Professional November 2024

COMPLIANCE

the experts. Practical skills, flexibility and adaptability, being relatable and evolving with times were also listed as essential payroll attributes. Keeping up with legislation and the changes it brings is vital and payroll professionals have to be ahead of the game, they said. Educating people entering the industry about the pace of change is really important too. Professionals need both experience and a qualification, as well as a natural aptitude, some participants believed. They said entry level roles are integrating qualifications into the position to offer career progression once they are gained. Training on the job can work but it has to be supported with qualifications, so there has to be investment from employers. In recruitment, it was noted that some employers are now asking for qualifications for manager or senior level roles. But not every expert makes a manager and not every manager makes an expert, although sometimes a person can do both, delegates agreed. Therefore, it’s a good idea to create two avenues of payroll career progression and

organisations must make training and qualifications available when the time is right. “Once staff feel supported financially, they will be more productive and organisations will experience better staff retention, providing a huge return on their investment” The CIPP has provided a huge level of credibility to payroll and has significantly helped to elevate the profession, the panel agreed. Additionally, IPPE qualifications give payroll credibility and while people shouldn’t be forced into studying for them, they should definitely be encouraged to do so. The report found that manager was cited as the highest level of

payroll role within their organisation for most participants (54%), followed by head (17%) and director (14%). At the bottom of the list were chief payroll officer (4%), supervisor (2%), coordinator (1%) and C-suite (<1%). Delegates said that while payroll is part of finance or HR, it probably won’t ever be a standalone function. While it holds most of the data and can make data driven decisions, payroll doesn’t have to be at the board table for business discussions as long as it maintains a good working relationship with those who do. Experts advised professionals to be open-minded with their career paths and put themselves forward for different projects. It’s hard but it can be done, and to expand further you have to make a conscious choice to diversify, they agreed. n You can see the Future of Payroll Report 2024 , here: https:// ow.ly/9xUA50TAi1o and the Payslip Statistics Survey Report 2024 here: https://ow.ly/AlCs50TAiaA.

MAKE SURE YOU’RE UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST CHANGES PAYROLL UPDATE

Did you know that there are over 170 pieces of legislation that can affect payroll processes? Keep your knowledge current and ensure your business is compliant.

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*Correct at time of print and based on CIPP membership with eligible grade booking the online delivery of the course.

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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |

Issue 105 | November 2024

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