COMPLIANCE
What is the headcount for the payrolls you run? DM: Approx 1,100. ID: 10,000. MS: Monthly payslips are around 17,362. The Phase 3 team is 14 people. NH: Total: 85,000. How have you used your PAS accreditation? DM: We use it when cross-skilling colleagues for our HR operations team and as part of our induction process for new joins into the business within the wider HR department. ID: To promote the value that the payroll team delivers. MS: The following is included on our website: “Phase 3 have been named as payroll provider of the year 2021 by the CIPP and achieved the Payroll Assurance Scheme accreditation”. We include the logo on our external payroll managed services documents. NH: We use it for demonstrating to potential clients that we hold an industry ‘gold’ standard. What value does your PAS accreditation hold? DM: My team has put a lot of work into documenting processes, automation, auditing monthly for both erroneous claims and potential payroll fraud. We also ensure that the wider HR team (and business) understand the impact of where claims are made incorrectly (e.g., potential HMRC penalties and fines). The PAS accreditation validates the amount of work we put into this and, as a manager (and payroll professional), it shows the experience I've applied to our processes to make them as robust as possible and ensure we’re ready for any legislative changes that come our way. ID: I think it’s valuable for the organisation, as well as my team, as it gives them a great sense of satisfaction that all the processes and procedures that they tirelessly work on are recognised as meeting / exceeding the payroll industry standards. MS: The CIPP is a name that everyone recognises and it’s great to have the backing of the CIPP to show that we have been assessed and have the accreditation. It gives assurance to our clients and team that we have met the highest level of
great the team are and the amazing service we provide. NH: Being able to show that payroll as a profession is important to us. Being part of the HR team can sometimes mean that payroll is forgotten, and this raises its profile across the organisation and shows its importance to the company.
assessment and professionalism in the payroll industry. NH: Holding this accreditation is often a requirement from potential new clients in their procurement process. Not having it can mean you don’t get through the tender process. How do you ensure other areas of your organisation / clients recognise the accreditation? DM: The accreditation is discussed at senior manager level as part of our governance, risk and audit committee. We use it as part of our induction (see Q4) and our finance team have an awareness of the accreditation – they were part of our assessment. ID: Lots of internal communication around different mediums – intranet, Yammer and e-mails. MS: We have an internal weekly and monthly update which we used to communicate news of the accreditation. We also have a monthly external newsletter which goes out to those organisations that have visited the Phase 3 website, and all awards / accreditations are communicated via the newsletter. We also include the logo on our external payroll managed services documents. NH: We communicate via our website that we hold the accreditation. We also provide evidence to potential clients that we have it. What are the main benefits you have experienced since being awarded PAS? DM: Added recognition within the business of how far our team has come, both since the initial accreditation and our re- accreditation, as the new payroll system has meant significant changes to all our processes. Personally, it validated all the management that had been applied and gave recognition externally that these were fit for purpose. ID: Internally, I think the team has gained a deeper sense of respect and recognition from colleagues. MS: New and current customers feel reassured when we talk about the PAS as it’s awarded by the CIPP. It gives them extra reassurance that we know what we are doing, and it has been accredited by an external company. This helps back up the Phase 3 payroll team when I talk about how
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The PAS is the prestigious gold standard for both people and payroll processes and is the much-coveted award in the payroll industry
How did you find the PAS process, in its entirety? DM: Challenging, you must be very honest with yourself when reviewing the individual criterion, taking a step back and giving yourself time to document what’s required as evidence and making sure colleagues are available for the assessor. We went through the process on the back of several years of strong green audits, so there was a confidence there that our processes were robust. The whole PAS process, while being challenging, gives you that satisfaction that what we do, how we do it and how we forward plan is worthy of the accreditation. ID: Overall it’s a fairly simple process. If you put the effort in to the questionnaire, you can have valuable discussions with the assessor. MS: A very thorough process examining all elements of our payroll service. The assessor was very supportive and we welcomed her input and feedback. NH: A straightforward process. Feedback from the assessor is useful for us to either make additional improvements or to see how we sit against other organisations. n
For more information on PAS, please visit our website: http://ow.ly/a27M50L80Ek.
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 85 | November 2022
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