1. PAYROLL AND MODERN MAIL HANDLING METHODS Topic 21 Organisations:

2. Learning Objectives  L/O 1: To be able to the definition of payroll.  L/O 2: To be able to understand how payroll works in an organisation.  L/O 3: To be able to explore how ICT systems help organisations with the payroll.

3. Success Criteria  ALL will be able to: define the term payroll.  MOST will be able to: understand how payroll works in an organisation.  SOME should be able to: explore how ICT systems help organisations with the payroll.

4. Payroll Definition  Payroll software works out what wages to pay employees depending on the hours worked and what tax needs to be paid to the government  Software: Specialised payroll software packages or spreadsheet are used for payroll.

5. Data capture, checking and type of processing Data is input, processed and output in the following ways in payroll. InputProcessOutput In payroll, hours worked are typed using a keyboard. Optical mark recognition (OMR) can also scan in the hours worked from paper timesheets. Databases: In payroll, the database will use fields like: national insurance number, date of birth, employee name. In mail handling it will use: customer name, address, order date. In payroll, all of the timesheets will be batch processed at the end of the month or week in order to calculate wages. Forms are collected and batched together to be read automatically at the end of the week/month. A payroll system will output a pay slip using a printer. This will contain information about what tax or national insurance contributions have been taken. Electronic transaction from employer bank accounts to tax account. Payslips are printed in batch.

6. Payslip

7. Modern mail handling methods  Mail handling is using a computer to send to personalised letters to customers automatically. It is also known as mail merge.  This is a technique for creating many letters or documents based on a template and a database of names and addresses.  Email advertising goods/services that have not been asked for.  Produces a custom document  Email software is able to identify this type of email and can place all the spam/ irrelevant email on a separate folder.  Word processing or desktop publishing software can be used for mail handling.

8. Data capture, checking and type of processing InputProcessOutput In mail handling, customer details can be input by the customer on the Internet, or typed in by a company employee using a keyboard. In mail handling, a query will be used to find all customers satisfying certain criteria (e.g. not ordered in six months). The output of a mail handling system is a mail merged letter, which is printed and sent to customers' homes. Data is input, processed and output in the following ways in mail handling.

9. Verification/Validations  Verification: In payroll, a batch total can be used to check all timesheets have been processed. In mail handling, a visual check of the address details is needed.  Validation: In payroll, a data type check can ensure that all hours are number and all wages are currency. In mail handling, format checks can check the postcode. Back up  Backups could be made to a computer in a different location.

10. Main Activity  Investigate online on Payroll and Modern Mail Handling Methods and make notes on;  What the system is?  How does the system work ?  How does ICT help the system?

11. Extension Activity  Give two input devices used in payroll systems. (2 marks)  Give three fields used in a mail handling database. (3 marks)  Answer the questions in WJEC exercise book on page 235.