Why we choose to support automation in payroll

Africa HR Solutions is proud to be the sponsor of the “Automation Project of the Year” category at the Global Payroll Awards in Poland, organised by the Global Payroll Association.

It was important for us to show our support for this category in particular, as an extension of our investment in human-centred payroll technology.

Payroll in Africa: exceeding expectations

It is not enough for us to meet certain standards or service expectations when partnering with a client in Africa. For us, payroll goes beyond our business and the solutions we provide: it is about providing excellent, world-class services in Africa. Too often, Africa is labelled as being behind other regions of the world, and while there certainly are differences, it does not mean that Africa is any less capable. We want to grow beyond these misconceptions and show just how advanced the continent truly is.

For example, in countries like Kenya, mobile payments through the M-Pesa platform have become commonplace, and countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya are pioneering change in fintech.

Nigeria, for example, received 42.1% of the total funding secured in Africa in 2021, 59% of which went to FinTechs, according to the 2021 African Tech Startups Funding Report by Disrupt Africa. Besides, three private Nigerian start-ups reached unicorn status in 2021, being valued at $1 billion.

How we are promoting payroll technology in Africa

1.    Overall payroll flexibility

Before we can even talk about integrating any kind of payroll technology, the mindset and openness to doing payroll differently must be present. Across our teams in Africa, we have instilled a strong culture for innovation, flexibility, and process-refinement. We are never happy with doing only what we do. We are continually searching for new ways to do better for our clients, and for Africa.

2.    Investing in automations

Our payroll teams have developed several new functions to gain efficiency, such as a payroll calculator, and automated taxables calculations as a second line of defence.

We have also automated many templates to do more bulk processing – focusing on areas of payroll that we can either automate or semi-automate to gain productivity. In this way, we do more for our clients in less time and with less manpower, allowing greater focus on other areas of improvement for the client.

3.    Facilitating integrations

Our payroll solutions are highly customisable thanks to our openness to different payroll systems and technologies. For instance, we recently headed a Workday and SAGE integration to support a client who already had a Workday system in place and didn’t want to invest more time and effort into a new system.

Naturally, each system brought its unique strengths: where Sage provides broad payroll support, especially in regions like Africa, Workday offers advanced HR capabilities. By integrating them, our client gained the flexibility of both platforms without compromising on functionality.

From a user experience perspective, integration minimised the need for employees to adapt to new tools. To this day, they continue using familiar interfaces, while the systems communicate seamlessly in the background. This not only saves time but also reduces training costs and errors.

The integration process in this particular case involved a custom API acting as a bridge between the platforms, transferring data like payroll, attendance, and employee records. Depending on business needs, the API was tailored to specific functions, with full implementation usually taking between one to six months. Key phases included planning, data migration, and testing.

But we advise businesses considering integration to plan carefully, especially when dealing with large volumes of data that may take weeks, if not months, to get transferred. Successful integration, however, enhances data security, automates workflows, and avoids the cost and complexity of a full system overhaul.

Ultimately, integrating Workday and Sage proved to be a strategic, future-proof choice for our client. While it required an upfront investment, the long-term benefits such as improved productivity, flexibility, and scalability, are making it a worthwhile solution.

4.    ISO/IEC 27001 Data Security Certification

All technology development must go hand-in-hand with the proper accreditation and protections. We understand how sensitive the data we work with is. It often contains employee names, addresses, and bank account numbers that could be damaging if the data were to fall into the wrong hands. As we grow to support and integrate payroll technology, so does our awareness of security grow. This is why we have worked to obtain the ISO/IEC 27001 certification so we can guarantee the highest level of data protection available.

Looking to partner with a tech-forward, human-led payroll provider in Africa?

Africa HR Solutions helps you pay your workers compliantly across 46+ African countries, using modern technology to reduce errors, processing time, and to identify areas of improvement. To find out more about how we can help you, chat with one of our consultants today.