By Tiana Cline for LorgeFrancois Steyn, Chartered HR Professional and Sybrand Botes, HOD: HR and Payroll, Lorge.
The workplace in 2024 looks remarkably different to what it did just a few years ago. The way employees work, collaborate and communicate has shifted, but HR and payroll hasn’t quite kept up with how modern businesses operate. “Business is changing extremely fast,” says Francois Steyn, a chartered HR professional at Lorge. “In the 90s, HR moved beyond record-keeping. HR went from being only operational to transactional, moving to a value-add position.
Today, typical HR and payroll systems with basic functionality are the status quo, but do not cater for industry-specific functionality. The mining industry, for example, has strict rules and regulations around injuries, which require real-time incident recording. Larger retailers with employee scheduling requirements need a time and attendance system that goes beyond clocking in and out using biometrics.
What is actually required from HR and payroll is a solution that needs to be both flexible and configurable, a solution that must fit into multiple business types and industries. Simply put, modern businesses require workflows that weren't originally created in HR and payroll systems. “In the current marketplace, some businesses opt to provide a solution that is plug-and-play and others create a system,” adds Botes.
Another change is the ability for employees to use WhatsApp to view payslips or apply for leave on ESS. There are even add-ons that include capabilities like loan management – taking salary advances before payday. “That is where employees are moving towards – they want an easy way of engaging with the business and with HR, the way they apply for leave, the way they get scheduled for temporary work… that is where the future lies,” says Steyn.