Conclusion

Payroll is no longer just about processing payments. At Strada, we see payroll as more than just a transactional task. When managed properly and strategically, it becomes a powerful vehicle that enables businesses to make smarter, more informed decisions.

However, payroll systems across many organizations are still bogged down by manual, error-prone processes, which increase workloads, lead to compliance risks, and reduce employee trust.

Despite the widespread recognition of payroll’s inherent value, many companies continue to struggle with fragmented systems, unclear ownership, or underused technology. This disconnect between perception and reality limits payroll’s potential to contribute meaningfully to business decisions.

Another core issue is the lack of effective integration across departments. While senior leadership may believe in the power of a unified HR platform, the day-to-day operations often reflect inadequate alignment between departments. Additionally, while automation, AI, and advanced technologies hold tremendous promise, internal skill gaps and system problems are limiting their adoption.

We understand that transforming payroll’s potential requires more than just implementing innovative technology. It demands a human-centric, considered approach that balances automation with expert insight.

And it’s here where we excel, helping businesses shift to automated cloud-based systems that minimize errors and enhance efficiency.

Beyond technology, clear governance, well-defined responsibilities, and a focus on integration are critical to unlocking payroll's full potential. Our comprehensive people-focused approach aligns payroll with broader business strategies, ensuring systems are responsive, adaptable and evolve as the company grows.

We also blend leading-edge technology with years of understanding people’s requirements, so innovations like automation, AI, and ML support and enhance operations. Through our partnership with Workday, we also offer access to the latest cloud-based HCM integration technology, helping businesses streamline operations, and allocate precious time for strategic analysis.

By adopting tailored solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, organizations can free up valuable resources, enhance compliance, and reduce operational risk.

Our proven track record in payroll process optimization has helped businesses save up to 25% in FTE resources, while delivering a 99.9% accuracy rate in payroll transactions to counter, mitigate and prevent critical errors.

Here are some key questions to consider:

Is your payroll system giving you the insights you need to make strategic decisions?

How well does your payroll integrate with the rest of your HR systems?

Can you conduct an in-depth workforce cost analysis by department, country, or region to help you understand where you most invest in people?

Do you understand the impact of attracting people and onboarding new joiners on your overall people costs?

Do you have a clear payroll governance structure in place?

How can your organization better integrate technology and ensure effective integration that empowers people?

Are you taking full advantage of automation, AI, and ML in your payroll processes?

Do your teams have the skills to use new technology like AI to create valuable insights?

Methodology

Our report is based on findings and insights drawn from two comprehensive studies:

Strada’s 2024 Company Payroll Complexity Report

Conducted between July and September 2023, this survey gathered input from nearly 300 payroll professionals and key stakeholders in payroll operations.

The report examined several aspects of payroll, including the transformation of technology to the cloud, the challenges and complexities of managing payroll across multiple countries, the incidence of fines and penalties for non-compliance, and payroll’s processing, integration and governance.

Workday´s Strategic Ascent of Global Payroll

The data in this report comes from a global survey commissioned by Workday and conducted by Vanson Bourne in April and May 2024. The survey of 1,300 decision-makers sought to understand the state of global payroll in today’s organizations and how it is impacting payroll’s ability to deliver strategic value to the organization.

Respondents were based in North America, Europe and Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) and worked across 11 unique industries, including retail, energy, financial services, and manufacturing. Respondents spanned the C-suite level, senior management, midlevel management, and junior management across HR, finance, IT, payroll, and operations.

About Strada

Strada is a technology-enabled, people powered company committed to delivering world-class payroll, human capital management, and financial management solutions to organizations globally.

With a team of more than 8,000 professionals, Strada blends leading-edge technology with human ingenuity to help businesses across the globe design and deliver at scale. Supporting over 1,400 customers in 33 countries, Strada partners with customers at every stage of their journey, to help drive their vision to value. Discover how Strada can help drive your vision forward.

We’re here to help you answer these questions and more.

Our expertise goes beyond payroll, delivering end-to-end human capital and financial management solutions to organizations worldwide. With our global reach and focus on combining next-gen technology with human ingenuity, we’re here to help you elevate payroll as a strategic driver of business success.

Discover more at stradaglobal.com