TECHNOLOGY
The future of payroll
The CIPP policy and research teamhosted a roundtable at National Payroll Week (NPW), led by Samantha Johnson LLB(Hons) ChMCIPPdip, CIPP policy lead , to discuss howpayroll might look in the future
N PW provided the first opportunity in 2021 for the CIPP to meet face to face with its members. Kicking off the week in style, the Future of Payroll roundtable explored technology, data security, flexible working, succession planning and much more. The discussion was based on the results of the 2020 Future of Payroll survey , which provided interesting findings for the discussion. Artificial intelligence (AI) 86% of survey respondents said that AI will continue to replace more transactional payroll tasks, and 68% considered that this will allow payroll to add more strategic value. What is the future for AI and payroll? Will Jackson: Let’s demystify AI. Using a Candy Jackson – Microfinch Eira Hammond ChFCIPPdip – Hi Group Gemma Creamer – Portfolio Payroll Jade Burke – Reward Strategy Karen Beckett BA (Hons) ChFCIPP – Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust Leslie Symonds – Ceridian Melanie Pizzey – GPA Michelle Sutton MCIPPdip – Suez
macro to automate a spreadsheet function is technically AI, it is using automation. However, there is a second aspect of it – that is machine learning, where the machine gets smarter the more you use it. Chatbots are a notable example, as they use history to start to anticipate what the next question might be. Vickie Graham: The CIPP uses security software where machine learning identifies what normal behaviour is, giving it the ability to flag when something out of the ordinary happens. Samantha Johnson: AI is one of those terms that has a different definition for everyone. It can be anything from a system calculating sick pay all the way through to machine learning. Software providers Richard George MCIPPdip – The Payroll Centre Rob Gimes – Access People Samantha Johnson LLB (Hons) ChMCIPPdip – The CIPP Spencer McDonald – ADP Steve Watmore – Sage Vickie Graham DipM ACIPP ACIM – The CIPP Will Jackson – Zalaris
are giving payroll growing opportunities to shape what payroll could look like. Michelle Sutton: Customer service is still an important aspect of payroll. You cannot have a conversation with a machine. Rob Gimes: I agree, people will still need to speak to people and there still needs to be skilled individuals who understand how things are calculated to then relay that information to others. That will be the future of payroll. MS: Every year we send an email to all employees on a month 1 tax code. Employees love that service because they get their rebate sooner. The task can be automated, but a machine would not have thought to deliver that level of service. Eira Hammond: To me, that is the true value of payroll – understanding how it is done to then automate and give space to deliver an exceptional service. Before I joined Hi Group, I never believed that technology could run payroll. However, I have seen with my own eyes that it is possible. Payroll teams often think, ‘what are we going to do if technology takes our role?’ but using the technology to do the simpler stuff allows payroll to use their skills and experience in more complex areas. Security Only 38% of respondents hosted software in the cloud. How do you see this figure changing in the future as people continue to work remotely? And what impact could
What coronavirus has done for a lot of payroll departments is make them analyse the risks in payroll and their disaster recovery processes.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2021 | Issue 75 40
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