.
It's important you have a good system in place for payroll so that you can find invoices quickly when you need them. You must lay down your needs in terms of software or hardware so your outsourcing provider can give them to you. Or if you're hiring your personal payroll accountant, you can at least tell her what tools to use and what communication channels you prefer.
Choose the features you want.
There are many services out there that offer remote payroll for cheap or free, but look at the features they are offering before you sign up for one of them. Some are missing key pieces that may be crucial to your business' success. For example, some services only handle payroll for US citizens while others will help you with payroll no matter where someone is in the world. For instance, are you really willing to shell out $40.00 per hour when paying for those costs may jack up your overhead?
Look at software tools too.
Some companies will offer software specifically designed to make it easy to work with remote employees, and if this is something your company needs, make sure it's available through the service you choose. Another option is to use your own computer programs and spreadsheets along with an online service like Google Sheets as its core application platform, allowing users to easily share documents and collaborate on projects with team members anywhere in the world via secure cloud storage and collaboration tools.
Find a payroll outsourcing company that adheres to your schedule.
If possible, choose a service that offers customer support during your local time zone so if anything goes wrong it's easier to get help right away instead of having to wait until another day or time of day when they're available again. Great outsourcing companies offer 24/7 customer support throughout the week, so every day of the week except Saturday and Sunday (UTC), though our business clients get access to our customer support team any time!
Manage on your own, or find a managed operations payroll provider.
It's true that outsourcing payroll will take some of the burden off of your shoulders but remember that managing remote workers can be tricky since they're not always right there with you. Get clear pay rates outlined in writing before hiring anyone, make sure they know what is expected of them before they start working, and meet regularly with them during their first month or two on the job so everyone knows what's going well and what could be improved on.
Understand and make sure to pay your local state and federal taxes.
Finding the right people to delegate tasks can provide you with a much faster rotation of payroll tasks which are then easier to manage.
Consider what your remote payroll employees need.
When you outsource payroll, you want to make sure you're finding someone who is skilled at handling payroll for foreign workers. It's important to understand the differences between US and international tax laws so you can have a better idea if they'll be able to handle your business' needs properly.
Keep track of employee information.
If you're outsourcing payroll, it's important that you keep track of your employees' information with them. You never know when something may happen that will require you to access their records, so make sure they are stored in a secure place that only you have access to .
Have regular meetings with your outsource payroll team.
The key to making remote staffing work is communication. Without it, things can go wrong quickly and cause issues down the line, so make sure regular meetings are set up with your remote employees to make sure everyone is on the same page and knows what's expected of them during the next week or month.
Give your remote payroll employees the support they need.
When outsourcing any aspect of your company, it's important that there are times during the day when support is available for your employees just in case something comes up that they need help with immediately. If support isn't available at reasonable times, choose another service or set up some sort of emergency hotline where issues can be dealt with right away instead of waiting until someone is back at their desk at 9 am the next morning.
If the thought of setting up your own payroll team is daunting, then consider payroll outsourcing!
Make sure though that your spending does not exceed your income. And you find cost effective ways to offload these tasks when you have a huge amount of tasks and want more time and freedom to focus on your needs.
