In today’s fast-paced environment, smart companies rely on Infor Lawson Payroll, which offers them a host of time- and effort-saving features, including the ability to run simultaneous payrolls, automated deduction creation, regulatory reporting and compliance, and more. However, ensuring Lawson Payroll is helping you solve problems instead of creating them can be difficult when it comes to company mergers and acquisitions.
Here are some tips and tricks for integrating Lawson Payroll after a merger or acquisition.
Things to Keep in Mind During Lawson Payroll Integration
Data Validation
Having robust tools or knowledge to compare data is vitally important. There’s nothing worse than finding out you’ve performed a ton of work after a merger or acquisition only to learn that, due to an error (manual or automated), you’re going to have to do all that work over again. Quality data validation will help nip this issue in the bud.
Unions
If the acquired company has unions, you’ll need to make sure you have up-to-date documentation (or at least a contact that’s knowledgeable about potential issues from those unions), as well as special pay practices, and so forth. Primarily, the presence of unions will really affect the acquired company’s timekeeping system, but they can also create downstream effects that will involve Lawson Payroll, so it pays to be prepared.
Timing
Be mindful of your timing—make sure there’s enough wiggle room in your schedule to account for hiccups as you get the acquired or merged company’s systems to play nicely with Infor Lawson Payroll. Testing things sequentially only to find there’s an issue somewhere can result in a domino effect of delays. (Parallel testing is key here.)
Interfaces
This issue won’t always affect Lawson Payroll, but you may need to build temporary interfaces between legacy systems to make the whole integration process go smoothly. Ensure you have someone on your team who knows how to navigate this technical aspect. Speaking of legacy systems…
Knowledgeable Contact for Legacy Systems
If you plan on keeping existing pay policies from the acquired company, you’ll need to break down and interpret the legacy system’s pay rules and configuration to replicate them in Lawson. So identifying someone who can be a point of contact on this issue is crucial.
Change Control
Often, new parent organizations will make changes that will impact the employees at the acquired facilities, so adequate communication and change control are essential.
Training
Training users on new systems and policies, both at the acquired company as well as the parent company, will improve production, reduce mistakes, and build confidence in your workforce. You’ve invested a lot in getting Lawson Payroll to work for you. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste!
Inter-Lawson Integrations
Whether it’s sending data or receiving data, Payroll may need to be able to integrate with a bunch of other Lawson systems for you to make the most of it, including…
- Accounts Payable
- Benefits Administration
- General Ledger
- Human Resources
- Personnel Administration
- Project and Activity Accounting
- Time Accrual
- Time and Attendance
- Tips
