A core goal of any workforce management organization is to ensure employees are paid accurately and on time—not just the first time, but every time. Payroll is a critical business function, and efficient payroll operations benefit immensely from intelligent AI tools that reduce the time spent on manual validations and audits. Legion’s AI-powered Time & Attendance Workbench is one such solution designed to streamline payroll processes and empower administrators with tools that boost productivity and accuracy.

Payroll processing is complex and multi-layered, typically requiring payroll teams to run numerous validation and audit checks before finalizing payroll. This step-by-step process ensures that all inputs to payroll—most critically, employees’ clocked hours or punches—are recorded accurately. Errors in any of these inputs can cascade through the payroll system, resulting in under- or overpayments that require additional work to resolve and may disrupt employee satisfaction.

Legion’s Time & Attendance Workbench transforms this process by enabling payroll administrators to run queries in plain English, significantly simplifying the data retrieval and verification stages. Previously, payroll teams relied on complex reports, dashboards, or backend processes to validate timesheets and payfiles. While effective, these methods were time-consuming and required specialized knowledge to navigate.

In contrast, Legion’s intuitive Time & Attendance Workbench allows administrators to enter straightforward queries, such as “show employees with no timesheet hours” or “show unapproved timesheets with overtime > 4 hours.” This ease of use enables payroll teams to quickly pull relevant information, verify timesheet accuracy, and generate pay files for payroll processing.

Streamlining Payroll with Natural Language Queries

The Time & Attendance Workbench leverages Generative AI to support these natural language queries, removing the need for complex filters or technical commands. Payroll administrators can ask the system questions as they would a colleague, using simple language to extract precise information. Examples of queries that payroll teams might run include:

• “Show approved timesheets.”
• “List unapproved timesheets with overtime >4 hours.”
• “List timesheets with sick leave recorded in increments other than 8 hours.”
• “Identify employees with no recorded timesheet hours.”

These queries are easy to understand and execute and can be saved for future use. For example, if a payroll administrator frequently checks for unapproved timesheets with overtime, they can save this query and re-run it with just one click. This feature eliminates repetitive typing, saving valuable time while maintaining accuracy.

Another valuable aspect of Legion’s Workbench is its canonical query generation feature. When a payroll administrator enters a plain English query, Legion generates a corresponding canonical query displayed alongside the natural language input. This transparency allows administrators to understand and validate the query’s structure and logic, and they also have the option to edit the canonical query if they need a customized output. This dual approach—plain English for simplicity and canonical queries for control—strikes an ideal balance, making Legion Workbench accessible and highly adaptable.

Increased Efficiency through Bulk Updates and Flexible UI

Efficiency is essential to payroll operations, especially in organizations with large workforces. One of the major time-saving features of Legion’s Workbench is its bulk-update functionality. Payroll administrators can select multiple timesheets and update them with a single click rather than making individual adjustments to each record. This bulk update capability is particularly useful for addressing common issues across multiple records, such as applying a policy change to all affected employees or correcting an error that impacts numerous timesheets. Administrators can ensure consistency across all timesheets with just a few clicks, significantly reducing the time and effort required for routine tasks.

Legion Workbench’s user interface is also designed with flexibility in mind. Administrators can easily customize their view by showing or hiding columns according to their needs. For instance, during certain validation checks, they might focus only on timesheet status, hours worked, and overtime columns while hiding other information that may not be relevant. This adaptable layout ensures administrators see exactly what they need without distractions, making the payroll process faster and more user-friendly.

Improving Accuracy and Reducing Risk

One of the biggest challenges in payroll processing is ensuring data accuracy, as even minor errors can lead to significant issues. Legion’s Time & Attendance Workbench mitigates this risk by offering payroll teams a clear, consolidated view of all critical payroll information. Administrators can monitor the status of timesheet approvals at the HQ level, track the timeline for manager approvals, and ensure pay files are generated and ready for payroll consumption.

The natural language query functionality also plays a role in enhancing accuracy. By making it easier to retrieve and review specific data, the Time & Attendance Workbench minimizes the chance of oversight or errors in the validation stage. For example, a query like “ensure sick leave is paid in 8-hour increments” can instantly highlight any discrepancies in leave payouts, allowing administrators to correct errors before they impact employee pay.

Another aspect of the Time & Attendance Workbench’s contribution to accuracy is its query-saving feature. Administrators ensure they’re consistently applying the same checks and validations by saving frequently used queries. This consistency helps maintain payroll accuracy over time, as the same processes are applied to each payroll cycle without relying on memory or manual input.

Enhancing User Experience and Adoption with Simplified Workflows

One of the primary goals of the Time & Attendance Workbench is to create a smooth and intuitive experience for payroll administrators. By replacing complex filtering and reporting systems with plain English queries, Legion has significantly lowered the learning curve associated with payroll data management. Administrators no longer need to be technical experts or rely on specialized tools to extract data, validate records, or generate pay files.

The ease of use improves productivity and encourages adoption across teams. Payroll administrators who may have previously found data validation to be tedious or time-intensive now have access to a tool that simplifies their workflow and reduces stress. Legion’s Workbench empowers them to focus on higher-value tasks, such as analyzing trends, ensuring compliance, and supporting strategic decision-making.

Conclusion: Transforming Payroll with AI-Driven Tools

Legion’s Time & Attendance Workbench represents a major step forward for payroll administration. By integrating natural language queries, bulk-update capabilities, and a flexible, user-friendly interface, Legion has created a tool that streamlines payroll operations, enhances accuracy, and saves time. Payroll administrators now have a powerful ally in the Workbench, allowing them to keep up with the demands of payroll processing efficiently and stress-free. In a field where precision and timeliness are paramount, Legion’s Time & Attendance Workbench’s innovative features ensure payroll teams can confidently meet their goals.

Ready for a demo to see how Legion Workforce Management Software helps you streamline your payroll process? Contact us today!