Running a pub is not easy. With pints to pour, customers to serve and staff to schedule, there are many duties that are often overlooked.
Payroll is one of these dreaded duties. It’s absolutely essential for your business, but it’s also very time consuming and, well, boring.
If you feel like you can relate, have you thought about automating your payroll?
What is ‘automated payroll’?
Automated payroll uses cloud-based software like Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and more to calculate wages, tax deductions, pensions, holiday pay and payslips without manual input every week or month.
This cloud-based software can integrate with other systems like EPOS and rotas to account for the actual hours worked, syncing with HMRC and pension providers.
Signs that it’s time to automate your payroll
The nature of working in a pub is varied: with factors such as part-time and zero-hour contracts, higher staff turnover and late-night/weekend rotas, manual payroll can become complex and risky. Here are some of the signs that it’s time to swap cross-checking hours and payslips for automation:
Previous payroll errors or HMRC penalties
Submitting incorrect tax codes or missing deadlines can lead to fines. If this has been a past issue with your manual payroll process, consider switching to an automated system. These systems file RTI (Real Time Information) directly with HMRC, ensuring they are accurate and on time.
Spending hours on payroll
If you are spending hours bogged down by the tedious task of cross-checking hours and payslips, consider automation. The time spent on payroll can be used to improve the pub itself, customer experience or growth revenue.
You have more staff
Small pubs can survive with manual methods but once the team branches out, automation may be preferred for accuracy, reporting and ensuring compliance.
How we can help
In the pub business, time is money, and mistakes can damage both trust and retention. Compared to potential fines, lost time or unhappy staff, the cost of outsourcing is a small price to pay. That’s why automation is the way forward for your business.
If you would benefit from more detailed guidance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
