From five days to three: making national payroll more reliable

Published 7 October 2026 · Team member career experience

These stories describe experience gained by a SESAY team member in previous employment roles. They are not presented as SESAY client engagements. Employer and employee names are omitted. Outcomes reflect the team member’s career records and are not guarantees of future results.

5 → 3 processing days

Situation

A national hospitality payroll function supported more than 4,500 employees across a geographically dispersed workforce. Payroll processing took approximately five days. Adjustments and off-cycle activity created additional work beyond the regular run, while the operating environment involved award rules, attendance inputs and multiple locations.

Task

A SESAY team member, working in the organisation’s payroll leadership role, was responsible for improving the function’s efficiency and reliability. The challenge involved the wider process: how operational information reached payroll, how the team processed it and how results were checked.

Action

The team member redesigned payroll processes and introduced stronger validation and automation. Independent checks were implemented outside the core Micropay and Deputy processing environments. Payroll procedures and work instructions were standardised, while operational managers received training on payroll, overtime and rostering. Team capability development, clearer accountability and engagement with stakeholders supported the change.

Result

The reported historical results were a reduction in processing time from approximately five days to three, around 90% less payroll adjustment and off-cycle activity, and more than 80% fewer manual-entry-related errors. These outcomes relate to the wider improvement program; they are not separate savings that should be added together or a forecast for another business.

What this experience brings to SESAY

This experience informs SESAY’s approach to payroll improvement: examine the full journey from operational input to reviewed output, and build the team’s ability to sustain the process. A shorter pay run is most useful when the surrounding checks and responsibilities also improve.