Industry news
Time theft and security risks AN ANONYMOUS poll of 2,000 UK office workers found that a majority regularly spend work time on personal activities online, such as dating, looking for a new job, shopping, watching Netflix, attempting to view ‘crude’ materials, and visiting sites or opening emails that could cause a harmful virus, malware or ransomware. Tim Walker, managing director of Aura Technology which conducted the poll, commented: “It’s concerning that so many workers are opening email attachments or visiting sites that could cause a virus, malware or ransomware. “Our advice to workers is to make sure that they regularly update their antivirus software and to think twice before opening an attachment or visiting an unknown site. Considering the poll’s results, some employers may also want to review their policies on internal communications and how employees are permitted to use their work PCs for personal use.” Access Group expands HR and payroll presence ACCESS GROUP, one of the UK’s leading software providers for mid-sized organisations, has acquired People HR and The Payroll Service Company (PSC), extending its capability to serve an even wider range of organisations. In the UK, People HR’s solution is used by more than 5,000 companies, and PSC delivers payroll services for more than 1,300 companies. Chris Bayne, chief executive officer at Access Group, commented: “The addition of these two strategic acquisitions further enhances our presence in the HR and payroll solutions market particularly in the small- to medium-market…[We] are extremely well positioned to take advantage of a market that is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14% globally through to 2023. Together, we will have the strongest suite of HR and payroll solutions in the market, for companies of all sizes.” ADP simplifies multi-country payroll with ADP® Celergo ADP, a leading global technology company providing human capital management solutions, has announced that ADP Celergo, which provides a unified platform that simplifies and helps ensure accurate sourcing, managing, and delivery of payroll services across multiple countries, is now available worldwide to help companies manage multi-country payroll. Included are global payroll management services, payroll support and platform. Don McGuire, president of Employer Services International at ADP, said: “ADP Celergo is a unique solution that offers a valuable combination of access to innovative technology and the highest level of local expertise. These components provide clients with a single system of records with usable and consolidated employee payroll data, simplifying the management of global payroll in 140 countries with the highest level of service and security.”
Payslips A SURVEY by IRIS Software Group has revealed that although one in seven (15%) of the 1,129 employees surveyed indicated they were worried about the accuracy of their payslips, nearly a third of UK employees (31%) do not check them regularly. Surprisingly, it was people working in the finance and accountancy sectors who were among the least likely to regularly check their payslips (41%), along with those employed in media, marketing and sales (47%) and education (42%). Nick Gregory, chief marketing officer at IRIS Software Group, said: “We find that one of the main reasons employees don’t read their payslips is because they do not fully understand them. Organisations could do more to help staff understand their pay. Providing fact sheets and visual guides to explain all the terms on a payslip would be one way to make this easier.” The survey also revealed that many small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are sticking to paper payslips over electronic methods, with nearly a quarter of all employees – four out of five of whom (84%) worked for SMEs – stating that they still received paper payslips. Nick Gregory commented: “The survey results suggest that SMEs may be slower in making the move to digital than larger businesses. But the added risk associated with paper-based payslips arriving late or going missing means going digital should be a priority for any size of business.”
Stress and absence ACCORDING TO research by Moorepay, a leading UK provider of payroll and HR software and services, workplace stress affects the health of almost three in four (71%) UK employees; with four in ten taking a sick day as a result. The most common causes of stress for the surveyed employees are: heavy workload (55%); lack of control of workload (38%); relationships with colleagues (34%); and not receiving enough support from colleagues (29%). Anthony Vollmer, managing director at Moorepay, said: “More than fifteen million days are lost a year in the UK because of stress, according to the Taylor review. “Supporting staff with stress or other mental health issues doesn’t have to be expensive or involve a complete process overhaul. Effective initiatives can be simple to introduce and within easy reach. “The most important factors contributing to happiness at work include a strong internal support network; a strong corporate culture driven from the top; transparent internal communications; and attractive soft benefits such as flexible working. “A mentally well workforce is fundamental to a company’s success. A team that is happy and engaged has higher retention rates, attracts the best talent and delivers greater productivity.”
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | February 2020 | Issue 57 36
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