COMPLIANCE
Samantha O’Sullivan ChMCIPPdip, policy lead at the CIPP , interviewed some of our Payroll Assurance Scheme (PAS) accredited customers to see how they value their endorsement
Samantha spoke to: l Karen Thomson MSc ChFCIPPdip FHEA , UK payroll director, Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB) l Marc Johnson MCIPPdip , managing director, LivePay l Emma Watson ACIPP , payroll manager, AWS Accountancy l Paula Hanson , head of payroll and pensions, Bradford National health Service (NHS) Payroll Services. I f you want assurance that your payroll team are dedicated to compliance, to know that their processes are robust and that lifelong learning and development is planned and encouraged, then the PAS can offer you that confidence. The PAS is the prestigious gold standard for both people and payroll processes and is the much-coveted award in the payroll industry. Developed in partnership with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), it’s the only voluntary accreditation on the market, and the scheme is designed to identify risks to a business arising from skills gaps or inadequate processes. It’s a huge accolade for payroll staff once accreditation has been achieved. Examining over 60 facets of the payroll operation, the scheme is consistently evolving with the help of the CIPP’s policy and research team, who are at the forefront of any changes to the payroll industry. So, you can be assured you are gaining a high quality, much sought after accreditation.
having it, and it was quite an expensive accreditation to achieve with no direct impact in terms of revenue generation. Emma Watson: Being a member of the CIPP, I saw Professional magazine congratulating businesses who’d received this accreditation. After carrying out research on PAS and presenting it to the business directors, it was something the bureau wanted to achieve as a unique way of advertising the department. Paula Hanson: For the additional validation and recognition that team processes and people development are fully compliant with legislation, and confirmation that we continue to progress and prioritise our staff. Also, to challenge any areas requiring innovation; to advance our skills and learning and to demonstrate an appetite for continuous improvement. Basically, to be the best we can be. Which industry are you in? KT: Professional services, including: l UK and global payroll l UK and global taxes l accounting (including specialised hotel accounting) l research and development l audit l business planning / advisory (including corporate finance and virtual finance opportunities, consultancy and human resource services). MJ: We’re a payroll bureau. We have customers across industries in both private and public sector organisations. EW: We’re a payroll bureau operating in the private sector. PH: NHS payroll and pensions. What’s the headcount for the payrolls you run? KT: We’re a payroll bureau, producing circa 50,000 monthly payslips. MJ: Circa 20,000. EW: We run 191 payrolls, which pay weekly, monthly and four-weekly. These payrolls vary from director-only payrolls to payrolls consisting of over 100 employees. PH: Two monthly (7,400 and 3,000) and two weekly (400 and 450).
The value of PAS
What prompted you to go through the PAS process? Karen Thomson: The CIPP is our
professional body. While AAB is extremely proud of its commitment to its employees in the learning and development (L&D) space, to have our processes, particularly our payroll employees’ development opportunities, accredited by the CIPP is ‘the icing on the cake’. Marc Johnson: It was something we looked at a few times over the last few years. However, we were unsure of the value it would add, as we hadn’t lost any potential business due to not
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2023 | Issue 93 20
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