COMPLIANCE
Furlough – the frontline
The CIPP’s policy and research team outlines experiences of payroll professionals who so far havemet the challenge of delivering payroll in a pandemic
S ince the day that the prime minister first talked about statutory sick pay (SSP) becoming payable on day one of a period of incapacity for work – and throughout every successive government announcement, including the launch of the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) and the UK-wide lockdown – payroll professionals have pulled out all the stops to continue keeping the UK paid. They have done an amazing job. So, in wanting these payroll professionals to share their experiences the CIPP policy and research team organised a virtual roundtable for the end of June. The response, however, was phenomenal, so we held three roundtables – but we still had a waiting list. These roundtables were followed with a survey. It is from both the anecdotal and the survey evidence that we share with you here these experiences. Though no one-size-fits-all in payroll, and all sectors and service lines were impacted, yet we established key themes that spanned all experiences. Scattered throughout the following are quotes from payroll professionals. Transfer from office to home Over 80% of survey respondents have moved to homeworking. Transferring from office to home covers both technical issues and balancing work and family relationships.
● Technical – Experiences varied widely, and the ease in which the transfer happened was supported where there were high levels of foresight, which a surprising number of members benefitted from. As supplies of equipment were soon snapped up, existing technology proved to be a key to successful homeworking. Many members reported having to use antiquated equipment which, when coupled with poor broadband connection, made for poor working conditions. Members using cloud-based solutions reported significant benefits to transferring from office to home. One of the challenges felt generally was that of the limitations on printing and storing pay reports and the printing and postage of payslips, P60 certificate and P45 forms. This challenge was overcome in two main ways: by travelling to the office periodically to catch up on printing; and moving to electronic transfer. ● Work and family relationships – Nobody missed commuting. The majority of members used the extra time to work and, in turn, experienced greater efficiency levels; but whether the latter is due to additional hours being worked (extreme, in many cases) or due to the lack of interruptions so commonly experienced in offices, is not clear. Virtual communications have supported
team working enormously, with MS Teams taking the lead in popularity followed closely by Zoom and Skype all enabling greater teamwork: “It’s actually making my team happier”, was one comment. For many there has been a greater sense of achievement as they have gone above and beyond in delivering payroll services to colleagues and clients. But others have not fared so well. Homeworking doesn’t suit everyone and many of us are working excessive and unsustainable hours. In addition, juggling the demands of family, childcare, caring responsibilities and home schooling, while perched in some cases on the end of the kitchen table, can make for a potentially explosive situation. Sadly, this pandemic will see many choosing to leave the profession; indeed, some already have. There is no one-size-fits-all for individual experience; contrast this quote “I am stressed and tired and battling working on the dining room table” with “I am more productive, with less interruptions”. The same can be said for payroll teams; contrast: “The team have continued to work exceptionally well” with “Had a lot more queries and complaints – seems they are quite distracted and struggled to manage their time effectively”. Delivery of the CJRS Feedback confirms that the payroll profession was impressed with the speed at which HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) delivered the CJRS. However, the constantly changing guidance
...payroll professionals have pulled out all the stops to continue keeping the UK paid.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2020 | Issue 63 34
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