How Payroll Automation Helps Hotels Improve Staff Retention & Reduce Costs

The UK hotel industry continues to face mounting pressure: rising operational costs, ongoing staffing shortages, and the need to provide a consistent guest experience. Among these challenges, one silent productivity killer continues to impact businesses behind the scenes—inefficient payroll and time management processes.  

Manual processes, scattered spreadsheets, and disconnected systems don’t just waste time—they frustrate employees and increase the risk of error. That’s where automated payroll and time management solutions like Protime and the MySDWorx app come in. Together, they help hotels reduce admin burdens, improve visibility, and keep staff happy and engaged.

Here’s how: 

When hours are logged incorrectly, shifts are missed, or overtime is miscalculated, staff lose confidence in the system. Unfortunately, many hotels still rely on manual tools or outdated software that can’t handle today’s complex hospitality needs—like:  

• Staff working across multiple roles or sites  
• Variable contracts and rates
• Complicated pay cycles and cut-off dates  

These issues cause payroll delays, errors, and disputes—all of which contribute to low morale and high turnover.

“Over half (53%) of UK hospitality managers report that their companies are suffering due to labour shortages and employee burnout, which complicates workforce management and payroll processes.”

SD Worx’s Protime Time & Attendance solution removes the pain of manual workforce planning by:  

• Automating shift creation and allocation across departments (kitchen, front desk, housekeeping, etc.)
• Tracking time accurately across different locations, job roles, and contract types
• Handling complex rules around absences, sick pay, and flexible contracts  

With Protime, HR teams can automate calculations for overtime, breaks, entitlements, and more—all while ensuring compliance with hospitality-specific regulations and working time directives.  

Fewer errors. Less admin. More control. 

Protime integrates directly with SD Worx Payroll, syncing time and attendance data in real-time. That means:

• No manual data entry between systems
• Automated adjustments for leavers, new starters, and mid-period changes
• Real-time payroll previews and alerts for anomalies  

This results in accurate, on-time pay for every employee—whether they work part-time, full-time, across brands, or on variable contracts.  

One of the most impactful tools for employee satisfaction is visibility—and that’s where the MySDWorx app comes in.  

With MySDWorx, hotel employees can:  

• View and manage their upcoming shifts  
• Clock in and out using their mobile device (if permitted)  
• Request holidays and track absences  
• View payslips, entitlements, and hours worked  

By putting control in the hands of staff, MySDWorx helps reduce HR queries, build trust, and improve work-life balance—key drivers of retention in hospitality.

• Protime’s shared reporting and analytics dashboard allows managers to:  
• Identify patterns in overtime, absences, or shift gaps  
• Compare worked hours across departments or sites  
• Monitor average hours and trends to support budgeting and hiring  

Armed with this data, hotel leaders can make more strategic workforce decisions, prevent burnout, and optimise shift patterns to align with demand.