Morning Pre-Congress Workshops Showcase Diverse Payroll Challenges

How can payroll implement major changes to work flows to improve efficiency and yet excel in delivery? Why don’t more payroll professionals have copies of company stock option plans? How can payroll in China be similar to payroll in the United States?

These are just a few of the more than 30 APA Pre-Congress workshop sessions offered here in Orlando this morning, and I’m certain by the end of the day after more than a dozen more, there will be some brains here that hurt—in a good way.

For those not able to attend those sessions, here’s a brief glimpse at what you’ve missed:

Catherine Pettit, CPP, of General Electric presented a case study in how to successfully implement lean management. The payroll team there moved 70,000 employees from biweekly payroll current to arrears recently, and they made it work by critically examining processes while developing a collaborative environment within which payroll now works.

Stock options are not simple for plan administrators, and payroll professionals must understand their role, said two representatives from KPMG, LLP. Out of about 70 participants in that workshop, only two raised their hands when asked if they had copies of the stock plans.

While the standard workweek in China is 40 hours and overtime generally is paid at time and a half in both countries that is about where the similarity ends.

Bloomberg BNA’s Payroll Library and International Payroll Decision Support editors are onsite this week at APA’s 35th Annual Congress to cover these and other compelling issues.