CIPP update
CIPP celebrates 40 years of supporting payroll professionals AS THE Chartered Institute moves through its 40th anniversary year, we continue to review our history. We have spoken with industry luminary Alan Wigley MSc FCIPP, who has provided the following comments.
and the USA. I believe it was the Institute that turned payroll into a true profession especially with links to the likes of HM Revenue & Customs.” What was your proudest moment working for the Institute? – “Being elected CIPP chair, which coincided with Gordon Creswell FCIPP being elected to the board.
What was your role within the Institute and across which dates? – “After successfully completing the Diploma in Payroll Management I became a tutor and received lots of backing from Institute staff and fellow tutors. Seeing my first students graduate after two years was a proud moment for me. “I was invited to write the first fast-track diploma course whilst delivering this to students in Manchester. With the assistance of Lawrence Worrall (deceased) this proved successful and was launched in other parts of the country. “One of my students, who worked for me, took over my tutor role so I could concentrate for the MSc in Payroll Management. In 2001, after successfully completing my MSc and being named ‘UK Payroll Manager of the Year’, I was invited to join the board of CIPP. I stayed for six years, the last two as chair, before standing down due to a job opportunity that took me to Spain for a few years.” What was your motivation for being involved with the Institute? – “I started working in payroll in 1975 as a wages clerk for a heavy engineering company. At that time, wages and salaries clerks (note, not ‘payroll staff’) were not seen as being of much value to many organisations and were the lowest grade for office- based staff in most company structures. It certainly was not seen as a career. “After four years I went to work within the local authority, where the payroll function was still seen as a lower graded role. When, in 1980, the Association of Payroll and Superannuation Administrators (APSA) was launched, linked with our trade union NALGO (National Association of Local Government Officers), I felt that being a member of a professional body would help raise my profile in payroll. I was also able to use the letters ‘MAPSA’ after my name. This certainly helped, as in the mid-1980s I progressed through the organisation from wages clerk to payroll manager. “When the British Payroll Managers Association was formed I thought it was another opportunity to raise my profile, so as soon as the Diploma was launched I signed up immediately. “All these moves motivated me in my career that now spans 45 years in payroll. I have had the honour of representing the CIPP not just in the UK but in Canada, India, Ireland, South Africa,
Gordon has been instrumental in the development of the Institute, and someone I greatly admire. It was also the 25th anniversary of the formation of APSA. It was great to see the likes of Graham Francis FCIPP, Peter Blackhurst FCIPP, Lawrence Worrall, and other APSA founders in attendance. As a member of APSA I was the first to become CIPP chair.” What do you think has been the biggest change for the profession over the last forty years? – “I’m sure nearly everyone working in payroll is screaming ‘furloughing and the events that are happening today’, but due to a major operation I’ve missed all the stress and hard work payroll professionals have endured this year. I did, however, recognise the value payroll was providing to employees, employers, and the government in ensuring all payments were made accurately and on time.” “Which leaves me to talk about the introduction of statutory sick pay in 1983 when employers became responsible for paying it for the first eight weeks of illness. Payroll software providers struggled to provide automated calculations, especially when there was occupational sick pay to consider, so it became a manual process. As we had a weekly payroll in excess of 20,000 employees with high sickness levels it became an absolute nightmare to administer. (I think it still is for some organisations.) This was later followed by other statutory payments to the ones we have today.” What would you like to see the CIPP achieve in the future? – “I would like the CIPP to continue raising our profile especially with our government and business leaders. I would like one day to hear our prime minister acknowledge how valuable the profession is to all and sundry. Not just when we have the challenges we face today, but those we constantly face every week. Hopefully, this will get our profession and the commitment of all payrollers recognition of the hoops we jump through to support our colleagues and our country constantly, meaning we are not taken for granted.”
Festive season office closure THE CIPP office will close on 18 December, but the Advisory service will remain open until 22 December. The office and all services reopen on 4 January 2021.
Have a happy Christmas, and we sincerely hope you get the chance to relax and reflect on what we have all achieved this year. See you in 2021!
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | December 2020 - January 2021 | Issue 66 4
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