Change is rarely comfortable, especially when it touches something as personal and essential as payroll. As we modernize the Navajo Nation, I want to speak directly to our employees who have been negatively affected by the implementation of the Dayforce system.
First, I want to assure our employees and impacted families that our team is working as quickly and efficiently as possible with each of our divisions to process payroll for individuals who did not get paid, were underpaid, or overpaid.
Yesterday some checks were disbursed for some individuals while for others fixes are still being implemented. To each of my employees thank you for being patient with us as we implement these changes and progress forward.
Dayforce was implemented to improve payroll accuracy, transparency, and accountability across the Nation. While the intent is right, we have experienced real growing pains, and those challenges have directly impacted our workforce.
Teams from the Department of Personnel Management (DPM), the Division of Human Resources, the Payroll Office within the Office of the Controller, our Dayforce consultants, and others are working together to ensure the following actions are completed:
- Payroll corrections, including off-cycle payroll and adjustments
- Updated organizational structures so reporting lines are accurate
- Restored manager and employee visibility in the system
- Strengthened support processes to improve response times
- Clear, consistent communication directly to employees
In addition, DPM will continue providing Dayforce training to help employees and supervisors better understand time entry, approvals, and payroll processes. Information, updates, and training materials related to the ERP system are available on the DPM website under the ERP tab, and I encourage everyone to visit regularly.
Change is not easy, but the long-term benefit is clear. Moving away from paper time sheets is necessary, and every employee will get paid and any errors will be corrected. Large organizations across the country have gone through similar transitions. For a Nation of our size, continuing to rely on paper systems is no longer sustainable. Our government has chosen to move forward with technology changes so we can operate more efficiently and responsibly.
Out of nearly 5,000 employees, about 600 have experienced issues. That is not insignificant, but it also means the system is working for the vast majority of our workforce. This is a major step forward, and the remaining issues will be fixed so no employee is left behind.
Some challenges stem from data migration and system use, which is why additional training and support are being prioritized. We are modernizing because we must. We are nearly two decades behind, and as the organization grows, we cannot continue down the path of paper-based systems.
I recognize that this rollout has fallen short of what our employees deserve. We sincerely thank our employees for their patience during this process and deeply appreciate their continued hard work, dedication, and service to the Navajo Nation.
