Payroll Analytics

Payroll is usually your biggest expense. Analytics helps you understand where that money goes — by department, employee type, location, over time. Make better decisions about hiring, raises, and resource allocation.

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Dashboard

Go to Finance → Payroll → Analytics for the overview. You’ll see: Total labor cost — What you’re spending on people (wages + taxes + benefits) Headcount — Current employees, how it’s changed over time Cost per employee — Average labor cost divided by headcount Labor as % of revenue — If you have revenue data, see how much goes to payroll Charts show trends over the last 12 months. Spot seasonality, growth, or anomalies.

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Labor Cost Breakdown

Understand where payroll dollars go: Filter by department, location, or employee type to see where costs concentrate.

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Headcount Metrics

Track your workforce: Headcount over time — How many employees at any point Hires and departures — Net change each month Turnover rate — Departures as % of average headcount Growth rate — Month-over-month or year-over-year headcount change High turnover is expensive (recruiting, training, lost productivity). Analytics helps you spot it before it’s a crisis.

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Department Analysis

If you’ve tagged employees with departments:

• Compare labor costs across departments
• See which departments are growing
• Identify cost disparities
• Benchmark cost per head by department

Example: Engineering averages $150k/employee. Sales averages$85k. Is that expected? Analytics surfaces the data so you can ask the right questions.

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Compensation Insights

Salary distribution — Min, max, median, average by role or department Overtime trends — Who’s working extra? Is it sustainable? Raise history — Compensation changes over time Pay equity — Compare compensation across demographics (if you track it)

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Benefits Cost

See what benefits actually cost:

• Health insurance premiums (employer portion)
• 401k matching contributions
• HSA/FSA employer contributions
• Other benefits you provide

Benefits often add 20-40% on top of wages. Knowing the real number helps with budgeting and total compensation conversations.

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Reporting Period Comparisons

Compare any two periods:

• This quarter vs. last quarter
• This year vs. last year
• Post-hire vs. pre-hire (see the cost impact of adding someone)

Pluvel calculates the change in dollars and percentage. Useful for board meetings, budgeting, or explaining why costs moved.

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Export and Reporting

Export analytics data for:

• Board presentations
• Budget planning
• External HR analysis
• Compensation benchmarking

Available in Reports → Payroll → Analytics Export. Choose date range, metrics, and format (CSV, PDF, Excel).

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Common Questions

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Tips

Review monthly. Labor costs can creep up without anyone noticing. Monthly reviews catch drift early. Set budgets. Use the budgets feature to set targets for labor cost. Analytics shows you actual vs. budget. Watch overtime. Consistent overtime might mean you need another hire. Or it might mean inefficiency. Either way, you should know.