Paychex is celebrating National Payroll Week, a designation given by the American Payroll Association.

"Having been a trusted payroll partner for nearly a half century, Paychex is again proud to join our industry in applauding the many contributions payroll professionals make every day – after all, paying employees accurately and on time is one of the most important human resources (HR) functions for any business," Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO, said in a statement. "However, the HR needs of today's small business have evolved beyond payroll. While payroll will always remain critical, other HR functions have emerged as vitally important to businesses looking to increase employee engagement and be in compliance with the latest federal, state, and local regulations."

The company noted that business owners often struggle to keep current with HR compliance laws; 21 percent lack confidence based on the Paychex Small Business Survey. These owners are least confident when it comes to onboarding, employee handbooks and background checks.

"New hire onboarding is one of the first and most important HR processes for an employer and employee," Jackie Hoyt, an HR consultant at Paychex, said. "From Form I-9 to the W-4 withholding form to state withholding form(s) to direct deposit, think about all of the documents a new hire needs to complete before even getting their first paycheck. An electronic, paperless new hire onboarding process can be a big time saver, increase efficiency, and provide an electronic paper trail for both the owner and employee to reference down the road."