I think when I first started payroll, everything was a "day of" challenge. I believe one of the biggest "day of" challenges I had was getting all the checks ready for signatures. The checks were printed and had to be signed by two board members. The payroll schedule meant that sometimes the checks had to be signed on the same day as a board meeting. Those days were really challenging in that I was trying to make sure the payroll was accurate, but also prepare everything for the board meeting. Arrrrrgh.
Since that time, many many things have changed. Payroll is still stressful, but nowhere near as stressful as it used to be.
1. We went from 19 to 2 overtime categories
2. We went to direct deposit
3. We went to a strict biweekly pay period (from a 28 day pay period with a weird draw thing)
4. I created a payroll checklist
5. I created procedures for different aspects of payroll
6. We changed the shift schedule for the firefighters, the current shift schedule is much easier for me in dealing with their time cards
Finally, I have over 4 years of experience now and I am sure a lot of the lack of stress is due to that.
