Professional May 2017

MEMBERSHIP INSIGHT

5 minutes with…

Helen Hargreaves MSc, FCIPPdip associate director of policy and membership, CIPP

content to the CIPP’s membership magazine.

What does the future hold for the future of payroll, pensions and reward? There are definitely interesting times ahead with the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) in the next two years and the possibility of a second Scottish independence referendum. If the Scots were to gain independence at some point in the future that could mean that UK companies with locations in all parts of the UK would be faced with the prospect of running an international payroll for their Scottish employees. And, of course, Brexit is full of uncertainties and likely complexities following the announcement that the government will introduce a great repeal bill bringing all EU laws onto the UK books. This means that when we trigger article 50 laws and regulations made over the past forty years while the UK was part of the EU will continue to apply. By carrying EU laws over into UK law this will then enable the government and Parliament time to review, amend or scrap these laws in future. What do you do in your available time to unwind? Living in the middle of the Pennines in the Yorkshire countryside I make sure that, no matter how busy I am, I always find time to walk my two dogs over the moors. I might arrive back home wet and cold from the wind and rain but it does truly refresh the mind and revive the spirits. n

Tell us about your career and background in payroll Like many working in payroll, I fell into the profession. After leaving school in 1983 I began working at HM Revenue & Custom’s (HMRC’s) accounts office in Shipley and my career path within the Revenue eventually brought me to the pay as you earn (PAYE) unit where my team was responsible for collecting PAYE and Class 1 National Insurance contributions (NICs) and reimbursing statutory payments to small employers. From there I moved into human resources where for several years I ran the payroll for the accounts office staff’s childcare scheme. When did you first become involved with the CIPP? Another move within HMRC saw my transfer to the employer team in HMRC’s business customer unit, specialising in employer customer understanding. Working closely with HMRC’s stakeholders, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to increase my understanding of issues affecting employers through a twelve-month secondment to the CIPP’s policy team. After my year’s secondment I returned to

HMRC sharing what I had learned for the next two years until a vacancy arose in the CIPP and I took the plunge and applied. What does the policy team do for, and how can you benefit, CIPP members? The policy team was created in 1999 to influence payroll and pension legislation and, where appropriate, employment law legislation as well as to raise the profile of payroll and pensions professionals in the business arena. Through bringing together the views of thousands of payroll and pension professionals, the CIPP policy team provides a strong authoritative industry voice to influence change and assist the government in de-regulating unnecessary regulations for employers. In addition, we: ● operate the CIPP’s technical Advisory Service ● assist in the creation of CIPP event programmes, particularly the National Forums ● provide legislative updates at CIPP, and other industry events ● provide material updates for the CIPP’s education programmes ● supply payroll and pensions legislative

| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | May 2017 | Issue 30 8

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