Payroll specialists play an important role in any organization that compensates employees for their efforts. Payroll specialist jobs may exist at many different levels and across several departments for a large company or complex organization, depending on the scope of work and the steps required to complete payroll. Salary and compensation managers, payroll and expense clerks, benefits administrators, and human resources generalists are just a few examples of general payroll specialist jobs that are common in organizations.
Human resource or accounting professionals who specialize in determining the fair wages that different assignments should pay are known as salary and compensation managers. These payroll specialists are responsible for determining what workers will earn using up-to-date data on job types, industry rates, and regional data. Many salary managers create salary incentives for employees in order to promote progressive growth, better recruiting, and payroll functions.
Accountants and expense clerks who process payroll are two of the most well-known payroll specialist jobs. Hour and wage calculations, expense reports, personal deductions, taxes, benefits, deposits, and check printing are all financial processes that expense clerks and payroll accountants are trained to handle. All of these responsibilities are crucial in the payroll processing process. Payroll accountants and expense clerks can work as part of a payroll team or be hired on a contract basis by a company to perform specific tasks.
Benefits administrators, for example, are payroll specialists who choose from a variety of benefits for a company’s employees. Employees’ compensation packages often include health benefits, wellness programs, retirement savings, and payroll deduction benefits in addition to regular pay. Benefit administrators handle the administration of these benefits and assist employees in enrolling in the programs that best suit their needs.
Human resources generalists, who handle a wide range of employee-related duties, including payroll, handle the vast majority of payroll specialist jobs. Human resource generalists are in tune with the daily activities at an organization and can handle payroll specialist functions efficiently because they have a well-rounded view of the entire hiring, employee resource management, and termination process. Working as a human resource generalist can be a long-term goal for a payroll specialist.