Salary review transactions are a "moment of truth" in any organisation. They are closely connected with the productivity, efficiency and morale of any labour force.

The complexity of the remuneration process across large organisations can turn the salary process into "something of a monster" that is hard to keep under control. HR departments are at the sharp end of this process, helping others to cope with the stress of salary review procedures whilst often receiving more than their share of blame if anything goes wrong.

The impact of salary reviews however are felt right across any organisation - Payroll, Finance, IT, Managers and even the CEO. If salary reviews are managed poorly staff can be upset with inequitable decisions and poor communication, HR may have to work long hours collecting and correcting data and Managers can be frustrated if they find they have the wrong team or data. At the same time Finance becomes disadvantaged because they have no idea how the budgets are being spent until it is all over, and often too late.

A strong remuneration solution needs to deliver benefits right across the enterprise:

• Staff need to feel that the remuneration review is well controlled (clear, fair, and process-oriented).
• HR/Payroll staff need to be confident policy is being followed, that they can easily set budgets at company, department or manager level and can monitor the process in real time.

• Finance must be able to keep track of budget versus spend during and after the review and monitor this in real time with customised reports.
• Line management must know exactly what their budget is, with traffic lights allowing for overspend within reason.
• Senior management need to see the business strategy controlling outcomes for remuneration (e.g. performance pay, cost control).