What is the main purpose of Payroll Services?
The main purpose of Payroll Services is a clear one: pay people. Pay them correctly and in a timely manner. We also want to make sure to clearly communicate compensation, which is one reason I’m so excited about the paystub project that just launched. This project took advantage of ConnectCarolina functionality, which gives employees a clearer, fuller view of their compensation.
What is next for the Payroll team?
W-2 time is coming up (Jan. 31), which is one of the busiest times in the payroll calendar. Not only are we paying people, which is our top priority, and trying to enjoy the university holidays, but we must review and confirm that 31,000 W-2 forms are accurate before we distribute them.
For several years, employees have been able to view and print their W-2s online using the self-service option in ConnectCarolina. We expect that employees will be able to opt out of paper W-2s in the near future. Many employees have voiced an interest in being able to enter and update their direct deposit information using self-service like they do with NC-4 (state tax) and W-4 (federal tax) withholding information. We are reviewing what that change might look like.
Who are your customers?
Every employee who receives a paycheck is our customer. In addition to salary payments to 24,000 employees, we transact and report employee benefits payments to Teachers and State Employee Retirement System (TSERS), Blue Cross-Blue Shield and other benefit companies.
How many staff members are in Payroll Services?
Fifteen people work in Payroll. Some focus on biweekly payroll and others are dedicated to monthly payroll or technical support of both. TIM functional support is also a part of Payroll, as is tax and accounting and commitment accounting. We have significant experience in key positions, with four staff who have worked in Payroll for approximately 20 years or more, and many other staff with significant campus experience. Those with significant payroll experience add to our team’s effectiveness, and those with years of campus experience help us to understand how all the pieces of what we do affect each and every person we pay.
What is something that people might not know about Payroll Services?
Payroll bridges the finance and human resources worlds and requires a knowledge of both areas. It takes so many teams and people across campus for us to be able to do our jobs well, so I’d like to say thanks to all those people: campus administrators, ITS, OHR, Accounting Services, Disbursement Services and the list goes on.
We have a great Payroll team that really cares about our employees and want to do the best for them. We know that each and every paycheck represents a life, a family and a retirement. Even though it’s dollars and cents, it’s also people. It’s our employees’ lives and we are glad to be a small part of it.