However, the number of known payroll errors is expected to increase once the contact requests submitted to the payroll customer service have been processed. The number of requests in the queue is rising. Some of them include overlapping, meaning that they concern previously reported errors. Client communications have been enhanced to reduce overlapping contact requests.
Most errors concern underpaid wages, like various bonuses. The second largest category is other errors, followed by overpaid wages. The smallest category consists of unpaid wages and salaries that are generally paid within two working days of the issue being reported to the payroll customer service. Wages and salaries missing large sums are generally corrected within five working days.
The rate of payroll error correction has slowed down in September/October because of the more complicated nature of the errors. The pace is also slowed down by the manual work required to correct the errors and the need to determine the mechanism by which the errors arise to prevent them from recurring. More employees have already been recruited to payroll and payroll customer service, and customer service will be further strengthened.
Besides correcting any errors, special focus is put on preventing them from arising at the initial stage of the payroll process. The stabilisation project uses error source analysis to create bespoke solutions in support of the various data entry stages. Helsinki’s draft budget for next year includes a one-off reservation of EUR six million to stabilise the payroll situation. The sum is intended to cover any costs, mainly personnel-related, that might arise from streamlining and developing the payroll process.