SMART HR News You Can Use

The most important part of payroll is ensuring that your employees are paid. This includes delivering your direct deposit file to the bank on time, printing your payroll checks, and disbursing them by payday.  But sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. For example:

• You lose power - Last month's high wind storms were a significant reminder that you can’t control when a storm is going to strike.  Waiting to run your payroll at the last minute puts you at serious risk at missing a payday.  Power can be out for minutes, hours, or even days. 
   
• You lose internet connection - Your connection to Region 1 requires an internet connection.  An internet connection problem could be in the equipment, your network, or your internet service provider.  Internet connections, like power, could be out for minutes, hours, or days. 
   
• Your computer crashes - setting up another computer in your district shouldn’t take that long. However, depending on how close you are to your ACH file deadline, it could seriously impact the amount of time you have to complete your payroll.
   
• Your office is damaged - If your office is damaged from a major storm, or a water pipe breaking, could you complete your payroll with equipment at another location?   If needed, Region 1 has workspace available at our office.
   
• Your payroll staff is unavailable.  Staff may be called away for an emergency, or even involved in an emergency.  Can someone else in your office step in and complete the payroll?  With advanced security some websites require two step authentication.  Do you know who to contact to ensure ACH files can be sent and taxes paid on time?

Probably the most important advice for a payroll backup plan is to make sure you don’t wait until the last minute to run your payroll!  In addition, have a list on hand of contact names and phone numbers for various payroll functions, as well as another person in your office who knows where to find the payroll information. Above all, remember that Region 1 is here to help.