Category: FAQ
Excerpt: Interface problems between duty roster, time recording and payroll cost time, money and trust. Studies show: Integrated systems reduce errors, speed up processes and save personnel costs – especially in shift operations.
The expensive gap between plan and salary
Competition for skilled workers, increasing cost pressure and ever more complex regulatory requirements make one thing clear: efficiency in personnel management does not end with the duty roster – and it does not begin with payroll accounting. Between these two processes lies a crucial, often underestimated area: the integration of time management and payroll.
Those who accept interface problems, media disruptions or manual intermediate steps end up paying twice – in the form of lost time, miscalculations, delays in salary payments and, last but not least, a loss of trust among employees.
“A recent analysis shows that around 40% of payroll errors are caused by manual entries. Processes in which time management and payroll systems are not seamlessly integrated increase the risk of delays, errors and frustration – up to and including loss of trust and employee resignation (source: G2 via HRMorning, May 2025).”
Why the integration of planning, time management and payroll is strategically crucial
Three main processes run in parallel in service and dialog centers:
- Workforce Management (WFM): Forward-looking workforce planning based on forecasts, requirements and skills.
- Time management: Precise recording, evaluation and correction of working hours and absences, including bonuses.
- Payroll: Correct, timely and compliant payroll accounting.
Ideally these three areas flow seamlessly into one another. However, the reality is often different: Planning and time recording are in different systems, payroll accounting is created in external programs, and the interfaces are either non-existent or have to be operated manually.
The consequences are tangible:
- Data gaps between planned and actual times lead to incorrect billing.
- Manual post-processing eats up resources and delays processes.
- A lack of transparency creates mistrust among employees who are unable to understand how their hours and bonuses are calculated.
- Compliance risks increase if statutory or collectively agreed requirements are not systematically checked.
Especially in industries with shift work, variable working hours and bonus regulations, this break is particularly expensive. A practical scenario: At the end of the month, a team leader in the service center exports the actual times from the time recording system, checks them manually against the duty roster, enters corrections in an Excel file and then sends them by email to the payroll department or tax office. There, the data is re-entered – often into a completely different system.
The problem: Every intermediate step is a potential source of error. A misplaced decimal place, an overlooked public holiday surcharge, a missing sick note – and the payroll is incorrect.
Other common problems:
- Uncoordinated overhead logic between time recording and payroll system.
- Double data entry for changes or corrections.
- No real-time information for employees on hours worked or time accounts.
- Unclear responsibilities if several departments or external service providers are involved between planning, time recording and payroll accounting.
“According to the Deloittestudy “Global Payroll Benchmarking Survey“ give 30 % of companies that payrollprocesses outsource payroll processes state that manual entries and post-processing are among the most time-consuming activities“.
Best practices for the integration of time management and payroll
The solution lies in an end-to-end data flow – from the first planned deployment to the final invoice. Leading companies rely on the following principles:
- Single source of truth: All relevant working time and planning data is maintained in a leading system from which it flows into other systems.
- Real-time synchronization: Changes in time recording (e.g. sick notes, overtime, shift swaps) are automatically transferred to payroll preparation.
- Standardized interfaces: Use of API or DATEV-compliant export formats to transfer data securely and compatibly.
- Automatic validation: The system checks whether all statutory, collectively agreed or internal company rules are complied with before transferring to the payroll system.
- Transparency for employees: Every employee can see at any time which hours and bonuses have been recorded for them
Modern workforce-management systems go far beyond mere duty scheduling. Through the integration of time management and payroll open upn they new automation potential:
- Flexible time recording: terminal, workplace PC or mobile app - depending on location and requirements.
- Automatic surcharge calculation: Public holiday, night, Sunday and overtime surcharges are calculated according to defined rules.
- Flexible absence evaluation: Different evaluation principles (e.g. 1/5 weekly working time, planned time, reference principle) for different locations or collective agreements.
- Project and site-specific configuration: Consideration of set-up times, break regulations and deviating shift models.
- Digital absence processes: Vacation requests, sick notes or special leave are submitted online, checked and transferred directly to the time accounts.
The integration of planning, time management and payroll is not an end in itself. It brings measurable benefits:
- Time savings: Payroll preparation is reduced by up to 50 %, as studies by ADP (Payroll Efficiency Report 2024) show.
- Error reduction: Automatic plausibility checks minimize correction runs and increase billing reliability.
- Faster payment: Salaries can be transferred punctually and correctly - a key factor for employee satisfaction.
- Transparency: Employees have access to their working time and bonus data at all times, which strengthens trust.
- Compliance security: Working time laws, collective agreements and tax regulations are consistently taken into account.
How opcycWFM's TimeManager solves these challenges
opcycWFM with the integrated TimeManager was developed precisely for this interface.
The most important functions at a glance:
- Central time management: planned and actual times, absences and bonuses are managed in one system - no double data entry.
- Automated interfaces: Direct transfer to payroll systems such as DATEV, SAP, Sage, Personio or tax offices.
- Self-service with myOPCYC: Employees can view and manage their working hours, bonuses and vacation balances online at any time.
- Flexible configuration: Adaptable to different locations, collective agreements and company regulations.
- Integrated validation: Checking of working time laws, bonus logic and absence evaluations.
- KPI-supported controlling: evaluations of labor costs, overtime shares, overtime rates.
Conclusion
The dovetailing of planning, time management and payroll is far more than just a technical optimization. It is a strategic lever for productivity, employee satisfaction and compliance security. Companies that invest in integrated solutions here benefit twice over: they reduce costs and errors and at the same time create more transparency and reliability for their employees.
opcycWFM has demonstrated in numerous projects that precisely this connection is possible: efficient, error-free and user-friendly, with a measurable business impact. Experience in a non-binding online demo how opcycWFM seamlessly combines personnel planning, time management and payroll and thus sustainably relieves service centers.
