Five ways to celebrate National Payroll Week in your small business by citrus HR

National Payroll Week is here once again! Taking place 4-8 of September this is that one week of the year to really celebrate the payroll heroes in your business. Our team help small businesses run their payroll every day and we want to give them all a bit shout out this National Payroll Week. We know how much you value your team and the work do, so here are five ways that you can celebrate National Payroll Week in your small business.

1. Spread the word

Your payroll team work hard all your round to make sure that your people get paid on time, this week is a chance to show how much you appreciate them. A great first step to doing this is letting your whole team know what National Payroll Week is. You could send an email out, or you could put something in your newsletter or on your socials – the main thing is to generate awareness around the importance of payroll.

Downloading a National Payroll Week Pack is a good place to start. The pack is filled with information, posters and everything that you’ll need to spread the word about National Payroll Week.

2. Recognise your payroll professionals

Whether you have a dedicated payroll team, or an office manager that’s sorts the payslips each month, now is the time to recognise their efforts. Spreading the word about payroll week is just one way in which you might choose to do this. Some companies throw special lunches or breakfasts for their payroll teams or employees. This can be a great way to bring your payroll team together and allow them to celebrate their successes with each other, or a great way to bring your whole team together and share that payroll week appreciation.

You might feel that a gift is appropriate, perhaps a mug or a small plant, or anything that is easy to hand out. Gifts like these are best given out in a personal meeting (where possible) as this gives your employee the feeling that you really value the work they have done. Often it can be the case when words of thanks and encouragement go a long way, so whichever way you choose to recognise your payroll team, make sure you let them know they are valued.

3. Listen to your team

Your payroll team know their industry well and listening to their wants and needs can benefit your business in the long run. This could mean asking your team if there are any training courses they feel they would gain useful experience from.

Providing your payroll team with training opportunities is a great way to invest in them and your business. Newer members of the team might need support and guidance, while other members of the team might want to build on the knowledge and experience they already have. Payroll week is a great time to sit down with each of your team members and really understand what you can do together to make your payroll process the best it can be.

4. Invest in your payroll department

Listening to your team is one way to improve your payroll process, but it isn’t the only way. Investing in payroll software can be a fantastic way to let your team know you care. Good payroll software will make running your payroll quicker and more efficient. It can help you address processes that could be made better. This can minimise data-entry errors which take up your team’s time unnecessarily. A great payroll process is vital to staff satisfaction and employee engagement.

Understanding what pain points your employees deal with can be a great starting point for understanding what software can help you with. This also means that your payroll will team will feel heard and like they are part of the decision making process.

5. Educate yourself on the subject

Showing understanding of the topic is another excellent way that you can let your payroll team know you support their work. There is a great selection of online events available which give you a brilliant way to broaden your knowledge on payroll.  It’s easy to take payroll for granted, as if it is just another part of the working process. This demeans the work your payroll team do and there’s no better way of appreciating what the they do, than getting a better understanding of it yourself. Plus, being more in the loop with payroll will only improve your business further down the line.

So, whichever ways you choose to show your payroll stars some appreciation this National Payroll Week, we hope you have a great one! We’d also like to give a big shout out to all the accountants and bureaus that run payroll for small businesses – keep up the great work!