Simplifying Union Payroll with the Power of D365

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the payroll and legal responsibilities involved when it comes to the construction industry. After all, there’s more to payroll than just paying employees. So, it’s not surprising that almost every Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company is shopping for the best solution or service to simplify union payroll processing – and save money – at some point.

For companies seeking a powerful tool that simplifies Union Payroll, a solution that runs on Microsoft Dynamics 365 should be at the top of the list.

Since accuracy and monthly union reporting are significant for Union Payroll processing, utilizing paper-based solutions or pre-formatted Excel templates is discouraged. Rather, large enterprises and construction and EPC corporations managing multiple construction trade unions and contractors are using a comprehensive, full service construction payroll software to effectively manage union payroll and its various calculations, federal remittances and reporting requirements.

Due to the complexity of unions and the various stakeholders involved in construction, EPC companies must find a solution who can handle the special requirements of construction payroll.

When you weigh the pros and cons of different solutions, here are some things to consider that makes a software that runs on D365 a top contender.

EPC Complexity: Your payroll solution should have the functionality to handle all of the complexities with construction payroll. This means processing weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly payroll, automatically applying calculations for multiple work locations and union payroll deductions or managing one source of record for seasonal workers in the field. This can also include managing a large volume of union fringes, automatically charging any burdens and fringes directly to the jobs or allocating your employees’ time to the job and projects. A union payroll solution that runs on D365 can easily assign payroll attributes and rule groups. Different union workers who are paid differently, for example, can also have time earnings, benefits deductions, and entitlement rules that apply directly to them.

One source of record: Other solutions require duplication or reformatting HR records for payroll. With union payroll running on D365, you don’t need to worry about reformatting any records to integrate into another system or pull system reports. With Union Payroll as an integrated solution, there’s one employee record and one employee master. What that means is that we take one union worker and create their unique ID that associates that same worker across all working aspects – payroll, onboarding, project management, etc. There’s no duplication of databases or wasting time reformatting timesheets, union payroll deductions, new employee lists, general ledger, etc.

Effective dating: When you are working with unions, having a software that uses effective dating is significant. As collective bargaining agreements are negotiated and placed into effect, your payroll solution must be able to adjust automatic calculations and handle the compliance that comes with all the moving parts. With Union Payroll on D365, you don’t need to worry about manual interventions. Rather, you simply change the configurations and add an effective date and let the automated payroll do the rest.

Security: When you sync your construction payroll software with D365, you have complete control and security over your employee data. Why? Because you are getting all the benefits that come from Microsoft investing millions of dollars into their software. That means that your data gets Microsoft’s financial backing. Especially when dealing with a remote working environment and everyday security breaches and threats, you want a payroll software that protects your employees and your data and has full backups in case there’s some sort of failure.

Entry, Processing & Reporting: Whether you are reviewing timesheets, adding new union codes and classes, processing union payroll reductions, resolving mistakes or accessing employee data and reports, it’s going to take you longer anytime you rely on a system that doesn’t integrate with your ERP software. Processing union payroll on D365 gives you easy access to employee and payroll information when you need it. A comprehensive construction payroll software should have in-depth setup structures, pre-built and customizable reports, and customizations for the different employee groups you need, including union workers, specialty contractors, certified and non-certified craft. Some providers will even have solutions that easily integrate into their Union Payroll solution so you can enter time and attendance directly from the field for easy payroll processing.

Is D365 best for my union payroll?

When it comes to deciding what’s best for your organization, you need a solution that’s best aligns with your processes and goals and empowers you to tackle one of your business’ most important functions. If you are considering investing in a new construction payroll software, CEM Business Solutions can help. We offer honest and transparent consultation to help companies find a solution that best fits their needs.