No Quick Fixes: The Hidden Dangers of Relying on Silver Bullet Thinking in Business
May 22, 2025
The Payroll Dilemma: Trusting Your Team and Managing Salary Comparisons
Let’s Talk About the Payroll Elephant in the Room
Payroll. It’s one of those things that should just work, right? Smooth, consistent, no drama. But when there’s even a flicker of doubt—whether it’s an error, a leak, or just whispered comparisons—suddenly the quietest part of your business becomes the loudest. Here’s the thing I’ve learnt in over two decades of leading in the SME space: people care about fairness, trust, and clarity. And when those things are missing in payroll, it doesn’t matter how good the numbers look elsewhere—your culture starts to crack.
A Trusted Payroll Team Is More Than Just a Calculator
In small and growing businesses, payroll isn’t just about processing numbers—it’s about protecting trust.
The people handling it need more than technical skill. They need integrity, discretion, and an understanding of how much weight those numbers carry for every person in your business. If they get it right, they’re invisible—in the best way. But if they get it wrong? It’s a fast track to resentment and finger-pointing.
I’ve always said: if a process no longer serves, blow it up and build a better one. Payroll’s no exception.
The Real Problem with Salary Comparisons
Here’s where things can unravel fast. One person finds out what another earns and suddenly, you’ve got yourself a culture problem. Not because someone’s underpaid necessarily—but because people think they are.
And let’s be honest, it’s human nature. But that doesn’t make it helpful.
Comparisons are rarely fair. They don’t take into account role depth, experience, responsibilities, or even market context. But once the seed of doubt is planted, it grows fast—and often in the wrong direction.
What You Can Do About It
You can’t control every conversation around pay. But you can shape how people understand and trust the process. And in my experience, here’s what makes the difference:
- Clear structures – Be upfront about how pay is assessed, reviewed and progressed.
- Visible growth paths – If people can see how to earn more, they’ll focus on their journey, not someone else’s.
- Equipped managers – Leaders need to be trained to talk about pay without fumbling or fobbing people off.
The goal isn’t full transparency—it’s confidence in fairness.
Payroll Should Reinforce Trust, Not Break It
When done right, payroll is a quiet force for good. But when it’s careless or reactive, it becomes toxic fast.
Your payroll team needs to be clued-in and connected to your culture—not just policy-driven. They should know the human side of their job, not just the compliance side. That means:
- Fixing mistakes with urgency and empathy
- Keeping confidentiality tight
- Flagging patterns that don’t sit right
- Giving your leaders the data to make smart, fair decisions
Final Thought: Trust the Process, Not the Comparison
Here’s the truth—salary comparison isn’t going anywhere. But you can take the sting out of it with strong processes, open leadership, and a payroll team that gets the people side of their work.
Build that trust. Stay ahead of the issues. And don’t wait for the whispers to turn into something louder.
Ready to rework the payroll trust in your business?
Let’s talk about how we build clarity, confidence, and a culture where people don’t feel the need to compare.
Be bold | Be brave | Be outside the bubble
