REWARD
Jim Woodlingfield ChMCIPP, payroll and pensions manager, Sunderland City Council, talks about some of the nuances of processing payroll in the public sector D espite starting my payroll career in the private sector, working for Sage, I’ve spent most of my
the astute candidate can find a lot of information in the public domain to inform their application, and hopefully interview performance. Automatic increments are very different to private sector performance reviews, and if you’re managing a team, pay is not the main motivation for working in the public sector. You aren’t alone Networking through peers is an invaluable source of information too, and the CIPP Public Sector Payroll Group is a fantastic resource for asking questions and finding out how others are dealing with challenges. Before I joined the CIPP, I felt quite isolated as a payroll manager, and I wasn’t always sure my solutions were in line with best practice. The CIPP Advisory Service team have a lot of public sector knowledge and are great to ask if you’re not quite sure how to proceed. Personally, I’ve really enjoyed working in local government and in education. It’s very rewarding to feel so connected to your local area, and knowing that the hard work and dedication of payroll professionals stands behind the delivery of essential local services. It’s been challenging to deliver this service in an age of austerity and constantly shrinking budgets: I see so many products and services which would make a difference to our customers. In the end, I’m very proud to deliver a valued service that makes the best use of public money. n
delegation, or authorisation. For further education and sixth form colleges, it will be the instrument and articles of governance. Schools and academy trusts also have their own governing documents. In all cases, it’s important for the payroll professional to familiarise themselves with the documents, to understand who’s permitted to authorise what, and if anything appears unclear to highlight this to the appropriate people. “I’m very proud to deliver a valued service that makes How is public sector payroll different to private sector? One perennial topic of debate for payroll professionals is how to do a pro-rata calculation for part months. In the private sector, this is often based on annual working days, or 1/260th of pay, whereas for much of the public sector, this is based on calendar days in period instead. I’ve never found a satisfactory authority for this, and sometimes individual employers have moved away from it, but it still seems prevalent in the sector overall. Pay and grading, incrementation and performance reviews can be very different in the public sector. Local authorities are required to publish a pay policy and the best use of public money”
payroll time working in local government or related employers. When I first began working in the public sector, I didn’t really know what to expect and how it would affect practising my profession. I’ve learned some things over the years, and I hope it’s helpful to share them for anyone considering a move into payroll in local government, or who might be looking to progress their career. Pensions, pensions, pensions Having an awareness of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a very good indicator of a strong candidate as it shows an ability to understand and apply legislation. The LGPS is administered by 86 local pension funds in England and Wales, and you can find out which one covers your area here: http://ow.ly/ EwPV50MFK0U, and they will normally have their own website. Detailed legislative information on the LGPS can be found at: http://ow.ly/Z0N250MFK6G and a member site, including useful videos is at: http://ow.ly/B5AO50MFKfO. It’s also useful to have knowledge of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. Their website is at: http://ow.ly/HBAs50MFKoP, and the National Health Service (NHS) pension website can be found at: http://ow.ly/ ivtA50MFKqO. If you work for a council, the constitution will set out the scheme of
39
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 88 | March 2023
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker