Sage Debuts AI-Powered Agent to Automate Payroll

Accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology platform, Sage, has announced Sage HCM, a new human capital management (HCM) solution.

Targeting mid-market organisations in North America, Sage HCM was built for Sage Intacct to connect HR, payroll and workforce data directly with financial management. 

In doing so, Sage aims to help organisations better manage their people and workforce costs, while providing greater visibility and control. 

Sage HCM will first be showcased in San Francisco from 28-30 April at Sage Future.

Unifying specialised workflows 

Through the new product, HR, payroll and workforce data will be offered directly within Sage Intacct, allowing Sage HCM to bridge the gap between people management and financial oversight. 

This integration offers organisations a sharper lens through which to view workforce costs, which is typically their highest and most volatile expense. Simultaneously, payroll precision will be improved, as well as long-term resource planning.

“HR, payroll and finance data should not sit in separate systems,” Jonathan Cowan, EVP, HCM, Platform Strategy and Operations at Sage, said in a press release. 

“With Sage HCM, organisations can connect workforce and financial data in one place, improve visibility into labour costs, strengthen payroll accuracy and make better workforce planning decisions. 

“By bringing these workflows together on the Sage platform, we’re helping customers operate with greater clarity, control and confidence.”

Specialised vertical solutions will also be offered through the rollout, most notably Sage HCM for construction. 

Firms will, therefore, be permitted to sync labour and payroll data with job costing within a single environment.

Empowering businesses to increase transparency

Many HR leaders are faced with the challenge of operating in siloed, fragmented workforces, where data is scattered across HR, payroll and finance systems. 

As a consequence of a lack of cohesion, HR and CFOs often suffer from having blind spots in their teams, making it difficult to accurately measure workforce costs against overall performance. 

74% of organisations now view the integration of workforce data into decision-making as a top priority, according to Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends research. 

Sage HCM was built specifically to bridge these gaps. By consolidating HR, payroll, time and talent management into a single ecosystem, the platform supports mid-market companies in navigating complex hurdles, such as multi-entity structures and diverse payroll jurisdictions. 

It also empowers businesses to increase levels of transparency within their labour spend and its direct influence on the bottom line. 

Sage HCM will be launched with Sage’s first AI agent dedicated to HR and payroll workflows – HCM Agent. 

The agent will help organisations to streamline tasks such as payroll preparation, validation and reconciliation, while also highlighting compliance risks and reducing manual effort.

Sage has specifically designed it to help improve efficiency and accuracy without compromising oversight. It will also help teams automate routine work while maintaining control over critical processes such as payroll and compliance.

Specialised support for construction

While Sage HCM provides a core foundation of essential HR, payroll and talent management tools, the Construction aspect goes a step further. 

HCM for construction extends from the standard features with specialised functionality built for project-based operations, which include support for union rules, certified payroll and prevailing wage requirements.

By automating union regulations, certified payroll and prevailing wage requirements, HCM for construction bridges the gap between the field and the office. It also ensures that labour data is synced directly with project financials for real-time cost accuracy.

“For many construction businesses, labour costs are one of the biggest drivers of project performance, but payroll, HR and finance data often sit in separate systems,” said Dustin Stephens, CEO, Alliance Solutions Group. 

“Bringing these together gives customers a clearer view of labour costs, improves payroll accuracy, and helps them make better decisions at both the project and business level. 

“This gives customers stronger control over project performance and supports more predictable, profitable outcomes.”