FEATURE TOPIC
it’s close to the time when they come into effect. This makes it hard for payroll professionals and the companies that support them – such as payroll software suppliers – to implement change in a thorough and well-planned manner. We need to take every opportunity to impress on the government that if they want changes to happen smoothly, we need time to properly plan and implement them. What are the key skills and behaviours a professional should develop to underpin the department’s activities with compliance and assurance? JR: Curiosity. An investigative mind questions norms, points out exceptions and asks questions, leaving no stone unturned. On the theme of data security, it’s vital to be constantly vigilant against organised fraud on payrolls and ensuring you know who your clients are – it’s much harder to extricate oneself from a bad situation than it is to undertake proper due diligence at the outset. Not every payroll client is a good client or is asking you to do payroll for the right reasons. Payroll professionals should
ensure they keep on top of developments in this as well as in technical areas. SO: Remain compliant by staying on top of the ever-changing complex legislation / regulations which govern payroll processing. You can do this by reading your weekly News Online newsletter or this very publication, and by attending one of our BeConnected events before the start of the tax year. All these things come as part of your membership benefits, so please make sure you’re making the most of them! KT: There are so many skills and behaviours needed, such as: l technical and legislative knowledge l critical thinking, to be able to evaluate what’s in place and what could be done to improve l project management skills – for example, if needing to introduce new modules, or a new system altogether l problem solving and the ability to analyse data, which also requires attention to detail l being process driven, to ensure robust procedures, whether that be around processing or, for example, disaster recovery plans l communication – payroll is often
interacting with all stakeholders, both external and internal l flexibility l having an enquiring mind. NT: Those responsible for monitoring compliance must understand the requirements they’re monitoring compliance against. That seems like stating the obvious, but I’ve come across several payroll managers over the years who were oblivious of their legal obligations in various ways. So, training and continuing professional development are important to ensure up-to-date knowledge. Communication and analytical skills are also vital because you need to audit what’s happening on the ground rather than simply checking the adequacy of the documented processes. Most non-compliance stems from staff ignoring (or simply not knowing) the compliant documented process. It’s something of a balancing act because employees tend to see any compliance activity as a ‘big brother’ exercise trying to catch them out, and you need to be able to convince them that you’re actually monitoring the process and the way it’s implemented. n
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | July - August 2024 | Issue 102 36
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