Most Canadians would seek a new job if their pay was regularly delayed, survey finds

A new survey conducted by Angus Reid for the National Payroll Institute has found that the majority of Canadians are would seek another job if they encounter regular pay delays and inaccuracies.

As many as 94 per cent of Canadians would seek new employment if they encounter regular pay delays and 91 per cent would look for a new job if their pay was regularly inaccurate, according to a new survey conducted by Angus Reid for the National Payroll Institute.

The research warns that if employees find that they pay gets changed, disrupted or compromised on a regular basis, there will be more consequences for the organizations.

Of those surveyed, 64 per cent said they would trust their employer less, 59 percent would caution others about joining the company and 51 percent would have concerns about how much their employer values them.

The research found that 38 per cent of respondents who have experienced payroll mistakes or delays felt they were not able to manage expenses and the same percentage had the feeling that their employer unappreciated them.

Furthermore, 29 per cent felt a strain on workplace relationships, 27 per cent said they suffered negative mental health and 26 per cent said they observed a lack of productivity or disengagement at work.

"It's clear that payroll is at the core of business operations and is the foundation on which employee relationships, engagement and productivity are built," president of the National Payroll Institute Peter Tzanetakis said in a news release published last week. "In an environment where employers are jumping through incredible hoops to elevate their brand and show candidates they are a great place to work, it's a missed opportunity to not proudly talk about the effort that goes into an organization's payroll practices."

In order to conduct payroll professionally, the National Payroll Institute says it has complied what they call the “core principles” which comprise the Declaration of Payroll including accuracy, timeliness, transparency, security, equity, compliance, disclosure, professionalism.