Research question
Why are payroll change events a stronger workload signal than employee count?
What authoritative sources establish
The Department of Labor lists payroll records employers must preserve under the FLSA, while the IRS describes employer responsibilities for withholding, depositing, reporting, and paying employment taxes. A change event can affect several records and controls at once.
Operational analysis
Count hires, departures, pay changes, deduction changes, time corrections, rejected inputs, and off-cycle runs. Record source, effective date, approval status, correction rate, and reviewer minutes for each event class.
Staffing boundary
Coordinators can collect approved inputs, reconcile control totals, and maintain exception logs. Employers and payroll or tax owners retain classification, tax, filing, deposit, and final-approval responsibility.
Conclusion
Count hires, departures, pay changes, deduction changes, time corrections, rejected inputs, and off-cycle runs. Record source, effective date, approval status, correction rate, and reviewer minutes for each event class. This evidence supports a capacity decision only when the queue recurs and a named owner reviews exceptions.