10 | YOUR CIPP
PAY AND PERSPECTIVE "Roles and careers change, and technology is all around us – it always has been and always will be. How we continue to adapt and evolve to our ever-changing environment is up to all of us, giving us the opportunity to improve as we grow and learn"
W elcome to this issue of Professional magazine. I hope the new tax year has got off to a great start for you. At this time of year, you may be switching software or reviewing your current service providers, so I wish you every success with those projects and, of course, with the tax year ahead. With so many conversations centred on artificial intelligence and how everyone will cope with the inevitable changes that brings in the workplace, I thought I’d share some of my own reflections. Having begun work in the era of pens, tax tables and the completion of payroll by hand (until you were competent enough to warrant being issued a calculator), I’ve seen a fair amount of change. This has included the move to electronic banking, which has largely removed the need for handling cash
and the obvious risk that had of robbery. Yes, I’ve been held up by pickaxe handle – not quite guns and stun grenades but that’s a story for another day. The computerisation of pay was a major step forward. It meant that mainframe computing could handle many complex calculations, which allowed payroll service teams to do more. It also created a need for Software Developers to provide ongoing support and subsequently, roles evolved around me which nobody had ever considered before. Just like today, with Content Creators and Learning Development Specialists, back then it was Production Engineers and Help Desk Support Agents. The move to real time information (RTI), although challenging and still ever evolving, was also a major step forward
in accessing data and exchanging information for the benefit of employees. Back in RTI’s infancy, it was confirmed that it would help those who no longer expected to be in jobs for life, but who may well have multiple employments throughout the year, and I’ve certainly seen that transpire with my own children. The move to digitalising payslips and providing an electronic copy of something that used to be sent to everyone in the mail was a revolution which helped to drive access to pay information prior to payday. Soon, many other legal documents followed and are now delivered in a digital format, with apps developed to contain them. I don’t think any of my children, in all their jobs outside university or college, have ever received anything through the post. Shift pattern acceptance, time recording,
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