Payroll Specialist Mock Interview
Practice 34 Payroll Specialist interview questions covering compliance, tax regulations, and payroll systems.
Question 19 of 34
We spend considerable time editing our timesheets to ensure no errors are present. How do you approach finding and fixing an error?
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Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.
Timesheet mistakes will occasionally happen, but that is why you are diligent with checking and editing. Sometimes timesheet errors are 'one and done' situations where you correct the issue move on. Other times, errors occur regularly. In these cases, discuss how you collaborate with your team and troubleshoot to ensure that the issue is fixed so that it does not continue to cause payroll problems in the future.
Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.
"In payroll, we do account for human error, which occurs when tasks are manual. I do work to automate as many tasks as possible so that our team can avoid unnecessary timesheet errors. I always check the timesheets for errors in advance. If I find an error, I check with the appropriate person or department manager for clarification and then make the necessary adjustments. If the situation occurs regularly, I will work directly with the involved individuals to train them on the current inputs so that their situation does not continue to occur."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"From what I understand, timesheet errors can be quite common. While completing my practicum with Company ABC, very few payroll tasks were automated. This meant there was more room for human error. Proper timekeeping is crucial to a company, the employees and by law, so it is important that errors are corrected in a timely fashion. If I notice frequent errors from a common denominator, I will work with that team member or department lead to ensure training at the source."
Carrie is a Human Resource and Payroll consultant with 25 years of experience.
First, I would gather information from multiple people to learn more about what errors are occurring and why. Then I would seek to fix them. If the issue is human error, then I would make sure there are clear instructions that are presented both verbally through training videos and in writing. It can also be helpful to provide examples if what a correct timesheet looks like and what an incorrect one looks like. We could even create a mandatory training for all employees, if needed. We also need to make sure the managers are trained in correcting errors before it gets to payroll. They can also help with training employees who do not understand.
If the errors are coming from the system then we need to talk to the payroll provider to see if they can help make edits. As an example, if a certain pay code should only be used by one group of employees, then they should be the only one to access that code. The payroll provider has a vested interest in keeping you happy and that relationship should be leveraged whenever possible.
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Anonymous Answer
Timesheet errors are quite common. In my current role, I would have to edit and submit time weekly. Although much of it is automated, employees are still responsible for clocking in and out on time, thus leaving room for human error. Locating such an error would be a simple as asking a question and also verifying punches against the schedule. Moreover, in my experience when an employee has not submitted their time for review you can expect that they have found a discrepancy.
Stephanie's Feedback
This response shows your understanding of the steps needed to ensure accuracy. My only suggestion is to perhaps include a closing sentence that clarifies the need for a high attention to detail. For example, "This is highly detail-driven work, which is a strong fit for my professional skills and experiences."
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