REWARD
Maria Mason MCIPPdip, partner, national payroll team, BDO , discusses recent payroll wins and how they’ve actively propelled the ever-changing industry forward T here’s no doubt the payroll landscape has shifted considerably over recent years. I’ve certainly
handle regulatory changes and navigate increasingly complex tax environments. The challenges have been continuous – changes to legislation and regulation have included: l the introduction of real-time information l pensions automatic enrolment l General Data Protection Regulations. “Such challenges have created victories for this community as it’s now seen as a centre of excellence, able to respond rapidly to changes”
have created victories for this community as it’s now seen as a centre of excellence, able to respond rapidly to changes. This is now seen as critical service, but the fact that it’s seen in such a way shows how far we’ve come. So, what has changed? What have been the big wins? Payroll as a profession The first major victory is that payroll is now a profession, offering a clear career path, training and qualifications. It is no longer seen as a process. There are now more than 15,000 payroll professionals who have gained qualification through the CIPP — the Payroll Technician Certificate and the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management are seen as the hallmarks of quality payroll service. The challenge was convincing senior management to support and invest in this shift. The victory is seen today in the number of professionals seeking these qualifications. Without this commitment, low skills would have led to poorer outcomes – inaccuracies, delays and regulatory risk. This professionalisation of the payroll
witnessed, and indeed helped drive, many changes during my time in the profession. And now, as employers face a tough set of economic circumstances, it’s becoming clear that payroll, whether in-house or in a bureau, is earning its keep. It’s becoming a central part of human resource (HR) management. It has won a seat within the core operation. It has faced the challenge of turning what was seen as a low-level processing operation into a profession that requires skill and expertise, one that has won a seat at the heart of the operation. It has risen to the wider challenge of cost control. Having typically been attached to HR or finance in the past, payroll has now become more important to businesses, where the staff are often the highest cost. Payroll has tackled this challenge through increased use of data, to help drive efficiencies and improve resource allocation. In the current turbulent times, this is no small victory. In addition, payroll is now expected to cover the whole employee journey,
These changes have pushed the payroll community to extend their knowledge library to accommodate and deliver payroll accurately and on time. Such challenges
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | April 2023 | Issue 89 34
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