Technology
breaches when WFH, we will start to see the industry go back to the office or will we see security technology adapt to manage the risk? Leslie Symonds: We will see security addressing the gaps to manage the data risk. Companies also need to think through and adapt their policies so that they make sense and hold true in the new working environment. Do you have a password on home Wi-Fi settings, for example? Karen Beckett: It goes back to the basics of payroll, treat everyone’s pay as if it is your own. That is the education from day one. Treat all data in that way. EH: Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use payroll products and manage their processes through Excel, using emails to share information. It is a huge risk. RGi: That is how many businesses operate – that is why education is so important to encourage them to choose to work in a different way. There are file-sharing tools that are widely available to keep data safe – nobody should be sending email attachments. I have worked hard to keep all exception reporting inside the product, but users still ask if they can export the data. Pay on demand (POD) 97% of respondents did not offer a POD solution, but 35% said they would possibly, or will, introduce a solution in the future. Will this payment facility be a part of the future of payroll? RG: The nature of the world is changing. In the gig economy it’s already POD. It is a very morally difficult position for employers. Are you doing the right thing for your employees, or are you just increasing the problem? It goes back to the basics of payroll, treat everyone’s pay as if it is your own.
MS: We implemented drawdown to support employees and help them avoid going to pay day loans. We see regular users of the scheme and you could argue it is encouraging the cycle of debt, but it is likely they would have gone elsewhere, and this is a better alternative. EH: When companies moved payrolls from weekly to monthly, it was to support employer cashflow – nobody asked if it was right for employee well-being. When we give employees money at the end of the month, do we know what people are going to spend it on? It is their money, what right do we have to prevent people from having access to their own money? RGi: I agree, for me the moral dilemma is the cost – asking employees to pay a fee to access their earnings. Melanie Pizzey : It is also a concern that there is no body regulating these companies, and there are some dubious companies coming into the space at the moment. Steve Watmore: The people most impacted by this are those that are more vulnerable. It is important to also educate. Employers should be facilitating POD for the right reasons. WJ: The gig economy will create an environment in which people have more than one job. Technology will ultimately support flexibility and the ability to drawdown. POD is not just about financial challenges, but perhaps because that is the way it should be. Pressures of technology In her foreword, Daniela Porr describes technology as “bringing new solutions and pressures” into payroll teams, what pressure does technology place on payroll? WJ: Technology will not solve all your problems. Testing is crucial, but not as crucial as looking at what you are trying to do differently. Do not reconfigure and implement the same thing. Look at what you are doing now, and work with your provider to shape what you want. MP: Sometimes people sell the dream, and it does not come true. People lose jobs because they implemented software that did not deliver. There should be a responsibility on providers to be honest and transparent. This often happens because payroll teams are not involved right at the beginning. SM: Companies should not just look at technology – they should look at their
remote working have on data security in payroll? Spencer McDonald: The traditional ways of working have been highlighted during the pandemic. Companies had to find a way to run payroll offsite, and it is amazing how many people still have paper payslips. For businesses, security is paramount, and they are asking how secure data is more so than ever. MS: Good security is about education. Your payroll team needs to understand what acceptable use is. For example, they could download a bank automated clearing service (BACS) file onto a desktop, but they wouldn’t because they know it is not acceptable. VG: It is important that teams understand the reason why too. What is the risk of breaching acceptable use? Data is so valuable and cyber security is becoming more popular as a topic because scammers are using more intelligent and complex methods to extract data from individuals. WJ: What coronavirus has done for a lot of payroll departments is make them analyse the risks in payroll and their disaster recovery processes. We mobilised easily, but we had to step in for customers who didn’t have a plan B. Richard George: The other challenge is the change in environment from office to home. There is such a huge educational change around the parameters of how people work when working from home (WFH), and security needs to form part of that. Gemma Creamer: Recruitment is so much easier for hybrid working and it is seen as more of a benefit than a pay rise for many people. Money is not the main motivator anymore. Recruiters are having to manage recruitment processes differently because it is all about flexibility, well-being and employer empathy. Employers have also found they have been able to identify training concerns highlighted due to WFH. SJ: Do you think if there are security
Payroll needs to rebrand. We need to talk about how many millions ow through payroll and draw people in. It is all about marketing. We need to make it sexy.
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 75 | November 2021
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