Why celebrate National Payroll Week?

Payroll may not sound like the most exciting topic, but when people are well-educated about how their payroll is calculated, how taxes are deducted, and how to manage their money, they’re in a better position to make good long-term financial decisions. Those who are financially literate tend to be less stressed and less likely to end up in debt.

National Payroll Week is a good opportunity for employers to educate their employees, highlight the support that’s available to them and clear up some misconceptions about taxes and benefits.

How to celebrate National Payroll Week 2023

There are many ways to celebrate National Payroll Week 2023. Some companies simply highlight the occasion with a company-wide email and share some brochures. Others run clinics and consultations or get into the spirit with bigger events such as post-work lunches or office parties.

1. Hold a meeting for your team

Payroll can be a confusing issue for a lot of employees, and some may not feel confident enough to ask questions about how their pay works. National Payroll Week offers a great opportunity for employees to ask questions and become more educated about how payroll works, any tax issues they may have and how to make the most of their pay.

Consider hosting an information session or setting aside some time during National Payroll Week for one-to-one clinics where people can meet someone from the payroll department to get advice or raise issues. Publish a Payroll Frequently Asked Questions leaflet addressing the most common issues and make it clear to your employees that there are no wrong questions. You and your payroll team are committed to helping employees get paid correctly and access any support available to them.

2. Join forces with other local companies

National Payroll Week is a major event and it’s likely other companies in your area will be participating. Consider using this as an opportunity for networking. Lend your skills to smaller clients or bring in representatives from larger companies you work with to offer advice to your employees. Host a drinks evening that serves as a combined social and awareness-building event. Invite local journalists to the event to spread the word about the importance of employees getting more involved in their pay.

3. Share promotional materials

Take advantage of the promotional materials that are already freely available for National Payroll Week. Share information about Social Security, taxes, payroll tax holidays, child support and ways employees can manage their money more effectively. By offering this information up freely to everyone within your organization, you’ll increase the chances of the people who would benefit most from the support getting it.

Ask your employees to take part in the Getting Paid in America Survey, because the information they provide will help the American Payroll Association better understand the needs and interests of American workers, so they can serve them more effectively in the future.

4. Take this chance to listen to and reward your employees

Recognizing your employees for the hard work they do is a good way of building morale. Instead of waiting for individual performance reviews as a time to reward your most dedicated team members, give them public recognition during National Payroll Week.

While you’re giving feedback, take the time to solicit some, too. Ask employees what they need, what they’re concerned about and if there’s anything you could be doing to support them better. For example, if you have customer service staff who work shifts that are unusual lengths, and they’re paid based on the time they’re clocked in, they may have questions about how you’re converting minutes to decimals for payroll. Answering their questions and concerns will help ensure your employees are being paid fairly and remove any confusion or concerns they may have.

5. Host community events

Payroll is something that’s relevant to most adults, not just the ones who work for you. Running community outreach events at a local library or community center can raise the profile of your business and build goodwill in the community, while providing a direct and valuable service to people who may be struggling financially.

Some organizations give their employees a day or two off each year to do community projects. If you don’t already do this, National Payroll Week could be a good time to start, and the community event could cover more than just pay, answering questions on a variety of topics such as:

• Benefits and taxes
• CVs and cover letters
• Savings and pensions
• Money management
• Debt management

Many of those topics are things your HR and payroll department could cover, and by working with organizations such as National Debtline and the American Payroll Association, you’ll have the chance to provide resources or signposting for other issues.

6. Invest in your payroll department

Payroll is a complex topic, and the people who work in the payroll department are worthy of recognition for their tireless efforts to ensure every employee is fairly and properly compensated. A lot of people forget the payroll department exists, until things go wrong. Yet, most of the time they’re sending out payments on time for every employee, with the right deductions, bonuses and overtime. According to the APA, payroll professionals collect, deposit and report as much as 70% of the annual revenue of the U.S. Treasury.

National Payroll Week is a good time to say “thank you” to the people in the payroll department and remind them that their work is appreciated. Take this chance to educate people about how many employees the business has, how many pay runs they’ve processed and how many people they’ve helped with relocation efforts, advances or tax support. Payroll can be a thankless job, but it’s one that really does keep the enterprise working.

Payroll matters all year round

National Payroll Week can be a fun way to generate some positive PR and an excuse for a party, too but there’s a serious message to send, as well. Payroll is an important issue all year round, not just during its national awareness week. If you choose to celebrate this week, or run payroll-related information campaigns around Labor Day, you’ll likely get a good response from your employees. However, the emphasis on communication and educating your employees is something you should consider keeping the rest of the year, so new hires or longstanding employees who are having financial issues feel they can approach their superiors to get the help they need if they’re worrying about overpaying taxes, need to claim a benefit or don’t understand their wage slip.