Human Resources advisers are likely to be employed by most modern businesses. HR advisors must be the primary point of contact for any employee-related concerns across several departments in these situations. Suppose you’ve ever had the misfortune of needing a paycheck rectified or a direct deposit procedure delayed. In that case, you understand how vital a payroll specialist is to a company, especially those with a keen eye for detail and an interest in the company’s overall financial health.
Table Summary
| HR Generalist | Payroll Specialist |
| They offer advice to line managers and employees | They offer to advise HR and financial institutions |
| Resolve issue of conflict before escalating further | They escalate issues on remittances |
| They ensure adherence to company procedures | They ensure due statutory payments |
| They perform administrative and clerical tasks. (Universal) | They perform financial functions for the organization |
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Definitions
HR generalists are commonly seen as a ‘starting point’ for individuals interested in pursuing a career in Human Resources. They are also a human resources expert with a strong foundation in employee benefits, salary, recruiting, onboarding, and assessments.
Payroll professionals manage all timesheet and payroll processing areas to guarantee compliance, accuracy, and on-time processing. The organization’s size for which the payroll expert works may affect the specific tasks.
HR Generalist VS Payroll Specialist
The primary distinction between an HR generalist and a Payroll Specialist is their roles. An HR generalist aids in creating organizational standards, monitoring the HR department’s budget and payroll distribution, listening to employee complaints, conducting employee assessments, and even onboarding and offboarding employees. A payroll specialist’s responsibilities include preparing and submitting employee payroll checks, collecting and documenting banking information for direct deposit setup, and processing payday deposits. They update current rules on the taxation of salaries, benefits, and other payroll aspects, recording and maintaining all payroll records, etc.